With all I have going on at work, I stayed up until a little after 2:00 the previous night working (a little after midnight Utah time). Needless to say, Lily was up before me and did yoga while I was still stuck in bed. We were both ready for the day by 9:30 or so, and snapped this picture of ourselves twinning in our Cotopaxi jackets before heading out on our adventure.
We had a cab drop us off in Georgetown, and we walked all around together. Some fun memories are Lily’s coffee with way too much peppermint syrup, the cat cafe where you can get food and coffee and pet (even adopt!) cats and also visiting the Georgetown campus.
Then we created another really fun memory when we visited a park next to a historic park. It was so pretty! Even though it was small, the vegetation was so lush and pretty, that we felt like we were in the heart of nature even though we were really in the heart of DC.
Lily had the fun idea to make out on a prominently featured bench in the park. We had fun kissing, and then wanted to take pictures to commemorate. We kept getting the pictures wrong, so we kissed a really long time, lol. But here are a few of the better ones we took.
Also, throughout our walk, I was enjoying the beautiful groundscapes such as the gorgeous brick walkways speckled with golden leaves and red mushrooms poking up through lush forest dirt (that was in the park). I took some pictures.
We walked from Georgetown to Foggy Bottom (where George Washington University is) and we ate at a really fun restaurant called Beefsteak. I was delighted to see they had a beet burger, which used a pickled cooked beet for the patty of a hamburger. It was delicious and my favorite thing I ate all trip (of course, I do love beets!). Lily got a type of grain bowl/salad and loved hers too!
Lily marveled at the lush red foliage we saw while walking and took a picture.
We thought the Mexican Embassy was so interesting because of the houses it is built around.
We passed by the White-house on our way to the Willard hotel.
After our long walk we went to the Willard hotel for a reception where we had refreshments and got to know different people from the National Parks organization and other donors. One really fun person we met was Adam Yenser, the actual Kevin the Cashier from the Ellen show. See below:
He and his mother were so fun to talk to. All of the national parks people were so nice and interesting and it was really fun to geek out about the parks.
After the reception, we walked to the entrance of the White House campus where the tree lighting was going to be. At the gate we were told that we need identification, and neither Lily or I had considered that we needed ID. I fortunately had mine, but Lily’s was back at the place. I ran quickly back over half-mile to the hotel and then ran back. I arrived just as we were being told they were closing the entrance. Once we got through the gate, security never checked our ID even though the lady at the entrance insisted they would (forcing us to go retrieve it). Anyway, it all worked out. Here are some beautiful photos Lily got wile I was running my heart out.
Because of the ID situation, we arrived to our seats after everyone else. In fact Biden was taking the stage as we were pushing past many people to get to our seats in the middle of the row, and just before Biden lit the tree.
I had so much fun with my sweetheart, and we were warm enough thanks to our new Cotopaxi gear!
The first singer was Andy Grammer, and his rendition of the little drummer boy was one of my favorite numbers of the night.
Then a gospel singer named Yolanda sang a truly beautiful rendition of Silent Night.
Then Gloria Estefan and her daughter Emily, and her grandson Sasha sang a song about gratitude that the family wrote. Emily brought the house down.
Then Joss Stone, one of my new favorite vocalists, braved the cold in her outfit, and blew us away with her vocals.
Then Ariana Debose, who also has an incredible voice, sang.
And then Joe Biden spoke for a few minutes. I’ve never seen a president in my life (just George Bush’s hand when he passed by my high school and waved out the window of his car) and it was really neat to see a President speak in person.
After an incredible day, Lily and I weren’t finished. We ate light back at the hotel, and then went to Louie and Ginny’s house to chat with them and eat a bit more. Louie just got off a plane from Turkey and filled us up with the most outstanding Turkish Delight. We talked all about his job in international law as well as topics that touched Ginny’s job progressing social initiatives through giving financing with requirements to countries. They are both so knowledgeable and good natured that we felt we could talk politics with them for hours. Eventually it was time to go, but Lily and I had such a fun visit we felt it was a highlight, if not THE highlight of our entire trip. It was also so great to see their sweet daughters, and it put us to conspiring on how we can get all our kids together soon!
What a wonderful wonderful day Lily and I had. It was truly one for the annals. It would be impossible to capture the magic Lily and I experienced and felt on our adventure today, but hopefully this blog jogs some memories and takes us back a little. We are so grateful to the National Parks and my dad and Suzanne for making it possible.