DC - there and back

Note to self: Never fly into or out of O'Hare during the weekend of the Air and Water Show.
Result? One+ hour spent baking in a 747 oven on the tarmac at hot-as-hell Reagan National Airport. Thank G for iPods and much-needed naps!
Anyway, back to my visit with Jada in DC.

I didn't go to our nation's capitol as a tourist to see the Washington Monument, the White House and the endless museums. I went to DC as Jada's friend and we did stuff that she would ordinarily do on a weekend.

We spent Saturday afternoon at the Virginia Wine Festival (where we decided to be very "Martha's Vineyard" in pretty dresses and sun hats). Mother Nature found this very funny, apparently, because she cranked the heat.
Think lying in a cast-iron frying pan over open flame, smothered in bacon grease.
IT.WAS.HOT.
Oh, and the humidity in DC? Beautiful silk floral dress, a wide-brimmed summer chapeau (Audrey Hepburn would be proud!) and a river of sweat streaming down my back. EWWW!!
Nevertheless, we sauntered through the festival, thinking cool thoughts and sipping a variety of locally produced white wines. It was wonderful!!

Back in DC in the late afternoon, we cleaned up, sacrificed fresh clothes to the heat and headed to Georgetown. Mellowed by an afternoon of wine-drinking, we made our way to a funky Middle Eastern restaurant called Mie n Yu ("me and you").

On the way up to our third-floor dining room, we passed a large round table of eight people enclosed in the world's largest bird cage! How fun!! On another level, off to the left side of the staircase on a small landing was a very private four-person booth surrounded by velvet curtains.
Our dining room had hot pink walls meeting an orange ceiling. Each table's seating featured a daybed covered in satin and beaded pillows with fringed curtains separating the neighbors. Everywhere you looked was something beautiful and elaborate to see and to touch. Oh, and the food was great too!

Sunday morning was spent at the East Market, an antiques, produce and handicrafts fair that occurs every weekend in the District (Capitol Hill area). After perusing the vintage furniture, we came across a table full of purses with a strangely familiar zigzag design. Made by a company in Miami, the coin purses, clutches and totes are made from gum wrappers! The multicolored papers once held gum from foreign countries (so no green Wrigley Spearment purses!), then folded and braided into fabulous designs.

Had they not been on the pricey side, I definitely would've brought (at least) one home with me. (I have a "thing" about spending more $$ on a purse than I have to put in it.)

The best part of the weekend, however, was being able to re-connect with my friend while doing everyday things. Uninterrupted by friends and family, we had time to talk...really talk. The stay-up-till-2-am kind of talk.

Time spent with good friends is so important to me. Sometimes its value lies in the opportunity to vent my frustrations caused by the stalemate that is my life. More often, like this weekend, it is the chance to be a sounding board for my friends when they need a shoulder.

I've always envied (and been intimidated by) the life my friend Jada leads: great job, fun city, Dr. husband, loving and admiring family. All the pieces in place for a successful life.

Or so I thought...

Without going into details, let's just say that her life isn't as perfect as I've always imagined and I'm afraid it's taking a toll on her. She's more introspective and less joyful. She doesn't laugh as easily as she used to. But, as with everything else, she keeps plugging along, trying to fight this intruder into her bliss.

Jada has been there for me during divorce, boyfriend breakups, job stress and all that crap and I intend to do the same for her. I just hope God poured wisdom into my words of advice. Things aren't perfect for her, but she trusted me enough to share her disappointments and hurt with me. For this I will always love her.