I wish I was camping this weekend..somewhere up north like at Itasca State Park.

My garden

Two months ago I started growing seeds inside so that when spring finally came I could plant a garden. This weekend the weather was finally nice enough so that I could prep the garden and plant my seeds. Now, I just need to get something up before the rabbits eat all of the vegetables.

Memorial Day

For some people Memorial Day marks the end of school, the beginning of summer, a paid holiday at work, the Indianapolis 500, or a three day weekend to travel somewhere else. Sometimes we forget the significance of the holiday. This is the holiday where we remember those who gave the ultimate sacrifice, their life, for our country. James and I took a recent trip to Washington D.C. where we found time to visit Arlington National Cemetary. Looking out over 220,000 grave sites says a lot about the sacrifices those people made to keep us free.

A quick, but much needed trip

Last week James and I took a quick trip out to Washington, D.C. We arrived late on Wednesday night, but due to other pre-scheduled things we could not start touring until Friday afternoon. We toured Friday afternoon and all day on Saturday. We saw as much as we could, but really only made it to the big sites like the Capital, the White House, the memorials on The Mall, and Arlington National Cemetry. There are SO many places to see while you are there that you definitely cannot do it all in one day, one week, or probably even one month if you were to truly take time to see everything.

Every time I visit D.C. I get chills when I think about all of the great things that many of these memorials and other sites represent. Whether they are events or famous Americans they represent so much of our country's history. I do not have a favorite place to visit while I am there because they each mean something. While in many cases I have not had direct involvement with anything, they all have had an impact on my life as an American.

James and me at the White House.

Waiting

I'm always waiting for my husband. He moves at his own pace, which is usually slower than mine. Now I am waiting to go to the pool after a long day of touring.Waiting for James to finish GPSing our spot on The Mall in D.C. today

The Metro

James and I made it to D.C. on Wednesday. We opted not to rent a car, so we planned our trip around the Metro. The Metro will take you everywhere you can imagine, and if you are willing to walk up to a 1/2 mile, then you can get even further. Even better...it's inexpensive! The stations are clean, the ride is fast and I feel very safe taking it.

It's so much fun walking around pretending you are a local once you get the hang of the system. Put the ticket in and then walk through. You cannot go wrong! Yes, it can be crowded (especially during rush hour), but that is what makes it fun--well it seems fun because you are the tourist.

If only Minneapolis-St. Paul could get a system like this. Maybe some day!

Getting Ready

Everytime I plan a trip...even if it's only to grandma's house in Nebraska I like to start packing early. James always gives me grief since he likes to pack last minute (usually the morning or last hour before we leave). I like to be organized though and make sure that we have everything. I start to panic if not everything is ready at least a day in advance.

Wednesday we leave for Washington D.C. for just a short trip, but I started getting out my clothes on Friday night, and now that it's Sunday I am printing maps and getting everything else ready to go.

James only wonders how long it will be before I start packing for our January trip to Africa. Maybe I'll start next week...

Before our trip to Seattle in May/June 2007. Fred is sad that we are leaving.