I finished my final written exam last Tuesday at ten, and Wednesday morning my family and I threw our bags in the car, picked up Grammy, and headed for the airport. We traveled to see my husband's family in Washington, DC, spending two nights at his brother's in northern Virginia and two nights in a nearby hotel.

Thursday morning while my hubby recovered from a migraine, I joined my brother-in-law, mother-in-law, niece and her family and a couple of other folks for a trip to the U.S. National Arboretum adjacent to the capitol. Since my niece's family lives in the District, her hubby and one of the boys biked the thirteen blocks from their home and met us there.

The Arboretum had a train exhibit in which the locomotives chugged through some of the wonders of the ancient world. All of the structures--and they were beautiful--were made of natural materials. If you look closely, you'll see that the blue engine cruising by the Taj Mahal is Thomas. My great nephew was delighted with that little detail.

In another room they had a replica of the mall in Washington, complete with Reflection Pool. And it was all free. Or, as my brother-in-law said, we paid for it with our taxes. Since it was Thanksgiving Day, we didn't even have to stand in line.

Later, back in Virginia after the traditional family dinner, we settled in to see the Dallas Cowboys get beat by the New Orleans Saints. It woulda hurt more, except that Drew Brees had a great day, which took some of the sting out of losing in the last minute. After more pie, we sniffled our way through Toy Story 3.

On Friday we went to the Smithsonian Museum of American History. A highlight there was seeing the gowns of the presidents' wives, including some inauguration dresses I remembered. But the museum also had a great exhibit on water transportation. That evening my little family went to my niece's for dinner. She has two little boys, a hubby in Catholic University's PhD program, and a baby due any day. We ordered pizza and spent the evening making glitter cards. We got lost on the way home, but we got where we needed to go by looping through my old neighborhood. (I lived in Arlington from ages 10-17.)

Saturday was our lazy day. The teens went to their own movie, while the grown-ups went and saw Russell Crowe in the heart-stopping drama, "The Next Three Days." Then we spent the evening playing cards.

On Sunday morning we went to high mass at the Parish of St. Monica and St. James, a beautiful cottage-like Episcopal Church in the Anglo-Catholic tradition on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC. Two struggling churches, an Africa-American and an anglo congregation, joined into one, and the mix of cultures was delightful. Picture high church structure with songs like "I Am Bound for the Promised Land." My niece's family was lighting the first advent candle during the service.

My nephew, who digs wells in Ethiopia, was in from Africa. So we had lots of stories to swap. That morning he joined his parents and me in DC while the rest of the family went to church in Virginia, where my hubby's brother is on staff. After church on the beautiful but frigid day we made our way back to Virginia, passing the Jefferson Memorial, crossing the Potomac, rounding the Pentagon...

We gathered the family for a big lunch and more cards, and then it was time to fly home (where it's warm). And face the laundry. But what a great time, and a nice break from studying.