phase 5: SVU, goats, beautiful 'little mountain'

Southern Virginia University, a quaint little uni. Look at those porches! Seth made us stop here to reminisce his old college days...

A stop at Virginia's Natural Bridge...

...where I got attacked by that black and white goat. She was eating every leaf in site and cantered over to me, licked my arm and started in on my sleeve. I {kinda} screamed, she reared back and put her head down ready to attack, then decided I was waay to intimidating ;) and jumped off the rock fence, bringing a big chunk of it down. Random, kinda frightening and totally funny.

Monticello: meaning 'little mountain' in Italian.

It was one of my favorite places. Gorgeous. I now want to read a biography on Thomas Jefferson; what a conflicted, interesting, brilliant man. He really made me want to garden, more than I already do! Someday...

phase 4: the bloodiest battle, the hottest day

antietam: the bloodiest day of the entire war (not the bloodiest battle, but the bloodiest single day), 22,717 casualties. I didn't take too many pictures of that place except the one below at the visitor's center. The whole group absolutely loved our guide who made the battle come to life - go Keith Snyder!

This bridge was called Burnside's bridge where many, many men were killed and hardly anything or any ground was won from the battle.

Harper's Ferry: the hottest day of the freakin trip. That day was rough. But the town was cute and so much history took place there. So I was glad I got to see it.

I just liked these two pictures. That's all :)

See - cute town.

oy vey

I found out a little bit more about my back. My MRI showed NO arthritis! Hurray! However, it does show a slipped or herniated disk in my lower back with a tear in it. So that's no fun either. Sooo.... treatment; apparently it's kind of a crap shoot if it ever heals. What he said we're going to try first is a epidural cortisone shot. Sounds fun doesn't it? I'm a tad worried. Because I just went on a long vacation, I'm trying to close on my home, and I've had a few doctor visits, I'm reticent about taking more time off. So I will be getting my cortisone shot and heading straight to work. Apparently I have to have someone else drive me to and from because my legs will be a little numb. So thanks mom and hubby for offering!

Happenings on our new home. We're not moved in yet.... boo!! Although it was nice to be able to have a few extra days to pack, this delay is verging on ridiculous. Apparently now we can't move in this Saturday, due to the underwriters asking for more and more stuff. Now they have all their paperwork and we're just waiting on the appraisal or some such nonsense? Aaarg. Either way, now it looks as though we'll sign Friday which means the home has to have 24 hours to fund and record, then we'll potentially move on Monday. Who moves on a Monday? Geesh.

Instead of moving on Saturday like planned, I'll be packing more, and finally making my way to Wally-world (Wal-Mart for those of you who aren't down with the WT lingo) for groceries that I wasn't going to buy till after we moved but when you are eating solely canned stuff every night it means you've reaching critical mass.

But yay for a new home! Someday...

phase 3: gettysburg

Gettysburg: I fell in love with you.

This town was so quaint and lovely, here's a few pics to get an idea.

Peaches for sale? How adorable. I'm in. Love peaches and nectarines. Both favorites.

A malt shop too? Are you kiddin me? Loving it.

This ball underneath the window was an actual cannonball from the battle at Gettysburg. Crazy.

Lincoln head, "Four score and seven years ago..."

This is the section of the battle from the South's point of view; where the fatal Pickett's charge took place and changed the entire course of the war.

These next few pictures were taken on or around Little Round Top hill where Colonel Chamberlain, played by Jeff Daniels in the movie Gettysburg, solidifies the North's win. LOVED that part in the movie. Watch it if you're going there.

These two pictures were taken on the North's side of Pickett's charge, again, the movie made this part of the battlefield really come to life because you knew some of the stories that made this such an instrumental, horrifying, and touching piece of ground. It was really special to be able to visit that sacred place.

part 2: phili and amish country

Philadelphia, a huge, wonderful surprise. From my friend, Kaesha, who went to school out there I kind of assumed Phili was the ghetto. Probably just where she went to school was because historic downtown was the cutest and hippest little 'ol place. I wished we'd had more time to spend there, not just in the historic part but out and about.

The liberty bell and us.

Independence Hall (where the Declaration of Independence was signed) and us.

The best Phili cheese steak I've ever had. Bravo Sonny's!

Us at the former house of Benji Franklin (there really is only a wall left).

Amish country, (Lancaster, Philadelphia), I will see you again soon. Promise. I loved this place. Unfortunately we only got to spend one evening there and didn't really see anything Amish, other than the occasional horse and carriage rushing past with me frantically fiddling with my camera to try and snap a picture. Sadly the best picture I got was from inside the car zooming by.

Dave and I went 'Amish hunting' that night, with not much success. We saw several Amish carriages but my camera just really couldn't get a good one that late at night. Instead we tried to entice the cows with some grass. It wasn't until Dave shocked himself that we realized it wasn't us they were afraid of, but the fence!

Please forgive the rat's nest at the back of my head...

part I: two days in d.c.

D.C. What a beautiful place! I loved all the architecture out there - so quaint. So... Full House (which I know was not filmed in D.C., but still cute).


The Jefferson Memorial building. Very beautiful place, reminiscent of his home, Monticello.


I don't have a picture of where we went next, The Holocaust Museum; so haunting. But afterward we were starving and the only place to eat that is remotely close was a hot dog stand that charged an arm and a leg ($6). So below is the worst and most expensive hot dog I have ever eaten.

The Washington Monument.

Dave and I at the base. That thing is ginormous!

Part of the crew sitting by the Washington Monument.

Me and my awkward self portrait; trying to get the White House in the background.

I made the boys, Seth and Dave, venture with me into Soho to go to one of my favorite shops, H & M. Thanks for the patience boys! This picture was just on our way there. It reminded me of something from the turn of the century with it's stripey window coverings.

Day 2: the rally and sweets.

I took this picture from atop of the Washington Monument right at 10 a.m., the beginning of the rally. I made Dave wait in line with me for like 45 min. to get a ticket to go to the top. Pretty rad. 555 feet up in the air. Dave could have sworn he felt it swaying.

Us with the Lincoln Memorial in the background. Crazy. TONS of people. I've never seen so many people. And crazy hot! That muggy east-coast weather is not for me! Next time I got out east I'm thinking spring or fall are the only ways to go.


Us at the rally. Dave sleeping, well he was right up until I took this pic, I joined him later. We're both very political if you can't tell ;)

Okay I think I have the biggest sweet tooth of anyone alive. I saw this business featured on the Food Network, one of my favorite channels, like 4 years ago. When we went to D.C. three years ago I made Dave come check it out with me. Pretty dang good. So when I found out our hotel was right next to another location we HAD to go. No exceptions. When in there a cute little black girl and I started window shopping and picking out our favorite sweets. When I was leaning over she grabbed my hair and started smelling it. Confused I asked "does it smell good? or bad?" She responded "who done yo hair??" Then her mom noticed and said "girl, get yo face outta her hair! whattcho doin?" It was so funny. I think she thought I dyed it or something.

Cake Love. Already gotta love the name.

Oooh yes. Delicious. The cupcakes were meh, but my raspberry cake was awesome.

Hopefully I'll get a minute to post the other pictures from our trip. Stay tuned.

a slice of life, in pictures, finally

a new adorable nephew...
a little sister engaged...
a good time at bear lake...
an evan's family reunion game with a cookie...

Louis

Bre and Addison, the happy couple

a lazy summer day at the beach

a lazy bum on the beach

a game of getting a cookie from your forhead to your mouth without using your hands, you try it! more difficult than it looks!