I Went to Washington, D.C. & Met Hillbilly Debutante!

This lady is as sweet as she looks and she is as cute as a button.  

And you should see her drive that little six-speed Mini-Cooper around the city in all that traffic!  She is impressive, let me tell you!

(I am a country bumpkin and I must apologize to Kathie for all the times I said "They're going to hit you!"  Or..."That car is in your lane!"  Poor Kathie!)  

She and her family were welcoming and kind.  I enjoyed talking with Kathie's husband Jay because he is a politically-oriented man, having spent much of his career in Washington, DC.  I could talk to him all day!  And, I do apologize if I yammered too much, Jay!

If this car isn't Kathie, I don't know what is!

Cute, cute, cute!

This restaurant is that owned by Kathie's daughter and son-in-law and is as adorable as can be.  It also has very delicious food and was a true treat for me. When I'm with my guys (only guys left at home now!) they would never choose a restaurant like this one, but oh, what heaven it was!

We don't eat out much and I truly enjoyed this place, the food is gourmet and the presentation is artwork.  I enjoyed visiting with Kathie at this restaurant and the other restaurant her son-in-law and daughter own called Polpo.  Polpo was in Georgetown, I think.  If you're in the area, I HIGHLY recommend these two restaurants.  At Floriana, they bread and pesto they bring out for you to begin your meal with is incredible! 

Last weekend, I went to CPAC.  I stayed with Kathie of Hillbilly Debutante fame.  (Her blog is here.)  You know the gal who wrote the book "False Victim" and Hillbilly Debutante Cafe!  

(Her books are here and here.)

I was so excited I couldn't sleep the night before.

It was like Christmas when I was a kid!

I've never been to Washington, DC and it was so exciting!

The Jefferson Memorial made me cry.  When you walk up to it, you can't see his statue, it's situated where it's hidden until you walk in.

I don't know why but instantly, tears came into my eyes.

The place was filled with kids on a tour and they were loud and obnoxious and they probably thought I was nuts, but this just got to me.  Mostly because, I think that Jefferson understood the most what happens when government becomes to powerful, we have most definitely let him down.  

This sits on its own out toward the bridge going over the river, and it's by itself.  It was my favorite stop and at night there, it's even more impressive somehow because it stands out in the darkness...like our country once did.

We didn't do the "tourist" thing, but Kathie knows the area and drove me around in her cute little Mini-Cooper (six-speed) to see the famous sites from the car window and she showed me the highlights of DC and different neighborhoods like Georgetown.

I even got to to Mt. Vernon.

We got here in a little more than an hour before they closed -- I got to see the highlights and we are going to plan a trip back to the area to see more of the historical sites and spend more time exploring.  What a beautiful area!  

Photos were not allowed in Mt. Vernon itself.  But I snapped this one as I was walking in from that back porch -- it was thrilling to know that I walked where George Washington and many other of our Founding Fathers had been.  Isn't this wood beautiful?

On the back porch, facing the Potomac, was a long line of thirty-some chairs for all the entertaining that the Washington's did at their home.  These are replicas of the original chairs, even so, they are from the late 1800's.

It was pretty special to walk where so many of our nation's founders may have been.  The lady who took this photo was a homeschooler there with her three daughters.  I could tell they were exceptional and guessed they were homeschooled before I even talked to them.  This lady had her three daughters and had come clear from Texas with a camper and they were headed north to Pennsylvania the weekend I met them.  This family was a true pleasure to talk to.  The kids never watch TV and have a lot of hobbies and know how to do many things.  The oldest had graduated and this was her senior trip! How cool is that?!

Soon, I will share some of the photos from my time at CPAC for you.  What an awesome weekend!  I met so many interesting people and have some good stories to tell!  See you soon!