So my intent when I woke up this morning was to go to Eastern Market to cash my paycheck and pick up some fruit at the farmer's market. Then Tony explained that it was more expensive to do it that way then to get it at the grocery story so alas I didn't pick up any fruit. However I saw so many other great things...
I stopped in to this great store called Labyrinth. It was full of all sorts of mind and brain puzzles...wooden ones that come apart and you have to put back together and the metal ones with the chains and balls and bent metal that you have to get apart. Some very unique chess boards and other board games that stretch your brain. In the back of the story is an area for children to have their birthday party! Such a great idea! Needless to say this was the perfect spot for me to pick up my dad's souvenir/birthday present/father's day present. I hope he loves it as much as I think he will!
I continued my jaunt down the streets lots of restaurants and pubs! I saw a sign for Yard's Park and the ball park so I figured I was probably closer to that Metro Station than the Eastern Market Station so I meandered down the road.
I stopped at this little Capitol City Subs eatery...very homey, an L shaped counter to eat at and only one booth in front of the window. There were several people in it who looked like locals so I figured it must be a good place to eat. I ordered a cheeseburger, even though it was only 10:00 in the morning. It was delicious! I sat at the counter and ate my burger and drank my can of Mountain Dew (my first can since I got to DC). I had another bite or two left when I looked up at the wall and saw a cockroach shimmy his way up the wall!!!!!! UGH!! Needless to say I left right away without finishing my burger...I was glad I hadn't lost my lunch right there on the counter! Eeewwwww!
I kept roaming down the street towards where the Metro Station was supposed to be...and I kept roaming! Ugh it wasn't nearly as close as I had thought! Just when I was ready to stop and look up a map on my phone I ran across this cute little path next to a big building. Over the top was an Arch that said Transportation Walk. It was a great little walking exhibit of how transportation and things involved in transportation have evolved. I posted pics on my facebook wall of most of the items and displays. At the end of the walk (or the beginning if I was walking it backward) was the United States Department of Transportation. Hhmm, it all made sense now!
After snapping a couple photos of the front of the building I meandered a little farther and found my metro stop. I decided that instead of going home I would head back to the Navy Memorial Museum...last time I had been there it was because I had gotten of at the wrong train stop and went in because I was overheating and only had 12 minutes to look around. What a great little museum! Pays tribute to so many amazing Navy men and women.
After I left there I looked at a map and saw that the Law Enformcement Memorial wasn't too far away so I ventured over that direction. I discovered that what I had seen on the map was in fact the LEM visitor's center...the actual Memorial Wall and Garden were about 3 blocks away. So I headed over in the direction the lady at the visitor center pointed me in. However I ended up on the wrong side of the road and there was major road construction going on with big fences and machinery so I ended up not even seeing it across the street so I wound up roaming the grounds of the Appeals Court. Beautiful fountains...one had a golden statue of a woman and a deer. I coudn't find a plaque explaining the significance of it however...guess I will have to google it. When I had gone up the steps of the building to take a picture of an enormous red brick building across the way I happened to notice the big lion sculptures and discovered that the LEM was right across the street...I just needed to go back to the corner and cross over and walk in the same direction again! TaDa...I made it! It was very moving to see all those names of fallen police officers! Many of them had patches from different Police Departments placed on the bottom of the panel as well as hats and flowers. So emotional! The wall is the a horseshoe shape and as I made my way towards the center of it I discovered a metro train station! Yippee I didn't have to walk all the way to the other one! I finished my walk around the path and headed towards the metro station. Lo and behold...The National Building Museum was right across the street! Whoohoo!
I headed inside and was amazed instantly by the vastness of the entry way. It was open all the way to the ceiling and had 4 floors. You had hallway balconies on each level and different exhibits on all 4 sides! I spent the better part of 2 hours there! The history of the World Fairs in America, some famous woman named Hildreth Meiere who designed some fantastic tiled mosaic walls and stained glass windows in all kinds of famous buildings. There was also an exhibit on the architechtural history of DC...all very interesting, however my favorite was the Lego Exhibit! This was also the only exhibit I could take pictures in. I posted them on FB if ya wanna look.
After I was done there I was exhausted so I took the redline train to the green line which took me to the blue line where I could get off at the closest stop to Tony's house. I was going to walk home but I looked over and a D6 was just pulling up and it could drop me off a block from my house...I took this as a sign from God that I should just take the bus home and who am I to disagree with God!
Made it home and I have been editing and uploading pictures since. Oh, and blogging of course! Have a super Saturday night!
Saturday, July 30, 2011
Friday Funday
For our field trip adventure today we took the X2 bus to watch the Theatre Lab troop perform 101 Dalmations. Theatre Lab is an acting camp for tween and teens who, I might add, are very talented!! Our campers loved it and were such an attentive audience that even the director of the play commented on how well they sat still and quiet while watching it! The Theatre Lab is based out of this huge, gorgeous church in Chinatown. We ate our lunch in the basement in what must be like a commons area.
After work I went with my co-worker, Angel and her daughter Zoe out for supper and thrift store shopping. So much fun to spend time with another thrift store lover! Not only that but she is a very strong Christian so we have great conversations about God, the power of prayer etc! Great way to end my work week! I know you're dyingto find out what I bought!...I found a great pair of red plaid "Rocket Dog" brand canvas shoes, some sheets that I am going to make into curtains for my bedroom and a metal water bottle. Oh, and a couple old notebooks that have great thick paper. One is smaller and I didn't realize it when I picked it up, but the first dozen or so pages are a journal of a young man's sr. year in college as he prepares for his MCAT and is trying to get into med school, as well as his efforts to try and win over a girl...which unfortunately he never finishes journaling about any of it!! I was disappointed last night when I read it taht I never found out if he passed his tests, got into med school OR won the girl over!! The other notebook is blank, unfortunately...or fortunately since I bought it for the great paper, would have been disappointed had I not been able to use it myself!
Bring on the week-end!!
After work I went with my co-worker, Angel and her daughter Zoe out for supper and thrift store shopping. So much fun to spend time with another thrift store lover! Not only that but she is a very strong Christian so we have great conversations about God, the power of prayer etc! Great way to end my work week! I know you're dyingto find out what I bought!...I found a great pair of red plaid "Rocket Dog" brand canvas shoes, some sheets that I am going to make into curtains for my bedroom and a metal water bottle. Oh, and a couple old notebooks that have great thick paper. One is smaller and I didn't realize it when I picked it up, but the first dozen or so pages are a journal of a young man's sr. year in college as he prepares for his MCAT and is trying to get into med school, as well as his efforts to try and win over a girl...which unfortunately he never finishes journaling about any of it!! I was disappointed last night when I read it taht I never found out if he passed his tests, got into med school OR won the girl over!! The other notebook is blank, unfortunately...or fortunately since I bought it for the great paper, would have been disappointed had I not been able to use it myself!
Bring on the week-end!!
Thursday, July 28, 2011
Thweaty Thurthday!
Let me just start by saying that in my last post (which I posted just before I started typing this one) I mentioned the yummy lemonade and peanuts at the baseball game last night...I realized I didn't eat all my salted in the shell peanuts and had stuck them in my purse. I am now eating them while I am writing this...this blog may take a while to write!
Today our Adventure took us back to Kingman Island. What a great place for children to let their inner animal out! We climbed on rocks, played with sticks and dirt and threw rocks into the river. We saw some baby stink bugs and a baby Praying Mantis. A couple of the girls thought it would be great fun to smear dirt (really fine dirt I might add) all over their faces and arms! They had to wear it until we got back to the school because we weren't going to waste our drinking water cleaning them off! All of the children were dirty to some degree and we got some funny looks and comments when we got on the X2 bus. Once we got back I spent quite some time washing faces...or rewashing faces I should say, they all washed their own faces first but let's face it we all know how small children fare at that task. We had lots of tired out kids so we had an extra full nap room and the majority of others picked outside water play instead of playing inside in the other classroom.
Quick story about one of my 4 year olds: His dad loves that we tire out his son so much at camp. He is usually so energetic and bouncing off the walls in the evening, but not this summer!
Today while we were walking back to the school he and his partner were consistently falling behind the rest of us so I explained that if he was that tired he should probably rest when we got back...his reply was "oh, no ma'am, I ain't tired, I don't need no rest" So i told him that he needed to not be draggING behind. "Ok Miss Jes, I ain't gonna be draggin' 'hind." So thus our conversation went every 4 minutes or so"..."Hey, you're draggin' 'hin", "No, Ma'am, I ain't draggin' hin, see (speeds up his walking) I ain't need no res time" Needless to say, he didn't rest and his dad laughed hard when I told him the story.
That was my day in a nut shell. Oh I called today's post Thweaty Thurthday because it was a cooker out today and the humidy is super high...my hair was so curly!! I don't even bother trying to blow dry it straight any more because then it is half straight and half curly and I look like a wierdo...all curly is a little better, I just wish it was actual curls instead of the crazy cowlicks and random curly-q's all over.
Hope ya'll have a Fantastic Friday! I can't believe week three is coming to a close already!!
Today our Adventure took us back to Kingman Island. What a great place for children to let their inner animal out! We climbed on rocks, played with sticks and dirt and threw rocks into the river. We saw some baby stink bugs and a baby Praying Mantis. A couple of the girls thought it would be great fun to smear dirt (really fine dirt I might add) all over their faces and arms! They had to wear it until we got back to the school because we weren't going to waste our drinking water cleaning them off! All of the children were dirty to some degree and we got some funny looks and comments when we got on the X2 bus. Once we got back I spent quite some time washing faces...or rewashing faces I should say, they all washed their own faces first but let's face it we all know how small children fare at that task. We had lots of tired out kids so we had an extra full nap room and the majority of others picked outside water play instead of playing inside in the other classroom.
Quick story about one of my 4 year olds: His dad loves that we tire out his son so much at camp. He is usually so energetic and bouncing off the walls in the evening, but not this summer!
Today while we were walking back to the school he and his partner were consistently falling behind the rest of us so I explained that if he was that tired he should probably rest when we got back...his reply was "oh, no ma'am, I ain't tired, I don't need no rest" So i told him that he needed to not be draggING behind. "Ok Miss Jes, I ain't gonna be draggin' 'hind." So thus our conversation went every 4 minutes or so"..."Hey, you're draggin' 'hin", "No, Ma'am, I ain't draggin' hin, see (speeds up his walking) I ain't need no res time" Needless to say, he didn't rest and his dad laughed hard when I told him the story.
That was my day in a nut shell. Oh I called today's post Thweaty Thurthday because it was a cooker out today and the humidy is super high...my hair was so curly!! I don't even bother trying to blow dry it straight any more because then it is half straight and half curly and I look like a wierdo...all curly is a little better, I just wish it was actual curls instead of the crazy cowlicks and random curly-q's all over.
Hope ya'll have a Fantastic Friday! I can't believe week three is coming to a close already!!
Wednesday Night...
I had a blast at the Nationals game...we left after the 7th inning to avoid the mad rush of people getting on the metro. It sorta worked...I was crammed into the train right inside the door. Had a very fun conversation with a couple people from Iowa...what we liked and disliked about dc, the heat, the rats, the crowds and all the noise, yet people are so friendly, the city is so clean considering the population and tourists and the metro system rocks...both the buses and the trains.
OK, I digress...back to the game, or actually the tailgating! There was a big partitioned area on the corner just across from the ball park so we went in to get a beer and hotdog. The beer garden was under a tent so we walked under the tent to get a beer and low and behold they had misting hoses strung up around the edge of the tent so we got a little refreshing cool down as we entered...nice! It is amazing to me, and Kelly and Becky, how many women around here can wear this fantastic dresses, you know the kind you have to wear to work...suit type, and they still look all polished standing in the heat and humidity with the rest of us. We all have sweat dripping and look like wet noodles but oh, no they look like they just stepped out of a j. crew catalog!! not fair!
The game was a blast...we were only 3 rows up about 50 feet passed the 3rd base line. I was so hoping we would get a foul ball but alas...there were only a couple that even came close to our direction and were much too high or too short. I had some of the best lemonade and peanuts there...they don't sell sunflower seeds at the stadium!! I was disappointed...I thought seeds and ball went hand in hand and I am pretty sure they are sold at Target Field?!
So anyway, the game was fun...especially because I got to see Beck and Holderby! Fun times with fun college friends...now if only the rest of my college friends could get out here while I am here!! I have 3 more weeks so it is a possibility!! LOL!
OK, I digress...back to the game, or actually the tailgating! There was a big partitioned area on the corner just across from the ball park so we went in to get a beer and hotdog. The beer garden was under a tent so we walked under the tent to get a beer and low and behold they had misting hoses strung up around the edge of the tent so we got a little refreshing cool down as we entered...nice! It is amazing to me, and Kelly and Becky, how many women around here can wear this fantastic dresses, you know the kind you have to wear to work...suit type, and they still look all polished standing in the heat and humidity with the rest of us. We all have sweat dripping and look like wet noodles but oh, no they look like they just stepped out of a j. crew catalog!! not fair!
The game was a blast...we were only 3 rows up about 50 feet passed the 3rd base line. I was so hoping we would get a foul ball but alas...there were only a couple that even came close to our direction and were much too high or too short. I had some of the best lemonade and peanuts there...they don't sell sunflower seeds at the stadium!! I was disappointed...I thought seeds and ball went hand in hand and I am pretty sure they are sold at Target Field?!
So anyway, the game was fun...especially because I got to see Beck and Holderby! Fun times with fun college friends...now if only the rest of my college friends could get out here while I am here!! I have 3 more weeks so it is a possibility!! LOL!
Wednesday, July 27, 2011
Wednesday, July 27th
UGH, this morning started out rough. Not sure if it was the richness of my meal last night upset my stomach or it was a touch of the stomach flu, but yuck! Without going into too many details lets just say I didn't go to work, took a couple showers and did 2 loads of laundry this morning!
After napping most of the afternoon I am now ready to go meet Kelly and Becky for some tailgaiting before we watch the Nationals game. I am leaving earlier than needed but I wanna make sure I get there in plenty of time. If I get there too early I can look around...lots to see in that neck of the woods!
After napping most of the afternoon I am now ready to go meet Kelly and Becky for some tailgaiting before we watch the Nationals game. I am leaving earlier than needed but I wanna make sure I get there in plenty of time. If I get there too early I can look around...lots to see in that neck of the woods!
Tuesday, July 26th
For our adventure today we took the children to see the USS Barry at the Navy Shipyard. They had a blast getting rid of some of their wiggles by climbing all over the gigantic anchors and all over the train. We then headed over to see the USS Barry ship, and alas it was closed for cleaning and maintanence :( Instead we took the kids to the Navy museum...so much fun to look at the history of the US Navy, from their battles to their equipment and everything in between! The museum is very well laid out as well.
Once home from work I got ready to go meet 2 college friends who are in town...Becky is here for work and Kelly is on vacation with her. I was so excited to see both of them because I hadn't seen either since college!! The funny thing is they live in Sioux Falls, South Dakota only about 4 hours from me...but yet we all go half way across the country to see each other!
The plan was to walk around Old Alexandria and then eat at "The Wharf" restaurant, Becky had made our reservations for 7:00. I left around 5:00 for the train station and only had a short wait to board the first train...smooth as silk. Got to the transfer stop at La'Enfant got on the next bus and we sat...and we sat...and we moved a little bit...and we sat. You get the picture...it was taking forever to get to my King Street exit. Whew, we made it finally to King Street and I waited for my 29k bus....and waited, and waited. By now it is after 7:00 and Becky and Kelly are already at the restaurant waiting for me. After texting back and forth Becky calls and tells me to hop on the trolley that should be stopping in the parking lot across the street...sweet it is just pulling in the parking lot!! What great luck...things are turning around. Get the front seat of the trolley and just as I am going to ask the driver which stop is the best to get off at he turns off the trolley and gets off!!! UGH...I ask the guy sitting next to me what is going on and he said they are switching drivers...takes between 10 and 15 minutes!! ARE YOU KIDDING ME!!! So i text Kelly and let her know what is going on...disbelief. What should have taken 45 minutes tops is now taking the better part of 2 hours!!
Once there Kelly and I have a great time catching up on family stuff and other college friends etc. I order a fantastic Pomegranate Daquiri...and for the main course I order seafood stuffed Chesapeake Founder with this amazing cream sauce over the top!! Kelly ordered a combo plate with a variety of seafoods on it...delish! Becky ordered lobster linguini and it looked scrumptious as well!
After we finished eating we headed over to Murphy's Irish Pub. There was this great guy named Sanford who sang some irish tunes while he strummed his guitar! My favorite was "What Do You Do With a Drunken Sailor"...not sure why I know it, and I didn't know all the verses but it must be a song my dad sings or used to sing to us.
I didn't stay at the pub too late because I was worried I wouldn't make my train transfer at La'Enfant...the metro doesn't go all night i guess. I made it fine! My only concern was my walking back from the train station to home. It is about 9 blocks and it was late at night. Thank goodness for my bestie Andrea who I called and she kept me company on my walk home. :)
Once home from work I got ready to go meet 2 college friends who are in town...Becky is here for work and Kelly is on vacation with her. I was so excited to see both of them because I hadn't seen either since college!! The funny thing is they live in Sioux Falls, South Dakota only about 4 hours from me...but yet we all go half way across the country to see each other!
The plan was to walk around Old Alexandria and then eat at "The Wharf" restaurant, Becky had made our reservations for 7:00. I left around 5:00 for the train station and only had a short wait to board the first train...smooth as silk. Got to the transfer stop at La'Enfant got on the next bus and we sat...and we sat...and we moved a little bit...and we sat. You get the picture...it was taking forever to get to my King Street exit. Whew, we made it finally to King Street and I waited for my 29k bus....and waited, and waited. By now it is after 7:00 and Becky and Kelly are already at the restaurant waiting for me. After texting back and forth Becky calls and tells me to hop on the trolley that should be stopping in the parking lot across the street...sweet it is just pulling in the parking lot!! What great luck...things are turning around. Get the front seat of the trolley and just as I am going to ask the driver which stop is the best to get off at he turns off the trolley and gets off!!! UGH...I ask the guy sitting next to me what is going on and he said they are switching drivers...takes between 10 and 15 minutes!! ARE YOU KIDDING ME!!! So i text Kelly and let her know what is going on...disbelief. What should have taken 45 minutes tops is now taking the better part of 2 hours!!
Once there Kelly and I have a great time catching up on family stuff and other college friends etc. I order a fantastic Pomegranate Daquiri...and for the main course I order seafood stuffed Chesapeake Founder with this amazing cream sauce over the top!! Kelly ordered a combo plate with a variety of seafoods on it...delish! Becky ordered lobster linguini and it looked scrumptious as well!
After we finished eating we headed over to Murphy's Irish Pub. There was this great guy named Sanford who sang some irish tunes while he strummed his guitar! My favorite was "What Do You Do With a Drunken Sailor"...not sure why I know it, and I didn't know all the verses but it must be a song my dad sings or used to sing to us.
I didn't stay at the pub too late because I was worried I wouldn't make my train transfer at La'Enfant...the metro doesn't go all night i guess. I made it fine! My only concern was my walking back from the train station to home. It is about 9 blocks and it was late at night. Thank goodness for my bestie Andrea who I called and she kept me company on my walk home. :)
Monday, July 25, 2011
Monday, July 25th..my dear cousin Amber's birthday!
So the biggest news I have is that we had a quick rainfall with a little thunder and that was all it took to cool things down into the 80's this afternoon...with a great breeze blowing! YIIPPEEE! I opened all the windows stuck fans in them and cooled down the whole house! It feels and smells so nice now!
Today our adventuring took us to the Air and Space Museum...my group looked at the space part of it. We saw all kinds of space ships and space suits as well as stars and meteors! We also got to listen to the sweetest little elderly lady read us a story about being an astronaut. I was impressed with how well my 10 kids sat and listened to her read.
This afternoon I made supper (pasta with diced tomatoes & chilis with chicken) and Julian helped me set the table. He was very excited to help...even more so because Tony had asked Barnaby to do it but he had to use the bathroom first so Julian jumped at the chance to outdo his big brother. I made my mom's fresh fruit salad...all it is is cut up fresh fruit with some sugar sprinkled on top, but it was a big hit with everyone but Meren. Julian even wanted more fruit salad instead of chocolate ice cream. We made a boat out of the sliced banana and covered it with blueberries and strawberries...and of course a "kinda bigger sprinkle of sugar" as Julian requested.
After supper Meren and Julian and I went outside so Meren could walk her baby with her new stroller, both were birthday presents from Grandma Mybetty :) We walked the baby, drew with some sidewalk chalk and of course blew some giant bubbles. It was nice to be outside and not covered in a sweaty sheen immediately!
We came in and watched a show online (jaroo.com) called "Stop the Smoggies". It was a quirky cartoon from Canada. Now they all have their teeth brushed and are listening to Tony read them a story. Now all I have to do is relax...because I cooked, Tony cleaned up so the supper mess is gone!
Here's to a Terrific Tuesday filled with lots of giggles and happiness in your corner of the world!
Today our adventuring took us to the Air and Space Museum...my group looked at the space part of it. We saw all kinds of space ships and space suits as well as stars and meteors! We also got to listen to the sweetest little elderly lady read us a story about being an astronaut. I was impressed with how well my 10 kids sat and listened to her read.
This afternoon I made supper (pasta with diced tomatoes & chilis with chicken) and Julian helped me set the table. He was very excited to help...even more so because Tony had asked Barnaby to do it but he had to use the bathroom first so Julian jumped at the chance to outdo his big brother. I made my mom's fresh fruit salad...all it is is cut up fresh fruit with some sugar sprinkled on top, but it was a big hit with everyone but Meren. Julian even wanted more fruit salad instead of chocolate ice cream. We made a boat out of the sliced banana and covered it with blueberries and strawberries...and of course a "kinda bigger sprinkle of sugar" as Julian requested.
After supper Meren and Julian and I went outside so Meren could walk her baby with her new stroller, both were birthday presents from Grandma Mybetty :) We walked the baby, drew with some sidewalk chalk and of course blew some giant bubbles. It was nice to be outside and not covered in a sweaty sheen immediately!
We came in and watched a show online (jaroo.com) called "Stop the Smoggies". It was a quirky cartoon from Canada. Now they all have their teeth brushed and are listening to Tony read them a story. Now all I have to do is relax...because I cooked, Tony cleaned up so the supper mess is gone!
Here's to a Terrific Tuesday filled with lots of giggles and happiness in your corner of the world!
Sunday, July 24, 2011
Oh, What a Beautiful Morning...
I am not sure if this morning was beautiful because I went to bed so early last night and only woke up a few times, or was it because we all sat down and had a delicious breakfast together with no arguing or fighting between my little cousins, or the fact that after breakfast I went back upstairs and took a nap while they all ventured with the neighbor to a small pool to swim. Either way it was a great way to start my Sunday.
I did the whole church thing on the computer again...great sermon and a few of the hymns we ones I love so it was refreshing in that sense. I am hoping to figure out a bus route to a LCMS church...I will have to transfer several times because the closest one is out of DC proper.
Elizabeth took me to Target today...that was fun. Went to for two things...an air mattress and to make a cd of the pics on my SDHC memory card and print some off to send to Aunt Betty. I failed to bring the memory card and the air mattresses were super expensive especially the one with the pump. I sent a text to Tony so see if he had a pump but he did not. He explained that Jenny had an air mattress with a small hole that had the pump attached...all of this I knew because he explained my first night here that that was one of my options unless Jenny needed it back.
I told him that because I was so tired I would go with blankets on the floor for a bed because I had no ambition to be searching for a hole, i just wanted/needed to go to bed asap, but that I would see if I could find the hole the next day or when I had some energy/time to do so. But alas he gave the air mattress back to Jenny that night so I assumed she needed it for something, and figured I could buy one or have Andrea send me the one she offered to me.
So to make a short story really long...Tony told me we could get Jenny's back today and I didn't need to buy one after all!! So I went to Target for two things and didn't come back with either! I did find some sandbox toys for 70% off ($1.48) and side walk chalk for just as cheap...I think the campers will have fun with them.
I also bought a several dvd's for $4.50 each...The Best of the Cosby Show, the first two seasons; Thirysomething...which I never actually watched when it was on TV because 30 was so old and I couldn't relate to any of them...NOW however is a whole different story. I tried finding it on HULU.com and they don't have it. I also had to get The Best of SHIRLEY TEMPLE!! 23 features...8 movies and 15 short films! I am very excited to bring it home...Alexia loves Shirley Temple too so we are definitely going to have to have a movie marathon.
Now I am at home enjoying the empty house until Jenny brings the kids home and Tony returns from his Beauvair (the school he works at, and I am sure I butchered the name...it is French)Social Event.
Hope everybody has a fantastic week ahead of them...I can't believe it is already going to be Week 3 for me here! Wow time is flying by...I better get going on my Bucket List of adventures!
I did the whole church thing on the computer again...great sermon and a few of the hymns we ones I love so it was refreshing in that sense. I am hoping to figure out a bus route to a LCMS church...I will have to transfer several times because the closest one is out of DC proper.
Elizabeth took me to Target today...that was fun. Went to for two things...an air mattress and to make a cd of the pics on my SDHC memory card and print some off to send to Aunt Betty. I failed to bring the memory card and the air mattresses were super expensive especially the one with the pump. I sent a text to Tony so see if he had a pump but he did not. He explained that Jenny had an air mattress with a small hole that had the pump attached...all of this I knew because he explained my first night here that that was one of my options unless Jenny needed it back.
I told him that because I was so tired I would go with blankets on the floor for a bed because I had no ambition to be searching for a hole, i just wanted/needed to go to bed asap, but that I would see if I could find the hole the next day or when I had some energy/time to do so. But alas he gave the air mattress back to Jenny that night so I assumed she needed it for something, and figured I could buy one or have Andrea send me the one she offered to me.
So to make a short story really long...Tony told me we could get Jenny's back today and I didn't need to buy one after all!! So I went to Target for two things and didn't come back with either! I did find some sandbox toys for 70% off ($1.48) and side walk chalk for just as cheap...I think the campers will have fun with them.
I also bought a several dvd's for $4.50 each...The Best of the Cosby Show, the first two seasons; Thirysomething...which I never actually watched when it was on TV because 30 was so old and I couldn't relate to any of them...NOW however is a whole different story. I tried finding it on HULU.com and they don't have it. I also had to get The Best of SHIRLEY TEMPLE!! 23 features...8 movies and 15 short films! I am very excited to bring it home...Alexia loves Shirley Temple too so we are definitely going to have to have a movie marathon.
Now I am at home enjoying the empty house until Jenny brings the kids home and Tony returns from his Beauvair (the school he works at, and I am sure I butchered the name...it is French)Social Event.
Hope everybody has a fantastic week ahead of them...I can't believe it is already going to be Week 3 for me here! Wow time is flying by...I better get going on my Bucket List of adventures!
Saturday, July 23, 2011
My Sizzling Saturday
Another sun filled, sweltering saturday in DC :) Decided to get the cleaning done in the morning before the house turned into a sauna...and I am glad I did. The rain we had a 30% of getting didn't show up so the sun just kept on shining!
I am now an official DC grown-up...I have my own Metro card! It is a big step for me...now I can walk onto the bus like all the cool people do and just hold my wallet up to the beeper and it beeps and lets me in. No more dumping in change and trying to get my wrinkled up dollars into the feeder for me...no siree bob!! Barry and I walked a mile and a half to CVS by Eastern Market to get it but it was so worth it. Then we went to the library next door and checked out some books. Well Barry checked out some books, I bought a Jodi Picoult book...hard cover for $1 at their book sale. Very excited to have a new book to read!
After we left the library we decided to check out the Banana Cafe and Piano Bar. $3 Margaritas and free appetizers...we couldn't possibly walk passed that opportunity! With my meal (chicken burrito with all the sides) I ordered a Dirty Banana ice cream drink...delish! Banana liquore and Godiva chocolate liquore with fresh banana ice cream all blended together! So refreshing!!
Instead of walking home we took the metro (cuz we're grown-ups now) and only had to walk about 6 blocks in the 103 degree heat and humidity...a much easier jaunt on a full belly then the mile + walk home :)
Hopefully tomorrow will bring me to Target so I can get an air mattress...my ribs are really sore from sleeping on a couple quilts on the hard wood floor. Unfortunately for me the metro doesn't go all the way to Target or I would have been there a week ago! I need to make some more friends with cars who like to shop! I also need to make a cd of pictures from my sdhc memory card because the laptop doesn't recognize that type of memory card...to new for this older laptop i guess. I can't wait to post pics of my flight...yes i looked out the window! And pics of Meren's birthday party...so many cute ones of Barnaby, Julian and Meren!
Well this tired girl is going to get ready for bed...have a great night and a Splendid Sunday!
I am now an official DC grown-up...I have my own Metro card! It is a big step for me...now I can walk onto the bus like all the cool people do and just hold my wallet up to the beeper and it beeps and lets me in. No more dumping in change and trying to get my wrinkled up dollars into the feeder for me...no siree bob!! Barry and I walked a mile and a half to CVS by Eastern Market to get it but it was so worth it. Then we went to the library next door and checked out some books. Well Barry checked out some books, I bought a Jodi Picoult book...hard cover for $1 at their book sale. Very excited to have a new book to read!
After we left the library we decided to check out the Banana Cafe and Piano Bar. $3 Margaritas and free appetizers...we couldn't possibly walk passed that opportunity! With my meal (chicken burrito with all the sides) I ordered a Dirty Banana ice cream drink...delish! Banana liquore and Godiva chocolate liquore with fresh banana ice cream all blended together! So refreshing!!
Instead of walking home we took the metro (cuz we're grown-ups now) and only had to walk about 6 blocks in the 103 degree heat and humidity...a much easier jaunt on a full belly then the mile + walk home :)
Hopefully tomorrow will bring me to Target so I can get an air mattress...my ribs are really sore from sleeping on a couple quilts on the hard wood floor. Unfortunately for me the metro doesn't go all the way to Target or I would have been there a week ago! I need to make some more friends with cars who like to shop! I also need to make a cd of pictures from my sdhc memory card because the laptop doesn't recognize that type of memory card...to new for this older laptop i guess. I can't wait to post pics of my flight...yes i looked out the window! And pics of Meren's birthday party...so many cute ones of Barnaby, Julian and Meren!
Well this tired girl is going to get ready for bed...have a great night and a Splendid Sunday!
Friday night continued...
So even though I said it was too hot to venture out Tony and I decided to go to a restaurant called Zest, which the parents of a couple of our campers own. We hopped on the D6 bus...once we were on it we decided to make a pit stop at Union Station so I could look around. What a great place!! So many fun shops...I will definitely be going back to get some souvenirs for my friends and family, chocolate, cigars all sorts of fun stuff!! We thought it would be a good idea to head to the underground level where the food court is and get a snack. We picked, of all places, Taco Bell :) I had a snack and Tony had a meal and then chose a Fancy Bar at a bakery counter. It was a chocolate chip and caramel chunk bar...I had a bite and was not impressed.
Tony said it's because I have been spoiled by my mother's AMAZING baking skills! I agree with him...growing up i loved going to friends' houses and being able to have store bought white bread and packaged cookies! I now realize how lucky I am to have such an amazing baker for a mom. Maybe someday I will have even a 10% love for baking...I need to work on my patience and recipe following, baking is such an exact thing and i can't always pay attention to all the small details!
Instead of going to Zest we headed home...the 20 minute wait for the bus went by in no time because my lovely Aunt Betty called and we chatted about camp (she was out there the three weeks before I could be out here so she knows most of the campers and our adventures) and about Alexia and Collin not being very happy that they are with my parents instead of their mom. We need all the prayers we can get for them right now!!
Once home I thought I better call some of my "other parents" and check in with them so I had a great chat with Winton and Kris, who are my landlords but also very wonderful parent like figures in my life!! The next phone call was to my dearest Aunt Sandy, AKA Mom because I spent every summer and as many weekends during the school year as possible with them in Foley while I was growing up...such a great influence in who I am today! We had a great conversation as well...her son Barry is here teaching at camp as well; you know how guys are though...most don't call their moms too often and fill them in on their day to day lives!
Then it was off to bed...99 degrees at 11:00! I was ever so thankful for my air conditioned room! Hope this weekend is full of fun and adventure for you...unless you want some rest and relaxation, then I hope you get that!
Tony said it's because I have been spoiled by my mother's AMAZING baking skills! I agree with him...growing up i loved going to friends' houses and being able to have store bought white bread and packaged cookies! I now realize how lucky I am to have such an amazing baker for a mom. Maybe someday I will have even a 10% love for baking...I need to work on my patience and recipe following, baking is such an exact thing and i can't always pay attention to all the small details!
Instead of going to Zest we headed home...the 20 minute wait for the bus went by in no time because my lovely Aunt Betty called and we chatted about camp (she was out there the three weeks before I could be out here so she knows most of the campers and our adventures) and about Alexia and Collin not being very happy that they are with my parents instead of their mom. We need all the prayers we can get for them right now!!
Once home I thought I better call some of my "other parents" and check in with them so I had a great chat with Winton and Kris, who are my landlords but also very wonderful parent like figures in my life!! The next phone call was to my dearest Aunt Sandy, AKA Mom because I spent every summer and as many weekends during the school year as possible with them in Foley while I was growing up...such a great influence in who I am today! We had a great conversation as well...her son Barry is here teaching at camp as well; you know how guys are though...most don't call their moms too often and fill them in on their day to day lives!
Then it was off to bed...99 degrees at 11:00! I was ever so thankful for my air conditioned room! Hope this weekend is full of fun and adventure for you...unless you want some rest and relaxation, then I hope you get that!
Friday, July 22, 2011
Friday Funday!
Today was a day of many choices at camp today. Because of the heat we gave the parents and children the option to let their child stay at school and play or go on our field trip to the Discovery Theater and watch the Reptile Show. We had about half go and half stay...I was assigned to stay at camp (somewhat disappointed because I love reptiles, but at the same time relieved because the heat is just sweltering here). We played did some fun inside activities and played outside for a very short time, while drinking lots of water. After lunch the campers put on their bathing suits and we enjoyed some sprinkler and hose time. Their favorite activity in the water to was to spray Miss Jes...even though I didn't have my suit on. With it being 113 degrees outside I was feeling much better with wet clothes...as were all the kids. The rule was they had to be wet if they were going to play outside...otherwise it is just to dangerous!
Tonight I was going to see Dr. Fu's concert at Yard's Park but I think I may just stay in and relax; sitting outside for several hours just isn't appealling right now. I am wondering what Tony's water bill will be with me taking two showers a day, sometimes three! I can't function when i am covered in sweat and grime...we all know how delicate I am! LOL...hope that gave you a chuckle! It is even too hot to wear much for jewelry...*gasp* or even make-up.
Speaking of make-up...reminds me of my 12 year old niece, Alexia...please continue to pray for my parents and Alexia and Collin. Court continues on Tuesday, Trish received a continuance so she can find an attorney. The children are safe with my mom and dad, and although Alexia claims she hates it there and has no fun, the reality is she is enjoying being a 12 year old with the other children she gets to play with and both of them have so much fun each day.
I am so homesick for them and wish I could be there to spend time with them and give my parents a break, however this is exactly where God wants me for now and when I get home to MN both Alexia and Collin will be there waiting for me! Thanks for all the prayers and support!
If I do anything exciting tonight I will be sure to let ya'll know by writing about it on here...but I'm thinking even though the temp is down to 103 and the sun is hidden behind some clouds I am probably staying indoors :)
Hope Friday is a Funday for all of you!!
Tonight I was going to see Dr. Fu's concert at Yard's Park but I think I may just stay in and relax; sitting outside for several hours just isn't appealling right now. I am wondering what Tony's water bill will be with me taking two showers a day, sometimes three! I can't function when i am covered in sweat and grime...we all know how delicate I am! LOL...hope that gave you a chuckle! It is even too hot to wear much for jewelry...*gasp* or even make-up.
Speaking of make-up...reminds me of my 12 year old niece, Alexia...please continue to pray for my parents and Alexia and Collin. Court continues on Tuesday, Trish received a continuance so she can find an attorney. The children are safe with my mom and dad, and although Alexia claims she hates it there and has no fun, the reality is she is enjoying being a 12 year old with the other children she gets to play with and both of them have so much fun each day.
I am so homesick for them and wish I could be there to spend time with them and give my parents a break, however this is exactly where God wants me for now and when I get home to MN both Alexia and Collin will be there waiting for me! Thanks for all the prayers and support!
If I do anything exciting tonight I will be sure to let ya'll know by writing about it on here...but I'm thinking even though the temp is down to 103 and the sun is hidden behind some clouds I am probably staying indoors :)
Hope Friday is a Funday for all of you!!
Thursday, July 21, 2011
Day Nine aka Thursday
Holy heat batman!! It is unbearable here! This Minnesota girl isn't used to this heat and humidity and my body let me know that today! I realize that I overdid it yesterday...not getting much of a reprieve from the heat until 10:00 last night was not a great idea, I woke up with a killer headache that lingered throughout the day. Thankfully we kept the campers at school and played water games outdoors or they could play inside in the air conditioned classrooms. Because we didn't travel anywhere I was able to leave mid-morning and rest at home in my air conditioned bedroom and go back to school in time to help with lunch. I had a great rest again this afternoon and felt much better after that.
Perhaps winning tickets to "Thievery Corporation's concert on August 20th lifted my spirits as well. I "liked" the Washington DC site on FB and they happened to have on their wall that you could email them for a chance to win a pair of tickets. I thought about entering but I haven't even heard of the band and I was almost to school ( I was walking, not driving while I was checking FB this morning), and I was too lazy to bring up my email, so I decided not to. However, this afternoon when I was checking FB again there was a reminder that there was only a couple hours left to enter so this time I did email them. I WON!! Whoohoo I have much better luck in DC. Not sure if they picked randomly or if the read my email (all I said was I didn't read the fine print so I wasn't sure if I was supposed to convince them I deserved the tickets, but that i as here for 7 weeks teaching and that going to the concert would be another great experience to take in while I was in the fun, fantastic city). Now I need to find someone to go with me...any MN friends wanna fly down for the week-end?!?!
Because I was feeling so rested and my headache subsided we decided to go to downtown DC and see some sites and grab a bite to eat...or a lot of different bites. We stopped at Red Velvet Cupcakery where the three of us each tried a different cupcake...me, I opted for the Summertime, a lemon cupcake with whipped cream cheese frosting with shredded coconut that was so light and refreshing; Barry chose the Cookies and Cream, a chocolate buttermilk cupcake with buttercream frosting; Tony picked the Black Velvet, a vegan and gluten free chocolate cupcake with chocolate frosting. We all sampled each cupcake and there was no real loser...they were all simply delicious!!!
We then ate Mac n Cheese from the Cap Mac truck parked outside Red Velvet. We tried the goat cheese variety and again it was delish!! It has sun dried tomatoes and some other great flavors in it...so creamy and delish!
To top it all off we went into TangySweet, a fantastic frozen yogurt place with wonderful flavors and endless toppings from candy to fruity pebbles to a plethera of fresh fruits!
After we left there we were feeling quite energetic and there was a slight breeze so we walked around for a little bit. I took some neat pics (which I will have to figure out how to upload those onto this site) and even bought some postcards at the visitor center.
After cooling off in there we crossed the street and waited for our bus...sweating while sitting still is in no way, shape or form fun for me!! I am glad to be home, sitting on the front steps with a cold beverage waiting for the AC to cool my room down.
I am glad to hear it is cooling down back home in MN...the heat is supposed to last here through the week-end and then cool down into the MID 90's!!! Definitely looking forward to that...I am hoping the dew point drops as well. I realize that it won't get as cool here as it is in MN though, but will take whatever relief we can get! Sitting outside at 10:00 and it still be 97 out is a bit much for me!
Perhaps winning tickets to "Thievery Corporation's concert on August 20th lifted my spirits as well. I "liked" the Washington DC site on FB and they happened to have on their wall that you could email them for a chance to win a pair of tickets. I thought about entering but I haven't even heard of the band and I was almost to school ( I was walking, not driving while I was checking FB this morning), and I was too lazy to bring up my email, so I decided not to. However, this afternoon when I was checking FB again there was a reminder that there was only a couple hours left to enter so this time I did email them. I WON!! Whoohoo I have much better luck in DC. Not sure if they picked randomly or if the read my email (all I said was I didn't read the fine print so I wasn't sure if I was supposed to convince them I deserved the tickets, but that i as here for 7 weeks teaching and that going to the concert would be another great experience to take in while I was in the fun, fantastic city). Now I need to find someone to go with me...any MN friends wanna fly down for the week-end?!?!
Because I was feeling so rested and my headache subsided we decided to go to downtown DC and see some sites and grab a bite to eat...or a lot of different bites. We stopped at Red Velvet Cupcakery where the three of us each tried a different cupcake...me, I opted for the Summertime, a lemon cupcake with whipped cream cheese frosting with shredded coconut that was so light and refreshing; Barry chose the Cookies and Cream, a chocolate buttermilk cupcake with buttercream frosting; Tony picked the Black Velvet, a vegan and gluten free chocolate cupcake with chocolate frosting. We all sampled each cupcake and there was no real loser...they were all simply delicious!!!
We then ate Mac n Cheese from the Cap Mac truck parked outside Red Velvet. We tried the goat cheese variety and again it was delish!! It has sun dried tomatoes and some other great flavors in it...so creamy and delish!
To top it all off we went into TangySweet, a fantastic frozen yogurt place with wonderful flavors and endless toppings from candy to fruity pebbles to a plethera of fresh fruits!
After we left there we were feeling quite energetic and there was a slight breeze so we walked around for a little bit. I took some neat pics (which I will have to figure out how to upload those onto this site) and even bought some postcards at the visitor center.
After cooling off in there we crossed the street and waited for our bus...sweating while sitting still is in no way, shape or form fun for me!! I am glad to be home, sitting on the front steps with a cold beverage waiting for the AC to cool my room down.
I am glad to hear it is cooling down back home in MN...the heat is supposed to last here through the week-end and then cool down into the MID 90's!!! Definitely looking forward to that...I am hoping the dew point drops as well. I realize that it won't get as cool here as it is in MN though, but will take whatever relief we can get! Sitting outside at 10:00 and it still be 97 out is a bit much for me!
Day Eight
Oh what a fun day we had today! We took the campers to Yard's Park...they got to play in the wading pool and sprinklers. We also got get our groove on with the band "The Congress", which was performing a lunch concert. A great way to get our minds off the sweltering heat and humidity!
I also had the opportunity to go a DC United pro soccer game...it was a great experience considering soccer is NOT one of my favorite sports. The US Marine Corp did their silent routine. Very impressive...considering it was still in the mid 90's with dew points in the upper 80's and the were in full dress! Although we lost it was still a great opportunity to experience yet another great event in DC!
I also had the opportunity to go a DC United pro soccer game...it was a great experience considering soccer is NOT one of my favorite sports. The US Marine Corp did their silent routine. Very impressive...considering it was still in the mid 90's with dew points in the upper 80's and the were in full dress! Although we lost it was still a great opportunity to experience yet another great event in DC!
Tuesday, July 19, 2011
Day Seven
What a terrific Tuesday...sweltering heat, but so much fun! We took our campers to the Smithsonian's Natural History Museum and looked at all sorts of things on the 2nd floor...rocks, bones, bugs, butterflies and bats.
The heat is getting somewhat unbearable and even to the point of dangerous towards the end of the week...heat index is supposed to be upwards of 120 degrees!!!!! We have canceled our travels for Thursday and Friday and decided to have water fun outside and movies and inside play as well.
Two fun things after work...went shopping in Maryland with Miss Angel, my co-worker. Found some fantastic plaid flip-flops for $3.00...going on out a limb with plaid, decided I needed to get outside my box (wink, wink)!!
The other fun thing was having Meren's 3rd birthday party. Supper was Kraft macaroni & cheese and homemade pizza. Dessert was chocolate cake and homemade chocolate & peanut butter ice cream! I took some great pictures but unfortunately the laptop isn't reading my SD card so I can't upload them :( I will have to go to Target soon so I can use their photo lab kiosk to create a CD and print some off. Aunt Betty~ I have great pics of each of your grandchildren so I will send you actual pictures of those. Meren's smile as she is pushing her new stroller is so adorable! She loves her new baby doll and stroller!!
It is still in the 90's as I write this at 9:20 pm...the sun has gone down and it is so humid out. I am soooo looking forward to going to bed in a nice cool air conditioned bedroom!
Tomorrow we are going to swim with the campers...very much looking forward to that excitement!
Goodnight Ya'll...hope you all have a wonderful Wednesday!!
The heat is getting somewhat unbearable and even to the point of dangerous towards the end of the week...heat index is supposed to be upwards of 120 degrees!!!!! We have canceled our travels for Thursday and Friday and decided to have water fun outside and movies and inside play as well.
Two fun things after work...went shopping in Maryland with Miss Angel, my co-worker. Found some fantastic plaid flip-flops for $3.00...going on out a limb with plaid, decided I needed to get outside my box (wink, wink)!!
The other fun thing was having Meren's 3rd birthday party. Supper was Kraft macaroni & cheese and homemade pizza. Dessert was chocolate cake and homemade chocolate & peanut butter ice cream! I took some great pictures but unfortunately the laptop isn't reading my SD card so I can't upload them :( I will have to go to Target soon so I can use their photo lab kiosk to create a CD and print some off. Aunt Betty~ I have great pics of each of your grandchildren so I will send you actual pictures of those. Meren's smile as she is pushing her new stroller is so adorable! She loves her new baby doll and stroller!!
It is still in the 90's as I write this at 9:20 pm...the sun has gone down and it is so humid out. I am soooo looking forward to going to bed in a nice cool air conditioned bedroom!
Tomorrow we are going to swim with the campers...very much looking forward to that excitement!
Goodnight Ya'll...hope you all have a wonderful Wednesday!!
Monday, July 18, 2011
What a Marvelous Monday
Today we took the campers to the National Arboretum...just a short walk to the bus and then just a quick walk from the bus stop to the Arboretum. We observed the koi fish and even fed them some acorn tops. After our koi fish fun each group went their separate ways...our group went to the garden and then hiked somewhat up the "mountain".
Now we are all home and supper is in the oven...it is too hot to put a whole lot of energy into supper so it is fish sticks, green beans, salad and fresh fruit.
As far as any adventure tonight...well, I don't foresee anything exciting happening. We may watch a movie on the laptop and just relax. I am looking forward to bed tonight...I caved and turned the air on in my bedroom. Looking forward to not waking up each time the part of my body facing down is sweat-drenched.
Here's to hoping all of you have a cool, relaxing evening!
Now we are all home and supper is in the oven...it is too hot to put a whole lot of energy into supper so it is fish sticks, green beans, salad and fresh fruit.
As far as any adventure tonight...well, I don't foresee anything exciting happening. We may watch a movie on the laptop and just relax. I am looking forward to bed tonight...I caved and turned the air on in my bedroom. Looking forward to not waking up each time the part of my body facing down is sweat-drenched.
Here's to hoping all of you have a cool, relaxing evening!
Sunday, July 17, 2011
Day Five...a Sunday of rest
What a fantastically lazy Sunday it has been! Slept until 8 am...breakfast of a bowl of cereal and then fell asleep on the couch reading my book. Woke up when Tony announced he had made bacon so I made myself a BL(no T) sandwich. Delish! Snoozed and read some more until early afternoon...read the church service online. I really do have to figure out the bus system so I can get to the LCMS churches around...none of them are within walking distance.
Went grocery shopping with Tony and the kids. Meren helped me pick out some fresh asparagus and cucumbers as well as a pineapple. Tonight we had porkchops on the grill along with Meren's aparagus with butter and fresh garlic all wrapped up in some foil...MMM good!! Julian and I ate a lot of the trees ourselves...Meren wasn't a huge fan, she ate a couple but that was it.
I have added so many places and things to see to my bucket list...I need to get busy so I can get them all in the next 6 weeks! I am excited to go to the war memorials...my Grandma gave me the name of my great great uncle that was killed in WW2 ( i think?) but I can't remember his name so I am waiting for her to call me back with that info. Art Stoltenow, my 92 year old friend from church, lost his youngest brother in the Vietnam war so I have to make sure I get a rubbing of Gilbert's name. If anybody reading this would like a rubbing or for me to take a picture of their loved one's name leave me a comment or email me...I would love to do it!
As I write this I am thinking of all my family and friends back in MN and the midwest who are surviving some very oppressive and sweltering heat. UGH...I am glad I am here! The high here today was only 91...very humid but not 100 degrees! And there is a breeze here, which I am told is very rare, so all the more reason to be thankful.
Hopefully going to bed early and get a great night's rest for the upcoming week of camp. Fun places to visit this week...can't wait to tell you about all the adventures each day!
Went grocery shopping with Tony and the kids. Meren helped me pick out some fresh asparagus and cucumbers as well as a pineapple. Tonight we had porkchops on the grill along with Meren's aparagus with butter and fresh garlic all wrapped up in some foil...MMM good!! Julian and I ate a lot of the trees ourselves...Meren wasn't a huge fan, she ate a couple but that was it.
I have added so many places and things to see to my bucket list...I need to get busy so I can get them all in the next 6 weeks! I am excited to go to the war memorials...my Grandma gave me the name of my great great uncle that was killed in WW2 ( i think?) but I can't remember his name so I am waiting for her to call me back with that info. Art Stoltenow, my 92 year old friend from church, lost his youngest brother in the Vietnam war so I have to make sure I get a rubbing of Gilbert's name. If anybody reading this would like a rubbing or for me to take a picture of their loved one's name leave me a comment or email me...I would love to do it!
As I write this I am thinking of all my family and friends back in MN and the midwest who are surviving some very oppressive and sweltering heat. UGH...I am glad I am here! The high here today was only 91...very humid but not 100 degrees! And there is a breeze here, which I am told is very rare, so all the more reason to be thankful.
Hopefully going to bed early and get a great night's rest for the upcoming week of camp. Fun places to visit this week...can't wait to tell you about all the adventures each day!
Saturday, July 16, 2011
Day Four Part 2
We have stopped home quick to drop off Elizabeth's car and continue on our "Elizabeth's Birthday Adventure". Hamlet: Reframed was a fantastic production...open audience with people sitting on all sides at floor level and up on balcony things. Very good acting and very comedic!! The Fringe Festival lasts all month and we are already planning on what to see throughout the rest of the month!
After the play we ran into many of Elizabeth's friends so I was introduced to so many new wonderful people who all had ideas of how I should play out my tourist trips the next 6 weeks! There was a fun courtyard with a bar and grill (literally a charcoal grill) so we ordered a beer (with no olives or pickles available!!! oh the tragedy of that!!!) and a grilled burger...DELISH!! I really wanted to order Blue Moon but because I can get that in MN I ordered a local tap which was pretty good...would have been better with my "salad" of a pickle and olives, but definitely enjoyablle, hence the reason I had 3 of them as afternoon turned into evening :)
Soon we are heading to one of the local joints for a few more beers and some great company (or at least Tony claims his friend Joe is just that). As for tomorrow I am excited to head over to Our Savior's Lutheran for church...there are several LCMS churches around the DC area and I am looking forward to attending them all, that said I need to get a little more comfortable on the D6 Metro Bus!!
Have a great Saturday night, I know I will!
After the play we ran into many of Elizabeth's friends so I was introduced to so many new wonderful people who all had ideas of how I should play out my tourist trips the next 6 weeks! There was a fun courtyard with a bar and grill (literally a charcoal grill) so we ordered a beer (with no olives or pickles available!!! oh the tragedy of that!!!) and a grilled burger...DELISH!! I really wanted to order Blue Moon but because I can get that in MN I ordered a local tap which was pretty good...would have been better with my "salad" of a pickle and olives, but definitely enjoyablle, hence the reason I had 3 of them as afternoon turned into evening :)
Soon we are heading to one of the local joints for a few more beers and some great company (or at least Tony claims his friend Joe is just that). As for tomorrow I am excited to head over to Our Savior's Lutheran for church...there are several LCMS churches around the DC area and I am looking forward to attending them all, that said I need to get a little more comfortable on the D6 Metro Bus!!
Have a great Saturday night, I know I will!
Day Four...so far
When I woke up this morning Barnaby was the only one up...he was very proud of himself because he had made himself some toast for breakfast already! He then announced that I probably needed some decorations for the walls in my bedroom (which is comical because he has nothing on his walls)...he proceeded to make me some snowflakes for my walls. Not just any snowflakes but themed cut-outs; some of nature that had trees cut out with leave designs around the edges and love themed ones with hearts cut out all over :) He is such a clever 8 year old! I can't wait for him to get home so he can help me hang them up in the appropriate places on my walls!
Tony, Barry and I ventured to the bank to cash our paychecks...whoohooo the freedom of having cash again :) I immediately went to CVS pharmacy and picked up some necessities such as Q-tips and lotion among other things that I am wondering how I forgot to pack?!?! Deodorant for instance...really?!?!
When we got home Tony, Jenny and the 3 kids went on a bike ride and since I don't have a bike here I was able to stay home and enjoy some peace and quiet. Grandma Rezek (Andrea's maternal grandma, who I love dearly) was so right when she said the older I get the more set in my ways I get...I am definitely used to having my quiet time in the morning, and always I guess when i am at my house. I love Tony and the kids to pieces and am not complaining, just stating that I am realizing now how I just took a quiet home for granted! :)
Tony's renter in the basement, Elizabeth, has invited me to attend a play this afternoon called "Hamlet: Reframed". It is part of the Fringe Festival that is running this month...the synopsis of the play is as follows..."While Hamlet is off monologuing, what about the rest of Elsinore? Rather than showing Hamlet's inner thoughts and private actions, this cropping of Shakespeare's text focuses on how the king and queen deal with a mad and murderous prince." Basically they have cut out all of Hamlet's parts and are focusing on the other characters and their reactions to Hamlet. I am very excited to see it! And, it is Elizabeth's BIRTHDAY!! Which, she told me, means that the play will be followed by drinks and dinner with some of her friends. I am looking forward to meeting new people in town...all of them adults! I love my campers but I am looking forward to some adult interaction that doesn't involve children :)
The weather here is gorgeous, 89 for a high and the dew point isn't supposed to get about 70 today! That means my glistening will be minimum to moderate...yippeee! I hope all of you have a fun filled weekend as well!
Tony, Barry and I ventured to the bank to cash our paychecks...whoohooo the freedom of having cash again :) I immediately went to CVS pharmacy and picked up some necessities such as Q-tips and lotion among other things that I am wondering how I forgot to pack?!?! Deodorant for instance...really?!?!
When we got home Tony, Jenny and the 3 kids went on a bike ride and since I don't have a bike here I was able to stay home and enjoy some peace and quiet. Grandma Rezek (Andrea's maternal grandma, who I love dearly) was so right when she said the older I get the more set in my ways I get...I am definitely used to having my quiet time in the morning, and always I guess when i am at my house. I love Tony and the kids to pieces and am not complaining, just stating that I am realizing now how I just took a quiet home for granted! :)
Tony's renter in the basement, Elizabeth, has invited me to attend a play this afternoon called "Hamlet: Reframed". It is part of the Fringe Festival that is running this month...the synopsis of the play is as follows..."While Hamlet is off monologuing, what about the rest of Elsinore? Rather than showing Hamlet's inner thoughts and private actions, this cropping of Shakespeare's text focuses on how the king and queen deal with a mad and murderous prince." Basically they have cut out all of Hamlet's parts and are focusing on the other characters and their reactions to Hamlet. I am very excited to see it! And, it is Elizabeth's BIRTHDAY!! Which, she told me, means that the play will be followed by drinks and dinner with some of her friends. I am looking forward to meeting new people in town...all of them adults! I love my campers but I am looking forward to some adult interaction that doesn't involve children :)
The weather here is gorgeous, 89 for a high and the dew point isn't supposed to get about 70 today! That means my glistening will be minimum to moderate...yippeee! I hope all of you have a fun filled weekend as well!
Friday, July 15, 2011
Day Three
Today was perfect weather to go to Kingman Island...a fantastic island created by the Army Corp of Engineers in 1916 from the sediment of the Anacostia River. Lots of trails for walking, rocks for climbing and creatures to investigate and chase. We explored all morning, had our picnic lunch there and explored a playground on our walk back to the school. So much fun to watch the kids climb and run...oh yeah and to scream like maniacs without getting told to use their quiet voices.
We had just crossed the bridge to get off the island when one of my campers was stung by a bee!!!!! UUGHH! I tried to be brave and comfort the little boy but alas, I saw another bee (or the same one) and screamed like a girl and walked quickly away...all while asking Mr Brown to take care of it! I really hope the other campers couldn't sense my fear!
I also need to take back that there are very few mosquitoes here. This evening Barry and I were sitting on the front porch and he was being eaten alive...but not me!! He has at least 26 bites on him...all swelled up, me...5 bites and no swelling :)
Barnaby, my 8 year old cousin, helped with supper...he decided a salad would go great with the ribs I was making. He created a spinach salad with sliced mushrooms, cucumbers and feta cheese...all of which he sliced and crumbled himself! It was very delicious!
It is a Friday night and I am loving just relaxing on the couch...no tv, no radio just the sirens and angry cicadas to keep me company! My co-worker Miss Angel invited me to flea market with her in Baltimore so I am looking forward to that so much!! I am so blessed!!
Oh and I have saved the best for last...my parents got Alexia and Collin today!!!!! Halleluiah!! Our prayers are answered!! My parent's attorney, Rebecca Rue, presented the paperwork to Judge Drange this morning and court ordered emergency temporary custody be given to my parents until court on August 16th. Please continue to pray for my family and especially the children as they adjust to their life changes...it won't be easy for any of us!
We had just crossed the bridge to get off the island when one of my campers was stung by a bee!!!!! UUGHH! I tried to be brave and comfort the little boy but alas, I saw another bee (or the same one) and screamed like a girl and walked quickly away...all while asking Mr Brown to take care of it! I really hope the other campers couldn't sense my fear!
I also need to take back that there are very few mosquitoes here. This evening Barry and I were sitting on the front porch and he was being eaten alive...but not me!! He has at least 26 bites on him...all swelled up, me...5 bites and no swelling :)
Barnaby, my 8 year old cousin, helped with supper...he decided a salad would go great with the ribs I was making. He created a spinach salad with sliced mushrooms, cucumbers and feta cheese...all of which he sliced and crumbled himself! It was very delicious!
It is a Friday night and I am loving just relaxing on the couch...no tv, no radio just the sirens and angry cicadas to keep me company! My co-worker Miss Angel invited me to flea market with her in Baltimore so I am looking forward to that so much!! I am so blessed!!
Oh and I have saved the best for last...my parents got Alexia and Collin today!!!!! Halleluiah!! Our prayers are answered!! My parent's attorney, Rebecca Rue, presented the paperwork to Judge Drange this morning and court ordered emergency temporary custody be given to my parents until court on August 16th. Please continue to pray for my family and especially the children as they adjust to their life changes...it won't be easy for any of us!
Thursday, July 14, 2011
Things that will take some getting used to...
the sirens!! They are almost constant and they have a different sound...lower tone so the deaf can hear/feel them easier. There is a large deaf population here because of Gallaudet University. In Litchfield every time I heard a siren I would say a quick prayer for my cop friends and other emergency responders as well as those they were going to help...chances are I would know the people involved to some degree...here, no worries that I know them, but still say a prayer for all involved!
the humidity! It is always high here...tropical feeling everytime we walk outside. I don't understand how people can wear long sleeves and jeans when it is so hot and sticky!! Back home I would shower each night to get the DEET off of my skin so my skin wouldn't melt off, here I shower to get the layer of sweat that had been glistening on me all day!
the cicadas! They are loud and angry here...and oh so many of them! They have a very angry voice here, not like the gentle white noise sound they produce in MN! In MN you only hear one at a time...here it sounds like a dozen or so really angry bugs!!
seeing raccoons in frontyards! Just seems so random that I see them here nightly but I have never seen them run in my front yard (sort of) out in the country by Lake Ripley! Oh,well at least they aren't rats...rumor has it there are plenty of them too!
having tap beer that is NOT Michelob Golden Lite and WITHOUT my pickle and olives!! so disappointed, but alas "I will Survive"!!
Overall, if this is all I have to get used to I consider myself so blessed! I am so grateful to have this opportunity and can't wait to make so may wonderful memories in the next 6 weeks!
the humidity! It is always high here...tropical feeling everytime we walk outside. I don't understand how people can wear long sleeves and jeans when it is so hot and sticky!! Back home I would shower each night to get the DEET off of my skin so my skin wouldn't melt off, here I shower to get the layer of sweat that had been glistening on me all day!
the cicadas! They are loud and angry here...and oh so many of them! They have a very angry voice here, not like the gentle white noise sound they produce in MN! In MN you only hear one at a time...here it sounds like a dozen or so really angry bugs!!
seeing raccoons in frontyards! Just seems so random that I see them here nightly but I have never seen them run in my front yard (sort of) out in the country by Lake Ripley! Oh,well at least they aren't rats...rumor has it there are plenty of them too!
having tap beer that is NOT Michelob Golden Lite and WITHOUT my pickle and olives!! so disappointed, but alas "I will Survive"!!
Overall, if this is all I have to get used to I consider myself so blessed! I am so grateful to have this opportunity and can't wait to make so may wonderful memories in the next 6 weeks!
Things I love about DC so far...
One of my favorite things about DC so far is the fact that there are very few mosquitoes!! I have only killed three the three days i have been here so far. I love the fact that I can sit on the front porch for hours watching the traffic and the people and i don't have to saturate my skin with DEET!
I love having a family to cook for!! It will be so much fun cooking for Tony and the kids...they love any kind of food, the more organic and healthier the better! There are so many great markets and food coops that I think I will have even more fun when I can go food shopping for real food for a whole family vs shopping for cereal, yogurt and milk for just me!
The fantastic architecture...I wanna walk a different way to work each day just to see all the different ways the people have made their row house their own! Some are so fantastic with flower beds that are gorgeous and paint colors to match. Some are bright and contrasting and some are pale and subtle...all are homes of very friendly people though!
Eastern Market...lots of eclectic shops of all kinds!!! coffee, cafes, thrift, gift, ice cream, edible arrangements etc!! Can't wait for the weekend to go back and look around!
I love having a family to cook for!! It will be so much fun cooking for Tony and the kids...they love any kind of food, the more organic and healthier the better! There are so many great markets and food coops that I think I will have even more fun when I can go food shopping for real food for a whole family vs shopping for cereal, yogurt and milk for just me!
The fantastic architecture...I wanna walk a different way to work each day just to see all the different ways the people have made their row house their own! Some are so fantastic with flower beds that are gorgeous and paint colors to match. Some are bright and contrasting and some are pale and subtle...all are homes of very friendly people though!
Eastern Market...lots of eclectic shops of all kinds!!! coffee, cafes, thrift, gift, ice cream, edible arrangements etc!! Can't wait for the weekend to go back and look around!
Week One
My flight to DC was uneventful...thank goodness because I hate flying!! However, I did put on my big girl pants and look out the window a couple times to take a few pictures of the clouds. I got to DC and took the Metro (train) to the other side of town close to Tony's house. He met me at the Metro stop and I was greeted at the house by 3 very excited children...although I doubt that they actually remember me! Barnaby is 8, Julian is almost 4, and Meren will be 3 on Tuesday. The children have been a great bunch of tour guides around the neighborhood and around the house. Introducing me to all the pets...one guinea pig named McGuiness, and 3 ducks. Not sure what the ducks' names are but for those of you that know me at all, know that I am terrified of birds and haven't gone near them, nor do I plan on it!! I will look at them out the back window and feed them with the kids from the top of the stairs :)
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