Auntie Rachel is here!!

Rachel Jones, one of my dearest friends in the universe, has been here the last few days (she arrived on Wednesday and leaves late tomorrow night (Monday) -- sniff. We have been having quite a time.

On Wednesday morning Drew picked her up from the East Falls Church Metro stop, where Rachel had taken the train from Union Station after arriving at the crack of dawn via bus from New York State. Little Rachel ran out to greet her and threw her arms around her and wouldn't let her go until it was time for her to head to camp.

I had gone to bed quite late the night before getting the house ready and baking lemon blueberry bread (which Big Rachel had requested) and so she and I talked animatedly until 11 a.m. or so, when she pulled a Lisa and her batteries ran down and she headed up to the guest room to take a nap. I napped a bit, too, then headed in to work. Big Rachel, Drew and Little Rachel went to Lebanese Taverna that night, where LR charmed BR with her singing and general cuteness. By the time I arrived home from work, everyone was asleep except Drew.

On Thursday, BR went in for an unexpected interview at Voice of America. I met her downtown for a great lunch at a Dupont Circle restaurant we discovered called Circa, then we wandered around her old stomping grounds when she lived here seven years ago. She ducked into a barbershop to see if they knew where she could get her hair re-twisted, and the guy directed us to Ted's Bulletin nearby. We ordered desserts and homemade pop tarts, which she LOVED, and then I headed in to work while she went home and hung out again with Drew and LR while LR was at gymnastics.

On Friday, my day off, LR was sick so Drew and I brought her home after the presentation at Summer Laureates. I ducked out for a swim and went to Trader Joe's to get BR and I some salads. (Poor LR talked BR into setting up and then playing Connect 4. Thankfully, BR doesn't have any more patience with LR's "Rachel Rules" than I do, so she had to end the game at least once when LR tried to win.) LR, of course, made a miraculous recovery from her stomachache, but Drew had warned her that BR and I had work to do (I had to go over the proofs for the magazine story I've been working on). At around 5 LR helped me bake chocolate cupcakes (I had some pink and chocolate frosting I wanted to use up) and I started frying up some chicken and put popovers in the oven -- just in time for Drew to join us for Shabbat dinner outside. It was truly lovely, even if the mosquitos got us in the end and forced us inside after dark.

On Saturday, BR and I met a Post reporter, Lori Montgomery, for lunch (turns out that Lori edited the first story Drew ever wrote for the Daily Northwestern) and BR and I, not to put too fine a point on it, got smashed on margaritas (her) and frozen strawberry daquiris (me). Then we took the Metro to explore Eastern Market a bit, got half-off rings (we bought the same one, a Tree of Life motif) and jewelry, then went back on the Metro to meet a mutual friend, Carol (her husband did the Knight-Wallace fellowship in 2010 and I met her soon after arriving in D.C.) for dinner at what turned out to be a fabulous restaurant in Clarendon, Lyon Hall. Steak tartare! Mussels! Homemade twinkies for dessert! Doesn't get much better than that. Carol took us back to her house (we walked a mile) and then drove us to the station near my house to pick up the car, and I drove us home.

And then today, this morning, we all went to the Original Pancake House and I got a glimpse of LR's incredibly cute haircut (which makes her look even more like Scout from To Kill a Mockingbird). LR, BR and I all had a nice chat by phone with Mom -- sorry we missed you, Dad! -- and then we had a good breakfast. Even though they stopped making gingerbread pancakes, they had some flour left so I was able to alleviate LR's distress that the pancakes were no longer on the menu -- at least she'll know for next time.

And then we all went home. LR headed to Ivy and Liam's for their birthday party celebration (and their Dad, Billy, is home temporarily from Afghanistan so I really need to stop by), Drew drove me to Trader Joe's to pick out salads for the week and then kindly drove me all the way in to work...and Rachel was relaxing on the couch when I left.

This has been the most wonderful stress-free mini-vacation I can imagine. It's like the old Southern custom of having guests stay for a week at a time, which I definitely recommend during the summer!