With Covid-19 FINALLY abating, our vaccines in our bodies and plane tickets in our pockets our whole family headed to the East Coast for 12 days in June. The main purpose of our trip East was to spend a week with my parents in the Outer Banks (see post all about our trip to OBX here) as they celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary. We decided that we should take a few days in DC and Northern Virginia to see the sites and so that I could visit my childhood homes and schools. It was the first time I have been back to Vienna where I grew up since 2008 and just as long since I had been in DC. OH MY GOSH. I missed it so much! I really really missed it! The weather was perfect, my childhood homeland is just as beautiful and vibrant and interesting as I remembered it and it meant so much that I could share these places with my kids. We took Simon and Sophie back when they were little but they didn’t remember anything so it was time for a refresher course.

It was our first time on an airplane since March 2020! The airports were super busy and the planes were full flights and we had to wear masks but we DID NOT CARE because TRAVEL. We actually split our trip up with Sam taking Sadie to DC a day early so that she could have a little extra fun trip for her 12th birthday and then I came a day later with the other three kids.

The airport of my youth, Washington Dulles, is the best airport and do not tell me otherwise. Maybe it’s nostalgia that informs my opinion but come on, it’s pretty great. Also, I will never get tired of turning around from the taxi/shuttle line and seeing that building all lit up. Stunning right?!

While I had Simon, Sophie and Seb in Northern Virginia for a day, Sam took Sadie straight into DC. They partied at a Washington Nationals game, took in a double decker tour of allllll of the DC sights, ate their way through the District, visited art galleries, etc. They had a great time and lots of fun memories were made. Sadie was a big fan of DC.

We knew that we were all going to meet up as a family in DC partway through Day 2 of the trip, so I focused my travel efforts with my three in Northern Virginia going down my personal memory lane. I have waited for years to get back to Vienna and Oakton and Reston to see all of the sites of my youth. You guys. I had a blast and it was so cathartic for me to be back in the place of my roots!

First up, I drove from our hotel in Herndon back into Chantilly Farms to visit the first house of my childhood memories where I lived from 4-12 1/2. I have THE BEST memories of living in Chantilly – I loved my house, my backyard, my neighborhood friend adventures, riding my bike everywhere (especially up to Baskin Robbins at the neighborhood grocery area) – all of it. Every. Single. Bit. Of. It. I had not been back to my old neighborhood since maybe 1999 or 2000? In some ways it was exactly as I remembered it and in other ways it was better. I drove down the road to show the kids where I walked to school (those cold mornings to the bus stop were a struggle bus, lemme tell you…). That brought us to Oak Hill Elementary, where I attended 3rd and 6th grade. (I went a a fancy private school for 4th and 5th and hated it with a passion).

Look at that happy lady in front of her elementary school! We were one of the first classes at our school; it was built and completed partway through 3rd grade. I still remember getting on a school bus from the old school, all of us holding little boxes of our desk things and arriving at this brand new sparkling school. I loved Oak Hill. I have tons of happy memories from here.

We then drove over to my middle school, Langston Hughes Middle School which was in the middle of being completely redone and looks nothing like what I remember. It looks like a fancy office building. Meh. I recognized nothing and quickly moved on. Bummer.

THEN over to my high school, South Lakes High School. Again, I have such happy memories from here!

I had a blast in high school. Just about everything in my high school experience was great. I still keep in touch with a lot of my friends from high school and going back to the campus, even for just a few minutes, brought up lots of great memories.

We moved from that cute little house in Chantilly Farms when I was 12 1/2. My parents bought a 5 acre parcel of land in a beautiful development named Hunters Crest in Vienna and built a large colonial style home. Because we moved school districts (though still within that amazing Fairfax County School district) I started middle school without knowing anyone. I made friends at 7th grade orientation that I’m still friends with today! Luckily the move brought me great friendships although I always missed living in a neighborhood where it was easy to walk to friends houses.

We drove around downtown Vienna a bit after that and this was when I could see lots and lots of changes. Vienna is so charming; it always has been. It has a great small town feel but there is also a Whole Foods and is 20 minutes from Washington DC so…you’re pretty connected if you live here. From here we parked the car at the Vienna Metro and took the train on Orange Line to the Smithsonian. Fun fact: I used to work on Capital Hill for the Senate Judiciary Committee. I specifically worked on the Waco Branch Davidian investigation for the Senate hearing back in 1995 and then summarizing results in 1996. I wrote a paper all about it that is somewhere in the bowels of the Library of Congress. I have the best memories of working on the Hill and some truly crazy stories. So. Riding the Orange Line from Vienna into the city was surprisingly like muscle memory, even though I hadn’t been on it since 2006. ALSO. The DC Metro is the nicest public transportation in the country and don’t try to convince me otherwise. It was dreamy back in the mid 90’s and even better today (full connectivity while riding? Priceless).

Once we got above ground we walked around the Washington Mall. The weather was PERFECT (weather in the District is great until about a week before July 4th and then it all goes to hell until a week or two after Labor Day. It’s basically built on a swamp and you want to die walking around in its summer humidity. We hit it at the best time). We made our way to the Washington Monument, something I hadn’t walked to or seen in person since I was little!

In fact, here is me at age 3 and here is me at age 46, same spot!

Wild right?! We spent A LOT of time in DC when I was a kid since it was so close. Many many school field trips, family trips to the museums, lunches with my grandparents, 4th of July celebrations, going to see the cherry blossoms bloom, dates with my boyfriend to the National Gallery or just to walk along the Mall. Going back to DC is going home and filled with so many good family memories for me. It was great to be able to show it to my kids and make some new memories while we were there!

We didn’t go up in the monument (honestly I don’t remember if it was open or not? Just didn’t feel the need to go up though). Once we met up with Sam and Sadie and our family was again complete we made our way over to the Lincoln Memorial. OH man, I loved being here again. We made sure to stand on the very steps that MLK stood for his I Have a Dream speech and I may have gotten some goosebumps just looking out over the reflecting pool from that vantage, imagining what that must have been like.

From the Lincoln Memorial we walked over to the Vietnam Memorial. The last time I was here I was in high school. It was a great opportunity for us to talk to the kids about the sacrifices our troops make and have made to protect and defend our country.

We wandered around for a bit longer and then went our separate ways, Sam and Sadie staying in the city and me with the rest of the kids headed back to Vienna. After a quick dinner I did something I have wanted to do for many many years: I drove over to my grandparents house in Chantilly. I had the BEST grandparents growing up. They lived about 15 minutes from our house and we spent an enormous amount of time with them. I even had my own room at their house. They were present for every holiday, birthday, recital, sporting event – literally everything. They were my moms parents and I adored them. My grandpa passed in the fall of 2003 and my grandma in the summer of 2006. I hadn’t been back to their house since we sold it in 2006 and just pulling my car over in front of the house brought back a flood of emotions. All happy and deeply nostalgic. I cried some serious tears while standing there in front of the house.

I have the happiest memories of this house, this sidewalk, this life. Happy happy. I’m so glad that I made a detour for the evening and came over here. It did my heart good and I think it was important that the kids see a place in my life that was so meaningful to me. Even if they had to comfort me a bit with my tears :).

The next morning we checked out of our hotel and headed back into the city to meet Sam and Sadie at the Iwo Jima War Memorial. This was a special place to visit because we were able to see the WWII battle that my grandpa fought in. He was in the 1st Marine Division fighting in Guadalcanal. His service was heroic.

From here we went to visit Arlington National Cemetery and specifically, to see the changing of the guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. The last time Sam and I saw this awe inspiring act of service was the day after we got engaged back in 1997 (we spent the day in DC visiting my job and a few tourist sites). Sam felt very strongly that the kids see this as well and I’m so glad that we did the tour and watched the changing of the guard. It is probably the most impressive thing you’ll ever see: the precision, the perfection, the absolute dedication. So so so impressive. To learn more about the guards who guard the Tomb (referred to as Sentinels) read here.

We spent quite awhile at the Cemetery and then made our way to Mount Vernon. Sam has always been a huge fan of President George Washington and he really loves visiting Mount Vernon. The last time we were there was in 2006 right before my sister got married so it was great to go back. First we did a little cruise along the Potomac, then headed into a tour of the great house.

Once we finished at Mount Vernon (and bought a Christmas ornament to remember our time there) we got on the road headed for Williamsburg to see my parents. It was the first time all six of us had been at their house! We were only here for one night because the next day we all headed out to the OBX to our beachhouse!

Our time in DC and Northern Virginia was short but really focused on exactly what we wanted to see and remember. It filled up my reserves and I’m so so glad I got to do and see everything I wanted.

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