The Rucker Family: A Weekend of Cherry Blossoms...

This weekend was fantastic. On Thursday morning, I headed to DC to meet up with Clark's parents to show them my 2nd favorite city in the US. Clark's mom has been to DC before when she was six and his Dad had never been so it was a lot of fun putting together an itinerary for them during their stay. I got in about noon and headed to the office to get some work done before they came. Once they arrived, around 6:30, we headed to the Capitol Hilton and got checked in for our eventful weekend.

We ate at Grillfish in Dupont Circle and then went to bed early because we had a White House tour first thing Friday morning. Clark's flight ended up being delayed and by the time he got to the hotel, it was 3am. He was such a good sport though and didn't complain once on Friday. I know I would have been the exact opposite. If I don't get my sleep, I can be a very unpleasant person the next day.

The White House tour was great, it was crazy to see how many pictures of th

e Obama's were already in place, they turned it around quickly! After the White House, we went to the Supreme Court to do the tour and hear the lecture about the history. Clark's Dad is a Texas Judge so this was particularly interesting to him. Next came lunch. Matchbox is probably my favorite lunch place in DC. They have these incredible sliders that will change your life (see photo). The afternoon was comprised of the Air and Space Museum. I guess I underestimated the madness that is the Cherry Blossom Festival. There were school groups everywhere you turned. So many people were crowded in the mall area and it was a bit overwhelming.

Outside of the Supreme Court

At the Air & Space Museum

Friday night, we had arranged a car to take us around DC for a night tour of the monuments. This is something that I have always wanted to do. We picked up some Yuengling beer and a bottle of wine to share as we had a crystal clear night sky to deliver a serene backdrop for Iwo Jima, Lincoln, Jefferson, Vietnam, WWII, FDR, the Capitol, Washington Monument and of course, the White House. For dinner, we headed to Capitol City Brewing Company for a light meal before heading to bed.

Iwo Jima at Sunset

Cherry Blossoms at Night

Outside the Lincoln Memorial

Saturday morning we had a Capitol Tour at 10:30 am. I used to intern for Sen. Hutchison and part of my job was to conduct Capitol Tours. It is so strange to go now. People don't get to see half the stuff you used to be able to see. There are so many cool areas in the Capitol and it's sad that they are no longer open to the public. Nevertheless, our tour was great and it was fun to see it again. Next on the agenda was the American History Museum however, upon arriving to the Smithsonian area, we were bombarded with the madness that is the Cherry Blossom festival and opted to head to Arlington Cemetery for the afternoon instead. That evening, we walked around Georgetown and ate at Clyde's for dinner.

After the Tour of the Capitol

At Clydes

Sunday we went to the Holocaust Museum. I found it insanely frustrating that there were so many people that were talking throughout the exhibit. I appreciate that schools want to take their students to see such an extraordinary and reverent exhibit and while some kids are mature enough, it was very distracting for me. After the museum, we walked along the Tidal Basin for some prime time Cherry Blossom picture taking. They were really a site to see. It was such a beautiful day and while it was crowded, it was nice to be there. That afternoon, we grabbed a hot dog and headed in to the History museum. For dinner, we were all able to meet up Mike and Joanie for dinner at Old Ebbitt. Mike is one of Clark's good friends from TCU and he is about to finish up law school at George Mason this May. We are all hoping that they get to come back to Texas.