A Look Back and a Look Ahead

I did it everyone!  I made it through the lonely two weeks in an empty apartment!

I also made it through the hassle of moving back into our apartment and making it feel like a home! (photos to come)

I've been back in the land of soybeans and corn for almost a month now.  I kind of thought I'd be twiddling my thumbs waiting for Robert to get back, but between going back to work, trying to get boxes out of storage and figuring out how to survive in this town without a car, I had plenty to do. 



Now that Robert is home, we have been settling back into our comfortable routine and are enjoying being together again.  I tackled some craft projects, started running again and spent as much time as I could by the pool.

That's pretty much all that's going on up here.  Before my return, I took a short vacation in my hometown for a glorious week of friend reunions, sleeping in and swimming.  But more on that later.

Now that I'm back at work, people have been asking me how my summer was, and when I tell them it was great, all of the images from the past two months come flooding back to me.  So, let's look at some of the fun times from the adventure known as My DC Summer.

I went to the Corcoran Art museum by myself one day when
Robert was out of town.

A room in the Corcoran was shipped piece by
piece from its original home in Paris and reconstructed.

It was so gorgeous and ornate, it reminded me
of Versailles.

The National Cathedral. So breathtaking. It's having some work
done to repair damage from the earthquake a few years ago.



This stained glass window is dedicated to space
exploration and has a real moon rock in the center!

The netting is to catch any plaster that might happen
to fall due to the damage.



We went to the National Museum of Natural History
and the jewel collection was my favorite! Look at
these earrings Marie Antoinette owned!

Stunning necklace and crown given to Josephine from Napoleon. Sigh.

The Hope Diamond. Oh man.

The Rotunda of the Nation Museum of Natural History

Rock candy!

FRIEND REUNION IN DC!!! (Meg and Sarah)



Gorgeous day for a walk in Old Town Alexandria.

It was Free Cupcake Day at this adorable bakery!
I'm so glad my friend Sarah drove up from Raleigh for a
fun-filled weekend!!! <3

Hey, there, Whitehouse.

Even the banks are like museums in DC.  This was an actual
stage coach from Wells Fargo.

Robert cutting up with politicians at the Ford Theatre museum exhibit.

Inside the renovated Ford's Theatre, where John Wilkes Booth
 assassinated President Abraham Lincoln.

The house across the street where President Lincoln passed away.

Nighttime stroll to admire the Capitol.

This is one of my favorite views in the city.

The Pass and Stowe Bell outside of Union Station.

Paddle boating in the Tidal Basin!

After the rain showers moved out, it was a perfect day!



We had a wonderful last day together in the District.

If you've been following my story over the summer, you know that I had been met with some challenges: fear, frustrations, insecurities and some plain, old inconveniences.  Looking back, however, I know that those struggles helped me grow, and a thought occurred to me the other day: When you're in the middle of an adventure, it doesn't always feel like it.  It usually feels like a string of frustrating obstacles and unfortunate incidents.  It isn't until the adventure is over that you can look back and realize how much you've accomplished and how grand it truly was.

That's what makes the best stories, isn't it?  When things go wrong.  No one wants to hear about how perfectly everything worked out for you with no pain or trouble.  So, I will remind myself when things get difficult, that there is a purpose, even if it doesn't seem like it at the time.

I am so blessed to have gotten to enjoy such as incredible summer!  As we are settling back into our home in small town Illinois, I can't help but wonder what the next chapter of our lives will bring.  Robert will start interviewing with potential employers starting this week, and these interviews will determine where we will spend the next few years of our lives starting in May. 

It is exciting and terrifying at the same time to have so many options and the world at your feet.  I can't wait to see where we end up, whether it's back in DC, home to Texas, up a bit to Chicago or to somewhere completely new.  Wherever we go, it'll be an adventure, and it'll be together.