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My little {6'1" tall} brother was just hired on to a company located in a small Pennsylvania town {well, the company isn't exactly located there, just the branch that he will work out of}. So, Garrett and my mom decided to make a trip up this direction for a bit of apartment/house searching for him, since he'll be moving up come January. They flew into DC, spent a night with us {me really, since Chris was working that night}, then took my car for a few days northward. They came back {and returned the car in one piece!} Friday evening and stayed through the weekend.

We explored Old Town in Alexandria, walked miles around DC {literally miles}, made a cupcake stop at Lavender Moon, saw a Da Vinci at the National Gallery, ate good food, toured the National Cathedral, made a quick trip from the National Archives {debate is still on regarding whether we saw the REAL Constitution or just a copy of it} stopped in the Air and Space Museum, ate more good food, waited for Georgetown Cupcakes, and shopped in Tyson's Corner. And we did all this in FREEZING temperatures. Literally freezing. Hence why we opted out of Arlington Cemetry on Sunday and went shopping with all of the other hundreds of holiday shoppers at an inside mall. With the wind gusts, the temperatures haven't risen above the high 30s for the past week. Thank goodness for down jackets.

Umm, check out our hair. No lie it was windy! Mom, me and G in front of the Capitol, attempting to savor the last bits of our cozy, warm Starbucks drinks.


Chris and I in the rotunda of the National Gallery. The massive fountain welcoming incoming visitors just inside the main entrance was festively decorated with bright poinsettias and plants. Of course, the main draw is not the holiday decor but the impressive paintings, sculptures, and sketches that it houses. We strolled around for a bit, making a point to view the only Da Vinci painting in the United States, although one could easily spend an entire day in this building.


Chris and I in the National Cathedral. By far, one of my favorites things to do yet in DC. We took a tour from a docent who looked like Harry Potter should at the age of 70. Seriously though, it was full of so many interesting facts about the cathedral. The cathedral is actually fairly new, with the foundation stone laid in 1907. With the completion of the west tower in 1990, it took 83 years to build. There is a former President buried in there, along with the first lady to serve as President {Woodrow Wilson's wife - interesting story to this}, Helen Keller, and many other past members of the Church.