Memorial Day weekend has come and gone and much too quickly at that. My sister and brother-in-law came to town, we celebrated my grandma’s 96th birthday and we went on a yacht for a wedding in National Harbor. It isn’t too often that the parents are able to get dressed up and out of the house, but we made the effort to make it work and we were rewarded with a beautiful evening out on the Potomac.
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Saturday
We met at my dad’s house for lunch when Hanna and Matt arrived on Saturday morning. Brady had to leave mid-afternoon for a rehearsal dinner and the rest of us went for a walk in the neighborhood. Henry rode his scooter most of the 2-mile hilly walk and Avery napped in the stroller with a fan since it was a pretty warm day. Brady met us over at Brighton Dam for a walk before we went home.
Sunday
Sunday morning was a slow start but we started out for downtown Annapolis with Hanna and Matt around mid-morning. I quickly realized that it was likely the Naval Academy graduation weekend and going downtown would not be pleasant, so we diverted to Black Market Bakers’ new location in Edgewater. This was our first time visiting the brick and mortar store since they opened – we’d previously only visited the food truck – and we loved the new setup. Everything looks great and the treats were top-notch as always. We had cruffins, danishes, buns, muffins, and scones for breakfast and took a couple of loaves of focaccia home. I’ve been waiting for a good bakery to open up and BMB has been an answer to prayer! I cannot recommend it enough to any locals.
We had wanted to head down to the water but we were running out of time. Brady had to be down at National Harbor a little earlier than I did to report for groomsman duties. I got the kids ready to go to grandpa’s house and got myself ready for the wedding. Avery had already been watched by somebody else, but this would be about twice as long away from us, so I was a little nervous. I wrote out a lot of instructions on pace bottle feeding and hoped that everything would be alright. You know it probably will be, but it doesn’t keep this mama’s heart from being nervous.\
National Harbor Wedding
Hanna and Matt drove the kids to my dad’s and I went to pick up my sister-in-law, Lauren since her husband was also in the wedding. I’ve only ever driven by National Harbor on the beltway so it was an interesting experience navigating there and we were also a little nervous since there was a “strict boarding time” and we didn’t want to be late. We found our way there with time to spare and enjoyed catching up with old friends and acquaintances prior to the start of the wedding.
It was picture perfect and they couldn’t have asked for better weather for an intimate wedding in National Harbor. The groom was a high school classmate of mine and Brady’s and the bride was in the same year but at a different school. They dated most of high school, broke up, and then reconnected at the beginning of the pandemic even though they were living on opposite coasts. One of their mutual friends officiated the wedding and it was so well done that I was convinced more people should be married by their friends. The ceremony happened while we were still docked so it was fun to occasionally glance down at the observers on the pier who happened to cheer along with everyone on the boat when they were announced “husband and wife”.
We had a nice dinner and then spent the rest of the evening up on the deck soaking in the beautiful breeze and the sunset. We lingered a while after deboarding to catch up with a few more people and got home late (for parents who aren’t used to being out late). My sister had already brought the kids back from my dad’s and put them to bed so we chatted with her and Matt for a little while before bed.
Monday
Monday morning was relaxed since we were leaving around midday for my grandma’s birthday party. I showed Hanna how I make my current favorite obsession – an iced oat milk-chai latte. It is so creamy and flavorful and while I could get something similar from Starbucks, the home version is significantly cheaper and tastes a lot better. I’m pretty sure I could make at least 10-12 lattes for the cost of between 1-2 drinks from Starbucks. It would be cheaper if I made my own oat milk but I haven’t put in that effort yet.
Grandma’s 96th birthday bash
My grandma’s birthday party was at my aunt’s house and we got to catch up with all the local extended family. One of my cousins with kids was going to come from out of state but couldn’t after they tested positive for covid so we were sad to miss out on seeing them. I spent a little while chatting with my grandma about naming babies, family names, and how she chose my mom’s name. She got to spend a few minutes holding Avery even though he’d been a little fussy. My grandma has (I believe) 16 great-grandchildren now so it’s extremely special for me to get to share my babies with her while I still have her.
On Monday evening, Hanna ordered some Chinese from a place near our house that we’ve never tried. It turned out pretty good which is exciting since I love Chinese and I’ve just been too nervous to try a new spot for whatever reason. We played a few quick games – Love Letter, Q-bitz, Square-Up, Hues and Cues, and Taboo – before we went to bed. We woke up at 1 am and attempted to get watch the supposed “once-in-a-lifetime meteor shower” but it was a bust and we went back to bed.
Hanna and Matt left after midday on Tuesday and just like that it was all over. It was a jam-packed weekend with all the events but I still got to spend a lot of time together with my sister so my family-loving “love tank” is filled.
