Another surreal trip to Washington DC!!

This is how it happened. Mia (aka Representative Love) signed up to run in a congressional 5K race. She had a really good chance of beating the record for the fastest time, so it was kind of a big deal. Jessica and I trained with her, and at the last minute decided it would be fun to go cheer her on. Jessica was her trainer and was there to be her pacer. (I told you it was a big deal.)

Well, the girl who holds the record knew Mia was there to take the title from her, and she absolutely WAS NOT going to let Mia win. Mia came in second place, about 10 seconds behind the winner. It was a bummer, but it was still a fun race. And we have something to work towards for next year!

I wasn't registered for the race but was able to hop on the course and run with them.

Sometimes you need a friend to hold your hand through the tough times.

Ok but now I have to back-track to the night before, because that was a CRAZY evening. Jessica and I had just flown in looking all jet lagged after a long day of travel, and Mia said she was going to take us to dinner and asked if we minded if a couple "friends" joined us. I knew Trey Gowdy would be there, but I was so shocked when we got to the restaurant (a private club for republican representatives), and Marco Rubio was also sitting at our table. We were in an upstairs loft and there was hardly anybody else there. Trey Gowdy is the entertainer of the bunch and told us some hilarious stories. Marco Rubio was super nice. They told us funny stories, some slightly inappropriate stories, and it was just a typical normal dinner. Except it was not normal. It was surreal. Mia has some great friends in DC!

Trey told us about a hilarious experience he had as a brand new prosecutor, and this is the picture hanging in his office that goes with the story. It's a long story, but basically the guy in the back was supposed to be his eye witness, and this picture was taken the moment he found out the guy actually has a glass eye. I still laugh thinking about it.

We always go to Founding Farmers when we're in DC. They grow all of their produce and everything is local. The fried green tomatoes are my favorite.

Another surreal moment. This is the private hangout area next to the house floor. Mia was voting just through those doors, and Jessica and I were just chillin' in the back room.

Mia at work. I was also able to sit through a staff meeting, and I was proud and touched to see how hard they are working. This day they were trying so hard to figure out how to get a bill passed that will help our veterans, because it "is the right thing to do."

I am already planning on going back next spring. Mia HAS to take that title!!!!