Usually, neither of us is very excited to get out of bed on Sundays. Josh usually manages to sleep in a little bit, then reads until he can't help himself and then he wakes me in very pleasurable ways. Sometimes I feign sleep. He likes little games, He says he likes working a little harder for the payoff. He never disappoints.
I'm practically purring when I finally open my eyes.
"Hello, there, beautiful." He greets me. "Good morning."
"Very good, so far." I give him a little smirk. "What else you got?"
He grins back at me. "You're insatiable." But he starts kissing his way up to my mouth.
Before he arrives, I ask him saucily, "You complaining?"
"God, no. And don't worry. I'm just getting started."
On a normal Sunday, we'd lay around for a while afterwards, until my stomach starts to growl, Then Josh would act put out as he got up to bring me some breakfast in bed.
But today's not normal. As soon as our heartbeats have returned to normal, Josh is ready to start the day.
"Come on, we need to get in the shower. We need to be out of here within the hour."
They may be my niece and nephew, but I think Josh is more excited about Conor and Anna's visit than I am.
We arrive at Washington National 45 minutes before their flight lands. Scott isn't thrilled about that, but Josh refused to back down.
"They are minors. I don't want to take any chances of them arriving before we do. I want to be waiting at the gate for them."
I finally convinced him that Kathy could meet them at the gate with a sign with their names on it, and that she could bring them to a secured VIP lounge to meet us. Scott was much happier for us to wait in private. But now Josh is pacing. My little worrywort.
"Relax, Josh. Conor turned 15 in May, and Anna just turned 14 last month. They are old enough to travel alone. They met Kathy at Easter. I'm sure they'll be impressed to have a secret service agent waiting to meet them at the gate."
"I'll just feel better when they are safely on the ground." He checks the flight arrival screen once more and let's out a relieved sigh. Their flight has landed.
"Come and have a seat. It's going to take a few minutes for the plane to taxi and then deboard."
He plops down next to me, but since he doesn't sit still well, he immediately begins to rub my belly. Well, I don't mind that so much.
"Don't get any ideas here, Lulu, I'm not letting you out of my sight until you're 40!"
I can't help but laugh at him. He says it so seriously, even though I know he doesn't really mean it. Still, it's worth some teasing. "That first 10 years of her dating is going to be rough."
"What?"
"You already told her she could start dating at 30. If you don't let her out of your sight until 40, the first decade of dating is going to require a lot of your attention. And what happens when we have other kids?" I won't even mention the fact that he's going to be 85. Please god, let him be there for all of her dating, no matter when she starts.
"Really, Donna, do you have to rain on my parade here? At least let me pretend that the teen years, dating and eventually marriage isn't going to come before I'm ready."
"Okay, honey, I'm sorry. I promise, she'll be your little girl forever. Even when she has a little girl of her own."
"Oh my god, someday we'll be grandparents."
"Did this thought just occur to you?" I highly doubt it. His mind is always moving ahead. "Just enjoy this moment. Okay, babe? We get a practice run with teenagers. That's enough of a glimpse into the future for now."
"Uncle Josh! Aunt Donna!" Anna enters the room with a flourish. She's wearing oversized sunglasses, a cute blouse, denim mini-skirt and Ugg boots. Every time I see her she looks more mature. Bob's going to have to beat the boys off with a stick. I'm not sure that Josh seeing teenage Anna is going to do any favors for Lulu's future dating timeline.
"Hey, guys." Conor says quietly. He's got the teen look down too. Linkin Park T-shirt, earbuds with the cord running into the pocket of his cargo shorts. Sneakers.
"Hey you two!" Josh's eyes bug out for a minute when he sees Anna, but he stands up and gives them a grin. "Come give us a hug!"
"Wow, Aunt Donna! You really look pregnant now." Anna gushes as she rushes over to me. She pats my belly a little before hugging me.
Conor gives Josh a manly half hug. Then hugs me gently, while Anna throws herself into Josh for a bear hug.
"Thanks for letting us visit on our own! This is going to be so much fun!" She squeals.
Josh grins at them both. "We're glad your parents let you come. DC during the 4th of July is a fun place to be. You'll get an inside view of the White House, President Santos is having a BBQ and then we'll watch the fireworks from the Truman Balcony, And of course we'll do some sight-seeing. But first let's get your luggage and stop at home, then we can get some lunch. Are you guys hungry?"
"We already have our luggage. Aunt Donna told us to pack everything in a carry-on and a backpack. We're only going to be here a week."
Josh looks at me in awe. Shouldn't he be used to this by now? I am the queen of packing!
"Okay, let's go, I'm starving."
"This is really cool." Conor says under his breath, as we drive along Memorial Parkway.
"It never gets old." Josh grins at him. "You know, you could come to college here. You could intern at the White House."
"I don't know. I'm only a Freshman. I don't really know what I want to do yet."
"Well, I guess we have a week to show you the wonders of Washington DC- maybe you'll be inspired."
"What about you Anna?" I ask her.
"I want to be a teacher. Like Uncle Finn & Aunt Julie." Well, that will be a blow to Josh's ego.
But he smiles at her, "teaching is a great profession. I'm sure you'll be fantastic. Are you looking at colleges yet?"
"Not really. I'll probably go to UW, like Aunt Donna did."
That's a sobering thought. I hope she doesn't take after me and drop out for some loser. All the more reason for me to go back and get my degree. I could finish before Anna graduates High School. I could be a better example to her.
"Is that the Washington Monument?" Conor asks pointing out the window.
"Yes. And that's the back of the Lincoln Memorial." Josh looks pleased at Conor's interest.
A few minutes later we pull up in front of the Brownstone.
"Here we are!" Josh announces excitedly. I know he's got some big plans for their visit. I think he really wants to impress the kids. I hope he doesn't go overboard. Teenagers are more impressed when they discover things on their own. Did he learn nothing from Tyler in Indiana?
"Anna, you're in the guest room. Conor, you're in the den. There is a bathroom right here for both of you to use. There is another in our bedroom, which is through the kitchen."
Josh follows Conor to the den and shows him the pull-out couch.
"Is this going to be the baby's room?" Anna looks around disappointedly. "It really doesn't look like a nursery yet."
"Yes. Jewish people don't usually buy gifts or prepare the room in advance. It's part of their traditions."
"Oh. Aren't you anxious to decorate?"
"Well, yeah, but I want to respect Josh's heritage too. I still might paint in here soon, just because it needs it."
"What color are you going to paint?"
"I'm thinking a sage green. Then some pink accents."
"That sounds really pretty. I'm so glad you are having a girl! There are enough boys in this family."
I can't help but giggle. The boys are only ahead by one. This just evens things out.
"So what's her name going to be?"
"Honestly, we don't know yet. Our top three are Oliva, Ava and Leonora."
"Leonora? Grandma Moss would love that."
"She and Uncle Josh seem to be on the same wave length. That's his first choice too."
Speak of the devil, Josh and Conor appear at the door.
"All set? Shall we go get some lunch?"
"Do you two like Mexcian? How about Burrito Brothers of Capital Hill?"
"Sure!" Conor quickly agrees.
"Okay." Anna seems a little reluctant.
"It's made to order. Even Uncle Josh likes it." I give him a sly grin. It's not his favorite either, but I've been craving Mexican.
"Alright. I'll give it a try." Anna acquises. I wonder if it will be like this all week? I hope there are some things she genuinely likes about this visit.
"You might want to put some different shoes on, Anna," Josh suggests. "Those don't really look that great for walking around in."
"Oh, I'm fine! These are super-comfortable." She responds. I don't know. It's pretty hot out for boots, but I'm not going to argue with her. Some things you just have to learn for yourself.
Once we've finished lunch, Josh asks where they'd like to go first. I'm glad he's checking with them.
"Can we go to the top of the Washington Monument?" Conor seems excited about the idea.
"Sure. Do you want to take the elevator or the 897 steps?" Josh smirks at him.
"Elevator!" Anna and I say at the same time, beating Conor to the answer. Neither of us wants to take any chances.
The view from the top is pretty amazing. You can see for 30 miles on a nice day. I haven't been up here since I first arrived in DC.
"You remembering?" Josh asks wrapping his arms around me from behind and leaning his chin on my shoulder.
"Yes, I am."
"You too are so cute." Anna says with a sigh. "Did you come here on your first date or something?"
"Not really. But this is a special place to me. Really, this whole city is."
"Why is that?"
"You were about 3 when I left Wisconsin and joined the Bartlet for America campaign. It was hard to leave my family and everything I knew, but I really needed a change in my life." Someday I need to tell her why. I really do want her to learn from my mistakes.
"And that's when you met Uncle Josh?"
"Yes. We had a fantastic time traveling around the country in busses and on planes. It was hard work but we met a lot of great people and I got to see so much of America. And I found a new best friend."
Josh gives me a squeeze and places a light kiss on my cheek. Conor rolls his eyes.
"When the campaign was over, I was really proud of the work we did and the fact that we got a good man elected President, but I didn't expect to move to Washington. Pretty much everyone else had degrees in political science or law or communications, and I didn't."
"But I was too smart to let Aunt Donna go. She proved to me 100 times over that she was valuable, and smart, and funny. I had found my best friend too."
"So I moved to DC and for a little while I felt like a country bumpkin. Even though Madison is a pretty big city, it's nothing like this is it?"
"No." Anna and Conor agree.
"Josh showed me how to use the Metro, and bought me season passes to all the museums, and gave me guided tours of all the monuments. He made me feel at home here."
"So what about the first time you came to the Washington Monument?" Anna senses there is a story.
"She made us take the stairs! Both up and back down! The next day at work we were so sore could barely sit. We got crazy looks from everyone all day, we were both moaning and groaning so much." He laughs lightly at the memory.
"Hey, I figured it's something you should do at least once."
"Maybe we should make these kids walk down." Josh teases.
"No! Please, Uncle Josh. My softball coach already wants me to run every day. Please don't make me do stairs." Anna sounds pretty desperate. Conor looks mildly interested in walking down but he's being a good cousin and keeping his mouth shut.
"Okay. We'll run together instead. I get up at 5."
Anna groans softly and mutters under her breath. "I thought this was supposed to be a vacation."
Conor smirks to himself. I think he's really glad he's a musician and not an athlete.
We move on, and I'm pleasantly surprised that both kids seem to really enjoy the Lincoln Memorial. It's one of Josh's favorite places and I think he would have been disappointed if they'd been disinterested.
They both walk around it reverently, and Josh puffs up a little when strangers stop to listen as Conor reads the Gettysburg address out loud, then Anna takes a turn with the Second Inaugural Address.
Conor has a small camera, which he hands to me. "Aunt Donna, can you get my picture here?"
"Sure . . . Honestly, I didn't know you were this into history, Conor."
"I'm taking AP U.S. History next year. I figure at some point I'll have to do a report and these photos will probably come in handy."
Josh absolutely lights up at Conor's announcement. "That is so exciting Conor! Good idea to be prepared. Are you going to take AP Government after that? I'd love to help you with both those classes. We could even prepare something this week. Maybe you can start out history with extra credit."
Conor looks a little overwhelmed at Josh's offer. He really seems to like Josh but he's much less out-going. I think sometimes Josh's intensity makes Conor a little nervous. I remember feeling the same way when I first got to know him myself. Maybe another story will help Conor feel less intimidated.
"You know, Josh made me write a report after I first visited the White House."
"No, he didn't." Anna comes to Josh's defense.
"Really?" Conor looks to Josh for confirmation.
"Well, yes, but in all fairness, she was my Assistant at the time. I wanted to know what she had learned about the White House from her perspective. Even if you already know something, it can be really helpful to see things from a different angle." He pauses a minute and gets a gleam in his eye.
"And since we are telling stories, I might add that if I was grading Aunt Donna's report, I'd only give it a C+."
"HEY!" That ticks me off. "I've always been a good student why would I only have gotten a C+?"
"Well, little Miss Iodine Tablets, your report didn't include that there was a nuclear missile silo under the Eisenhower Putting Green!"
"I thought you already knew that!"
"Wait? There's missile silo at the White House?" Conor looks really interested now.
"NO!" Josh and I both say together.
"Aunt Donna fell for a prank and it ended up published in a magazine. But if she thought it was true, she should have included it in the report to make sure I took the Iodine too. Thus, C+."
I give Josh a glare for not including his foible in the story. "Don't let Josh fool you, he fell for it too. I completely turned the tables on him. He even went to Sam for legal advice on my behalf."
I'm acting upset, but really, I'm not. Michael told me what he was like during that fake interview with NSC. Josh hadn't even known me a full year, but he'd said "I'd vouch for Donna with my life." How could I not fall in love with him?
I wrap my arms around Josh and whisper in his ear- "You hate taking pills. I was planning on crushing them up and putting them in your lunch."