sneaking into dc and family time in burrrrlington

in raleigh we got to see my hubby's little sister. they share the same biological mother, but were adopted by different parents. we haven't seen her since the wedding (!) so that was fun. i've never spent much time in downtown raleigh, i've only visited unc chapel hill, where i wish we could have been for the show. but it was cool to get to visit raleigh, my state's capitol.

then we drove to richmond. i walked around for a couple of hours to explore. richmond is nice...cute cobblestone streets with older buildings. but then i skipped the show because natalie came to pick me up and take me back to DC so that I could spend some extra time with her! isn't she sweet? we met stephanie at Busboys and Poets, my favorite hang out in the world that happens to be in a city in which i don't live. the name refers to Langston Hughes, who worked as a busboy prior to gaining recognition as a poet. it's a restaurant, bookstore, fair trade market and gathering place where people can discuss issues of social justice and peace. anyways, we tried to make a 9 pm poetry reading, but it was packed so we settled for just dinner. the next day natalie and i woke up and made the short walk from her anthro-cool new apartment on capitol hill to the Eastern Market. then we met stephanie and her boyfriend for lunch. then i got to walk and spend some qt with stephanie before natalie and i headed over to falls church where the guys and the bus where for their show that night. i tried to get natalie to fall asleep on the bus so i could steal her, but my attempts failed and i had to say goodbye:(

i awoke the next morning as we were driving into vermont, the place i was most excited about going to on this tour. the views from the bus windows were captivating. i didn't even bother taking pictures because i knew i could never do it justice. today, our little family woke up early and took a bus to downtown Burlington. burlington is without a doubt a city that i could live in. the view of Lake Champlain overlooking the Adirondacks, is something that i am so glad to have seen in my lifetime. it was breathtakingly gorgeous. and Church St and the entire downtown area is so cute. it was about 47 degrees and cloudy and it felt like Christmas. i think a blanket of snow would only complete it's perfection. we ate at Magnolia for brunch, vermont's first certified green restaurant, and it was yummy. we walked around all day and now i'm back on the bus and the guy's are sound-checking. tomorrow i'll wake up in Long Island, NY