okay, i’m a touch behind on my writing, but better late than never, right?  right!  i’m glad we agree.  so, without further adieu, i give you the first day of last week’s fifth annual dc december trip!

we flew out of atlanta around eight p.m. thursday night to arrive in our very chilly capital city at a decent hour.  the trip was quick and uneventful, just how i like my cross-country treks.  well, this trek was not technically cross-country, but we certainly were no longer in the south.  we freshened up and joyously retrieved our suitcases from baggage claim.  i say “joyously” because one year my bag was very much left in atlanta all on its lonesome.  poor little guy!  delta quickly delivered him to our door the next day, though, so all was well.

jamie & me.

nathan & alison.

jamie & greg.

a $25 cab ride later, we were at the doorsteps of our humble abode for the weekend in chinatown.  nathan had found a sweet townhome for our visit on vrbo, and with six bedrooms and three bathrooms, it was perfect for our large group.

we dragged our things up the stairs, in through the doors, and pleasantly found peter and shaun inside, greeting us with drinks and food.  it was actually sarah’s birthday that day, so they surprised her with a dinosaur cake; how thoughtful!  he was affectionately named barnabas and kept us company most of the time we were in town.  the yellow cake was thickly topped with frosting so sweet that i almost had a stomachache afterwards.  but!  it was nothing a little adult beverage couldn’t remedy.

sarah, pleasantly surprised and so kind as we sang “happy birthday.”

what did i say when i saw this cake? “good thing there’s grass, because otherwise he’d be walking on clouds, and that’s just not realistic.”

we enjoyed the rest of the night as we sipped on manhattans with one another.  the fun was only beginning!

my garth & me!