Cherry Blossoms and Adjustments

This morning we walked to Constitution Avenue for the National Cherry Blossom Festival parade - an enjoyable couple of hours in the sun watching various groups perform song, dance, skating routine etc. Several schools brought their bands from Washington State, which was nice to see. :)

Tim and I at the Parade

After the parade we made our way through the throngs of people toward the Tidal Basin to get a look at the famous Cherry Blossoms. But before we got all the way there we gave up due to massive amounts of people impeding our movement. So, we snapped a photo of us with a Cherry Blossom tree and the Washington memorial against a beautiful, clear blue sky and headed out to get some shopping done (read: walked 15 blocks carrying groceries... gotta figure out a better way to do that).

Us with the Washington and famous Cherry Blossoms... this could be a "more bars in more places commercial," I think

We're discovering that the masses of people are quite frustrating when you realize it's what you'll be dealing with on a regular basis. We're also learning which Metro stops are to be avoided at all costs. For example, the "Smithsonian" stop is just not worth the trouble. Entering isn't too bad, but exiting at that stop takes an eternity. Such are the things you learn when transitioning from small town Oregon to East Coast big city. All in all, we're doing well, but it's going to take some time to truly feel at home.

I've also posted some photos below of our Farewell Dinner Party hosted by Tim's Aunt Lisa in Beaverton. We had a great time with friends and family the night before we left for DC!

Tim's family all came to say goodbye! What a great surprise!

My mom and brother also surprised us with their appearance at our party! Sneeky April Fools jokers!

I love my "sister" Caris!!

My adorable "with-child" cousin Kirsten and her husband Tom came to wish us well