Odoyles Rules...in D.C.

It's hard to believe that the anticipation of Jack, Mindy, and Evie's visit came and went already!  This past (extended) weekend has been sooo much fun...and I wish we could do it all over again Groundhog Day style!!!  The gang arrived on Wednesday afternoon and received first class, curbside pick-up with me as their chauffeur :)  We headed home (after about 20 minutes worth of struggling to fit the stroller into the trunk haha) and dropped of their luggage before heading to DuPont to pick up Seth from work.

Jack, Mindy, & Seth outside Seth's office in DuPont.

Since DC is such a 'foodie' town, our goal was to take the fam around the world in 3.5 days as far as eating was concerned...and we just about made it :)  Of course, given our family tradition of love for Mexican food, we started the eating debauchery at Guapo's (our staple Mexican restaurant by my school).  Suffering from a food coma of chips and salsa, we headed home to rest up for the next few days.

Thursday, I had a few commitments for school and Seth had to work, so Jack and Mindy enjoyed a relaxing morning at the Seth & Brandon Bed & Breakfast.  After I was done with school, I headed home and we hoped on the Metro (that's right, they've been Metrofied!) to Chinatown for some shopping and sightseeing...and yes, some eating!  Dinner was funny because Evie (a little more than 9 months old but wearing clothes size 18 months) was a hit with all of waiters in the restaurant who kept playing with her and trying to get her to smile...but that's not too hard, because she is such a sweet and happy baby!

Jack, Evie, & Mindy outside our place, about to get Metrofied!

Evie working the crowd at the Chinese restaurant.

Friday, Seth and I both had off and got to spend the whole day with the fam!  We got up, had a nice brunch, and (after deciding to postpone our sightseeing bus for a better weather day) headed off to eat some more...this time at DC famous Ben's Chili Bowl (long line, but worth it for the food!)  The restaurant is pretty historical and dates back before the DC race riots, but I had to laugh because the sign inside says: "The only people who eat free here are: Bill Cosby, the Obama family, and no one else!"...but I'm pretty sure if they had seen Evie they might have added her to the list :)  After lunch we went to some of the museums and then headed off to meet Mom, Dad, Carol, and Marge for dinner at Il Porto (our favorite restaurant in Old Towne Alexandria)...see, I told you all we did was eat :)  Dinner was great and I just have to say what a lucky boy I am to have, not one, but TWO families that I absolutely love (and am loved by!)  To both my VA and Utah families, I love you so much :)

On Saturday, since the weather was nicer, we headed downtown and hopped on the open-top sightseeing bus to tour DC and see the sites we hadn't yet had a chance to visit.  It really is a good tour and, even for those of us that have lived here all of our lives, you'd be surprised at the history and random facts you will learn!  Also, for those of you who aren't familiar with DC, it is very common to see motorcades with government officials pass by, so once you've been here a while, you just kind of don't really pay attention to them...which leads to a funny story.  While we were on the bus tour, we decided to hop off at the Lincoln Memorial to go inside and let Jack and Mindy see it.  As we were walking up, we saw a motorcade leaving and basically dismissed it because it seemed to be a pretty small motorcade compared to a typical motorcade for a high-ranking official.  Well, come to find out on the news, President Obama decided to make an impromptu visit to the Lincoln Memorial that day, and the motorcade we saw was the President leaving...so we literally missed him by a matter of minutes!  So Jack, I'd just like to say that I ALMOST kept my promise of seeing Obama :)

No Obama, but still, the Lincoln Memorial has the best view!

After all was said and done, we started to head home (after eating dinner at the DC Hooters, since all of the other restaurants were full haha!) to pack and say our goodbyes.  I still can't believe how quickly this trip came and went, but I sure am glad we got to spend some quality time with the Utah fam!  Seth and I miss them so much, but are lucky that my family is here and full of love :)

Evie sure was tired on her last night after so much fun with her Uncles!

This morning Jack, Mindy, and Evie headed off to the airport and (unfortunately) are not back in Utah...but not to worry, only 3.5 months til we head out west for our wedding!!!  Now its time for a quick bite to eat and then off to bed to start another week tomorrow...until the next time :)