Goehner's Come to DC - Day 1

I was so excited! My cousin Ashley, her husband Marty, their daughter Liah were coming to visit me for an entire week! Ashley has reached out to me in October of 2018 to start planning. I'm all about planning, but 6 months is a little too early to start planning. But we did get the plane tickets in the Fall of 2018. I love hosting. It really is a passion of mine that I found I had when we had our guest room in Alexandria and Silver Spring. I have had to impressive in Rockville and now in DC. Since the family was going to be here for an entire week, I wanted my tiny home to feel like their home. I bought a crazy amount of beverages (I don't drink Capri Suns, Gatorade or Fresca - but that was there drinks and I enjoy providing people with what they like). 

I was also able to provide them with my famous gift baskets, Starbucks mugs, postcards and of course the guest book. 

They flew in and out of Baltimore. They landed at 3pm on Saturday, March 30 and then we drove into DC. After showing them around my apartment we got on the metro to go to Chinatown for dinner at my favorite restaurant, Matchbox. 

After an amazing dinner, we decided to walk to the National Mall - I mean you have too, right?!?!On the way to the mall we passed through some famous places in DC, like FBI headquarters, Department of Justice, Trump Tower and the expensive City Center. 

After walking to the Washington Monument we felt like we had our first taste of DC and were ready for the week!

Liah and I are known for our Fro-yo love, unfortunately  we didn't have any Fro-yo but we did have a ice cream a couple of times. 

March Random

March was a slow month for me, which was good because April brings so much! My cousin and her family are visiting for a week, Tuf is coming to visit, Cherry Blossoms, Easter!

For randomness of March - here we go. 

Our Executive made fun of my adorable little St. Patrick's Day decoration. But I do have to admit it was pretty good. 

Stephanie, Gina and I went to a free presentation by the American for the Arts at the Kennedy Center where the Honorable Sonia Sotomayor who is an Associate Justice, Supreme Court of the United States introduced Rita Moreno. I didn't know who Rita Moreno was but now I have been watching her Netflix show, One Day at a Time and it is so good! Rita is a fantastic storyteller and I could listen to her all day long, every day.

This is for you GG. We always got these awesome lime green milkshakes from McDonald's around St. Patrick's day.

 

I made a new crock pot meal thanks to Stephanie's suggestion - a coconut curry and lentil thing.  It is so good, even if it doesn't photograph well :) 

  

#thisisexactlyhowIfeel

  

I finally did it and went and got allergy testing! But fun fact, I have a skin condition called Dermatographia where my skin is super sensitive (who knew???) and I reacted to salt water - yeah, nobody should react to that. So they had to do a blood test and a week later I got the test results back and I don't have an allergy to shrimp, coconut or pineapple. Though, the allergist did say I should avoid eating raw pineapple and coconut....but I can eat shrimp again! Best news! 

 

In March I got Bumblebee from Bowie. I knew that Bumblebee's check engine light had been on since November and I was pretty sure it was the oxygen sensor since I was told it was going out in 2017 and it was the oxygen sensor and it only cost $1100 :( But I need Bumblebee to take Princess to the vet and to pick up my cousins, so it had to finally be done. When I went to get my car in Bowie this steal rod was perfectly under my car and I flipped out. But thankfully Stephanie was with me and I made it safely to the dealership in Rockville. I asked the mechanic if this steal part was part of my car and it wasn't :) haha! Then I told Gina about it and she said that Mike had used it to keep the car cover on...I felt like a blond bringing this random piece of metal to the dealership but at least it wasn't part of my car!

This was a busy month for Princess. I love Princess, but I hate how she tracked kitty litter everywhere! So kitty got a new box with pellets. She didn't like it, but she learned to use it and thankfully no more litter! I really like the pellet system. It is more expensive, but I love not having to deal with kitty litter!

Princess also had to go the vet because she needed dental work done and we finally got her blood sugars under control so she could be put to sleep for the procedure. Princess ended up having 5 teeth pulled, including a canine :( The drugs they gave her, really messed with her and we had a super stressful night after the surgery but they did wear off and she is recovering slowly. Poor baby only has 12 teeth now. Cats should have 30.

Kitty is addicted to YouTube...

and her water fountain...

President Lincoln's Cottage

On Saturday March 2, Stephanie and I did another bucket list item. We went a place that not many people know about - President Lincoln's Cottage. It is in the 'burbs of DC - if that is even a thing? But also only 3 miles from the White House. After a period of restoration President Lincoln's Cottage opened to the public in 2008. President Lincoln and his family spent about a fourth of his Presidency here. Our tour guide explained that while the cottage was only 3 miles north of the White House it is the 3rd highest point in DC, so in the hot and humid summer being a little higher in elevation allowed for a breeze. Also, the Lincoln's son Willie died at the age of 11 in the White House probably from a water borne disease close to the White House because at that time the Potomac River was right next to  the White House, whereas today most of the National Mall is landfill. The Cottage was a place where President Lincoln could escape, even though visitors would still show up. President Lincoln would ride his horse to the White House each day and sometimes he would leave early enough to escape the two men who were his Secret Service (though not officially Secret Service). They say it would take President Lincoln about 30 minutes to get to the White House and today it would still be about the same amount of time - even though it is in a car and not horse - oh traffic in the district is terrible.

No photos are allowed inside the cottage, but the grounds are beautiful on this clear winter day.  

 

The cottage is not what you probably thought a cottage would be... it is rather large. 

Original front door.

After President Lincoln's Cottage, we ventured over to The Kennedy Center for a free concert at Millennium Stage. I didn't know the artist, Gaby Moreno, but she is one of Stephanie's favorites and she was amazing! Even if I didn't under the words she was singing, it was still amazing. 

Super fun day exploring new things!