So much has been happening! I'm not sure where to start! I guess I'll start with the boys.

Christopher was nominated as one of the Students of the Month for September. (I'll try to get a scan of the newspaper picture up soon.) He has really enjoyed marching band this year and even thinks that he wants to pursue a career as a high school music teacher. He has gotten very serious about his trumpet playing, too. He has decided to enter the Solo and Ensemble Competition in January. We took him to a college fair last week, so he's already considering where he will go in just 2.5 years! Science Olympiad starts this coming week and he's anxious for the new season of competition.

Ian finished his football season today. His team did really well with a 7-2 record! He really enjoyed being on the team, but he doesn't think he'll play in future years. Marching band is one of Ian's favorite things now--he's first-chair in the trombone section! That's pretty good for a freshman! He's really enjoying high school--and especially his Computer Science class. He thinks that he probably wants to pursue a career that has to do with computers and criminal science.

Scott played the piano today for a good friend's wedding. I had forgotten how much I enjoy listening to him play. He's been extremely busy with work, putting in about 50 hours most weeks. He's hoping that things will settle down eventually in that area. Two of the photos that Scott took on our Washington DC trip have been chose for inclusion in the newly released fourth edition of the Schmap Washington DC Guide. They are in the U.S. Marine Corps War Memorial (Iwo Jima) section (click through the pictures to see his "by line") You can also see the full-size photos here and here.

I'm going to be taking over leadership for our local Celiac Support Network, so I've been working on a website for that, making decisions on some changes, lining up guest speakers, etc. I'm excited about the possibilities; I think there are a lot of people in the Barry County area who would benefit from our group, but just don't know that it exists.

My cousin, Brady, who is finishing up a degree in computer animation, recently had some of his artwork published in his school's promotional brochure! The model in the picture is Lisa, a break-dancing skateboarder, who will be a character in his video game that he will be designing. Click to enlarge photo, of course!

Labels: Celiac, family, school, sports, Washington DC, work

We got up early today and went to Arlington National Cemetary. We saw the changing of the guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. It was really cool. It's amazing to see how many people are buried at Arlington--and how nicely the grounds are kept. We saw where the Kennedy family is buried and the memorials to the astronauts who died in the Columbia and Challenger incidents. Scott & Ian took a long walk and saw the Iwo Jima Memorial, too.


From Arlington, we went to the American Indian Museum. Scott especially wanted the boys to see some of their Indian heritage. The architecture of the museum was really cool. The cafeteria there even had labeled gluten-free items! The coolest part, though, had to be that we actually found what we think were direct links to Scott's family. The dolls pictured here were made by a woman with the last name of Printup (Scott's mom's maiden name)--and there was an audio presentation by another woman with the last name of Printup. How cool is that? The Seneca tribe didn't have an actual display, yet, but we were assured that it was only a matter of time.

The Air and Space Museum was our next stop. It was pretty crowded that afternoon, so we didn't stay very long, as we knew that we would be back later in the week for the Postal Forum Gala.



Scott and Ian took the Metro to the National Postal Museum. They said it was pretty cool. Scott got a really neat souvenir there--an antique post office box with a two-dial combination lock. Very cool!

Labels: American Indian, Arlington, Printup, Seneca, Tomb of Unknown Soldier, Washington DC

By the second or third day, we were very familiar with the Metro system (subway). It was pretty amazing how much this city was designed for pedestrians--the subway and the traffic lights that told you how many seconds remained for you to walk before the light changed. The lack of parking and expensive cost to park really encourage the residents to use public transportation instead of owning a car.

Day 3 was all about the pandas. This picture was taken when Tai Shan came right up to the glass where we were standing. The blurriness is caused from the fog/moisture that the zoo puts into the air to make the habitat seem like a rain forest atmosphere. Tai Shan is 20 months old and will be returned to China in a few months. He was totally adorable!

We took a TON of photos of the pandas...just follow the link below to see more!

See all the photos here, along with descriptions of many of the photos.

Labels: panda, travel, vacation, Washington DC, zoo

Today was filled with a LOT of walking and a lot of monuments/museums. It was a busy, but fun day. We started out early and saw one of the new R2D2 mailboxes on our walk. It was really cool. They're unveiling the new Star Wars stamp at the gala on Wednesday night. We're secretly hoping that George Lucas will be there in honor of the event. They're not saying much, though, so we'll have to wait and see. Scott's trying to get 3 extra tickets, so we can all go.

We got in lines very early to get tickets to see the Holocaust Museum (no photos allowed) and the Washington Monument (inside). We couldn't get tickets beforehand, so we were really surprised to be able to get in to BOTH on this day. The Washington Monument was amazing. When you stand at the base, you think it goes on forever! We took a bunch of pictures from inside, too. We weren't allowed to take any pictures at the Holocaust Museum.

While we were waiting for our scheduled times for the above, we were able to visit several other sites on the National Mall. (BTW, with a name like "National Mall", you'd think you'd be able to do some shopping, right? Not so.)

We saw the WWII Memorial, the Vietnam and Korean Memorials, and the Lincoln Monument. We also went on a tour of the Bureau of Engraving and Printing, which was pretty fascinating (no photos allowed inside). The view from the top of the Washington Monument was really cool, but we were all a little disappointed with the Holocaust Museum (just a little too depressing for our taste).

See all the photos here, along with descriptions of many of the photos.

Labels: family, travel, vacation, Washington DC

Well, it's been almost a year in the planning, but we have finally arrived in Washington DC. Scott's position as the Mail Coordinator at RBC Ministries brings us here for the National Postal Forum. We decided to make the trip as a family last year after Scott found out that the conference would be in DC. It was really a place that we wanted to take the boys.

We didn't get much sleep this week, as much of our time was spent packing and getting ready to go. In hindsight, I should have taken the day before we left as a vacation day, but such is life.

So, we drove to my Aunt Jeannine and Uncle Randy's last night and spent the night. We had a good time catching up with them for a few hours. Aunt Jeannine spoiled with pizza and pop and even found a gluten-free pizza for me! We're hoping to see the rest of the family during our return visit. We haven't had a chance to see the baby (Aaron), yet. He's really adorable in the pictures we've seen.


The boys LOVED the flight. It was the first flight that they remember. The only other time they were on a plane was when they were both under 2 years old.


Once in DC, we settled into our hotel room and went to Chinatown for lunch, since it was only a few blocks away. The arch in Chinatown is beautiful and there are quite a few restaurants to enjoy. We went to Fuddruckers the first night, which was very good. We were all tired, so we just took it easy the first night. Scott & the boys went in the pool and we ordered a pizza.

Labels: family, travel, vacation, Washington DC