Some weekend moments

Here are some pictures of the weekend.

The first picture is of my sis and roomie, Drew, both of whom I've written. The second is Mal and me outside Union Station. The third is from Saturday, standing outside of the Capitol Building.

I'll fill in puzzle pieces later. The weekend was packed full of fun memories. It felt good to stay in town!!!

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(Later) So, what do y'all think? Feel better having some faces to go with the names I drop now and again? I'll try to start adding pictures if they are relevant to my ranting.

My weekend was busy and I loved it. At one point, I looked over at Mal on Friday night and said, "Aren't you glad that we are NOT in a car right now?" That's pretty much how the weekend started.

We enjoyed some delicious Italian at our favorite restaurant (Bistro Italiano) that's down the street about six blocks. After chowing down (and getting leftovers to go... yay for yummy leftovers!) we changed and went to 18th Street Lounge. It's a lounge bar/club that's on the Northwest side of town. Basically, a few metro stops over. They were featuring an Italian DJ (notice a nightly theme?) that Drew really wanted to see. The DJ was awesome. The music had a Latin flare to it (of which was pointed out to me by Drew- we all know my white girl self would never have picked it up on my own) that provided a powerful beat to dance to. Drew and I tore it up on the floor and it was a blast!

We wound up staying there as late as the last train home would allow. I'm going to have to get used to the metro's schedule.

Saturday we slept in and attempted to go on a Capitol tour (hence the picture of us outside the Capitol before), however, the building closed to the public (and staff!) by 4:30. So, we only got to take more pictures standing outside before we walked back to the apartment... defeated by government rules. After regrouping, we left for Chinatown.

We opted to eat dinner at this yummy Chinese restaurant where we were served in a "family style" manner. The six of us chose our own soups and drinks. After those starters we were brought appetizers and then six different entree items and a big bowl of rice. We had enough food to feed a small army. After gorging ourselves and packing up the leftovers, we set off for some shopping.

Joy. (<------ with thick sarcasm)

Shopping was short (thankfully!) and slightly entertaining. I had more fun standing outside waiting for everyone than I did in the store. The new sights and sounds were exciting and I couldn't help but develop a strong desire for ice cream as I watched people walk by with cones and cups in hand.

"Wanna walk with me to get movie tickets while we wait for Mal?" Seeing my face (which probably registered a mixture of boredom and longing (for ice cream) ), Drew saved me. After heartily agreeing, we set across seven blocks to the theater and bought our X-Men III tickets.

One thing I love about Drew is that he is just as directionally challenged as me. We realized as we began walking that we had no idea where to go. Drew had been to the theater before, but it wasn't from where we started. After walking two blocks, places began to look familiar to him so we cut right and then backtracked to the theater. After we bought our tickets, I succumbed to my ice cream dreams and bought a Coffee flavored shake with a shot of Expresso topped with chocolate.

Mmmmm.

The movie was great. The special effects were as I hoped they'd be. It was as entertaining as the first (and a lot more entertaining than the second) and provided something satisfying for all audiences as it fed love, drama, action, and adventure.

After the movie, we called it a night and rode the metro back to the apartment.

Sunday was an earlier start. We arose with excitement because of our plans to hit the Delaware beach, Rehoboth. We drove out there and were on the beach by 2:00. It was unlike any other beach I have been to. The boardwalk bustled with crowds and the beach itself was like a quilt of people. Everyone donned their suits and sarongs. We staked out a little patch of sand that was surrounded by at least five other families. After spreading out our sheet, there was nothing else to do but relax and enjoy the day.

The water was cold.

Oh, wait.

Frigid.

I had no intentions of feeling it past my calves, but was tackled into the water by Drew as I (distractedly) was looking at the crazy people splashing out deep before me. What are they thinking? I soon joined them after an abrupt shove from behind. After the initial shock, holy cow, the water was okay, but I certainly didn't stay in for long. Mallory and Karen (laughingly) joined me (while Drew safely stood on the shore!) and we rode the waves for a few. I lost my sunglasses (the second pair in my life) to a wave that ripped them from me.

There was this crazy fog that rolled in about an hour after we got there and Mallory put it best when she said, "it's like we're on another planet." We were sitting there, surrounded by what seemed like a million people and this surreal cloud blanket rolls into camp. It wasn't that thick (we still got sun), but it was weird because sight was limited to about 100 yards away. Being as how we drove over two hours to get there, we weren't about to pack up and leave because of a little fog. So, we soaked in the rays through the fog (haha) and then grabbed some late lunch at a Jimmy Buffet themed restaurant.

Then, we went home.

Monday was the last day of our holiday weekend. Karen and Mallory went out for lunch. I stayed in, cleaned, and leisurely prepped for the day. Drew and I watched X Men II on tv (I had only seen the first) and relaxed. It was a fabulous ending to the busy (and slightly financially breaking) weekend.

I"m not sure if you wanted all those details. I realize that I've written a novella. Every moment (minus the shopping and losing my sunglasses) was a lot of fun. It was wonderful to just BE in DC. I'm looking forward to more weekends like it. Weekends of exploration and new sights, sounds, and tastes. Though there have been moments of doubt in regards to my move, there were none this weekend. I knew that I was here, if anything, for those memories.