Walking In A Winter Wonderland

When I think back on the weekend that just passed, I am thankful that God is so very good and so present in our lives. Let me explain.

First of all, I was able to have a some what relaxing Friday evening. I will forget to mention that it took me 30-45 minutes to decide how to wrap one of Dan's gifts. I didn't want him to know what it was before he opened it, so I had to get creative (I had no boxes or bags, just wrapping paper). Anywho, it was a great night though. Sometimes you just need to be at home on a Friday. Even with all the Christmas parties and gatherings, I had to just say "no" to it all, for my sanity (and yours :)) I kept thinking in my head how it's hard for me to say "no" to people. I hate doing it, but sometimes you have to...I NEED BOUNDARIES HERE PEOPLE!!!!

Lol.

Saturday was probably one of the best days with Dan yet. We had decided to do our Christmas together on that day, as he is heading home to Wisconsin for Christmas.

Our plan was to go to DC and visit some of the museums. The American History Museum (or the National Museum of American History) had re-opened and he has been wanting to see it and I haven't been to DC in ages. So, off we went. After finding some parking, we headed to the American History Museum.

Side note: On our walk there, we met up with a squirrel that Dan proceeded to "speak to". Never in all my days have I seen a squirrel respond to a grown man in such a way! He called himself the "Squirrel Whisperer" and that he is, as I will share a little later on.

The museum was lovely. Lots of parts I had remembered from going in previous years, but there was some new exhibits as well. One of the highlights for me was seeing the Ruby Slippers from The Wizard of Oz. I had grown up wanting a pair. Actually, the pair. Not only that, but my dad got sent to Kansas on business when I was six or so, and I figured "Hey dad, could you bring me the Ruby Slippers back?".

Much to my dismay, he did not succeed. Sigh.

So, seeing them in front of me was absolutely amazing.

Some other highlights were the First Ladies' gowns and jewelry. There is just such amazing history to explore. I know our country isn't all that old, but it's just priceless to see items worn or made by people who came before us, and famous people at that!

After that, we decided to get some lunch, and seeing as the ridiculousness of the pricing in the cafe at the museum, we attempted the food court in the Old Post Office. It was alright.

Then we went on over to the National Museum of Natural History. This was probably the most incredible experience of the day. As we walked through the exhibits, I was simply amazed at how meticulous God is. I am serious. From the tiniest of bugs, to the beautiful crystals, to the gigantic bones of the dinousaurs, to the amazing depth of the ocean, to the history of our nation, there is so much life! And this world is teeming with creativity and detail, as well as brillant colors. And even in the simpliest of creatures, there is so much depth and forethought. How good God is to think of these types of creatures. It's such a wonder.

We walked on over to the photgraphy exhibit. And that was crazy amazing. First of all, the detail and the quality of the pictures was out of control! That was only second to the actual life that those pictures captured. And those photos could only capture the life that God Himself created.

I just wish I had more words for you to describe what we saw. We even sat there watching this video that was just a series of pictures of wildlife and such and thought how people could see this world and believe it all happened by chance!

The whole time I was there, I was thinking about how everything just glorified God!

After all this, we were pretty exhausted. So, we headed back. Our plan was to go to dinner at the Outback in Canton, mostly because I left my cell phone at Evie's house so we had to go that direction to pick it up anyways. On our walk back to the car, we see another squirrel and Dan decides to converse with this one as well...and then proceed to feed it. He had a bit of his overpriced cookie left over from lunch. He fed the animal once and then it kept coming closer and sitting up on it's hind legs until it decided Dan was taking too long to feed it again and takes a flying leap at him! Yes blogging friends, my boyfriend was attacked by a DC squirrel! We were in hysterical laughter for a good ten minutes about it too. Such humor!

So, we finally make it to dinner and it was so sweet. After a long day in and out of the cold and walking around, it was good to sit and take it all in and enjoy the company of each other as well as the food.

Then we headed back to his house to exchange gifts which was fun. We watched Top Chef, one of our weekly dates and then watched the Ravens win against the ruddy Cowboys!!

I ask you friends, could the day have gotten any better?

Here's the thing. The whole day was such a great time for Dan and I to connect, but even better was that I actually felt the presence of God with us. From everything our eyes took in that day that stimulated the senses and created a feast for the eyes, to the laughter we shared about that stupid squirrel, to the amazing food we inhaled at dinner, to the sweet ending of the day with our favorite show, to the fellowship we shared, to the beautifully cold winter day, to the unexpected Ravens' victory, God blessed it all.

Below is a funny commercial I found that sort of gives you an idea of what happened to Dan vs. The Squirrel, except this video still doesn't do it justice. It's much funnier in person. But, enjoy anyways. Hehehe.