A very Good Week

We had an eventful week last week as the kids were on spring break and we had a friend come up to visit. We went to the zoo, the Smithsonian, and Bunnyland. 
The National Zoo was great and we will surely go back - we did that with just me and Cammie playing a zone defense on the three kids.  Everything went pretty smoothly until we got to the Panda exhibit. A male and female panda were in the act of trying to expand the Panda population and it drew quite a crowd. Our seven year old daughter said, "Look, Mom, they're dancing!"
I said, "Daughter, that is the kind of dancing that Baptists have always worried about. That is not exactly dancing." I told Cammie to explain the birds and bees at home and she did. She told Carlie that is how Mommies and Daddies made babies, but I sure don't remember putting a paw in my wife's back and growling at a gallery of on-lookers during the conception of my children.
Bunnyland was all hype and no hop!  It was a redneck production worthy of deep woods, Alabama. The kids had a good time, but it was cold and the three adults were completely smoked. I don't think Cammie and I could have pulled this one off by ourselves, but we didn't mean to work our visitor, Margaret, half to death either.
Our next big event was the Smithsonian Natural History Museum. It was as crowded as the Country Buffet after church on Sunday, but we had a good time. I could not find any staffers on hand to debate the many holes in the theory of evolution that they seemed to gloss over in their displays, but that is probably for the best since Cammie wants to return there.  I wish their displays had been more pro-creation, but after the zoo, I was just glad there was no procreation.

That is all for this update! Stand by for our next family adventures.

Tags: Family Adventure

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On the road, missing my family

This has been quite a trip.  Right after I sat down, a family PCSing
from Germany sat down beside me. They had three boys and a little girl
and they were all restless. I let the mom borrow my cell phone to call
her parents and one of the little boys came over to talk to me.  I let
him check out my heart rate monitor and before I knew it, I had three
children piled on top of me.  I didn't mind, but somewhere I thought Cammie
had a voo-doo doll of me with children piled on top of it talking
endlessly to me:-)  The voo-doo doll came out again when I got to
Syracuse. United Airlines lost my kettlebell, a 40lb cannonball with a
handle on it.  How does that happen?  It must be the mischevious voo-doo doll.
At least Enterprise had my rental car ready.  At least they said it was
a rental car - it felt more like I was driving a squirrel in heat!  The
backend was up in the air and the front end was low to the ground and
the car was light as a feather. 

I found comfort at the Cracker Barrel and a plate of Corned Beef and
cabbage and then a divine gift - they had a Musical Ride Along Curious
George doll for half price!  Since "GEORGE" is one of my soon to be two year-old, James's first dozen words, I could think of nothing better to get him for his
birthday! Without my kettlebell, I plugged on to Watertown, NY.  The
Watertown Econo Lodge must have fudged on that second star because I
couldn't find it.  That place was a bit rough and the guy who checked me
in talked so fast that it took me thirty minutes to mentally process all
he told me in two minutes. When I saw him the next morning, he was
talking at normal human speed (for a Yankee) and I complimented him on
his new found deliberateness. I ate breakfast at the Friendly Cafe and
went off to meet up with my people at the shoppette. I saw the most
bizarre thing while there. As I was in line to pay for my coffee, the
highly decorated soldier in front of me with a combat patch and Combat
Infantryman's badge was paying for his cigarettes.  The woman behind the
counter refused his money until she checked his ID and sure enough, he
was just old enough to buy a cigarette.  He has been old enough to fight
and die for his country for two years and just now can get a cigarette. 
I wish he would choose not to smoke, but really, can't we let the combat
veteran have a smoke?
The time at the exercise went well and I saw Jughead Ward and gave him a
big Geronimo hug. He promised to come visit since he lives in Maryland.
This morning, I got up before starbucks opened and had to go to
McDonald's for b'fast. I got a large coffee, but I went back to
Starbuck's after they opened and poured the McCoffee over the latte from
Starbucks - that is probably illegal in Seattle, but nobody tried to
arrest me, so I guess I am good.
It was snowing like a Christmas movie, so I started back toward the
airport early.  I got here in time to reunite with my kettlebell and
then process through security.  I made it through the checkpoint
alright, but Curious George was detained, searched, and made to perform
a musical number.  I was concerned for a while, but he passed.
Now, its off to Dallas via Chicago. I am going to be able to work out
and run today or tomorrow, so life will return to normal a bit. 

I did in fact make it home to my family and feel much more at peace with them, but we still have a little planning to do for our leave next week. 

That is all for now and we will attempt to post some pictures from our adventures next week.

Tags: Travel