Mind of an orchid

I have been busy....getting away from the usual. Yes, we were on a vacation. There is so much to write, I don't even know where to begin. In summary -I got to visit one of America's most visited tourist destinations, stay with an extremely gracious host who is also now a very good friend, spend quality time with my boys and bring home plenty of lasting memories. Couldn't ask for more now, could I? We were in Washington, D.C this past weekend visiting Altoid of curiously strong and what a fun time it was too! I don't know if I can actually write a post on her and do enough justice with my words but simply put she is one of the nicest individuals I have ever met and I mean it. Simple, down to earth, very affable, passionate about a lot of things (her home, her family, her photography, her music and more), very meticulous, and extremely grounded. I am inspired! Again, these are just a few things off the top of my head and does not serve well enough to describe her entire personality. We met virtually through each other's blogs a short while ago, realized we have many things in common including our roots in Banglore, our penchant for shoes and our interests in keeping a good home and therefore we indulged in conversations off the blog world. Met her once very briefly at the Frankfurt airport last year and a month ago she invited us to her home. Of course, her wonderful pictures on the cherry blossoms added just the right amount of motivation to conceive a plan and finally we made the trip. Again, thanks to Altoid's meticulous efforts and a well and pre-planned itinerary we did see the city like it is meant to be and came away very satisfied tourists. It is day-2 and I am still in DC hangover sitting here on my couch in plain and boring Texas!
Now for the vacation itself. I was totally taken in by the iconic strength of the National Mall. Despite being a young nation, the history is well preserved and reflects off of the monumental core of the National Mall. A photographer's paradise and a little kid's dream come true, D.C offered something for our entire family. And since I have so many pictures to share, thanks to the perseverance of my dear husband, I will do a 3/4 part series, so please come back.
Yet to come - the cherry blossoms, corners from the Altoid's home, li'l A on vacation and ofcourse one for the orchid!