As it was Randy's 50th birthday - and Mom had planned a surprise bash that included dinner at a wine bar in Georgetown, a night at the Kennedy Center for "The Phantom of the Opera" and a few add-on festivities - we jumped up to D.C. for the weekend. Glyn & Lisa, Mandi & Evan were all in on the surprise as well. We just hoped that Mom wouldn't let here excitement clue Randy as to our (her) plans...
The last time we were in Washington (I had an overnight MCPAC meeting) the weather was horrid - freezing rain that turned to snow and sloshed the city as is typical of the (southern) north-east coast. Thankfully, this time the weather was perfect and Sybille could finally see the US Supreme Court Building - a site missed last time. We also visited (briefly) the Air & Space Museum to watch the new IMAX feature about thrill seekers; we strolled through the wonderful (and completely bug-free) botanical gardens; and took snaps of the Capital building.
...Mom's excitement. It did get the best of her in the end (as we all knew it would). They showed up at the wine bar a full 45-50 minutes early. In fact they were the first to arrive. I haven't thrown too many surprise parties, but I'm fairly sure that the guest of honor isn't supposed to get there first. It just kind of messes up the whole idea of everyone yelling, "Surprise!"
Thankfully, Sybille and I were standing on the corner - trying to find the address - when we watched them walk in. Flabbergasted, we quickly called Mandi and Glyn - gathered the troops and sang our way through the door - much to Randy's surprise. So it worked out in the end. And dinner was fantastic. Great fish.
The rest of the weekend went off without a hitch. We laughed, told stories, and had great food. "Family" time. And everyone was happy. I even caught a snap of Glyn and Lisa doing a little dance number just before going in to see "Phantom." We had a wonderful time and I wish Randy an excellent birthday.
PS: One of the "fun" things we noticed about D.C. is all the different cab companies ... so we caught a few snaps over the weekend from our perch at the hotel's outdoor cafe overlooking 15th and H Street. They all come to the same spot waiting for hotel guests. You can shortcut to them here: DC Cabs. Our favorite is the "Presidential Ass'n Cab"! I'm not really sure what that means, but I don't think it means what it looks like.
