Amaluna

When we were planning things to do on our DC trip we talked about the fact that  Cirque Du Soleil was in town while we were there.  I saw Mystere in Vegas a while back and loved it.  Mom, Dad and Carissa had all never been to a show so we decided that we should go.

When I got in on Thursday I asked Carissa what time the show was as I thought we were going that night.  She looked puzzled.  She said that Mom and Dad decided not to go.  I figured that it was due to the price of tickets.  I decided to be nice and spring for tickets for everybody.  We decided to go Sunday afternoon since that seemed like it would work the best in the schedule.

The night before I ended up staying with Mom and Dad since we were all pretty tired and the party was still in full swing (it lasted until almost 2 am).  We woke up a decent time the next morning, refreshed and ready for the day.  Carissa unfortunately had to pack stuff up at the end of the party, help Diego pack, and then get him to the airport by 6 am for his flight that day.  She needed more sleep.

We decided to go to Dupont Circle for a few hours and meet Carissa at noon at her place.  That would give us plenty of time for lunch and to head over to the National Harbor for the 1:30 show.  Well, things never seem to work out the way that they are supposed to.  Due to our Metro mishaps, Mom and Dad wanted to take taxis.  I tried to explain to them that taxis are not magically on every street corner - they usually only congregate in certain areas.  Luckily we only had to walk a couple of blocks to snag one in front of a hotel.

For some reason or another, we weren't seeing cabs in Dupont Circle to make our way back, our the cabs we would see already had fares.  We tried calling for a cab but they ended up "not being able to find us".  We later figured out the building we were waiting in front of touches two streets - we think they may have been on the other side.  At this point we have wasted a lot of precious time and had to hop on the Metro.

We got to Carissa's with about two minutes to make a bathroom stop and grab some lunch to eat quickly in the car.  OK. We might be a few minutes late but this isn't too bad.  Then, Siri gives us incorrect directions which makes us have to backtrack about 12 minutes.  OK. Now we are going to be seriously late.  By the time we park, get our tickets from "will call" and find our seats we've missed about the first 1/2 hour.  I am seriously pissed at this point.

But then the magic that is Cirque Du Soleil unfolds in front of me.  There are people in bright, fanciful costumes all around me, even flying over my head.  The music is hauntingly beautiful and perfectly timed to the performance.  There are no safety nets to speak of, and at several times I end up holding my breath hoping that everything goes as planned and nobody gets hurt.  I get lost in the experience and soon quickly forget to be upset.

That night I got some more time alone with my sister and we talked about a lot of things.  She is hoping that they might start trying for a baby after the holidays.  I wish her the best of luck, but also tell her that there may be some setbacks.  Setbacks aren't all that uncommon.  And, that I am always here if she needs me.