her majesty, the queen

A Capitol Fourth, indeed...

Hello friends, Mark here. Ashley seems too engulfed in her book "Twilight" to update this site, so it is my pleasure to give the report on our fourth of July bash while she discovers the exciting conclusion of myserious hunk Edward and curious girl-next-door Bella (barf).

Not to brag, but...

They said it couldn't be done. Most don't dare to celebrate the birth of our nation in the very heart of democracy, where patriots come in droves to pay homage. Where the stormy skies of tyranny during the revolution are symbolized by stormy holiday weather. (too dramatic?)

We had a great fourth of July. For me, it was possibly the best ever. We braved the crowds in Washington, DC with our friends Steve and Sara (and Addyson), and we discovered that it really was worth the hype. Maybe because we camped out in front of a metal detector for several hours. Maybe because we had a shade tent so big that we were asked to take it down. Maybe because we staked out our ground and fought crazed patriots for a prime spot on the Capitol lawn. Maybe because we brought so many supplies and accessories that nobody thought we could make it to the cars in one trip. Or maybe because we sprinted out to beat the crowds and got on the freeway while the embers from the fireworks were still warm on the White House lawn. Whatever the reason, it was fun/awesome. Here is what we accomplished:
1. Drove into the city and parked, even when we were warned to take the metro. Who's smarter now, transit authority?
2. Got second place in a line of firework fanatics and democracy die hards just waiting to be let onto the grounds. We were rookies.
3. Brought so much equipment that we were mistaken for fanatics. (stroller, chairs, pac-n-play...)
4. Made an obnoxious pink PBS sign to try and get on the TV broadcast. We succeeded, even though public TV doesn't count for much.
5. Held Sadie and gave her a little flag so the cameramen would notice her. They did.

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Those were all the small victories that were memorable for me. Ashley (and anyone else) would probably remember seeing Huey Lewis, Taylor Hicks, and Jerry Lee Lewis; watching fireworks set against the Washington Monument, and being at such a historic place to enjoy the spirit of the Fourth of July with other Americans. In summary, it was a great time. Ask me about it sometime and I'll tell you even more boring details. Happy Birthday, America. And Washingon DC, we conquered you! ...on your biggest day of the year! In your face! BOO-yah.

Wild, Wonderful, Wacky West Virginia

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This past weekend we rented a little cabin in West Virginia with some friends. It was right on the Greenbriar river. We had such a great time! One thing I love to do is float down rivers. Half way down the river we found an old rope swing. It looked a little scary at first but after my first attempt I couldn't resist and I had to do it a couple more times. The last day we were there we found this awesome swing that went half way across the river. It was so high up. So fun! I felt like a kid again. I was dared numerous times to jump off into the river. But I could not succumb to the peer pressure. Mark however did. We had a blast relaxing, playing games and hanging out in wild, wonderful, wacky West Virginia. Did I mention that the bugs there are HUGE! We thought the moths were bats!