We're Leaving on a Jet Plane, Don't Know When I'll Be Back Again....

I think we all decided, however, that there is plenty to do around here to make another visit some day.  We are flying back home today. Yesterday we did the very quick, one-day sightseeing tour of Washington, D.C. with dinner at "King Street Blues" in Alexandria, VA, last evening.  We found that we really liked that restaurant, and never ever do we go to the same restaurant twice while traveling, so we were definitely breaking new ground with that one. :)

I will try to post some pictures in the next couple of days once we get home, and update on what we've been doing the past couple of days.  We didn't take the laptop along this trip (just too bulky sometimes to travel in the air with it), so relied on hotel computers, etc.


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DC Vacation - Day 2

Well, okay, technically today is Day 3, but I thought I would update this morning while we are still at the hotel about yesterday - Day 2.

We actually decided to stay in Alexandria yesterday instead of heading to Mt. Vernon as we initially had planned.  Bruce found several places that looked interesting to him. While he was going to go on a walking tour of Old Alexandria, Allison and I went to the Torpedo Factory, which now houses dozens and dozens of different artists, working in all sorts of medium.  They all have little studios, and then they display their work in their windows, etc.  There was also an Alexandria Archeology Museum on the top floor. That was actually pretty neat.  They had displays of old Civil War pieces that were found when they dug up some areas in Alexandria.  Allison did a "scavenger hunt" which she actually got into, so that was cool.  They had some pottery/plates that were broken up, and kids could try to put them back together, etc., too.  When Bruce was gone on his tour, he decided to purchase some "Alexandria Day Passes", which included passes to different museums in the city.  So after lunch at the very neat, lots of character, restaurant, "King Street Blues," we went to some museums.  We went to an Apothecary musuem, which actual bottles and boxes and a laboratory that is basically the same and untouched since it closed in 1932.  We went to the Lyceum, which is the Alexandria Museum of History.  We also went to Gadsby's Tavern, which is where George Washington would go.  Another destination was Christ Church, where the George Washington family's "pew box" is still found.  It was pretty cool.  I liked the "box pews"....  I will post a picture of the pulpit too at some point, because I hadn't seen anything quite like it before...it had a winding staircase to it, so the preacher was waaay over the peoples' heads.

Today we are headed to Mt. Vernon, home of George Washington.  From there, we will drive a little further into Virginia, seeing where the road takes us basically.  It has rained this morning, so I'm hopeful that the rain will not make today any more miserable than a lot of humidity.

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D.C. Vacation - Day 1

Just a note to let the fam know that we have arrived today at our first destination in our week journey.  We are currently in Alexandria, Virginia, staying our first night.  The first day of the vacay started with less bang than some past trips we've had, which is fine with me.  I had the shaking of the foot from Bruce this morning at 3:50 a.m. in order to get up and be on the road bright and early.  That was brighter and earlier than I care to even THINK about ever doing again, but that's okay. Our flight out of Kansas City was at 8:00 and it went off without a hitch.  With a short layover in Cincinnati, we arrived in D.C. early afternoon.  We were all tired, so we actually RESTED at the hotel for a few hours before setting out and doing a little walking sightseeing of King Street in Alexandria.  Nothing spectacular, but a nice clean friendly enough area.  Tomorrow it looks like a little more looking around Alexandria, and then on to Mount Vernon, and we'll see where the evening sees us laying our heads.

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I'm back????

Well we shall see, at least.  I hadn't realized it has been so long since I last posted in the blog.  We 've had TONS going on, that's for sure.  That's primarily the reason, unfortunately I have not had much time to post.  This summer was totally crazy.  I don't remember a summer quite as crazy and busy as this past one. It seemed that it was go-go-go, be here, be there...  There were many times it was not even very much fun thanks to so much going on. It has now calmed down considerably. School begins in just over one week, and it will be good to get everyone established back into some sort of routine.

By the way, Allison found my camera.  Woo hoo!  It was lodged down in the chair cushions. I can't believe I hadn't looked there.


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July?

I've lost my camera, and I feel so at odds.  I don't know what to post if I don't have pictures if not to go with my post to actually "narrate" it with pictures!  I need to look a couple of more places, but it must have fallen into something somewhere and I will surely find it at some point, but until then I am totally lost.  I don't want to go out and buy a new one necessarily because I'm sure I will eventually find this one.  But until then..................hmmmm....


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Gracie helping me post to the blog.....

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I'm Farming & I Grow It' video parody goes viral

http://video.foxnews.com/v/1711724454001/im-farming--i-grow-it-video-parody-goes-viral

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I'm Farming and I Grow It

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June is "Softball Month"

The month of June provided our family with one or two evenings at the ball park, watching Allison play her first season of "coach pitch" softball. She had played Blastball and T-ball for the past four years, but this is the first summer that she had played where she had to hit the ball, not off of a tee, but having it pitched to her.  

I am proud to say that she did very well, and made really good progress over the summer.  We were very fortunate to have two couples who were very, very good coaches, and who worked with the girls and were really good at helping them learn some fundamentals.    We were very lucky to have been put on this team.

Nearing the end of season, with about three or so games left, the coaches had asked if anyone else had wanted to try to play catcher.  Allison had raised her hand and told the coaches she would like to try.  Dad wasn't so sure she was ready for it yet, but one game we looked over at the dugout at the beginning of the game and Allison was being helped to get into the catcher gear.  She did very very well.  When the game was over, when asked how she liked it...she looked, tilted her head, and said, "I liked it...I really liked it."  So, who knows.... :)

 I LOVE this picture...her coach letting her know that she had done a good job on her first time playing the catcher position.

 Coaches and players before the last game of the season to have a team photo taken.  The temperatures were hovering around 100 degrees with humidity, but the kids looked as ready as they could be. :) 

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It was just a matter of time...

before the doll clothes came out....and Gracie was a very good sport about it, too! :)

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