well, i always wanted to see the pentagon...

(my new bed frame!)

(pre-outlet shopping fuel)

(you're never too old for an Easter basket)

{and if you think you are, my mom will set you straight}

Happy Easter!  My parents are here visiting for Easter weekend, and while it hasn't exactly gone as I originally planned, I'd say it's turned out just fine (I hope they'd agree). 


Around the time I left work Friday, they arrived, having carted my new bed frame 400 miles in the rain.  Rain became the theme of the night, and it poured as we untied, unloaded, and brought in the frame.  It kept raining as we drove out to Seven Corners to get my dad a hair cut.  We shivered as we sat by the windows at Chipotle and enjoyed my first burrito bowl since early February.  We darted out of Target covering our heads with my new storage containers and mass supply of toilet paper (look, when you get down to the end of your very last roll, you are suddenly inspired to stock up "extreme couponing" style).  


Saturday I had planned for Dad to golf while Mom, Sophie, and I shopped at the Leesburg outlets about 35 miles outside of DC.  Shopping has been elevated to an art form in our house, and Sophie being a surrogate daughter, we knew she was up for the whirlwind trip.  Mom and I were on the hunt for dresses to wear to my cousin's upcoming wedding, and Sophie was happy to come along and see what she could find, too.  We never intended to subject Dad to this torture, but the weather had other ideas in mind.


When we woke up Saturday, it was cold and rainy.  Not at all the kind of weather you'd want if you were going to be outside all day.  So Dad was a good sport about it, and decided to join us on the trek to Leesburg.  I advised that we ignore my GPS and instead we took Route 7 almost the entire way there to avoid the toll roads the GPS was directing us towards.  No, I'm not that cheap, but, my driver's side window doesn't exactly function right now.  Paying one toll via the rear passenger window is one thing, paying half a dozen each way is another story entirely. 


Knowing we needed to be back by 4 to get ready for an early dinner, we set off at an impressive pace, but were coming up empty-handed.  We are not the kind of women who typically visit any shopping establishment and walk away disappointed.  Luckily Sophie and I basically forced mom to try on a cool dress at Banana, and that became her go-to wedding dress, but I was still dress-less.  


And then came BCBG.  I should probably not be allowed to go in that store.  I love dresses.  All kinds of dresses.  Dresses I may never have an occasion to wear.  Dresses that need serious alterations and then will be supposedly perfect.  So Mom rounded up pretty much anything in my size, but we had our eye on this one dress that we spotted in the window.  All the sizes on the floor were either 8s or 12s.  So the saleslady said she'd check the back.  No luck.  Well what size is on the mannequin? She agreed to check.  It was a 6.  I reluctantly retreated to the dressing room with plenty of other options.


Then, miraculously, the picky high school girl 2 dressing rooms down decided the top of my dream dress "just didn't look right."  Her mom had noticed me prowling the store for said dress in my size, and handed it over.  SOLD.  


At this point it was pouring down rain, so poor Dad couldn't even wander around outside (even after we bought him a sweater at United Colors of Benneton to help him stay warm).  Although he pretty much exhausted his shopping options when he realized Restoration Hardware was far from the Home Depot variety of hardware, so I think he was content to sit and drink Starbucks. 


Once dresses were located, we had to secure the perfect shoes (at this point I'm sure Dad would have preferred being soaked and cold on a golf course).  At Nine West, my mom rejected a pair of shoes due to the platform on them (they were not, she decided, age appropriate).  After we circled the store, I decided that since I have yet to hit the quarter century mark, they were age appropriate for ME.  And they had them in a FIVE!...in every color except what I needed.  So as I stood towering in the black pair, clutching the tan pair in one hand, other hand on my hip, I told the sales guy (yes, guy...ONLY men were working there....smartest or creepiest idea ever? you decide) that I pretty much didn't care what he had to do, I wanted these shoes. He told me he'd have to ask his manager if they're allowed to call other stores to check availability.  I'm sorry, what?  You're telling me you DON'T want to sell shoes?  When he saw that I wasn't moving (or taking off the black pair in exchange for my own shoes), he scurried off.  


I got the shoes (or at least I think I did...we'll see in a week if they arrive at my door or not...).


Later, we all piled back in the car to head to Acqua al 2 before Easter Vigil on Capitol Hill.  We had realized Easter Vigil was going to be a lengthy affair (confirmations, baptisms, etc), and decided to go later on today instead.  So we were en route to a 5:30 dinner with no post-dinner plans.  My mistake...I just crossed my fingers that the amazingness of Acqua al 2 would distract everyone from my poor planning. 


Now, we just had to figure out how to get there.  My GPS refused to accept the address, saying it was in a "restricted area."  We later learned exactly what that meant. 


I jotted down the directions from Google Maps, and we headed off, hoping for the best.  Everything was going swimmingly until we had to get from the GW parkway to 395 N.  I'm still not sure we did the right thing, because we took an exit, and next thing you know, we were on the Pentagon reservation.  While it's not illegal to drive around the reservation, it certainly didn't seem like the best route.  Then again I've driven in/around DC approximately twice in my time here, so when my Mom would ask "is this the right thing?" I would just have to throw up my hands.  


So we did a little loop around the Pentagon, giving the parents an up close shot of my former (and hopefully future) workplace.  And then we went from zero other cars (on the reservation) to insane traffic (on 395).  Somehow we managed to find our proper exit, and even found parking right by Eastern Market, which surprised all of us.  


Dinner at Acqua al 2 was amazing, as it has been the past 2 times I've been.  There's not a bad dish on the menu, and I love the way the restaurant is set up and decorated.  It was the perfect reintroduction to eating out.  


Even though the day didn't exactly go as planned, I think/hope everyone enjoyed it.  Today we're going to Georgia Brown's for their huge brunch/dessert buffet, and then going to mass tonight.  At least that's the plan...