Well - the first weekend of September was a great weekend y'all. I mean... it didn't start out 100% great but happily it all went uphill from the start. Ryan and I went out for dinner with my parents but it didn't end well because I ended up feeling sick and we had to head home. I came to the realization that the freezer meal I'd eaten for lunch might have been in the office freezer with the power out over the previous weekend - and probably didn't need to be eaten. Oops!
Thankfully the feeling passed and we were able to go look at some cars, make a stop at Wal-Mart and grab a milkshake at Chick Fil A before returning home to pack a bag for DC and chill a bit. Saturday morning was laid back before we got ready to head to a birthday party for some family friends.
The birthday party was wonderful - the weather was so beautiful on Saturday and the party was outdoors, with delicious food and time spent catching up with and laughing with friends. Ryan and I probably had a little bit too much fun with the streamers but you know what? Who cares! We left the party around 2:00 and headed for DC to enjoy 24 hours in the big city. Our first stop (after the hotel) was to introduce my not into sweets fiancé to my favorite - Ice Cream Jubilee. I guess he was a fan?
I got Coffee & Donuts and Cookies & Cookie Dough and it was; as always, divine! We ended up sitting alongside the Anacostia River at Yards Park for a while since our baseball game was the second of a double header and so we couldn't enter the ballpark quite as quickly as usual.
We finally were able to go in for the 6:55 game shortly after 6:00 and I managed to race Ryan around the ballpark to show him the Team Store and grab some tasty bites from See You Tater - because you can never go wrong with tater tots covered in chili & cheese or BBQ pulled pork and macaroni! Yum! We settled into our seats and after the Mets scored a run in the first I was a little anxious - but Lane Thomas smashed a home run to counter and the game was on... the team battled throughout the game and we actually saw not just one but two home runs! When all was said and done, we came out with a 4-3 win and it was so exciting! I've missed my baseball this year!
A delightful surprise that we didn't know about was that when the game ended, there were fireworks! We scrambled over to the third base seating and watched as the sky lit up with fireworks for about 5-10 minutes! It was such a fun little ending to the game and it was especially nice to be able to walk across the street to the Hampton Inn, where Ryan and I made our way to the rooftop bar to relax for a bit before getting some sleep.
Sunday morning dawned bright and beautiful and after we got ready and packed up our things we explored a little bit in downtown near our brunch location - Old Ebbitt Grill. We happily stumbled upon the newly opened World War I Memorial that's located between The White House Visitor Center and the Willard Intercontinental and perused the quotes, etchings and statues that make up the Memorial - which is still a work in progress - but already a touching sight.
We had a divine brunch at Old Ebbitt Grill - we tried some Elote Loco (street corn dip) to start the meal and honestly, I could have eaten that the entire time. It was just SO good! I also had Brioche French Toast with blueberries... the rest of the family had Steak Salad, a Breakfast Melt Sandwich and some more Brioche French Toast! We made a walk around the White House after our meal and of course - snapped some pictures!
We cruised around cloudy DC to show Ryan some sights - making a stop at Gravelly Point to show him the planes landing at Reagan National, soaring over our heads on their final. We also made a stop by the Air Force Memorial before making our way to Arlington National Cemetery - our second to last stop before heading home!
We hopped onto the tram and rode all around Arlington making a stop at the Amphitheater to watch the Changing of the Guards at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier - a memorable and touching ceremony every time I witness it. We also saw the Memorial to Women in the Military (below) and several notable people buried among the rows and rows of those who served our country in the many conflicts our country has taken part in.
Our final stop was the Marines Memorial - more often referred to as Iwo Jima - as we headed toward home. The Memorial was filled with gifts left for the thirteen soldiers who were killed in Afghanistan in recent weeks - with a flag that had each name written on one of the thirteen stripes of the flag.
We headed home in the trickling rain and did some laundry, ate some leftovers and watched Captain Marvel before calling it a night and going to bed! It was such a good weekend and a wonderful way to start the month of September!
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