Old friends are the best

Old friends are the best and Marcy is one of my oldest. She knows all of my dirty little secrets and she loves me anyway.

We met Marcy, Bob, and their four kids in DC and stayed for the weekend. Then they followed us home. I think we were all a little concerned about 10 people in a 3 bedroom house, but it couldn't have gone smoother.

We laughed a lot, too much to write about. Here are just a few of the highlights;
Bob and the hot sauce incident.
1st roller coaster ride.
Using 2 bottles of ketchup at one meal.
Digging for fossils in our back yard.
VIMS touch tank.
Creating wii characters of our guests.
Seeing the White House.
Riding the Metro during the Cherry Blossom Festival.
The look on Bob's face after going for a motorcycle ride.
The look on Krystal face when I came out the dressing room. Her expression was priceless. I didn't have to ask her how I looked. It was a definite NO.

I could go on and on.

We miss you already. Come back soon.

"Aaaaaarmy training Sir"

Since most of my military knowledge comes from movies like "Stripes" and "Private Benjamin", it was cool to see the real thing. My FC (Favorite Cousin), and his battalion have been training at Fort AP Hill, which is only about an hour from my home. FYI, Fort AP Hill is a war training facility.

I haven't seen FC since GG pasted about three years ago. We spent the first part of the visit catching up. Then I got the grand tour. There wasn't much to see. I counted six or so white cinder block buildings. The buildings were just as plain on the inside as they were on the outside. I am considering turning them into HGTV for a makeover. Next we took a drive around the base. We made a quick stop at the artillery range. I attached a video. I hope it works.

The experience was really cool and I felt privileged to go see FC and meet some of the men that work so hard and have given up so much for our country. I don't think I could do what they do.

On a lighter note. The strangest thing about my visit was seeing FC in action. As kids we ran around the farm and acted stupid together. Since I don't know who will be reading this I wont be giving any details. I don't want to undermine his authority. You just have to trust me that we were good at being stupid and getting into trouble. Now he is in command 800 men! And I would like to add that he is good at it. I could tell that his men not only respected him but they liked him too. But whats not to like?

Thanks again for inviting me. Stay safe.

ps I could not get the video to work. Try back later.

Chance of Snow, Snow Day

I thought all you snowbound Yankees would get a kick out of this. I know I did. Last night there was a chance of 3 to 5" of snow. Before one snowflake fell the whole Eastern Seaboard went into lock down. The grocery stores were stripped bare. It was announced on the 11:00 news that schools, colleges, and some factories would be closed in the morning. V-Dot was out all night putting brine on the roads. The best part is we did not get any snow. In fact I don't recall seeing a snow cloud.

Drill Baby Drill

Tuesday our well went dry.
Wednesday we called a plumber hoping it was the pump. We weren't so lucky.
Thursday we called a well digger and got and emergency well permit.
Friday it rained all day. Did you know you can't drill in the rain? Either did I.
Saturday the big drill rig sunk in the mud and had to be towed out.
Sunday is Holy Day.
Monday we had a logging road put down so the trucks could get to the back yard.
Monday night about 8:00 we had water!

We were able to take showers at the fitness center and our neighbor, Jerry, let us fill containers so we could flush. It was interesting to say the least. All in all it wasn't so bad. Every time I got frustrated I would think of my family members who were going far worse situations and it helped keep things in perspective.

A Great Day For Art

What a fun day. Two of our favorite things, dogs and art. Our local library sponsored a free art class "All Gestured Up with a Dog." The artist, Kendra Wadsworth, was awesome. But as you can see her assistant Cassie Mae stole the show.

I sat in on the class because the girls were feeling shy that morning. I'm glad I did because I enjoyed watching the children create. They didn't stress out about what others think, staying in the lines, or what colors to use. They we just happy to be there.

The class was made up of about 10 high school, middle school, and elementary school age kids. Kendra did and excellent job of teaching to every age group. The teens in the class were very polite and a great role model for the younger kids.

We'd love to see Kendra and Cassie Mae come back for more classes.

Going For Gold

My friend Katie and I won best couple at a Halloween party last weekend. We were dressed as gold metal synchronized swimmers. We had a lot of fun putting this costume together. My favorite part is the vintage swim caps Katie found on line.

Chalk Fest '08

Better late than never. I am so far behind on my posts that I can't remember if Goo (Goo is a nick name her best friend gave her) got 2nd or 3rd place. Bad mommy. She won 2 movie tickets with popcorn and drinks, plus one free art class of her choice at the Bay School for the Arts.