Reason to Celebrate

Last week we had a good excuse to get gussied up and go out.  Adam received an offer from a firm in Salt Lake City to work next year!  This means that we will be heading back West next Spring.  We couldn't be happier and we girls can't express our love to daddy enough for working so hard.

When I told Caroline that we would be going out on Friday night somewhere fancy, she heard that word and rolled with it.  

"Mom, I need to wear a fancy dress, and so do you!"

"Do you think the restaurant will have fancy highchairs with whales on them that are wearing fancy, big hats?  Olive could sit in one of those!"

"Don't forget to drink with your pinkie up!"

"....oh and say Chip, Chip, Cheerio!"

The places that Adam and I had talked about going for dinner were not fancy.  There was Ray's Hellburger, or Ben's Chili Bowl.  At the last minute we decided to go to Old Ebbitt Grill, right across from the Treasury Building and the White House.  

It did not disappoint, fancy enough to leave Caroline in awe, but not so fancy that we felt uncomfortable taking her and Olive there with us.  

She daintily placed the linen napkin on her "fancy ensemble" (a term she used to describe the outfit that she picked out for the occasion).  

And Olive was just happy to look at the brass dog in the window behind her and Adam, and at all of the model geese and ducks displayed throughout the restaurant.

I had an old box of artificial nails that I got as a stocking stuffer from my love our first year of marriage (maybe he thought I was a bit high maintenance :)  Caroline helped me put them on and she loved how they looked.  I was a bit embarrassed and was kind of hiding my hands at first.  

Luckily I don't wear nails because by the end of the night I had only 5 nails left.  Maybe I am not careful enough, or maybe it is because the glue was over 5 years old (pretty sure it was the latter).

After we ate, we decided to go to the courthouse where Adam is working as a Judicial Intern for the Honorable Judge Rader.  Adam showed us around his office in the Judge's chambers and Judge Rader just happened to be working late.  In fact, he had just returned from a reception with President Obama at the White House.  He was extremely nice to take time away from his work to visit with us.  

He even scooped Olive right to take a picture with the girls.

Here is the view from one of the windows in his office.  (sorry about the flash)  That building is the Treasury Building where I interned many years ago, and the White House is right next to the Treasury in those trees.

After visiting Adam's work, we walked around outside and visited the White House at night, which was beautiful.  Now that we know we are not sticking around the East Coast, I feel a sense of urgency to "conquer the world," (a phrase Adam frequently uses to describe my need to see and do it all).

I have a list forming in my head of things we have to do before we leave, and it is getting pretty long.

Monticello, Gettysburg, bike to Mount Vernon, tour the White House, drive back to New England?, Outer Banks, NC . . . 

We really enjoyed our experience in NY this summer, and we truly love the East Coast.  However, we feel extremely blessed to have an opportunity to get back to Utah and be close to both our families.