D.C in Eight Days

Hi Everybody!
We're back! We had such a wonderful trip, and saw so many places in a short time, it was a bit of a whirlwind. I would have liked to post while we were away, but with no laptop (yet) and no way to post pictures, there really wasn't the opportunity.

We arrived in D.C. last Sat (22nd) and immediately headed out to walk Embassy Row. What a neat part of D.C. We even saw a very lavish Cameroon wedding at that embassy. We also walked by the Islamic Center(below) and a great old part of Dupont Circle.
On Sunday, we went to Mt. Vernon, George Washington's home, and explored the mansion, slave quarters, riverside and his farm. What a beautiful place.

We also went to Arlington, but upon arriving there, we realized there were too many people, and I have a bit of a problem with walking around somewhere as sacred as a cemetery with 1000's of people. I do wonder how people who have loved one's buried there feel about all the people. We did walk over to the Marine Memorial (Iwo Jima) and after reading Flags of our Fathers, that had much more meaning. I don't think one can really appreciate that memorial without understanding the horrors of Iwo.

Monday we had our Capitol and Library of Congress Tour. Wow. What neat places (despite the fact that I question how well our gov't is working). The Library of Congress and its history were really, really amazing. And- absolutely gorgeous.



Tuesday was our anniversary (8 years!!!) and we celebrated by going to the Smithsonian Air and Space museum, as well as the Natural History Museum. Both places had so many things to see - and great history! We also got to go on a tour of the Pentagon - also interesting, even though you don't get to see much. We did see the 9/11 memorial and Chapel. 184 were killed there on that day, and it's amazing that had the plane hit anywhere else on the building the toll would have been much higher. At that time, the area his was under construction, so not all of the area was being used. The person who gave the tour told us that had that area been used to capacity, it could have been over 1000 killed! Unfortunately, there are no cameras allowed, so no pics of that tour - but here's Jeff at Air and Space (he loves the stuff on the Apollo Missions).

Wednesday we went to more museums, and back to Arlington. We were blessed to be surrounded by MUCH fewer people and were able to walk the area in peace and quiet. We also located the headstone of one of Jeff's relatives and saw Gen. Lee's mansion on the hill. Later that day we got to go to the Bureau of Engraving (where our money is made), which I have to say, was probably one of the coolest places to see. And, the fact that the workers have such a sense of humor was also neat. Again no pics, but above one of the machines, a sign was posted stating "I print more money in one day than I make in a year ... and you think your job sucks!" and another saying "Tomorrow - free samples to all employees" Funny, but I guess you'd have to be there! We did get the boys some cool gifts from there. We also got to see how much we're worth in height. So, in the following picture, I am the height equivalent of that much money when it's stacked up (In 100's)


Thursday was a "free day" as in we didn't have much planned, so we walked to National Cathedral - WOW! What an amazing, gorgeous place. The pictures didn't turn out so well, but really - it was breathtaking. We hit Ford's Theater (Where Lincoln was assassinated) as well - Jeff really enjoyed that. We also went back to some of the museums to get gifts for the boys and family members. We would have liked to go back to the memorials, but we were SO tired and it was really humid that day. I am glad we saw all of the memorials when we were there in 2002, so I didn't feel so bad about missing those.

We did see WWII memorial though. It is amazing and at the same time so sad, that our country did not recognize the efforts of the Greatest Generation until way to late. Those who served in WWII did so with grace and valor, and were not recognized until a few years ago. It is sad, but at least there is now something - except for the fact that most of our WWII vets have either passed away or are too old and ill to make the trip to see such a great monument to their efforts. One such monument is a bench there which states "Americans came to Liberate, not Conquer, to Restore Freedom and to End Tyranny." So true of that time. There is also a quote from Roosevelt on the wall, which I did take a picture of, in reference to the women of WWII -

Finally, Friday - we rented a car and drove to Colonial Williamsburg, VA. We had also wanted to see Jamestown, given it is the 400th Anniversary of the European arrival, but a huge thunderstorm broke out right as we arrived. I was so, so disappointed, because I had really wanted to see that - given the year. Instead, we took the scenic route back, along Chesapeake Bay. We didn't get back into DC until late, but it was neat to drive in a different place - made me miss ND though! Saturday we were READY to get home! We made it (despite my panic attack at the Chicago Airport - LONG STORY) and got to Mpls. at 3:15 - and drove straight home!

We had a great time on this trip. We learned a few things:

1.We really enjoy each other's company, even after all the years. So often, once people have kids, it becomes very easy to forget that you have anything in common (besides the kids). But I think this trip gave us that chance to see that we are really best friends. At home, everything is about work, school, diapers, laundry, errands, finances, and on and on, and on. It gets stressful.

In DC, we had such a great time together, enjoyed each other's company and were allowed to just be us. It was wonderful. I think - no, I know - that EVERYONE who is married, especially once children are in the picture - needs to make the effort, find the time, find the cash - to rediscover why they're together and those little things that made you fall in love. That said...

2. We missed our kids TOO much to ever be away that long again! By Tuesday night we were both really homesick for them! We so enjoyed the time to ourselves, but man, Lucas and Alex are really the most important people in our lives!

3. Home is ND/MN. We may like to see other places, but this is it... I don't think I ever want to leave this area. There is much to be said about the low population and MN/ND nice.

SO hope you enjoy the pics!

How does your Garden Grow?

Our garden is (was - more in a minute) looking fabulous. We have four tall gorgeous tomato plants and the fruit is there - just needs to ripen. Our pepper plants are also growing, and we can see the itty bitty peppers that will soon grow to an edible size. The peas are so sweet and tender, and the zucchini and summer squash plants are huge - take a look at my first EVER veggies from my garden - three great looking, great tasting zucchinis!!! (And a cutie pie too :)





I am going to shred and freeze these three for use when we get back - zucchini bread sounds so good - just no time to make it this week...

So, on to the was --- Sunday night a monstrous storm rolled through our area. Lots of wind (clocked at 60+ mph) and a community north of us had softball size hail. Some areas in the north-central part of our county were absolutely devastated. There was not a confirmed tornado, but lots of rotation with the storm, and some farmers in that area lost their entire crop, which because of the ethanol craze, is corn.

On Monday morning, I got up to let Molly out and noticed that my corn, which had been four beautiful, statueseque rows just ready to start producing cobs, was flattened...FLATTENED! A few stalks towards the very end, the tallest and strongest, were still standing. But it literally looked like something had come and driven over it with a steamroller. I was instantly depressed and very sad, because when you have put time, effort, love and anticipation into something, to see it destroyed is difficult. We were so happy with our FIRST gardening effort, and how well it was coming...and its gone. And this got me thinking. This corn, my small 4 x20 plot is a hobby - it is not my livelihood. How - HOW devastating it must be for farmers to lose their entire year in one 15 minute storm. To see their hard work, their effort, their time, and their financial means gone

I was expressing how I felt to my mom the other day and she told me a story from when she was a child:

It was mid-August 1967 and her aunt and uncle had driven up to visit for the weekend. They were having a great time, when the storm clouds moved in, and hail began to fall. She remembers them all watching the storm from the kitchen window and seeing the feelings of despair on my grandpa's face. Harvest was set to begin in within a week - and in a moment, it was all gone...She said that in an instant his face just fell. She remembers this and she was only 13 at the time. So, while I may be upset about this, and feel sadness, I feel for the farmers.

Movement

Baby girl has been moving a lot. There is something so peaceful about laying in bed at night, feeling her flutter and kick. She's starting to get big enough where I can feel her turn and get a sense of where her head and rump are. The acute awareness that only I get to experience this (and that I have been blessed to experience it 3 times) is wonderful. It is a joy and sensation that only mothers get to experience, and it truly makes me realize how blessed I am to be a woman, to have the opportunity to grow a baby, and give life to a child.

I am also saddened by the fact that this is it. No more after this. I have, I noticed, been savoring her every movement, relishing the calm movements and the little bumps that let me know my baby girl is there. All to soon, she will be here, and in that very first, blessed moment, she will begin her transition to an individual, independent human being...

Fourth of July

Happy 4th of July from Lucas and Alex (and their mom and dad!)




We hope everyone had a great Fourth of July. We had a nice day, even though it was right in the middle of the week! Jeff was busy with the parade in Erhard, but we still were able to enjoy lake time, swimming, boating, and jet skiing. My aunt, uncle and cousin joined us for the afternoon, and we had a nice visit.

Here are some pictures from our day:

Lucas and Alex both had so much fun swimming. I got in the water too, despite an odd fitting swimsuit. Swimsuit season is not my favorite. That fact is exacerbated when I am pregnant! And, given the above, no pictures of me in a swimsuit made the cut for the blog!!!






The boys love to play with Molly, as you can see from below! She is a good dog, despite the fact that she still messes in the house, ate a dead mouse today, and insists on waking up at 5:00 am!



Our Little Patriot!



Daddy and Alex - if only dad would open that water for him!




Have a great weekend! We have lots of projects on our list, and we already have 3 done for today. This week will be Crazy, with Jeff busy until late most nights, and gone next weekend. But on the bright side, two weeks from RIGHT NOW - we'll be wingin' our way to our DC vacation!

The End

First session ended today. Whew!!! Thank goodness. Though I have some work to do yet, I am glad that classes are done. I learned a lot, challenged myself, and really had the opportunity to think about things I hadn't previously considered.

In one of my classes, we discussed cultural literacy. We had the opportunity to take some cultural literacy tests. Here is the link...how did you do???

http://www.readfaster.com/culturalliteracy.asp

Have a good weekend!

Reason's to Wear Sunscreen

Okay, so there is some debate over the real benefit of sunscreen - however after the disaster that is my back and arms from golf on Sunday, I think I am re-subscribing to the Sunscreen camp -

So, here's my top five:

1) It doesn't feel good when the surface of skin feels like "Extra-Crispy" chicken

2) "Lobster Red" is not a good color for anyone.

3) You can not get your own shirt off or on, without extreme caution or pain.

4) Laying down to sleep at night requires ginger motions and strange positions resulting in a strained back and sore arms so as to avoid pain all night.

5) Yelping like a dog every time someone touches you is so not HOT!

So, WEAR SUNSCREEN - un-burned skin is health skin!!!

Pictures of Molly

Lucas wants to sleep in Molly's kennel with her!



Alex loves laying next to Molly


Mommy and Molly