Our first week in DC

Getting to DC took 4 days of travel and it was certainly arduous at times.  However, getting to DC and spotting the Washington Monument made it all worth it.  We all let out a squeal (except for maybe Matt) at the thought of actually getting to live here for a whole month.  We found our apartment easily, as it was located right across the street from the National Archives near the National Mall.  I was really excited about the location but kind of nervous about the actual apartment.  It was one of the older units but it was a big 2 bedroom with 2 baths so I knew the space would be more appreciated than having a modern decor.  We retrieved the keys from the lobby and proceeded to the parking garage to park.  We were immediately hit with what would become a very familiar smell while in that garage...fish.  Fried fish to be exact.  Kind of a gross start but I was remaining optimistic.  I decided to head up to the 2nd floor to check out the apartment first so I could diffuse any disappointment if it was a total dump. Once in the apartment, I was enormously excited to get to show the girls.  While it did have a certain 1980's feel to it...it was HUGE.  It was also a corner unit with floor to ceiling windows everywhere.  We were so lucky to have that apartment to stay in for the month.  Cramming ourselves into a hotel room would have been a nightmare.  The girls and Matt were all super excited when they made it up to the apartment.  We got busy settling in right away.  We left the girls to unpack and make it more home like while Matt and I headed to Walmart to get the grocery shopping done for the week.  We had already decided that eating out would be at a bare minimum so we scoped out the nearest Walmart before we even got to DC.  Each week we would shop on Sunday while the girls stayed home to get all the chores for the week done.  It was a good little system. When we originally talked about what staying for a month would be like, the girls thought we would be going going going every day just like it was a 1 week vacation (our usual break neck pace for squeezing it all in) I, on the other hand had an idea that it would be better to keep things simple each day.  We pretty much fell into a very predictable routine that first week in DC.  I would head out for my run and try to convince at least 1 of the girls to come with me...we would return and have breakfast...do some chores/reading/game playing...have lunch and then start to feel guilty that we were not out exploring the city. The first week we hit all the museums.  It was nice to be able to take them at an easy pace.  The weather was oppressively hot and humid and the school groups were really crazy crowded so if we got tired of that, we would simply head back to the apartment to hang out.  I have never felt so happy that all the girls are so easily entertained.  Some afternoons I would find them at the kitchen table staring out the window people watching and making up stories to go along with the the random people they saw.  We are nothing if not thrilling vacationers! During that first week we also celebrated Matt's birthday and Matt and I squeezed in the 1st of 3 actual date nights.  We really wanted to make that a priority while we were there considering we never go out much at home due to a lack of options.  We also saw the first of many outdoor concerts which we absolutely

loved.   At the end of the week we planned a few side trips to see local areas with Matt.  Speaking of Matt, he also developed a predictable (if slightly less relaxing) routine.  He loved being able to walk a few blocks to work each day...we hated not having him with us and the fact that he had to work. :( So that first weekend we managed to see Great Falls Park which was awesome!  We also traveled to Annapolis and loved it.  We had wanted to tour the Naval Academy but unfortunately I forgot my ID and even Matt's fancy NASA badge would not get me in.  We did love the city though.  Rachel is convinced that she wants to move there and work for the Navy.  At the end of our first week we felt so familiar with DC and were loving the fact that we could walk everywhere.