at the National Zoo

Last week Elliott's dad, Elliott, Lena, and I took a trip to the National Zoo in D.C.  Elliott has been visiting at least annually since he was 10 years old and he even did an internship at the zoo while he was in veterinary school.  We toy with the idea of Elliott taking a zoo animal residency at the National Zoo, but... well... maybe some things are better left to enjoy while visiting grandparents instead of every day and night and most weekends for three years as a resident.  You know?  

Also, can I just say that I love going to the zoo?!  Multiple times I would forget about showing Lena the animals and just stare in awe through the glass at the fantastic reptiles and crazy gorillas.  I would love to live in D.C. and be within driving/walking distance of this fabulous zoo again.  If we move back to Capitol Hill, Elliott and I could return to our newlywed days of biking to the zoo on our way to church... but this time we'd have kiddos riding on our bikes with us!

October Saturday on Capitol Hill

Happy October, everyone!  My cousin Katie (visiting from Oklahoma), Lena, and I drove to my old 'hood of Capitol Hill on Saturday to soak up the season.  Have you ever been to Eastern Market in D.C.?  There is no place I'd rather be on a Saturday morning in the fall!  The market glowed with color and beauty at every turn.  The sellers' wares sparkled in the sunlight, hot apple cider wafted through the air, and the flea market was in full swing.  We crunched leaves underfoot as we bit into crisp apples from a farm stand.  We ate breakfast with my brother at Jimmy T's, met up with my brother-in-law as he headed into Peregrine Espresso for coffee and emails, and randomly ran into an old college friend as he walked out of Groovy with his wife. 

This is my neighborhood, my heart cried (and my mouth, as my cousin Katie will tell you).  I love Sicily, but I think I left a piece of my heart on the Hill.  It's bittersweet to come back to this place where I once belonged, where Elliott and I shared our newlywed days and memories, where I spent a long year while he was on an unaccompanied assignment in Egypt.  Lena's first home was our condo on Capitol Hill.  Every block between our old home, church, and Barracks Row holds a dozen memories. 

Will we come back to the Hill after our assignment in Sicily?  Will we choose to come back?  What do you prioritize in a home, in a neighborhood, in a community, in a city? 

Do you return to the places you know because they were good to you before?  Or do you choose the unknown?

H St Festival with Eden

As promised, here are a few iPhone photos from an awesome festival we visited over the weekend.  (Thanks for the invite, Eden!)  I loved being back on Capitol Hill most of all, for how I love the Hill!  The only thing missing was my hubby.   He would have loved reliving our newlywed memories, like walking hand-in-hand on a Saturday while exploring our favorite neighborhood in the world.  Can't wait till we're reunited here in October!

welcome to the annual H St Festival!

& hilarious t-shirt for sale

beautiful handcrafted pieces by Jette Skadhauge

& my dear brother-in-law David at a popup library he co-sponsored to inspire petition-signing to return librarians to D.C. schools (they're now optional... sad); I scored about 20 brand new and free children's books at his library!

 food & fortunes

 loved this baretender's tutu (and silver eyeliner)

& local pickles

sign of the times: hipsters by food trucks

& our free blue raspberry snow cones from Capital City Church

serious pig roast

& Eden admiring gorgeous Amani products from Kenya

 cool mirrors, happy sisters (in-law, but who cares about that part)

& woodburning with a concave glass on the hood of a car (ie., huh??)

 lemonade bicycle

& bless D.C. Water, who provided a misted tent and free H2O on a hot day