Thursday - Stonewood Grill for my boss' 60th bday dinner
Friday - Chinese takeout for just me
Saturday - more Chinese & Applebees with Linda
Sunday - Johnny Carinos with Mom & Wayne
Monday - GYM .
Tuesday - Applebees for lunch with a new agent. GYM.
Wednesday - Sawmill Taproom for lunch with Wayne (don't like fried pickles!)
Thursday - Applebees (again) with another new agent. GYM.
Couldn't wait to get home tonight so I could just have a bowl of cereal. Ugh.
Thursday, June 21, 2007
Running out of Days
Our last day together was a bit more low-key. After driving through every neighborhood around Rock Creek Park we finally made it to the National Zoo. It was hot. We walked a long, long way. I saw the baby panda. 
The lion looked like it wanted to eat everyone. All was right with the world.
Our final night we sort of went to an Orioles game. The game was at 7pm in Baltimore. We left at 5pm to begin a 1 hour drive. Now that I'm accustomed to driving in North Carolina and have forgotten all about "traffic" we completely underestimated the amount of time it would take to drive 50 miles at rush hour. We broke free of the gridlock in DC at just about 6:30pm and still had to drive a really long way. We parked at the first lot we found and walked at least a mile to Camden Yards. I think we got in our seats at the bottom of the 4th inning. 
About an inning later we went to find food. After the 7th inning stretch we went to look around, find some souvenirs, and then headed for the car. The drive back was much shorter. It was a short game, but by that point we were all exhausted and ready to head home.
About an inning later we went to find food. After the 7th inning stretch we went to look around, find some souvenirs, and then headed for the car. The drive back was much shorter. It was a short game, but by that point we were all exhausted and ready to head home.Wednesday, June 20, 2007
This Land is Mine
Our second day in DC brought us to the cemetery in Arlington (which the kids were so not interested in) and to the Capitol (which at least Christian enjoyed). Loretta Sanchez is the Congresswoman for the district the Goveas live in.
We had a cute girl from UC Riverside take us on a tour -- we even got to ride in the congressional subway car that runs between the Capitol and the House office buildings.
One of the funny things about the Capitol: several years ago the Congress asked every state to send two statues that represent the state. These things are sitting in hallways, on stair landings, in the original Senate chamber...just everywhere. Most of them look like they were just dropped wherever they could find room. It's both tacky and charming at the same time.
There are also at least 4 Abraham Lincoln heads -- rough drafts for the Lincoln Memorial perhaps?Monday night was date night. We went to a cute little brand-new old-time neighborhood development that had a lot of restaurants and a movie theater. Kim and Ed got to spend a little time alone and Auntie Heather got a the kids. We went out to dinner to a restaurant with tablecloths and chopsticks (where the kids were angels) and then Ben & Jerry's. After that, I endured Spiderman 3 with Kaitlyn on my lap for the first hour and half. My legs and my brain were numb. (Spidey's not my thing.)
So Much To Say
This may be the longest vacation of all time...at least in posts. I've been home for 5 weeks and I'm still not done. I'm actually starting to forget...
Washington DC was so much fun. We got tickets for a open-top double-decker bus that had stops all over the city. Our first big stop was the Natural History Museum. We saw tarantulas eating and dinosaurs and the Hope Diamond (I think I'm the only one who wanted to see the diamond). Later we drove around the city and saw Ford's Theater and the National Cathedral (someday I really want to go inside) and Georgetown.
Our walk through the monuments was exciting for the kids. All day long they asked when we were going to see Abraham Lincoln. We actually had a little game each night that started out with the old Walton's joke...goodnight Kaitlyn, goodnight Christian, goodnight Auntie Heather....goodnight George Washington, goodnight Abraham Lincoln, goodnight Thomas Jefferson...for just being six years old Kaitlyn knows a LOT of presidents.
Washington DC was so much fun. We got tickets for a open-top double-decker bus that had stops all over the city. Our first big stop was the Natural History Museum. We saw tarantulas eating and dinosaurs and the Hope Diamond (I think I'm the only one who wanted to see the diamond). Later we drove around the city and saw Ford's Theater and the National Cathedral (someday I really want to go inside) and Georgetown.
Our walk through the monuments was exciting for the kids. All day long they asked when we were going to see Abraham Lincoln. We actually had a little game each night that started out with the old Walton's joke...goodnight Kaitlyn, goodnight Christian, goodnight Auntie Heather....goodnight George Washington, goodnight Abraham Lincoln, goodnight Thomas Jefferson...for just being six years old Kaitlyn knows a LOT of presidents.
After we got back to the car we drove over to my favorite of the monuments -- the one for Thomas Jefferson. When I was in college I took three or four political philosophy classes and had to study a lot of the work of the founding fathers. His words move me and to stand in such a beautiful space surrounds by his words...it just inspires me.
Wednesday, June 06, 2007
Make A Memory
Friday morning began our trek to the beach. The Outer Banks are special -- it's a nice, quiet kind of place where you can go and relax. We only had time to spend one night there, so my friends weren't really able to get the whole picture. It was cold and windy, but beautiful at the same time.
We tried to get a little bit of history into the trip so the kids would learn about their surroundings and take some of the sights home with them. To that end, we visited the Wright Brothers monument in Kill Devil Hills.
Ed and his cast couldn't go down to the sand and Kim needed a rest, so I took the kids down to the water. I think I took almost one hundred pictures while we were there. There is a moment in The Bridge to Terebithia where Leslie calls upon the Terebithians to show themselves and all the winds pick up. Kaitlyn called upon them to talk to her too and the waves all started crashing around her. It was so cute.
After a night at the beach we got up early the next morning (with the gang of Bikers for Jesus) and packed up the car. While Christian and I were hitting the breakfast buffet I got into a chat with one of the bikers who looked like someone you wouldn't want to meet in a dark alley, but he gave me a nice little pamphlet about church services the next day down in Myrtle beach.
Six hours and two states later, we arrived at Mount Vernon. Now, Kim and I stopped by Mount Vernon about four years ago when she came out to visit me before and it rained and rained. Just as we arrived this time, the sky opened up. Now we can say it "always" rains when we go to Mount Vernon. Christian and Kaitlyn seemed to enjoy it. I'm sure it must have been a very difficult lifestyle back then, even for the pampered elite. George and Martha sure had a gorgeous view to wake up to each day. I'd love to get up there to see it in autumn.
From there it was on to the hotel and an evening hanging out at the pool. The pool inside the building. Nice, but odd.
Next up, three days in DC.
We tried to get a little bit of history into the trip so the kids would learn about their surroundings and take some of the sights home with them. To that end, we visited the Wright Brothers monument in Kill Devil Hills.
Ed and his cast couldn't go down to the sand and Kim needed a rest, so I took the kids down to the water. I think I took almost one hundred pictures while we were there. There is a moment in The Bridge to Terebithia where Leslie calls upon the Terebithians to show themselves and all the winds pick up. Kaitlyn called upon them to talk to her too and the waves all started crashing around her. It was so cute.After a night at the beach we got up early the next morning (with the gang of Bikers for Jesus) and packed up the car. While Christian and I were hitting the breakfast buffet I got into a chat with one of the bikers who looked like someone you wouldn't want to meet in a dark alley, but he gave me a nice little pamphlet about church services the next day down in Myrtle beach.
Six hours and two states later, we arrived at Mount Vernon. Now, Kim and I stopped by Mount Vernon about four years ago when she came out to visit me before and it rained and rained. Just as we arrived this time, the sky opened up. Now we can say it "always" rains when we go to Mount Vernon. Christian and Kaitlyn seemed to enjoy it. I'm sure it must have been a very difficult lifestyle back then, even for the pampered elite. George and Martha sure had a gorgeous view to wake up to each day. I'd love to get up there to see it in autumn.
From there it was on to the hotel and an evening hanging out at the pool. The pool inside the building. Nice, but odd.
Next up, three days in DC.
[Note on a totally different topic...I sometimes have to dig for my song titles. I finally found this one and not 30 seconds later it was coming out of my TV, during a NHL commercial before the 3rd period of game 5 of the Stanley Cup Final. As I looked over at the screen to see hockey heroes raising the Cup, knowing in all likelihood that a new team should be doing that within an hour or so, thereby ending the Canes reign, they settled on our Rod Brind'amour. Sigh. Only 4 months more.]
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