Cherry Jubilee

As I sat on a plane coming back from Washington DC during Cherry Blossom Festival, I felt so grateful for a wonderful weekend in our nation’s capitol. Weekends come and go (and are often not long enough) but this past one in DC was truly a memorable one. It wasn’t memorable because I rubbed elbows with the President, or hugged a Senator and no, I didn’t get in trouble with the Secret Service. In fact, I’ve been in DC where I have seen cherry blossoms more beautiful than this weekend before. What made it a memorable weekend was something more simple: spending time with wonderful people.

When I moved to DC in January 2007, I barely knew my roommate. The city was unfamiliar and winters definitely felt like winter! It was a strange experience learning to navigate the streets, the quadrants of the city, how to ride the Metro, and how to be on myyour own. My time living in DC though was special, not just because of experiencing many firsts, it was special because I would have never met the friends that I did if I stayed in Los Angeles.

Certainly I wouldn’t have met my bff originally from Atlanta, nor would I have established a wonderful friendship with my most cherished co-worker from Montana, where we spent late nights talking about our dreams and relationships. I would not have met my Canadian friend where we would explore the city and its wonderful eats. I would never have become fast friends with a Californian who went to graduate school in Michigan and now works in DC or met friends from Hawaii who made it all the way east to work in the nation’s capitol.

Being in DC this time felt particularly satisfying because both my best friend from New York and my boyfriend from San Francisco both came into the city to be with me. An experience is more magical when you get to share it with the ones you love. Together a diverse group of individuals from a range of cities got together to just have fun. Yes, I enjoyed seeing the cherry blossoms, taking snapshots and liquor shots, enjoying delicious brunches and hilarious conversations, but most importantly, I just enjoyed being there with the people that I care about and that they too were able to share with me that little piece of DC that I love.