I'm baaack!!

Wow .... we returned home last night and it sure was good to sleep in my own bed.  You know that old saying, it's fun to travel but great to be back home!!  Our return trip on Delta was not as bad as the one trying to get to DC, but it was not without delays.  Guess that's what you get for traveling in the summer.  Everything was good - we got to Baltimore airport a little early and made the trip to Atlanta with no problems.  Atlanta flight was on time, BUT .... because of traffic in Charlotte, we had to sit on the Atlanta runway for 40 minutes!!  Ironic since the flight from Atlanta to Charlotte is only 40 minutes!!  Then, it took forever for our baggage to come down the ramp.  We finally made it home around 9 pm ready to just "veg." 

Here's a run-down on a lot of what we did while in DC.  I had to write it all down or I'd forget!!

Friday:  Ashley had to work so Sonny & I dropped her off and went to a great little deli near Walter Reed for lunch.  That night, we went to the Green Turtle and watched our Pittsburgh Penguins beat the Detroit Red Wings in Game 7 of the STANLEY CUP!!

Saturday:  Drove out to Fort Meyer so Ashley could get some ribbons, etc. for her uniform for her promotion.  After wandering around the PX, we went to the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center near Washington Dulles International Airport.  It is part of the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum and is the companion facility to the Museum on the National Mall.  It provides enough space for the Smithsonian to display the thousands of aviation and space artifacts that cannot be exhibited on the National Mall. The two sites together showcase the largest collection of aviation and space artifacts in the world.

Sunday:  We went to church, had breakfast at the Georgetown Cafe in Bethesda and went to the National Cathedral.  Ashley and I had toured it before but Sonny never had so we took the guided tour.  That night we went to Wolf Trap to see The Ultimate Doo-Wop Show.  It  featured:  The Drifters, Jimmy Beaumont & The Skyliners, The Contours, Willie Rogers & The Soul Stirrers, The Clovers, Randy & the Rainbows, The Marcels, The Edsels, and The Blue Suede Orchestra.  We were singing to these hits:  “Under the Boardwalk,” “Do You Love Me,” “Love Potion No. 9,” and “Blue Moon,” with artists featured in the popular PBS special.  It was great!!  I even got Sonny up to dance a couple of times!

Monday:  We had Ashley's ceremony at the National Archives Museum.  (Read blog post HERE and HERE)  We went to the top of the Washington Memorial which was an awesome view of the city!!

Then we headed to the Smithsonian American History Museum where we saw such things as Julia Child's Kitchen, Dorothy's Red Ruby Slippers, Kermit the Frog, Edith & Archie's chairs, Roberto Clemente's jersey, the original Star Spangled Banner and flag .....

Tuesday:  After breakfast at The Original Pancake House (YUM), we headed downtown again via the Metro to the Newseum Museum.  It was awesome and we were there all day!!  It bills itself as "the worlds most interactive museum."  It showcases history through the lens of our media, from newspapers to movie reels, television to the Web.  You don't have to be a history buff to enjoy the Newseum.   Take the Virtual Tour HERE.  I don't know what was my favorite part .... from the old newspapers you could view the end of the Civil War, the section of the Berlin Wall and photographs, or the traveling exhibit of Pulitzer Prize Photographs (From the poignant shot of an ailing Babe Ruth watching his number being retired at Yankee Stadium, to the U.S. Marines raising an American flag atop Mount Suribachi on Iwo Jima, the photographs illustrate the enduring power of the still image.)  We finished the day off with Stromboli's!!

Wednesday:  We got a late start today and skipped breakfast.  We went straight to lunch with Philly sandwiches.  Then hopped on the Metro to check out the Supreme Court and The Library of Congress. We heard a lecture at the Supreme Court as to how it all works - they were not in session at the time.  Then we just wandered around on our own.  They have a gorgeous Spiral Staircase that is a self-supporting eliptical staircase.  There are 136 steps that complete 7 spirals while ascending 5 stories from the basement. 

We were very surprised at the Library of Congress.  We really just passed it by and decided to go in and see what it had to offer.  We were so glad that we did!  It is the most gorgeous building inside!!  It is the nation's oldest federal cultural institution and serves as the research arm of Congress. It is also the largest library in the world, with millions of books, recordings, photographs, maps and manuscripts in its collections.  There are actually 3 buildings that house the Library of Congress .... we toured the Thomas Jefferson Building.  I would highly recommend the tour.  HERE is a virtual tour of the second floor of the building.

Well, enough for now!  I'll finish the tour another day.  Hope you enjoyed it!

Interesting Fasts!

• After the Bayer company introduced aspirin in 1899, it quickly became the top-selling non-prescription drug in the world. At first, it was sold as a loose powder. But sixteen years later, in 1915, Bayer gave us the first familiar aspirin tablets.
• Limousines got their name from the Limousin region of France, where they were first made.
• Leotards are named after Jules Leotard, a trapeze artist from France, who popularized the snug-fitting garment during his performances in the 1800’s.
• The J.J. Heinz company sells more than 50 percent of all the ketchup in the world.

_{Resource: ~~Strange & Fascinating Facts About Famous Brands by Charles Reichblum}

Sweet Little Honey Bee

Monday Mailer

 

I'll need a vacation when I return home!!

Busy, busy, busy! I'll need a vacation when I return home from this vacation!! We have been on the go 24-7!! Yesterday was graduation and I was proud as a peacock!! Ashley was the most decorated graduate there! She was awarded two awards - one of her research and one for the best Fellow!! I'll have more details later!

Last night, her friends had a surprise party for her in Bethesda and a good time was had by all. She was definitely surprised!!

Today we drove to Alexandria where we are spending the night. We just returned from the End of the Year Pediatric party and are ready to "hit the hay." Tomorrow we will take in the sights here in Alexandria and celebrate Father's Day.

Hope your weekend is great!!

Pictures of the promotion

I've had a few moments to download some of the pictures of the promotion on Monday. Unfortunately, we could not use flashes in the Archives so the pictures taken inside didn't turn out too good.

In this one, we are pinning the Major stripes on Ashley:

This was taken outside the building right after the ceremony:

This is Ashley and two of her friends who attended the ceremony, Debbie and Beth.

After the ceremony, we walked over to a statue garden and took a few pictures (I needed to suck in my stomach better!!):

How to Calculate Your Calorie Needs

The formula below will give you a ballpark figure for your daily caloric needs:

1. Figure out your basal metabolic rate (BMR).
   Women: weight in pounds x 10 = BMR
   Men: weight in pounds x 11 = BMR
   (e.g., for a 130-pound woman: 130 x 10 = 1,300 BMR)
2. Calculate your lifestyle percentage (L%).
   Sedentary: 20 percent of BMR = L%
   Somewhat active: 30 percent of BMR = L%
   Moderately active: 40 percent of BMR = L%
   Very active: 50 percent of BMR = L%
   (e.g., for a somewhat active woman: 1,300 x 30% = 390)
3. Add the two together to work out your daily calorie needs.

Note: If a woman who needs 1,690 calories per day eats more or becomes less active, she’ll gain weight. If she eats less or becomes more active, she’ll lose weight. It will happen at the rate of 3,500 calories per pound.

from Dottie's Newsletter

Floating Reinkers .... or is it Monet?

 

Monday Mailer

Fathers Day Cards

 

 

 

Out and about in DC

Just a quick post before we're off again!! As usual, Ashley is wearing me out!! But we're having fun! Yesterday was the big promotion day. I'll try and post some pictures later today. Ashley and one of the other fellows were both promoted to Major (Army). They held the promotion ceremony in the rotunda of the National Archives with the cases of the Declaration of Independence, Bill of Rights, etc. surrounding us! We were the only ones in the building (except for the guards) so it was pretty special. We had to be out by 9 a.m. After the ceremony, we took pictures outside and then wandered around DC until things opened at 10 am. We went to the American History Museum; took the elevator to the top of the Washington Monument; went to a Statue Garden; had lunch at Old Ebbitt's Grill and took the metro back home around 7 pm. Today, we are going back into town .... after breakfast at The Original Pancake House .... and going to the Newseum, a new Smithsonian about newspapers.

Taste of Tuesday - Rainbow Cole Slaw

Makes 8 servings
Ingredients:

• 2 Tbsp Dijon mustard
• 1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
• 2/3 cup reduced-calorie mayonnaise
• ½ tsp sugar
• ¼ tsp salt
• 1 small head red cabbage, shredded
• 1 small head green cabbage, shredded
• 2 carrots, peeled and shredded
• 1 yellow bell pepper, seeded and thinly sliced
• 1 small white onion, thinly sliced
• 1½ tsp celery seeds

Preparation

• In a small bowl, whisk the mustard and lemon juice.
• Whisk in the mayonnaise, then the sugar and salt.
• In a large serving bowl, mix the red cabbage, green cabbage, carrots, bell pepper, onion and celery seeds.
• Drizzle with the dressing.
• Toss to coat.

POINTS:   *2.5
PER SERVING: 123 Calories, 2 g Protein, 7 g Total Fat, 3 g Dietary Fiber, 13 g Carbohydrate, 260 mg Sodium