insiders for the day

after a couple slower weeks on the home front (which was bliss) we had quite a busy weekend.

sidenote:*our great friends mike & brie were married this weekend in san luis obispo.

we were super super bummed we couldn't make it but are THRILLED for them & their new life together. he is really one of the great ones & they are such fun. congratulations to them!!!*

friday we hung out with our buddies bryce & jamie & roasted reese's s'mores. um. only way to go.

bryce is holding our little addition: austin's hp touchpad. at just around $150, you can't complain. happy early bday babe. the fire pit stayed lit for a full 2.5 seconds so we ended up toasting the mallows over the cooktop. haha

on saturday we took our congressional tour to visit the inside of the white house! 'not the blue house, but the white house!' ellery insisted while wagging her finger when we told her where we were headed. haha random child.

the tour was fine. the online tour is about as good as being there in person but i'm glad we went just to actually go inside and walk the same halls as our presidents. very cool.

the security was insane (ps. the secret service is smokin hot!) & they do a background check before you can even apply for tickets with your congressman. the self guided tour is a very temporary set up with the rugs rolled up where high traffic is, little ropes, & one sign in each room giving a paragraph about the space. they told us that at the end of tour hours they have it all down in less than 10 minutes and that these rooms are used everyday.

afterward we drove straight to austin's family day at work which was in short, fascinating. they've never done a family day before & i was super excited. for 3+ years austin has worked in a very secure environment surrounded by all sorts of intense protocol & seriously everything is considered need-to-know basis. there was so much to learn & ask & see. i only got in trouble once for asking too much. i'm convinced that these brilliant men really love feeling like james bond & being shrouded in secrecy & mystery. the girls loved the bomb sniffing doggies & i even got hooked up to a polygraph machine! i'd tell you what else we saw, but then i'd have to... well, you know.

it was a frigid, rainy day but it was sure enjoyable to be behind the velvet ropes for a day. haha