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Tuesday, November 13, 2007
Halloween 2007
Halloween this y
ear was really fun! I don't remember the last time I dressed up. ... oh wait. Yes I do. It was 3 years ago. I dressed up as a farmer and bought little Seth (youngest nephew) a chicken costume. Then I carried him around trick-or-treating. That was fun. But this year Hayden, Merr, Katie & I decided to a
ll dress up as each of the Queens from a deck of cards. We looked awesome! It's just too bad that the 2 parties we went to were kinda lame. Oh well. We still had a good time. Everybody loved our costumes, and we had fun parading around. The roommates are awesome. We all get along so well and we laugh tons. The house could not be filled with a better group of young ladies. If only Tasha were here, it would be just perfect! We always have a GREAT time hanging out and making eachother laugh. :)
Sunday, November 11, 2007
Williamsburg with Roommates
traveled to Colonial Williamsburg to enjoy a bit of history and a bit of silliness!! We really did have the best time. From the moment we checked in to our free room at the hotel (courtesy of Tasha), we were all laughs and craziness. We lost no time jumping on the beds and setting up the camera timer to catch us in mid-jump.When we finally did head in to the city, we enjoyed all the old-time shops and colonial-dressed people. Kind of a Nauvoo-type feel. We had a good time trying on different hats and walking around the gardens and homes. We stopped in one shop and
bought XXXsharp cheese with rolls. It was SOOO good! There also was this candy shop that was seriously amazing. TONS of different candy, and lots of different fudge.. YUM. Then of course we couldn't pass up getting us some ice cream at Baskin Robbins. We sure didn't hold back.
We then took a break from old town and played mini-golf at Pirate's Cove. Best mini-golf course
yet!! We took tons of pictures, which kept us entertained. But the layout was awesome. We even took a break mid-course to chow down on our cheese and bread.
The last day we were there, we went to the Glass-blowing house. That was pretty cool. We watched them put their pole in the hot furnace and blow the hot melty glass untill it turned in to something like a vase or pitcher or something else amazing. It was really fun to watch.
Then we headed back in to where the old-time restaurants are and ate at King's Tavern. It was awesome. We ate outside and flirted with our waiters. By the time we were finished with our meal, the whole patio was cleared of eaters. Pretty sure we drove them out. Haha. We were pretty loud and obnoxious, but all the male staff seemed to love us. From there, we headed the 3 hours home! It was a great trip and so much fun.
Then we headed back in to where the old-time restaurants are and ate at King's Tavern. It was awesome. We ate outside and flirted with our waiters. By the time we were finished with our meal, the whole patio was cleared of eaters. Pretty sure we drove them out. Haha. We were pretty loud and obnoxious, but all the male staff seemed to love us. From there, we headed the 3 hours home! It was a great trip and so much fun. Monticello with Katie
The last weekend in October 2007, Katie (one of my roommates) and I visited Monticello, which is the property where Thomas Jefferson lived. We toured the first level of his home, as well as his gardens. It was pretty incredible. The perfect day with perfect fall weather -- the trees were so beautiful. Turns out Thomas Jefferson is a bit of a genius. It was cool to see all his little knick-knacks in his house, and to hear the explanation of why he planted certain trees, and the formation of how he planted his garden. He sure was a thinker! Katie and I had a great time, and even had the chance to get a little silly. :)
<------That's me hanging upside down from a tree branch
The "Love Lies Bleeding" plant killed Katie------->
Trip with Michelle
Our next stop was NYC. We flew in to Long Island, since we had buddy passes from Michelle's mom. Southwest only flies in to Long Island -- no other part of NY. So we rented a car and drove a little over an hour to our FABULOUS Super 8 hotel. Ha. It was pretty gross. But a pretty good location. We took the subway in to the city, and it worked out great. We hit all the big things: Statu
Next stop: Philadelphia!! We did a lot of cool things in Philly. We visited the Liberty Bell, Independence Hall, City Hall, Franklin Square -- where Benjamin Franklin lived the last years of his life and had all his business surrounding him, Ben Franklin's Grave. We also saw the room where the Declaration of Independence was signed, which had the original chair that George Washington sat in, and Thomas Jefferson's original walking stick on one of the tables. It was really cool. Of course we had to experience a Philly Cheese Steak, so we broke for lunch and ordered. Mine was chicken, but it was still good. :) When we were done in old town, we headed to down town. We visited the "Rocky steps"
and also toured the Eastern State Penetintiary. That was spooky. We saw the jail cell that Al Capone lived in for a year. Pretty crazy.
and also toured the Eastern State Penetintiary. That was spooky. We saw the jail cell that Al Capone lived in for a year. Pretty crazy.
Once we were d
one with Philly, we headed on over to Gettysburg. But on the way, we saw signs for Valley Forge, so we took a detour and visited a statue of George Washington on his horse praying. I believe that the story is that he went in to the woods on the back of his horse and prayed for guidance in the war.
It was such a beautiful day. Perfect weather to have the windows and sunroof open. When we finally arrived at Gettysburg, we purchased the auto tour and listened to the stories on the CD as we drove to designated spots along the way. It was really neat, and we enjoyed ourselves. The views were just amazing and we kept marveling at the beauty of the autumn leaves and vast landscape. Crazy to imagine all the fighting that went on there. Anyway, all in all, we enjoyed ourselves immensely and thought the entire trip was a complete success!!
Wounded Soldiers

In September of 2007, I had the opportunity to take a tour of the Pentagon. But more important to me, was that I got to participate in a welcome of the wouded soldiers. There are a lot of soldiers who have come back from the war with major injuries. Most go to Walter Reed Medical center up in Bethesda to get treatment for their injuries. Every once in a while, those who are well enough are invited to go on a field trip to tour the Pentagon. A lot of times this is the first time that the soldiers have been out of the hospital. Their families are also invited to come on the tour with them. So, each time these soldiers come to the Pentagon, all personnell line up along one of the corridors with a little flag. The army band plays, and the wounded soldiers come walking, wheeling, hobbling down the corridor. Everybody claps and waves their flags. I had to plant a big fat smile on my face so that I wouldn't cry. The only time I almost lost it was when a mom was pushing her son in the wheelchair and she was bawling and thanking everyone. I had to look on to the next person or else I would have broken down. It was very touching. But I made sure to look each person in the eye and smile at them. It really breaks my heart to see these young people come back from the war zone. Some don't have any physical injuries, but the mental trauma they all go through is debilitating enough. I'm not quite sure how to feel about the war or what to agree with in regards to what we are or aren't doing over there, but I do know that my heart goes out to all those who go over there to fight for whatever cause they are told. The experience that day at the Pentagon was something I will never forget. I hope those soldiers who came through that day at least felt some of the appreciation that I was trying to demonstrate.
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