Air & Space Museum

Saturn Rings (This picture doesn't even begin to do it justice)

The most important space craft in US History =)

The Natural History Museum

Ricky and I on the steps waiting for Kenneth and Krisitne

Two Extremes of Cooperation

No Cooperation: Happy never got out of the water

Total Cooperation: How adorable!

Washington DC Part II

Washington DC Part II: The Zoo, A Museum or Two and a Hypochondriac with a Heat Rash

So on the second day of DC we were lucky because we had an extra person joining us. Our friend Toni who allowed us to crash at her house was off work and joined us for a day of fun. We started out at the National Zoo. I kept hearing from a great deal of people that the animals were really far away and it was hard to take really good pictures. I suppose we were fortunate because the animals decided they wanted to be extremely active while we were there, but it did take them a few minutes to get warmed up. One of the first exhibits you can see is the Asian exhibit where they have the pandas. This was avery popular exhibit since there are very few zoos in the world that actually have them. A large crowd of people were walking the perimeter trying to catch a glimpse, but there were no pandas to be found. Just as we were about to leave, Ricky stops and catches something moving. The panda was all the way in the back of the viewing area and not being very cooperative. I took a few photos from far away, but after he made one laid around the back, he moved his way right up against the railing. If I didnt know any better, you would swear they trained this panda to pose. He went from position to position and would stop so that he wasnt moving. It was great. I have posted just panda pictures as you will probably see in the next blog.

After the great luck we had with the pandas we were hoping that we would luck out with the rest of the animals as well. And wouldn't you know, with the exception of Happy the Hippo, all of the other animal were extremely cooperative. Some were a little too cooperative because they wouldnt stop moving. I took so many zoo pictures its a wonder I didn't fill up the memory card.

After the zoo we figured we were in animal mode so we decided to head to the Natural History Museum. Kenneth and Kristine had done the Natural History Museum while we went to see Star Trek the night before so they headed out to see the Supreme Court Building and the Capitol. After my last trip to DC in 2002 I had gotten a tour of the Capitol Building so I had pretty much seen that particular aspect of DC already. The Natural History Museum was very nice and had a great deal of changes since the last time I was there. The Hope diamond display was a nice display since the last time I saw it, it was in a little hole in the wall. Now it has this nice case in the center of the room. The only problem is that there are so many people that crowd around it. I can only imagine this crowd is what it would have felt like trying to see the Mona Lisa in the Louvre. We took a great deal of pictures and then we met back up with Kenneth and Kristine.

We all decided it was time to go to the Air and Space Museum. We walked across the mall and headed in. They had the usual pieces, but they also had this amazing photography exhibit of images of Saturn. They were absolutely gorgeous. They had one image that was about 2 feet high but the length of an entire wall that broke apart one of the rings by color. It was incredible. Ricky was distraught because apparently the plane that his grandfather had worked on was no longer at the museum. We think it may have been moved to the new museum near Dulles, but we don't know for sure. All we know is that the little model of the plane is in the clearance section of the gift shop.

The day had been gorgeous once again and I remembered to wear sunscreen, BUT I encountered a slightly problem. Since I wore sunscreen, I managed to avoid burning any further, but i also managed to internally overheat causing a major case of heat rash. Now I live in Florida and one would think that this would happen frequently, but it doesn't. The problem that I had was that I was wearing sneakers (normally I wear flip flops to let the heat escape through my feet) and in combination with the thick sunscreen, my body was not having it. From my knees down I was one entire heat rash. i of course being the calm sensible person I am freaked out completely. I was worried that it was something else, and I could not for the life of me calm down. When we got back to Toni's place I took cool towels and placed them on my legs, but it wasn't until i took a shower that things started to get better. It was not the most pleasant experience I will say that. Fortunately, I did wake up the next morning and everything was gone, but I decided to move forth with sunscreen and I wore my flip flops.

...to be continued...

FINALLY!

After two weeks of online classes without the online part being available, we finally got the word today that we are getting internet between 9AM and 12PM tomorrow. Which means by the time I get off work tomorrow I will be reconnected to the world. I am so excited. Soon I will be back in the warm clutches of modern technology and convenience. Things should start to get back to normal soon thank goodness!

I heart internet!

Some Pictures from the FDR Memorial

This is a random family, but I thought the number of people was good so I snapped a picture too

More Pictures From Part I

Ricky relaxing with George Mason

Korean Memorial

Lincoln Memorial

World War I Memorial

One side of the World War II Memorial (Its an entire circle..)

Washington DC Part I

The White House

Ricky and I at the Iwo Jima Memorial

Ricky and I in the National Mall with the Capitol Building in the background

Ricky and I sitting inside the Jefferson Memorial.. there is such a nice breeze through the building

Ricky and I in front of the WWII Memorial Fountains

Part I: The Nightmare of a Day followed by the longest walk ever....

Thursday morning we woke up bright and early because we were planning on leaving the house at 7:15AM. Barb was extremely kind and agreed to take us so we didn't have to pay an outrageous amount for parking in or around the airport. We managed to get everything packed into the car and made our way successfully to the airport. We successfully and quite efficiently made our way through security, boarded the plane and took us. An hour later we were in Atlanta, a Delta hub (keep this in mind). Under normal circumstances, I have been very fond of Delta since they have managed to transport me successfully to and from my destinations with ease, but for some reason, this trip was not slated to be an easy one. 

We had about an hour and a half lay over in Atlanta so we got something to eat and were relaxing back at our gate. Once it started to get close to boarding time, a lady comes over the speaker and explains that the air circulation system is not working on the plane and that they might have to put us on another plane as standby passengers. Aside from the fact that our plane was supposed to be full that was not the information we wanted to hear. So we waited for updates, but all the while I was thinking to myself, "This is a Delta Hub... one would think they would have an extra plane or 2 standing by in case something like this happened.." About 20 minutes later they tell us that our gate has changed but that we will all be on the flight departing at 1:10PM. This wasn't so bad because we were originally supposed to leave at 12:30. So all the passengers made their way to the gate and waited for the other plane. Then the next announcement comes on... If you are waiting to get on this flight we need you to form a line so that we can see who we can get on this plane since it is pretty full.... We all freaked out.. what do you mean its full??? So panicked we all got in line. After about five minutes they came over the speaker to specify that the page was only supposed to be people who did not already have a confirmed seat. Ugh.... Finally we boarded and eventually arrived in Baltimore. Needless to say our 90 minutes layover turned into a 3 hour layover. 

So you might be thinking to yourself, well at least you made it to Baltimore... and my response would be, yeah.. but wait til you hear the rest of the story... So when I looked online to figure out how to get to DC the directions online said that all you have to do it take the train straight in. Well great that works for me.  The only problem was that you couldn't actually do that. We had to board a bus that took us to the metro station that was 30 miles away and then take the Metro in. Unfortunately, we didn't realize that the bus only takes cash and it only takes exact currency unless you don't want to get the extra funds back. So since I had gotten my cash out of an ATM all I had were 20's. Since the bus fare was 3.10 I would have been wasting a lot of money to go on this bus. So we decided to take a taxi. The problem was, at the time we didn't realize the station was 30 miles away. So after we start driving the cab driver says that for an extra 20 he would take us all the way to Crustal City where Kenneth's hotel was so the fare would be 80 instead of 60. We all of a sudden were confused. We didn't know the station was so far away and it confused us that it was only a $3 bus ride but a $60 cab ride. So after getting into a tiff with the cab driver he only got part of his fare and no tip and we called it a mistake. After that we just decided to cut our losses and get on the next bus and as irony would have it the money machine on the bus was broken so we didn't have to pay that fare. 

Once we got to the Metro Station we spoke to a very nice individual who helped us figure out what fare we needed for the final potion of our trip. He also told us that the Hilton my brother was staying at was right off the metro station exit. So we ride the metro, exchange cars and eventually discover that certain trains do not run during rush hour. After all of this we finally arrive at the metro station and exit to the road. A giant Marriott stood in our view, but no sign of a Hilton. Now I have stayed at this Hilton before but I flew directly into DC and had a taxi take me to the hotel, so I had no idea where I was. After much arguing and debate the Hilton Crystal City shuttle just happened to pull up. Finally we got Kenneth and Kristine settled into the hotel, made arrangements for the following day and called it a night. 

We met up with Toni at her place and went out for some dinner. If anyone is familiar with the program Top Chef, a few seasons ago there was a contestant named Spike. He happened to have a burger joint down from Toni's apartment so we decided to have dinner there. It was absolutely delicious. One of the best burgers I have ever had. 

Day 2 (Day 1 in DC)

We decided to meet Kenneth and Kristine at the Metro Station near their hotel to start the morning early. Museums didn't open until 10 so we were going to hit up the monuments first. We walked into the Mall area and had some Starbucks and decided since we were already on Pennsylvania Ave that we would try and see the White House. Since 2002 when I was in DC last, the White House is much more protected than it used to be. You used to be able to walk right up to the black fence, but now you are standing at an incredibly different distance. We took a few pictures, but were promptly pushed away because Michelle Obama decided to take the dog out onto the front lawn. Since we did get pictures though we decided to head over to the Washington Monument. Then the walking continued.. We saw in the course of approximately 8 hours all of the following... White House, Washington Monument, WWII Memorial, WWI Memorial, Vietnam Memorial, Lincoln Memorial, Korean Memorial, FDR Memorial, George Mason Memorial, Jefferson Memorial, and finally made our way back to the American History Museum. Let me tell you how bad my shins hurt that day. I must say though, out of all the memorials we saw, I liked the FDR Memorial the most. It was the first time I had ever seen this particular memorial and unlike the others that are large buildings with one statue, this one had multiple statues of FDR including him in his wheelchair, his dog, Eleanor, and even things like people listening to radios and standing in unemployment lines. On the walls of the memorial were quotes cut into the stone and each term of his presidency was marked on the walkway. The coolest part however were the waterfalls. Depending on the status of the country during certain times during his terms the water would indicate if it was calm or chaos. For the calm part the waterfall was just a trickle, while the chaotic parts had rushing waters. It was breathtaking. 

After a day of walking (and since it was Friday) Ricky, Toni, and I had tickets to see Star Trek in IMAX. Oh yes.. I love IMAX. The movie was pretty good considering it was a director that I was not fond of, but I do think that most of the film was good. The only casting issues I had was using Harold as Sulu. I couldn't get his previous roles out of my head because he really isn't that good of an actor. 

It was along day, but we managed to survive the trek...pun intended... and we were looking forward to the next day since Toni was going to be able to join us for the day. 

...to be continued....

Quick Reminders and Info

Just a couple quick things...

* Remember the Move-N-Que is this weekend, Saturday May 16th starting at 8AM. If you are available and are willing to move some boxes and furniture your efforts will be rewarded. We went to Sam's today and lets just say we are keeping them in business with all the food that we have purchased.

* Also, I know I need to post about DC. I will no worries... its coming soon I promise. 

* Finally, for those of you who are interested, I got all A's this semester and am currently working a 4.0 GPA for grad school. Now I just have to make it through the summer... many prayers are needed.

Are you sure its called Fun Spot??

Ricky and I in Old Town

Annika's sister Nikki enjoying the ride (and a blurred Ricky)

Annika and Alana getting ready to drive the go karts

Go Kart Fun

Everyone going through the Fun House

So prior to departing for our trip to DC, Ricky and I were invited to spend the evening with Dave and Annika. Since it was Teacher Appreciation Week, teachers were allowed to bring in 4 guests to Fun Spot for only $5. This price was great considering the armbands that we received would normally cost us $50. 

So we met up with Dave and Annika in Old Town for dinner prior to heading over to Fun Spot. I managed to make a total mess of my shirt (that will teach me to wear white..) and yet dinner was still very nice. 

After dinner we walked over to Fun Spot and met up with Annika's family to get our armbands. Once everyone was squared away the real fun began. First a few people from our group wanted to go on the equivalent of the Himalaya ride that they have at the fair. Although I am not sure what it was actually called, it was basically the same thing. I opted out of this particular ride since it has had a tendency to make me very ill in the past and I really wanted to ride on the go karts. The parts of out group that went seemed to have a good time, but I was definitely ready for some go kart action. 

Here is where the Fun in Fun Spot became ironic. Everyone gets into a go kart and we begin to rev up the engines. We are all set and the attendant moves the cone away so that we could be on our way. Unlike everyone else on the entire track, I got the go kart that maybe maxed out at walking speed. I cannot express how many times I got lapped with my foot literally at pedal to the metal position. Unfortunately, I drove myself around slowly, but figured that the next time I will just stay away from that particular kart. So after we finished that track we decided to go hit the other track. This time I was hoping for better luck, but I wasn't going to hold my breath. 

We all get into a go kart and once again are ready to go. This time when I pushed the gas down, I really started to move. I was excited. Finally, I was not being lapped by every person on the track, much less multiple times. So as the light turned yellow and it was time to go in, I slowed down just like most of the other drivers. Unfortunately, as I was coming in, a punk kid two cars behind me decides that he didn't want to slow down and nails the kid behind me which in turn causes me to jolt forward and get a major case of whiplash. My head slammed against the back of the go kart chair and all of a sudden I felt this pain running up my neck and across my forehead. Awesome... After filling out an incident report and getting a bag of ice to put on my neck I managed to continue through the evening. Unfortunately, the Fun didn't end there. 

We continued through Fun Spot and I watched as everyone else went on the other go kart track and down the slides and to be honest, it was fun to watch the younger kids having a good time (Keegan and Alana seemed to be having a great time). Just before we left, everyone decided that they wanted to go through the fun house. So I was snapping pictures and watching everyone have a blast. Alana enjoyed it so much that she wanted to go multiple times. Unfortunately, on her last trip through she managed to face plant into the concrete when she tripped over a lip that was near the end of the slide. She managed to bust her chin open a bit and once again the MOD of Fun Spot came to our rescue. 

After that we decided it was time to call it a night. I must say though, Alana was a real trooper because although she had a busted chin, she was more upset about the fact that we had to leave than she was about her accident. Although the evening was filled with bandaids, incident reports, and a little blood here and there, it was nice to be able to spend some time with everyone and enjoy each other's company. Hopefully next time we will leave out the blood and the necessity for an ice pack. 

Odds and Ends to Buy

So it is a very interesting proposition to move into a house that doesn't have all the bits and pieces that you use on a regular basis. For example, in the current house that we are renting, they have a built in entertainment center. All of our electronics fit nicely into the cut out sections and everything has its place. The new house however does not, so that meant we added a new tv stand to the list of purchases. Also at our current house our homeowner cuts our lawn so we had no need for a lawnmower. At the new house we have to cut the grass so onto the purchase list it went. The purchases aren't just big things though. The past few houses that we have rented have had things like garbage cans, but onto the list that went as well. Just to give an example of the additional purchases made:

* Garbage Cans

* Lawnmower

* Washer & Dryer

* TV Stand

* DVD Racks

* Mounts for our surround sound speakers

* Sound card for Ricky's computer (since the office will be next to the TV now)

The list goes on... granted we didn't necessarily "need" everything that we have purchased, but Ricky and I are trying to finally piece together our own furniture that we purchased as a couple instead of the pieces that we have pieced together. 

We are very excited about the new house and we appreciate any help that will be provided on the 16th. I must say the thought of packing up everything again is not overly appealing, but at least its only a 5 mile or so move instead of the trek from Deltona. 

SO if anyone is not busy on Saturday the 16th of May and would like a free meal we are looking for volunteers. =)