Monday, November 22, 2010
Christmas Service Project
John's parents requested that we do an act of service as our gift to them for Christmas in 2009. Our family decided to pick up trash on one of the trails behind our house. I think we chose the coldest day in November to do it, but the kids had a ball and we made a difference.
Thanksgiving 2009
We started the day off with a quick trip to the American Indian Museum and the Botanic Gardens next to the Capitol. The Gardens put on a Christmas display where all of the buildings and things are made from wood and plants. It is a lot of fun. We went to dinner with Auntie M., Uncle M., and little L. The food was delicious and the company great.
Carter's soccer team
Carter is our soccer fan and really enjoys playing. We love it because he burns off some of his boy energy on the field!
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| Carter with his best buddy Garrett. |
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| Coach Brian's team |
Peter, Peter Pumpkin Eater
Carter's kindergarten class had a Nursery Rhyme dress up day. I guess it is like dressing up for Halloween at school without really doing so. Everyone comes dressed like a character from a nursery rhyme. Carter was Peter the pumpkin eater and carried a spoon.
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| Mrs. Lavine's class 2009-10 |
Wolf Trap Run for the Arts
Somehow I got roped in to running a 5K at the end of October. Not being a natural born runner I trained with a group of friends and we went together and ran. Note to self: Virginia is very hilly, and Wolf Trap ( the beginning and end of the race) sits up on a big hill, check out the course before agreeing to the next one. It was even a killer for those in the group that had a little more running experience, it was fun and with a great group of ladies!
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| Before race enthusiasm! |
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| After race with the lovely group of ladies I trained and ran with. |
Kitchen remodel
Before John and I headed to Spain we decided it was way past time for a kitchen makeover. We did a lot of the work ourselves, tearing out the old kitchen and flooring, moving a doorway, building soffits, drywall work, changing some of the electrical stuff and then finishing it off with new hardwood flooring to match the rest of the main level. Here are some of the before, during and after shots, well before counter top and floor installation. I guess that will wait for another post!
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| Moving the doorway |
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| Dad and his helper |
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| Doorway |
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| Cabinets installed |
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| More cabinets |
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| This is where we changed the old configuration the most. We added these 12" cabinets to give us some more storage space. Well worth the effort we went through to get here! |
Viva Espana!
John and I traveled to Spain in September 2009, it was a second Honeymoon for us! We visited all of the old mission haunts in and around Madrid , saw some friends and traveled to Valencia to the beach. It was 10 days of bliss, mostly! Grandma and Grandpa Alaska were kind enough to come and take care of the kids- I think they needed a vacation after ours! We were grateful they were willing. I won't bore you with all of the pictures but here are some of the highlights!
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| Sol |
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| La Plaza Mayor at night |
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| Some of our breakfast favorites! |
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| Us at Plaza Mayor |
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| Hillary in front of Neptune fountain |
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| John in front of El Prado museum |
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| Spanish police car |
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| One of my favorite shots of a typical day at the park |
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| Plaza de Toros, across the street from where Hillary lived |
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| Hillary and the torero |
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| John next to Madrid Temple |
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| View of the Mediterreanean from our apartment in Valencia |
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| Rainy day at the City of Arts and Sciences in Valencia |
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| Valencia has beautiful architecture |
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| John at a market in Valencia |
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| Hillary on the beach, we pretty much had the whole place to ourselves, oh except for the man in the hot pink bikini- don't ask! |
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