Being a teacher is officially the best job in the world. Yes, I sometimes hate grading, grow tired of students who want to know when they will ever use French (“You might not . . . that’s why it’s called a classical education. Maybe being smart and cultured and having brain that is capable of functioning in more than just texting acronyms is worthy in itself.”) and get frustrated with educational bureaucracy. But then there are snow days. And spring break. And summer break. And holidays. You get the idea.  Teachers are rewarded not just by enjoying their jobs on a daily basis, but by getting lots of time off from said enjoyment to revel in the rest of life.

I am over half-way through my spring break and it has been pure bliss.  I spent the first half of the break in DC visiting my boyfriend James. (Because he works in Congress he might get a spring break too starting next week . . . but of a somewhat less enjoyable nature.)  For any who haven’t been to our nation’s capitol, it is lovely, and never more so than in spring.   Here are the top 5 things I loved this last visit, in no particular order.

5. Daffodils. They are my favorite flower, probably because of their temporality. Daffodils insist on being appreciated in the moment because after a mere 3 weeks they wilt away. DC is delightfully green with daffodils blooming on every corner.

4. Primary Colors. You have missed them haven’t you?  Well they abound in DC, and this might just be my favorite children’s store because it adorns itself in sparkles and primary colors.

3. Cherry blossoms. Does it make me a sappy girl for putting two flowers on my top 5 list? I think that I read a book in grade school about a  Japanese girl who felt left out at school until her class went to DC and marveled at the cherry blossoms, Japan’s gift to the US.  Her classmates realized that different can be special and they embraced her presence among them, which wasn’t even necessary anymore because the little girl had already made peace within her own soul and found her place in the American melting pot.  All this is to say that I have very strong feelings toward these frothy spring blossoms without having ever seen them.  They were magical, and I apologize that these pictures don’t do them justice.

2. The Capitol itself.  Does it make me a sappy American for putting the seat of our government on my list? Regardless of if it does, I love it. If the news is right, this will become a ghost town Saturday morning, but on the perfect afternoon where I took this photo, it still gleamed like a symbol of the free world.

1.  Sweet Greens, Bistro Bis, Good Stuff Eatery, We the Pizza. So I am a foodie:  Amazing salads, French food so overwhelmingly perfect that I might have gone into sputters of joy at the table, toasted marshmellow milkshakes, and perfect pizza. Go forth and eat.

And of course, a final part of every DC visit that is so perfect that it surpasses every top 5 list imaginable: