September: Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens and more!

dusty lily pads

What a non-labor day weekend!  Friday I helped some friends move (well, sort of - they were too efficient!) who are getting ready to join the Peace Corps in Ukraine (woohoo!).  It was neat to meet their friends and hear more about their preparations as they get ready to ship out.  Takes me back to my first blog post and how I was feeling before I left for Mali in 2008.  Eep!

On Saturday, Cat, David & Auggie came over for brunch and then we went to the Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens, which are so close by!  A hidden treasure just 10 minutes away.  There are ponds upon ponds of lillies and gardens off of the Anacostia river and even though we were just minutes from Washington, DC, to look around I thought I was hours away.  Next year I'll put it on my calendar to make the Lily Festival - they make me think of my grandfather who loved lily pads.  I'm looking forward to taking friends and family who visit there as a secret getaway - there were hardly any folks there even though it was gorgeous out and there were lots of picnic areas.

Saturday night we had friends over to celebrate the visit of our friend Kyra's parents and then we danced the night away in support of Guinea Edugrade.  Sunday we brunched with Alys and Luke and I went to a neighbor's baby shower, the largest one I've ever been to!  When I got home, I had a text message from my Dad suggesting we see The Butler, which I had been wanting to see, so Abdoulaye and I headed to our local theater.  I proceeded to spend the next 2 hours quietly sobbing - the movie is so intensely beautiful in capturing the essence of the relationships of Cecil Gaines (the butler) in parallel with political and social movements of the past century.  Definitely a must-see but do not forget your tissues!!

I'm excited to get our finished attic/guest room ready for our first out-of-town guests this weekend - before & after pictures coming soon (once we have a bed this Thursday!).  I'm also thinking about Kate & Tony who got married one year ago yesterday - my how time flies!