Aaron found out on a Thursday that he would be spending the next week in Virginia for a training class and called me to ask if I wanted to go too. We had a free ticket we had been hoarding and this seemed like a good time to use it. Turned out to be a $1400 ticket at the last minute - but free for us! So after a few frantic hours of arranging babysitting, and getting over the guilt of missing Alden's 3rd birthday, we were set.
A humongous thanks to all our babysitters, which consisted of sisters, sister-in-laws, and a generous friend. Funny how grandmas aren't always around at your beck and call. Apparently they have lives of their own, go figure. But Aaron's mom did take them the last day, when I flew home. Obviously I wouldn't have been able to go without all this help.
We stayed at Tyson's Corner, which is a big, fancy mall place with lots of restaurants, shopping, etc. Which is great since Aaron was in class all day. But we did have the evenings together. I
saved any touristy kind of stuff for another time, since I have been before anyway. As luck would have it, 2 of my girlfriends moved out to DC in the last few months. So I spent the first day helping Lindsay & Kim move into their new house with their sweet girls. They're the ones who let us mooch off them for like 3 weeks this summer in Provo. So I seriously owed them. But man! They're slave drivers - so I feel like we're even now. But I was so happy to hang out with them, which I did a couple other days too. And they had to pick me up everytime. But I'm pretty sure Lindsay was looking for excuses to drive her brand-new, fancy minivan. And I was able to see Colleen Wheeler and her cute family in their new house. I doubt that all houses in the DC area are wonderful, but the 2 houses I spent time at were frankly amazing. So beautiful!
I also spent a day shopping, and plenty of time sleeping in a watching television or reading. Plus a very healthy amount on a video for my grandmother, whose 80th suprise birthday party was 2 days after I got back. Which was great, because I got way more done out there than I could have at home with my 2 monkeys.
So, wonderful to spend some alone time with Aaron, see my friends, take some personal time, and just have a great vacation in general. And the boys (and their sitters) survived, even if Alden had a lot of potty mishaps and Emmett apparently picked this week to become a complete Mama's boy. But hey, you gotta take these chances when you can.
