Much like Martin Luther King Jr., I have a dream.
I have a dream. Can you just hear his voice booming those beautiful words? I think that it was good of God to give MLK that magnificent dream and also the magnificent voice to speak it out in a way that made us all stop and listen. My voice does not convey that level of authority or intellect, but I’m not complainin’ because this post is not about what I didn’t get (a booming voice), but rather what I did get (a dream-come-true.)
So, I have long loved Washington DC. Steve and I visited about five years ago, but we were there for a conference and our time was pretty packed. We were able to see a lot of wonderful things, but we never made it to the Library of Congress and it’s always been a dream to see it. Another dream – and this one is admittedly less austere – is to visit Georgetown Cupcake.
After the busy conference day and the busy congress day, my beloved and I set off on a leisurely tour of dreams. Some friends hooked us up in a suite at the Mayflower Marriott and we spent the first day relaxing and absorbing the sights and sounds of the capitol (capital? I never know.) Thursday night, we met these lovelies for dinner in Georgetown:
That’s the wonderful Josh and Angila. We’ve known Ang since she was an itty bitty teenager in our youth group way back in the day. Now, she’s a beautiful wife and mom-to-be (insert my ‘where-does-the-time-go’ face here). Josh and Ang live in Virginia so they braved the traffic to come see us and…yay! Love them! They picked a restaurant in Georgetown called Clyde’s and when I googled it, I discovered that it was just two blocks from – guess what – Georgetown Cupcake! Two blocks. Little blocks. Happy blocks. I tell you, it is a brilliant moment when you discover that your dream is just in sight, isn’t it?
And you know the only thing as fun as having a dream come true? Having people there with you when it does.
So, we arrived at Gerogetown Cupcake during a rare break in traffic and just had a few moments to decide what we wanted. I determined not to overthink it (that’s a weird concept for me – I’m considering applying it to other decisions as well), and ended up with one hummingbird, one red velvet, a lemon berry and a hazelnut chocolate. This is the part where I wish I could show them to you, but my computer is refusing to read my SD card. This does not bode well for bloggin’, but I’m assuming she’s just having a bad day and she’ll snap out of it eventually. However, I did manage to scrounge up this photo of an actual GC Cupcake:
It may seem ridiculous, but I don’t even care – being in that little place I have always wanted to be, with people that I love after a long, hard week really did feel like a dream. The cupcakes were brilliant and the memories will last for a long, long time. That’s really hard to beat.
The next day, Steve and I tackled the Library of Congress. Not literally, but we tackled it with our minds. Steve had used a scooter during our time on capitol hill because his legs don’t move as fast as they used to (neither do mine, incidentally), but on this day we decided to just go slow. In general, I’m loving that part of our lives. I hate this disease but I love how it has both slowed us down and sped us up in the ways that really count.
Again, my computer is acting like a rebellious teenager, so I will just show you this lovely image of the Thomas Jefferson reading room:
It’s gorgeous and it feels almost sacred. I also loved seeing the collection of Jefferson’s books – more books than I could have imagined. I wonder if he also had a booming voice? 
Weird, there’s no Twilight in there.
In the end, it was a truly magical few days in DC. We got some good work done, got some great living done, and we created more memories. This memory-creating part of our lives is set at turbo speed right now and as I’ve mentioned before, it’s bittersweet. There’s a push and a pull with it, a give and a take, pleasure and pain. But on this day, in this city with the man I adore and a really good cupcake, it only felt sweet. It felt full and rich and up-to-the-brim of life’s cup. It was good and I am thankful.
So, here’s my big question for this beautiful Tuesday: what’s your secret, silly/sacred dream? Is there something you’d like to see, do, read, eat before you die? Share it with the group – you never know what might come true!
To dreams,
Bo
P.S. This post on living in the country of ALS was shared many times throughout the ALS world and created a bit of a controversy regarding faith vs. science. Stay tuned this week because I’m anxious to address that very thing.
I laughed when you said “Weird, there’s no Twilight in there.” You said it so matter-of-factly. I wonder if Thomas Jefferson did any actual “recreational” reading.
And your happy, little blocks. Love it! I probably would have gotten the bubblegum just for it’s uniqueness.
And great cell phone pic. The color brings out the Capitol in all its glory!
I went to DC with you today…..thanks 🙂
“Slowed you down and sped you up in the ways that really count”
So good. Bo it was so good to get a hug into you and steve this weekend. I appreciate you guys so much.
I wish I differentiate where I need to slow down and speed up to make life really count without a tragedy. I’m hoping I can learn from those around me….
So a for my “Bucket List” I want to visit a castle in Ireland. I want to have a house full of foster kids. I want to write a book about my life. And I want to reform and revolutionize the mental health care system for all the up and coming young mentally ill. No big deal. I got this!
Meeting Mr. T is waaaayy up there. Right next to eating pasta in a tiny Italian village with my beloved.
Wow, just seeing a pic of the Jefferson Reading Room made my eyes pop and my brain sit up (even amidst its kids-are-napping-i’m-exhausted afternoon slouch). That room makes me think that perhaps i could read and comprehend any book just by sitting in that room. And the cupcakes – wow. That has GOT to be a gifting that was left out in the first translation of the Bible, maybe it’s in the Message version. Thanks for sharing your pics =)
hmm… gotta think about the dream thing for a bit, something I don’t ponder about much, which makes me wrestle with the ‘whys’, which makes me think some more, which makes me……. you get the picture.
But a word to the so wise: when you tell us to “stay tuned” you probably have about 500 fans doing just that…… just saying. 🙂
DC is a magical place – like Disneyland in a way – there is never enough time to do or see it all. I have been there 3 times – it touches me in those deep recesses of my mind and heart – and I have not even begun to experience even 1/4 of it – just the highlights.
I wonder if the congressmen and women do what many of us do with our hometowns or states? It takes someone from out of town to see what we have taken for granted???