On The Move Again!

We left Miami on Saturday, July 28th and returned to Virginia for the final ten (+/-) days of our vacation.  We packed a lot of activities into those days...

A fun visit with Jan's sisters and their families as well as "Molly" who took a shine to Christopher.

Caitlynne made delicious berry shortcakes for dessert one evening.

Jim and Kevin's annual indulgence (with a special request for LOTS of icing).

We took advantage of the beautiful weather and enjoyed a BBQ and dinner on the deck one evening.

Jan made "Panzanella" (Italian Bread Salad) with homegrown tomatoes, red onion and fresh basil.  It was delicious and the serving bowl was all but licked clean.

We also had grilled steak and portabello mushrooms.

At a recent charity auction, Jan was the high bidder for a card making workshop to be held at The Paper Source at the Reston Town Center.  She invited Caitlynne and two of her friends (and me) to go along for the afternoon class.  

First we went to lunch - after all, creativity needs to be well nourished!  Caitlynne and the two girls with her in the photo below have been friends since pre-school.  Over the years, they have  kept in contact with Caitlynne via email and we see them every summer when we are visiting in Fairfax.  Caitlynne is so excited to begin high school with them next year when we move back to Fairfax! 

After lunch, we walked over to The Paper Source to begin the workshop. The girls were so creative and we made some really nice cards.  It was a fun way to spend the afternoon.

A hydrangea in Jan's garden.

Jim and Jan took the kids to Kings Dominion (a water/amusement park right outside of Richmond) for a day. This is turning into another annual event. Christopher was 2-2 on the basketball throw.  Not sure how we will get those basketballs back to Bangkok!  

 

To shake things up a little, instead of running one morning, I tagged along with Jan to a Bikram Yoga class. Also known as "hot" yoga, Bikram Yoga was developed by Bikram Choudhury. The classes run 90 minutes and consist of a set series of 26 postures and 2 breathing exercises practiced in a very hot room. I think Jan said the temperature in our room that morning was 112 degrees. Practicing yoga in the heat is thought to help achieve deeper stretching and prevent injury while also reducing stress and tension. I had never done Bikram Yoga before and the yoga instructor told me that my only goal for the class was to stay in the room for the entire 90 minutes. Since I am accustomed to exercising in extreme heat and high humidity, I had no problem making it through the 90 minutes. I tried to do all of the postures as best I could and thought I did reasonably well on that front.  Because I was unfamiliar with the postures (as well as being very uncoordinated), it was hard for me to listen to the instructor, visualize her directions and then get into the posture  correctly - all before she moved on to the next one.  I always felt like I was a step or two behind the rest of the class.  I really should have gone to another class to see if the postures came any easier to me after having experienced the series once.  However, I was also trying to run as much as I could because the weather was so beautiful and I just didn't have a free morning to go again. Next year.  

We did a lot of shopping and, in fact, had to purchase another suitcase so we could carry all of our loot back to Bangkok.  Kevin likes to travel as light as possible and was not at all happy to see the traveler:suitcase ratio exceed 1:1.  Oops!  Fortunately, he has premier status with United Airlines so we were allowed 6 "free" checked bags and were also able to exceed the standard weight limit of 50 lbs. on three of those bags. Believe it or not, even with those  very generous allowances, Caitlynne and I still struggled with our packing.  

It was so much fun seeing the kids together with their friends again. They went to the movies, the mall, the pool, out to lunch and there were a few sleepovers as well.  I was able to catch up with a few of my friends - not as many as I hoped to but between chauffeuring the kids around,  completing a few work projects and taking care of some personal business, the days and weeks quickly flew by.  As much as I love living overseas and being able to travel as much as we do, I really do miss living in the Washington DC area so much.  The ridiculous traffic, high cost of living, the transiency... it doesn't matter to me at all!  It is truly my home and I was so happy to be able to tell my friends that we will be moving back there in less than one year.  

Have a great Thursday!

Back To School!

Today was the first day of school for Caitlynne (8th grade) and Christopher (7th grade). How did my babies grow up so fast?!? Caitlynne keeps "reminding" me that this is her last year of middle school.  Yikes!

I think back to what I was thinking/feeling/experiencing at this time last year (having just moved to Bangkok) and cannot believe how well we have all settled in to this very different lifestyle and culture.  

Have a great Tuesday!

Miami - Jim Larranaga Basketball Camp at University of Miami & Visiting With Friends

Before I recap our trip to Miami, I need to make a very important correction to a statement in my July 31st post.  In writing about former Presidents Washington, Lincoln, Roosevelt and Jefferson racing around the bases during the Nationals-Braves game that we went to while in DC, I noted that Roosevelt won the race that evening. However, I was VERY wrong in that not only did Teddy not win that night but, according to this recent article in the Washington Post,  it seems that poor Teddy has NEVER won in the almost 500 times he has participated in this event.  Oops!  I am so glad that I spotted that article and read through it - what a mistake to make and I apologize for my goof.  I know you were all probably losing sleep over that one! 

Before we moved from Miami last summer, I promised Christopher that we would return this summer so he could participate in the Jim Larranaga Basketball Camp held at University of Miami.  

Christopher had gone to this camp for the prior two years and really enjoyed learning new skills and making new friends so we thought it was worth the cost and effort for the kids and I to travel to Miami for the week. The camp ran Monday - Friday from 9 am until 3 pm. On the first day, the kids were divided into teams based on age/skill level. Each morning was spent developing skills and participating in different skill competitions as well as playing 1-1 and 3-3 games.  Christopher won the "Hot Shot" competition.

Each afternoon, the teams played games, ending with a championship tournament and game Friday afternoon.  Coach Larranaga began at UM in Spring of 2011 so this was really his first year planning and running the camp.  There were a lot of improvements made to the camp for this year and it really was an exceptional experience for Christopher. The "coaches" for the camp were the UM basketball players and Christopher's coach was Reggie Johnson, the biggest (and one of the better) players on the UM team.  

Unfortunately, since UM is an ACC rival of VT, we will not be cheering him on anytime soon!  

Some shots of Christopher (in red) playing in the championship game (his team lost by 4 points).

My good friend, Gayle, invited a group of Christopher's friends from elementary school (and their moms) one evening for dinner (spaghetti) and swimming.

 

I think the one thing I miss most about Miami is the beautiful backyard and the swimming pool we had at our home. We spent so much time on the patio and in the pool and Christopher and his friends played many hours of "Seminole" (don't ask!) in our backyard.  Good times.

Time to eat!

 The "girly girls" as my friend, Jane, and I like to call Samantha and Caitlynne.

Jane, Gayle and I.

 Gayle and Caitlynne.

Christopher and some of his baseball buddies.

 And with the girly girls.

We also drove up to Boca Raton to meet my mom's cousin, her husband, their daughter and her fiance for dinner and enjoyed spending the evening catching up with them.  The men like to deep sea fish and we saw some amazing photos of a few of the very large fish they had recently caught.  We were quite impressed! 

While in Miami, we split our time between a hotel and staying with family friends.  Our friends had temporarily "adopted" six kittens born to a stray cat in their neighborhood and were working to socialize the kittens so they could be placed in homes.  The kids spent a lot of time playing and holding the kittens - they were so cute (but very messy)! My friend appropriately titled this photo "Kitty Olympics".

The weather was perfect while we were in Miami - warm and humid (but nothing compared to what we are used to in Bangkok) and not a hurricane in sight.  I was able to get a few great runs in and even managed to locate a flock of peacocks one morning.  The photos below are not recent (they were taken at our home in Miami before we moved) but I wanted to show how spectacular the peacocks are up close. However, they can also be very pesky and there are some neighborhoods in Miami that have become so overrun with peacocks that relocation (of the peacocks, not the people) is sometimes necessary.  This is similar to the kangaroos when we lived in Australia - we thought they were so cute while the Aussies sometimes considered them to be like rodents.  

After a great week in Miami, we left to fly back to Virginia early Saturday morning (July 28th).  It was hard to believe that we had less than 2 weeks left in the U.S. before our return trip home to Bangkok.

Back In Virginia - Round 2

Fortunately, we had an easy drive back to Virginia on Friday, July 6th and were able to hit the ground running as soon as we arrived and unpacked.

Throughout each year, we talk quite a bit about what we want to do when we are back "home" that summer. However, it always seems like when we are actually back in the U.S. and able to do it "all", we forget what we talked about and end up doing everything BUT what we wanted to. This year, right after we arrived in the US, I had the kids make a list of exactly what they wanted to do, where they wanted to go, who they wanted to see, etc. (Thanks to Michael and Sheena for the idea!). The list included activities for the time we would spend in D.C., NY and Miami. The kids were very thorough and, trust me, the list was quite lengthy.  However, it has been a great reference to use as we plan our days and I am happy to report that we have crossed most of the items off of the list. No one will be able to say we didn't do anything or go anywhere on our summer vacation, that is for sure!  After our return from NY, our plan was to stay with Kevin's mom for a few days and then relocate to Jim and Jan's home in Fairfax so we would be close to the kids' friends and the different activities that they wanted to do. 

Kevin had to return to Bangkok for a week so the kids and I dropped him at the airport early Saturday morning and then ran a few errands.  While we were in NY, a fierce storm ripped through the Metropolitan Washington DC area and caused quite a lot of damage with downed trees and power lines. In some areas, power was out for over a week!  For your lesson of the day...the storm was called a "derecho", a long-lived and straight-line windstorm that is associated with a fast-moving band of severe thunderstorms.  A derecho's winds are sustained and usually increase in strength behind the front of the storm system. The winds generally exceed hurricane force and can cause incredible and wide-spread damage. Unlike a hurricane, there is little to no warning that a derecho will hit and there is really nothing that can be done to prepare. While we were in NY, we were watching a golf tournament being played in Bethesda, MD. The tournament start was first delayed for clean up and then access was restricted to players only because of the tree damage and amount of storm debris on the course.  It was very eerie to watch the players on the course with no spectators and to see all of the downed trees on the edges of the fairways.  Several large tree limbs and one tree fell on our property in Fairfax (near - but not on - the house) so I drove over to take a look and meet the tenant and landscaper to discuss having the trees and storm debris removed.  It was shocking to see the huge pile of tree limbs in the front and back yards and we were very fortunate that our damage was limited and able to be quickly cleaned up.  A neighbor a few doors up the street was not so lucky and had a tree fall right across his car. Of course, the storm "vultures" were out in full force and we had quotes ranging from $525 to over $2,500 to complete the EXACT same work. Unbelievable.

After finishing up with the storm damage, we went over to Jim and Jan's to join in their 4th of July festivities.  Jan's two sisters & their children and some other friends & children were there so it was a very chaotic - but lots of fun - party.  Caitlynne kept the younger girls entertained and there were about 4 boys to keep Christopher occupied and happy (and out of my hair).

We lit a few sparklers when the sun went down.

In addition to grilled hamburgers and hot dogs, Jan also served grilled portabello mushroom paninis.  She brushed portabellos and red & yellow peppers with a balsamic vinegar reduction, grilled them, then sliced them into strips and arranged on multi-grain bread spread with goat cheese. The sandwiches were put back on the grill under a weight, warmed through and then served. Delicious!  Christopher really enjoyed them and has requested that she make them again before we leave.  

One evening, Caitlynne, Sydney (Kevin's brother's daughter) and Jan went out for dinner and then downtown to the Kennedy Center to see

The girls enjoyed getting dressed up for a night out and they all loved the show.

I won't go into too much detail as to how we spent our days in Virginia but I will say that we were on the go All. The. Time.  The kids had friends they wanted to see (a lot) & places they wanted to go (many), I had friends to see & some "business" to attend to so it was B.U.S.Y.  And, yes, a fair bit of shopping was done as well.  Kevin returned from Bangkok on Sunday, July 15th and has been working since so the kids and I have spent A LOT of time together.  

One day, the kids and I drove to the Inner Harbor of Baltimore to meet up with good friends of ours from Miami.  They were driving back to Miami after vacationing in the Adirondack Mountains of Upstate New York so we thought we would spend the afternoon/night with them in Baltimore.  When they made this same "return" drive last year, they stopped in Fairfax for a few days and we were able to visit with them right before we left for Bangkok.  

The kids had a fun reunion...

 We went to the Seaquarium and watched the dolphin show after our tour.

The boys toured the Torsk submarine that was docked in the Harbor.

 

The kids went boating in the Harbor before dinner.

 

 

The "floral" arrangements outside the entrance to our hotel.  Very colorful and attractive!

 

 

Early the next morning, our friends continued on their (very long) journey South and the kids and I drove North to Buck's County, PA (just outside of Philadelphia) to visit with my college roommate and her family for the day.  We had a fantastic time - we went to their pool, visited at their home and had a delicious dinner.  As usual, the kids picked up like they had just seen each other yesterday (instead of a year ago!) while the adults were busy making plans for next Summer/Fall - Naval Academy football games and a "5338 Nebraska Avenue"/American University reunion. 

We also had the opportunity to go to a Washington Nationals baseball game one evening. Unfortunately, their "hot" (pitching skills, not looks) pitcher, Steven Strasburg, was not on the mound so that was a little disappointing but we quickly got over it.  The Nationals have had a great season (so far) and it was so much fun to be in the stands that night.  Hey, if the football team can't produce...

My favorite player, Michael Morse #38 (who, by the way, has been slamming in quite a few home runs lately!).

My favorite husband and son.

 

 

More photos of #38.  I thought Christopher could study these photos and get some tips on how to position himself in the batter's box.  Yeah, right.

 

 

Guess Who?!? Not much else to say about this photo.

Where else but in Washington, DC. would you be able to see Abe and George race around the bases?

 

Teddy Roosevelt actually won but I didn't get a photo of him!

Two left-over photos from our New York trip... Presenting my parents' cat, Sir Toby!  Such a cutie!

  

Next stop... Miami!