So happy to have my weekends back!

Our weekend started out with a cocktail party, given by one of the girls Lane works with at the Pentagon. We hung out with his co-workers, sipped on delightfully refreshing white wine spritzers (Lane had beer, like a man) and nibbled on tasty appetizers. On the way home, in the wee hours of the night, -we’re talking 12:30, people – I happily welcomed phone call from my brother with a report from the Erasure concert he attended in NYC that evening. I proceeded to have a conversation with his new lady, Alex. Yes, at 12:30 in the morning we were discussing Gabriel García Márquez books and Toni Morrison. I’m excited for the two of them to make a trip down to DC soon.

We lounged around at the pool on Saturday, took a dip in the water and just relaxed in the stiflingly hot afternoon. Katie called me out of the blue with an invite to a party her boyfriend’s friend was hosting. Nothing amazes me more than a rowdy group of secret service agents playing round after round (after round after round) of flip cup and beer pong – it’s like a 30 year old frat party. We observed from the sidelines, participated in the eating galore, and were feasted upon by some serious mosquitoes. I got the nastiest, hugest, itchiest welts of bug bites that I’ve seen in a long while. Good times (except for the all you can eat Elena mosquito buffet).

I think Sunday was the best though. Some friends Lane met through his Pentagon work invited us to go kayaking with them. We went to this place called Fletcher’s Cove and kayaked on the Potomac. Lane and I were the perfect match for a double kayak. One of us was a super duper kayak navigator, having had 50 mile kayak trips under his (or her) belt, and the other was a complete sissy. You decide who was who. It was so peaceful and relaxing, while at the same time a nice workout. The water was still, we observed all sorts of different birds, the trees were beautiful, we explored the little islands and rock formations along the way, and also charged our friends, intentionally bumping into their kayaks and splashing them. Awesome outdoor activity!

Being from California where the Pacific Ocean and Lake Tahoe are ice cold, we were shocked that the water in the Potomac was so warm. It was seriously in the high 80’s, and (sorry, Dad) much warmer than my parents’ swimming pool. So, Lane jumped out of the kayak and went for a swim. He also tested out a rope swing we discovered along the way, and walked on the water like Jesus.

Having worked up an appetite, we all were happy to dine on hamburgers and hotdogs at the park before leaving to clean up and take naps. Talked to our cutie nieces in CA, watched a movie and read some before heading off to bed to start a new week.

I have a new found appreciation for weekend activities and relaxation after having missed the previous two weekends due to my Panama traveling. Loved spending time with friends and the hubby. I was so busy engaging in leisure activities that I didn’t have time for silly things like laundry, cleaning, and grocery shopping.

More kayaking pics can be viewed on Our Pics link.


Here's the Washington Monument in the background.