mommy vacation

I have been itching for a break. For whatever reason, my skin has been crawling and aching for just a little get-away. The stress of residency applications and interview scheduling, along with the realization that I will be flying solo for days while Dave travels, have been grinding at my patience and productivity until there was not much left. Luckily for me, I had a trip to DC planned just in the nick of time.

As a family with a lot of girls, we've been trying to get into a regular routine of getting together just as sisters, but this year only 3 of us could attend.  So on Friday I farmed out the kids to my wonderful friends and flew to DC for a little weekend. My only goals were to sleep uninterrupted (success!) and have fun (also success!).

Clockwise from top left: National Cathedral, Capitol Building, National Cathedral (outside and inside), LDS DC Temple, a sign that said, "Because of the Federal Government Shutdown, all national parks are closed." (we didn't listen to the sign and walked on the mall anyway), Me and Shari in the airport, our view from our hotel room, and the Supreme Court (center pic)

I had such a fun time! I actually came home feeling relaxed and rejuvenated. One thing I love about hanging out with my sisters is the conversation. We talked about everything from politics to parenting to our love of absurdity.

After dinner tonight Ana said to me, "Mom, I haven't heard about your trip yet." Then she let me tell her all about it. I loved that she asked about it and that she listened when I told her. I feel like I used up all my brownie points and now I have big IOUs to great friends who watched the kids while Dave worked, and it was so worth it.