Virginia is for Lovers (and Washington DC is too)

We had a late spring break this year, probably because school doesn't get out until the end of June - yuck.  Last year, Cody and I were in Alaska getting married over break, and the year before that I was visiting my sister in Hawaii.  So, as you can tell, breaks tend to be kind of a big deal around these parts. I think it might be a teacher thing.

My sister (the one I visited in Hawaii) recently got relocated by the military from Hawaii to Virginia. As sad as she and her family were to leave Hawaii, this was a BIG exciting change for our family because it meant we'd all get to see each other more than once every two years.  I was super excited to have the opportunity to go visit her, my brother-in-law, and their three kiddos over break this year. I was excited to see them, but also super excited to get to visit them in an area of the country I've never been to before.  Visiting Washington DC, which is close to their house, has always been a bucketlist item of mine, so this was an awesome opportunity to visit family and cross something off of my list.

Early in the week, we had a girls day out (me, my sister, and my oldest niece) and headed to DC for the day. We went EVERYWHERE. We saw the White House, Washington Monument, Lincoln Memorial, two of the Smithsonian Museums, WWII Memorial, and a few other places too.  There was so much to see and do that we managed to walk eleven miles without even realizing it...well, at least not until none of us could walk the next day, but at least we did it! It was such a blast.  I was amazed too at how easily accessible DC is.  It's a really well maintained city in terms of cleanliness and was easy to navigate for non-locals.  I'd highly recommend a visit if you've never been.

The rest of the week was spent primarily in Virginia. My sister and her family live in a nice little suburban community outside of DC.  There were lots of parks and historical sites nearby to hike and explore. We also spent two days visiting Fredricksburg, which was a super cute town with great food and shopping. We did a lot of eating and antiquing there.  Everything was so quaint, historical, and interesting.

However, my favorite part of the trip was hanging out with my family! My nieces had all gotten so big and playing with them in the afternoons was a blast. I got to see their schools, watch soccer practice, jump on the trampoline, and snuggle on the couch in the evenings.  It was some pretty serious quality time.

It was a much-needed trip for me.  Hanging out with family is always something that I cherish because Cody and I are constantly living so far away from everyone. In fact, I haven't lived near my family since 2008 and Cody since 2012.  I hope to have a repeat of this fantastic visit this summer. Here's to hoping!

Your turn...What did you do for spring break this year?
Currently listening to...Buddy Holly - Weezer