Another Delay?

I'm still not doing a good job of getting the words out. Now we have to wait a bit longer because my laptop died...again. For the second time in less than a year, the hard drive in the Toshiba has crashed & burned. The danged laptop isn't even 3-years-old!! The good news about is that I get my new laptop, a MacBook, sometime this week. Just in time since school starts back for me on Tuesday. I really want to share about Pope's Creek and subsequent, but want to share with the pictures. Can't do that when they're just as dead on the Toshiba (at least it was backed up onto an external hard drive only about a week before it crashed so we didn't lose anything!).

Thanks for the well-wishes (Corbie), the concerned emails, and all the thoughts! Mary, you're a goofball! Thanks for being a great "big sis" and wife to my wonderful brother!

Virginia, Day 2

Luke and I had a really great sleep, which was nice. Upon waking we ventured up the stairs to the kitchen and greeted our youngest family member, Ryan, and Aunt Mary. They somehow ended up waking early, which was not exactly thrilling for Mary, but Luke was happy to have a playmate. It was a pretty relaxing morning with nobody really in a rush for anything. Luke and Ryan played, I conversed with Mary and my parents. Around noon David came home from work to change clothes. That was our cue to get ourselves dressed and ready for the promotion ceremony.

It didn't take long and we were on our way to the base. It was an uneventful ride and easy to find a parking spot. Into the building we went, armed with cookies, brownies, and iced tea. Not only was David being promoted, but he was liked because he provided treats. Military folks are all the same! We had a short amount of time meeting with certain individuals, like David's Commander, some of those conducting the short ceremony, and our escort. It brought back memories for me because it used to be the world I worked in. Different location, same idea. Luke chose this moment to act out and not behave....I felt horrible for David because of it, but he wasn't concerned.

The ceremony was short and David was able to share a bit about his career. Dad and Mary pinned on the silver oak leaves, and I was actually a bit glad to have the distraction of a misbehaving 2-year-old because I would have teared up. I'm a softie that way; this is my big brother, afterall! We then mingled a bit, had some goodies, and packed up for the trip back to the house. There was some time spent at the static display out front....fitting that my Navy husband was missing while the Air Force family took pictures on a Navy base in front of a Navy plane (F-18, for those interested). I do wish my husband was there to complete the scene, but we ended up with some very nice pictures. Always a plus!

Once we made it back to the house it was time for Ryan to nap. I had promised my oldest nephew, J.T., and my boy that we'd go say hi to the horses at Cleydael House. While I wanted to share this moment with the boys, my actual intention was specifically to see this house. It's just down the street from my brother's place, and historic. Being the history buff and lover that I am, I had to see it. You see, John Wilkes Boothe, the man who killed Abraham Lincoln, hid at this house while on the run. That's the short version, and I will refrain from boring everyone with details. The boys were very good and patient while the owners of the property allowed me to walk around and have a look. They even invited me to walk down the old, original road! I, of course, took them up on it, and was in heaven.

There are a couple of sheep and goats allowed to roam the property. Good for lawn mowing, and common on historical farms, so it wasn't a surprise to see them. We were warned, however, that the male sheep sometimes gets a bug up his rear and starts butting. It's good we were warned....he and I had a tussle! He actually was interested in the kids, but I distracted him and was able to keep him away from the boys and hold my own until the owners could grab him. What a crazy animal! Cause for laughter, though. I kidded my parents that I was disappointed they didn't get pictures of the event...I think they were just happy I didn't get trampled. Stupid sheep.

J.T. and Luke had a good time feeding and petting the horses, and then it was time to head on home. It was an uneventful night from there. It simply consisted of dinner, bath time, and bed time. We sat up and enjoyed some adult company, then headed off to bed ourselves. I was anxious for the coming morning, and sleep came quickly......

To Virginia, With Love....

It has been a very, very long time since I wrote. I've had a busy spring! I am pleased to report that I succeeded in gaining the highest grade in my Sociology class, somehow managing a 99% throughout the semester. How that happened is way beyond me, but I am happy about it. I also received an A in my Psychology class with a 96%. How scary is that?? I'm a little afraid of what that means for the coming years of school left ahead of me. Heaven knows it wasn't exactly a stressful or difficult semester.

Luke and I have also been busy with the ponies, which is wonderful. It gets me out of the house, keeps both of us busy, and gives him something fun to do. But it is time consuming. So I just haven't had the energy to write.

My big brother is now a Lieutenant Colonel in the United States Air Force. I couldn't be more proud of him! He leaves tomorrow for a short tour in Baghdad, Iraq, too. Big job he's got with this tour, and I can't wait to talk to him when he comes home to see how weird, or fun it is for him. But since he's leaving tomorrow, that means Luke and I already made our trip to that wonderful paradise called Virginia.

Now, everyone is well aware of how much I fell in love with the Black Hills last summer. What they don't know is that I would probably get tired of the tourist aspect and want to leave after a while. Virginia is deeply embedded in my heart from the three years I lived in Pennsylvania. Sound strange? Well, it might be. But the fact remains that I spent a good amount of time in the D.C. Metro area, and in various parts of Virginia. I dream of that place! And my contingency plan involves that place. I would not get tired of it.

We left our home here in Colorado bright and early on Wednesday morning. April 29th. I was given permission to miss my final day of class for this trip, and I was thrilled. I barely slept the night before, despite needing to be awake by 4am and in the car by 4:45am to make our flight in Denver. In fact, I showered and slept on top of the covers in my clothes....not pajamas! Part of my excitement was definitely resting on the fact this was Luke's first flight. I couldn't wait to see his reaction. After a short stop to see daddy at work, we were on our way.

The airport was surprisingly crowded for an early morning in the middle of the week, but we were still able to sail through security with no problems. I was wise enough to pack only one suitcase for the two of us and grab an umbrella stroller to gate check. It made a huge difference. Luke was just happy to see planes (can you tell he's got Ahrens blood???).

Time came to board our flight....all the way to the back of the plane and finding a window seat (Southwest does not have assigned seating). Luke was enthralled, and he didn't fight the seatbelt. Not that he's ever been allowed to go without, of course, but this was a new experience and it's hard to tell what'll actually happen. When we started moving he announced it to the entire plane. I did hear a few chuckles from the others. And, oh the giggles! When we took off, he thought that was fantastic! The giggles, followed by "some more!" I had to explain we had to fly to Chicago first. "Ooooh, okay." His eyes got big when we landed, but he gave a smile, too. I think he was just surprised at how loud and hard it is to stop a plane.

We had a 2-hour layover, so we wandered a bit. He ran around, enjoyed the moving walkways, and kept inquiring about his stroller. He thought it would be waiting for him. It was hard to explain that it would be after the next plane. We grabbed a quick bite, then sat in a spot where we could see every single plane taking off and landing. He loved that and exclaimed that I had to "look, look, look!! Momma! Watch!!" every single time. It was great.

Second plane boarded, same seats chosen, more giggles at take-off, and we made the short jaunt into Washington, D.C. I admit, I was disappointed we couldn't see more of the countryside and city since it was raining and the cloud deck was low, but I was so happy to be back on the East Coast that I really didn't care. We went to find out suitcase and ran into a problem. Eventually we found it in the baggage office, but it was no longer in one piece. My brand new suitcase had been destroyed. The top was still attached, but not by much. After some searching and trying to figure out how best to handle the situation, I was given a new (BIGGER) suitcase and made off for the rental car.

That didn't take long and we headed out for King George. I had printed Mapquest directions before leaving home, but they were almost worthless. Lucky for me, once I found my way out off of airport property I knew where I was! It was a little over an hour later that we pulled into the driveway of my big brother's home. Something ridiculous like 3 hours later than we were supposed to, but we made it nonetheless.

We got cleaned up, spent a wee bit of time with family, and headed to bed.....end of day one, and quite a restful night!