We’ve had a relatively calm wedding planning experience so far. But, the creation of my detailed wedding to-do list did make me a little queasy. We’re now just under the five-month mark until our wedding, and, although I’m hoping I can avoid all the madness that seems to afflict most brides, I’m certainly aware that I can find myself going crazy in the next few months.
So, partially inspired by this post by a fellow DC blogger, I am creating a list of five non-wedding activities to complete in the next five months. We have 20 weekends between now and the wedding, so I think this is definitely doable.
1) Go to an amusement park for a day. I haven’t been to an amusement park in forever! I love roller coasters and rides, but I just haven’t made the effort to go to one recently. Growing up in Pittsburgh, I would go to Kennywood or Cedar Point at least once a summer. But now that life gets in the way, it’s harder to make an effort. So, at some point between now and the wedding, I definitely want to hit up an amusement park, such as Kings Dominion or Busch Gardens, both of which are within two hours of the DC area.
2) Visit the 9/11 Memorial at the Pentagon. The 10-year anniversary of the September 11, 2001 attacks is just a few short months away. Although the 9/11 Memorial at the Pentagon opened a few years ago, I still haven’t been to it. Unacceptable.
3) Have my family visit in DC and take my 5-year-old nephew on a few fun outings. Like swimming at our neighborhood pool, going to see a summer movie (Cars 2 or Pooh perhaps?) and taking him to the newer Air and Space Museum in the DC area, the Udvar Hazy Center. I haven’t visited that museum yet, and my nephew definitely liked the original Air and Space Museum when we took him there. So that would be a great combination. Seeing a museum I haven’t seen yet, but also taking my nephew out for a fun afternoon.
4) Go to one of the summer-only outdoor events in the DC area. I’m keeping this one vague because I don’t care which option, because they all seem like great ideas. Jazz at the sculpture garden, screen on the green, Crystal City outdoor movies, or a concert at Wolf Trap. Some sort of outdoor summer activity will do.
5) Visit at least one of the following places that I have never visited: The Library of Congress (lowers head in shame), the “new” Newseum (I had been to the old one in Rosslyn and loved it, but never to the new one downtown), The Crime and Punishment Museum, and/or go to the top of the Washington Monument.
Since I despise the heat, I think that doing the museums in the peak summer months will be great since they’re air-conditioned, but some of the outdoor items, like the amusement park or visiting the 9/11 memorial should wait until September or October. But, things like the outdoor summer events will have to be done heat and all.
I also pledge that, when participating in the above activities, I won’t lament how I could be getting wedding stuff done instead.
