Wednesday, March 10, 2010

Back from D.C.

Frankly, I'm amazed I can still walk. From 10 a.m. Sunday morning until 1:30 Tuesday afternoon, I did nothing but. We toured the Capitol Building, the Library of Congress, and the Supreme Court. We paid our respects at the Lincoln Memorial and the Vietnam War Memorial. We went to Air and Space, Natural History, American History and the American Indian. It was great, and I am pooped.

Here's the difference between me and the Man when it comes to museum-hopping: I want to see stuff about people, he wants to see stuff about space ships and fossils. The Air and Space Museum worked out fine. The boys gawked at missiles and rockets while I had a delightful time reading wall plaques about Orville and Wilbur Wright's family life.

The only downside of the trip was my hair. I had it cut and colored on Friday. The color is very nice. So is the cut, except that my stylist and I are currently having a difference of opinion. I want to grow my hair a little bit longer. She wants me to look like Kate from Jon and Kate Plus 8. So she says she's just going to trim, and then she goes to town. Once she takes off a chunk, there's nothing I can do. I sit there in the chair, helpless and hoping that the mirror is lying and she's not actually making the hair on my crown stand up like a rooster's comb (she did).

So I went to D.C. and my hair was too short and my bangs were too spikey. I tried to not let it spoil the trip. Jack and Will were amazingly well-behaved (not that they're usually horrible, but you know how it is with kids and vacations--serious breakdowns can and often do happen, and Jack has a bad habit of getting upset at restaurants if a waitress dares to bring him a kids' menu). They didn't get bored and they didn't complain and they didn't start kicking each other for no reason.

Now we're home, and my hair is still too short. Cute, but not what I wanted. I will try to lay that aside and enjoy the many spoils of our vacation--the postcards and books and interesting pamphlets. The fact that my children did not self-destruct and no waitresses were harmed during our stay in the capitol city. Because that's much more important than my hair, right? I'm pretty sure it is.

8 comments:

Pom Pom said...

I cut my own hair this morning. The last haircut = blech! I'm such a stylist hopper. Why are the expensive shops the best? My hair grows out because I am cheap. I think about it way too much. I love the people part of museums, too. What a lovely vacation for your dear family!

Tracy said...

I cut my own fringe between hairdresser trims. With long hair you can afford to go a year between visits. A hairdresser that does as she's told is golden!

Your boys were angels! My kids can't even get in the car without biffing one another or arguing. And let's not discuss the issue of who enters the house first. Can you see me rolling my eyes?!

Heather said...

I am an avid plaque reader- in fact it is an art form in my family. We have to plan open ended museum trip days.

Oh, the cruel helplessness of watching your hair be hacked at. I feel your pain. Luckily, it grows, thank goodness, it grows again.

Gumbo Lily said...

I don't know, Frances, hair is a pretty darn important thing to a woman. I've been doing a little hair whacking of my own and then make my kids cut where I can't see without a mirror. I've got very curly hair so it's forgiving.

Your vacation sounds amazing. I would like to go to DC one day.

Jody

Susan said...

I adore the plaques, and there's nary a one that I haven't stopped to read. I even dream of being the lucky fool who gets to write them. That is a job, isn't it? Just imagine getting to research all that info. and then boiling it down to a succinct statement. An editor's dream!

Maybe you could suggest Kate G's latest style to your hairdresser. I'm envisioning you with long blonde tresses that sweep over your eyes and cascade into the Farrah Fawcett-esque mane. A vision. A vision, indeed.

Left-Handed Housewife said...

Pom Pom, I cut my bangs all the time, so they're usually uneven. I was loyal to one stylist for a long time, but she moved, and I've gone to two stylists since. I'm going to give this stylist one more chance--she's really very talented--and then off I go again!

Tracy, What luxury to go a year between visits! Of course, when you need color, that's not an option (and doing my own color is totally not an option). And yes, my boys were unusually angelic--until the last few hours, when they fell apart.

Heather, My favorite way to do museums is to stand in front of one exhibit or painting for hours. I hate just moving through. And I've never met a plaque I didn't fall for.

Jody, I wish my hair weren't so important, but it is. It really affects how I feel about myself when my hair's not working!

I hope you go to D.C. One thing you don't get so much from pictures is how pretty it is. And there's so much of interest to see. You could stay for weeks and not see it all.

Susan, I would love to be a plaque author! I'd also love to be a museum curator and get my hands on all that interesting stuff. Wouldn't that be the life?

Angela said...

I had to check out who Jon & Kate were - they havent penetrated my corner of UK TV yet! And now I have no idea which of the 3 hairstyles you have - I guessed the sort choppy one.
Well, it WILL grow again[eventually]
I love visiting museums. Did you get to see Julia Child's Kitchen in the Smithsonian? My visit to DC in 2004 was the trip of a lifetime, and I would LOVE to go back

Left-Handed Housewife said...

Angela, I can't believe I forgot to mention that I saw Julia's kitchen at the Museum of American History! It was wonderful, and very "normal" looking. I'm so happy they have it there.