48 Hours in Washington D.C + Georgetown

I’m sitting in the airport with an hour to kill before boarding our flight back to Toronto, and I figured— a great time to get a blog post out to you guys documenting our experience in Washington D.C + Georgetown!

When a mama is away from her kiddos, in an airport, with two free hands, no toys to play with, dishes to clean or bums to change… she writes a blog post :P.

So we travelled to Washington for Josh’s SunLife CEO Awards of Excellence Gala / conference! I was a tag a long spouse… (I assured Josh that there would be other partners join their spouses just to see the city, but I was… the only one LOL) But I thought, what better opportunity to see a city that we may not otherwise choose to visit. BUT after visiting, I would add this to your CHOICE TRAVEL LIST for sure!

A long weekend trip would be a perfect amount of time to take in the sights & sounds of Washington D.C proper, as well as explore some more niche neighbourhoods like Georgetown!

As you fly into Washington D.C the trees are BEAUTIFUL, everything looks so well groomed, beautifully designed neighbourhoods, subdivision, the canal river ways & foliage.

Interestingly enough, the Dulles airport is actually strategically about 45 minutes from Washington, to keep air space clear near the White House. There is a closer airport, but only select flights come in and out. So prepare for about a 45 minute drive to the city. Another fun fact, it’s only a 4 hour drive to New York City! If I had known, I would have considered renting a car, making the drive to NYC and flying back from there!

So back to WASHINGTON. We stayed at the Fairmont Washington D.C and it was beautiful. Great environment, classy, beautiful courtyard full of lights, trees, cute tables to dine, to some work or just grab a coffee. It had a great gym, pool, sauna, steam, & hot tub! The restaurant looked okay but nothing too impressive. The room service I had one evening was also just okay— but otherwise the hotel was great. Bed comfortability, rooms, bathroom a 10/10. AND we were just an easy 2KM walk to the White House.

I highly recommend doing the Hop on Hop Off tour in any city of historical significance that has a lot of landmarks to see. We did the 2 hour tour and saw everything! The White House, The Capitol, The National Mall, The Lincoln Memorial, The Washington Monument and MORE. I like these for the convenience, getting to see everything and then choose where you’d like to explore more, and the guided audio tour really helps you understand the historical significance of everything! We loved this tour and then chose a few areas to explore further on day two!

Electric Scooters are A MUST! This was faster than a bus tour, (once you knew where you were going) faster than being in traffic, faster than walking, and no real physical effort, just let the wind blow through your hair as you zip around town! We used these to explore the beautiful Waterfront, Re-visited some key historical areas including the Martin Luther King Waterfront park & memorial, The national Mall, The National Botanical Gardens and the International Spy Museum!

The “WHARF” area on the waterfront has SO many great eats, including one of my all time favs BAR TACO. I also loved Cafe du Parc for an outdoor coffee + work session right next to the White House!

Seeing the must see’s was GREAT, but I have to say, Georgetown was my favourite. Just 1KM from where we stayed, it’s a small neighbourhood that is home to Georgetown University. It’s like euro meets New York in a very digestible area that feels homey! Unique!! There are restaurants dotting the Canal, redbrick streets, unique shops, cafes & good eats everywhere you look. There are so many cuisines to choose from too! I loved exploring this area, and a few favs— Cafe Milano, Blank Space Coffee, Flavio Italian, Rosewood & Cafe Devain!

All in all it was a great quick getaway, but I definitely couldn’t do more than 2 nights away from my babies at this point! Even just having one “me day” where I did some exploring, excising, fresh air, good food at a cute restaurant where you could actually focus on what you were eating, quiet coffees, reading, and a bubble bath— I felt so recharged. It’s important to take time for ourselves to take care of ourselves, to breathe, look up, and around, and reflect on where we are in life, our season, our priorities, what matters, where we’re headed, and that space really creates a full heart of gratitude for all of God’s blessings.

Thank you Jesus for all of your beautiful blessings, your Holy Spirit, and this beautiful life!

FLORIDA STATE

BANFF

HONEYMOON BOOK REVIEW: "Girl, Stop Apologizing"

Hey friends!

I’m itching to blog about the latest book I read on our honeymoon in Jamaica— I highly recommend it. There were so many great nuggets of truth in Rachel Hollis’, GIrl, Stop Apologizing. Here are my top 5 takeaways.

1) Don’t water down who you are. Don’t apologize for who you are.

Now, caveat when you read “who you are” think of your best self. Don’t water THAT down. Have you ever been around a certain group of people who make you feel like you can’t be your best self? For example, sometimes if I’m around people who are being negative or have a victim mentality, I’m afraid to be my positive upbeat self because I might annoy them, or they may resent me. That’s wrong. Rachel talks about how if we were to constantly be adjusting, adjusting adjusting to serve other people’s agenda’s even when we don’t agree with them, we completely loose ourselves and who it is we are supposed to be for the world around us. Be FULLY you without apology. There’s only one you and the world needs you. Obviously always love others, be polite and use wisdom, but don’t mistaken that for watering yourself down to be a less FULL version of who you are. Be YOU. If people have a problem with that, it’s probably really a problem with themselves.

2) Don’t create space in your life, or headspace for negative, conflict creating people to speak into your life. At first this may seem like it’s wrong or sounds bad. But Rachel talks about how yes, it’s important to love everyone and be there to support people, but that is different than allowing people’s negativities and insecurities to have a say and impact on our own lives, thinking and approach to life. When other people’s opinions are directing your thinking or decision making, there’s a problem. It’s the OPO problem. “Other-People’s-Opinions.” You’re giving your power away and everyone else owns you. Use wisdom, council of a few people you truly trust, seek God, and move forward. This life can be challenging as it is, don’t allow additional conflict creators to have a place.

3) Touch it once. Create efficiencies in your life!

When you open an email, reply to it then. Even if you don’t have the answers, let them know you’re finding them. Touch it once! If you start doing something, be disciplined to finish that task, or the part of the larger task that you are doing. This creates little efficiencies throughout your day that turn into BIG productivity in the big picture.

4) Set your vision, the goals to reach it & then serve your agenda.

This might sound selfish at first glance, but Rachel actually says that in a way, you have to be selfish to accomplish your vision. Selfish to your vision. For example a part of your vision may be to serve the community, so you have to be “selfish” to make the time and not allow that time to be taken away by things outside of your vision. So in that way, be selfish with you vision. Although your vision isn’t selfish. Make sense? You picking up what I’m putting down? Make decisions, fill your calendar with the things that serve your vision. Otherwise you will never get there. Let your Yes be yes and your no be no. A yes to someone else’s inquiry from you may be saying a yes to their agenda and a no to your agenda. Be wise!

5) Move your body everyday!

Bottom line. If you aren’t feeling good physically mentally or spiritually, move your body everyday. This isn’t the be all end all answer but it will ALWAYS help. If you aren’t doing that, you are doing a disservice to yourself. Do something, for 30 minutes intentionally to move, to be active. Maybe it’s 2 hours for you, but maybe you’re looking for somewhere to start. Walk for 30 minutes minimum a day. Don’t complain about something unless you’ve at-least done this. If you catch yourself about to get down, or complain, nip it in the butt and go for a walk first, and then see if you still want to complain after. And if you do, maybe do another lap :P ! The mental and physical benefits of exercise are well researched and AMAZING.

So there you have it! My top takeaways from Rachel’s new book. Let me know what you think!

XOXO Ash

My fake Louis

I break suitcases. I’ve probably went through 10 minimum. I think this says something about my personality... I try and fit too much in sometimes. Less is more doesn’t come easily to me (haha).

My most recent experience was with a fake Louis button duffel bag that I got in China. Boy did that thing look SHARP. It looked undeniably real, but it wasn’t. I packed that thing with as much as possible still being able to squeeze it shut between my legs and quickly zip it up. Perfect.

All my bags were set and ready to go by the door. And finally it was SHOW TIME.

We gathered all our things ready to go to the airport with our family, I got five steps outside the door, and pop, pop, pop, both handed tore off and the zipper popped from the weight.

An illustration comes to mind here. My bag looked the part, but when weight was added, it immediately broke and couldn’t not function to do its ONE job. Carry my things.

If it’s fake, it’s not going to be able to carry the weight of responsibility, the weight of its job when it’s show time.

I once heard Christine Caine speak a message I will never forget. She used the illustration of an old fashioned photo lab. That photo that is completely undeveloped, goes into a dark room for a certain period of time in order to fully develop before it brought back out into the light in order to show its true beauty.

This is much like us as people. God brings us through journeys of development so that we can be the real deal. Not fake. Tried and true and ready to carry weight.

Christine went on to say that if you took a photo out of development too early the photo wouldn’t be nearly as beautiful as the result it’s intended to have.

Same goes for us. If we try and get ahead of our season of development before our character has grown, before we’ve matured, before we’ve learned and put in the work, if we try to get ahead of God’s timing, we are like a semi development photo or a fake Louis Vuitton bag.

Let’s stick out the journey, let’s be the real deal, let’s become fully developed as we prepare to step into the big things that are next in our lives. Let’s be like a real Louis.

I bet you’ve never heard that motivational quote before.

“I’m like a real Louis Vuitton.”

Xoxo

Ashley

NASHVILLE

Colombia

Hey friends!

It’s been awhile since I have posted an entry. It has been a very FULL fall season so far. But today I came across the above photo in good old, “Facebook memories”, and it really inspired me to write and share.  

It seems like any regular old photo, could be anywhere, any beach, with no apparent significance. But for me this was a huge moment in my life.

I’m on a beach in Bogota, Colombia, on my first international outreach trip with The Gideons International In Canada. I had just completed my degree in Communication Studies, and I’m reporting for a global organization on their international work.

Just months before this photo was taken, my dream to report internationally on positive things happening around the world, seemed impossible. I remember flying up to Ontario from Newfoundland for my interview for a Communications Coordinator role in November of 2013. The reach of the organizations work fascinated me. I remember seeing a magazine publication of theirs on a coffee table at the office. One article in particular was talking about their work in South America and how they’d be sending teams to Chile and Colombia. After my interview, I recall calling my mom saying, “Imagine if I actually got to go on these trips as a reporter and help tell the story of how people's lives are being impacted.” 

Less than a year later this photo was taken on the beach of Colombia as we boarded a small rickety boat to go to an island that had historically, never had access to Bibles. The people of the island desperately wanted to read God's Word to learn more about Him and the hope that we can find in Him. 

Looking at this photo today I was reminded of two important things.

1)   Don’t put aside your dream as if it's impossible. Whatever dreams, goals, and visions you have for your life—they are there for a purpose and they are not out of reach.  Go for it as if you were created specifically to do and accomplish it— because you probably were!

2)   Don’t loose the wonder-- the wonder and amazement of the opportunities you have been blessed with in life to do what you love.  Be grateful, count them as a privilege, and pour your energy and passion into them!

Ashley
xoxo