Vacation

For many years my friend Anne Bourgeois and I have been planning to spend our 50th birthdays together. (we're 12 days apart..she's older!) At first we talked of meeting somewhere warm, spas, Vegas..Anne came up with the idea that I should come to visit her as I had never done that in all the time she's been gone from Washington..hmm..that would be over 28 years! Anne's husband, Steve, told Reg he should come along and they could do battlefields while we shop..not a bad deal, so on January 10th, Reg and I headed out for Richmond, VA. We flew on separate flights..it just worked out that way..that's the short story. It was cool though as Reg and I came out into the terminal area about 20 minutes apart. The picture below is to show all in the Northwest there really is sunshine out there.

The Rockies, from the airplane.

My flight went from Seattle to Dallas, then on to Richmond. I had sunshine all the way. It was wonderful! Especially as it got warmer..
Anne and I at the famous Trellis restaurant in Williamsburg, VA. We are sharing a Death by Chocolate cake. The Trellis restaurant's claim to fame is that their chef (not sure if it's a past or present chef), came up with the original Death by Chocolate cake..
A closer look..it was yummy! Really yummy! I did NOT check my blood sugars for awhile.

A street in Williamsburg, VA. It was 70 degrees on Friday.

Friday ended with a great dinner at Alexander's in Petersburg. It was to be our treat as a big thank you to Steve and Anne for their hospitality..however, there are still restaurants that don't take plastic..thank goodness Steve had cash! :)

Saturday we headed north to Washington DC. (The next 2 pictures are reversed..) The Smithsonian has added a new section of their air and space museum at Dulles Airport. They have a shuttle there and it is HUGE!! Reg kept saying over and over..I can't believe how big it is!! We spent Saturday night at the Marriott Gateway in Crystal City. (On the Virginia side of the Potomac). We had a wonderful dinner at Ted's Montana Grill. It's a fairly new chain owned by Ted Turner..the ex Mr. Jane Fonda. The food was outstanding and our waitress was wonderful too. We must have made some kind of impression because both the manager and the chef came and visited our table. To top it off, the restaurant did take plastic! We were able to treat!! On Sunday we then went the main air & space museum. In there they have pieces from the American History Museum since it is undergoing renovations. Here is the Scarecrow costume from "The Wizard of Oz."

The Shuttle, Enterprise

We spent time on the mall. The monuments and buildings are awe-inspiring. The weather on Sunday had cooled quite a bit from our 70 degree Friday, but the rain held off until we were heading back to Steve & Anne's.

The Capitol Building.

Reg's sister, Nadine and her husband came down from Delaware to have lunch with us. We went to a wonderful mexican restaurant (in Chinatown) called Rosa Mexicana..oh my oh my!! The food there was wonderful. I think I may adjust my guacamole recipe a bit. We had such a good time.

We headed back to Steve and Anne's around 5:30PM. It was about a 2 hour drive. Their home is in Prince George, VA which is about 40 some miles south of Richmond. Our whirlwind vacation was coming to a close. As whirlwind as it was, it never felt that way. We had a really great time! You can click here to see more pictures

We headed for home, on separate flights, Monday. Mine went without a hitch. I even had my own row from Dallas to Seattle and landed a half an hour early. Reg, on the other hand, didn't have the same good fortune. When I landed in Dallas, I had a voice mail saying his flight from Richmond had been cancelled. All he knew was he'd be on a Continental flight arriving sometime around 12:30AM..He ended up landing at 11:30. Fortunately for us, Reg's folks live minutes away from the airport, so I waited there for Reg's call. He called twice..the second to say his luggage was lost! :) If I wasn't so tired, I think I would have laughed. Because we were worn out, we decided to stay with Don & Linda and drive home in the morning. I traded shifts with Erika and got to work at 12:15PM..I worked until 7 and both Reg and I were wasted..

So, thank you Steve and Anne for such a wonderful long, weekend. We had so much fun and it was great to finally see your home! We'll be back!!

A New Year

Today is January 1, 2008. 2007 is behind us now! I am glad! It's been a year. The year for me has been dominated with my folks. It has been hard to see their decline. Going through John Henderson's death with Reg has been difficult and to see Reg suffer the loss of his best friend. It's been hard releasing Emily and Tillie into Anthony's care and it's been hard to see DJ move out. That said, it's been a joy to watch Tillie grow and to see her learn new things all the time. It's been cool to see my kids grow up and live as adults on their own. Reg's girls are doing wonderfully with their spouses. Both Kathryn and Eliza had great things happen this year. We have been so fortunate as a blended family. It has worked!!

I read this on another person's blog and it is perfect! The Book is "A New Kind of Normal" by Carol Kent (Thomas Nelson, 2007). She includes eight choices we can think about as we ponder what 2008 might be.

When despair tries to take me under … I choose life

When I wonder what God could possibly be thinking … I choose trust

When I desperately want relief from unrelenting reality … I choose perseverance

When I feel oppressed by my disappointment and sorrow … I choose gratitude

When I want to keep my feelings to myself … I choose vulnerability

When nothing goes according to my plan … I choose relinquishment

When I want to point the finger … I choose forgiveness

When I want to give up … I choose purposeful action.

By our own attitudes we can have a say in how our year turns out. There will be cirucumstances beyond our control, but we can choose our response! I hope to always choose the positive.

Have a GREAT 2008!!