day 2

DAY 2:
we opt out of the continental breakfast from the HO JO which i am sure consisted of some wrapped up leftovers from out of the dumpsters just to the right of our rooms. ben joked that he bet some used syringes were probably also on the menu. wouldn't surprise me. we check into our 2nd hotel, the capitol hilton which made us feel almost as uncomfortable because it was so beautiful and nice. suddenly WE were the white trash, having valets park our rental car and help the bell hop pack up our unmatching luggage & random target bags full of caleb's stuff onto the luggage carrier. we checked in to our fancy pants room and decided to make the most of the day. unfortunately we had not discussed this with mother nature who had other plans in mind. it was cold, windy and off & on rain while we set out on foot to the white house. we were just blocks away so our location was awesome, but it still was a bit miserable with the weather conditions, but we refused. to let our spirits be dampened. i was blown away by the beautiful architecture and the "feel" of the city. it reminded me of my trip to NYC, where everything just feels more exciting for some reason. just a bit less hollywood and more political. we saw the white house, and enjoyed the picketers that were protesting thanksgiving. they were holding signs that said "meet me don't eat me" which didn't even make sense. who wants to "meet" a turkey? i just felt they could have been a bit more creative but oh well. we went to the washington monument and the museum of natural history. we were pretty tired by about 5:00 and it was cold so we walked back to the hotel.

ready for a day of being tourists.




my mom & i had a girls night where ben had surprised us with tickets for an evening out to the austrian embassy. we dressed up, heard child prodigies play the music of strauss on the piano, ate fancy music and shared a cab with a good-looking drunk couple. the lady sat in the back and was very friendly. it took a turn for the "weird" when she told my mom her voice was very 'melodious.' that was nice, then she continued on, and said it was 'melodious and sensuous.' huh? i teased my mom the rest of the trip about her sensuous voice. we had a fantastic time.




meanwhile, ben and caleb had a "guys night" and ate at burger king. caleb got a crown, which he wore the rest of the night, even in the bathtub. pick your battles.







i love the architecture in this city. the buildings are huge and even though i know the buildings aren't old enough, i can practically see george washington walking out of one.








ben & my mom, the national christmas tree being decorated, the washington monument & the flags surrounding the washington monument.







the white house & the picketers.