Sunday morning we got up early and hit the road on our way to Richmond for the big race! We got to the race a little later than we wanted to, but still in plenty of time to make good use of our pit passes! We didn't get there early enough to meet any of the drivers, though, but it was still pretty sweet! We left the pits after a little bit and headed to find some food. We enjoyed some pizza and found a few souveniors before heading to find our seats.
If there was one word to describe this race...it would have to be HOT! Most of the rest of the trip was pretty hot, but at least there were nice, air-conditioned buildings to hide in. Race day, however, left us outside to brave the heat the entire day. The race was really great, though! Jimmie pulled through once again and blasted the competition away! It was a much more enjoyable race than the one back in 2006 we went to that finished under the green and white checkered flag. However, not many wrecks to write home about.
We made it back to Virginia Beach in record time, thanks to Mark's great maneuvering skills at finding a great parking spot! We got back so early that we even had time to check out the aftermath of the big storm a two days earlier, and we made our way down to Virginia Beach once again, for somemore wave action in the ocean!
We were able to rebook our flight from Sunday for Monday at 3pm, so the next morning, Mark and I bummed around the house, then headed to meet Daniel for lunch at a mexican restaurant over near the Naval Base. After lunch, we drove around a bit looking for the nearest Target, and then wasted some time before needing to head to the airport for our flight.
Unfortunately, after waiting at the airport for a couple hours, we found out that our flight had been delayed an hour, which would make us miss our connecting flight in Chicago, so we called Daniel to let him know, and he picked us back up at the airport and we spent another night in Virginia Beach. Fortunately, our now early-morning flight and layover in Chicago went off without a hitch, and we made it home even in time for Amy to work a half-day!
We had such an enjoyable trip out to the East Coast, and would love to go back sometime!
Tuesday, September 9, 2008
Saturday, September 6, 2008
East Coast Vacay Part V
On our third morning waking up at the Crystal City Hyatt, we checked out, had some breakfast at McDonald's, and then headed down the road a little ways to the Iwo Jima Memorial. We were all pretty shocked to see how HUGE the statue was.
After Iwo Jima, we enjoyed a nice lunch at IHop before making our way to Mount Vernon for the day. At Mount Vernon, we began with a short video before exploring the grounds. We made our way to Washington's tomb for the wreath-laying ceremony. They asked for volunteers, and Daniel had a one-up since he was in the military. All three of us were able to take part in the ceremony, and recorded our names in the history books! Amy led the group in the Pledge of Allegiance, while Daniel and Mark layed the wreath in Washington's tomb. Since we participated in the ceremony, we were able to take pictures inside the tomb, which was pretty neat!
After the wreath-laying ceremony, we explored a bit before heading inside to check out the museum, and headed down to the riverfront, to the dock. Luckily, on such a hot day, we were able to catch the shuttle back up to the visitor's center.
We spent a LONG time inside the museum - also a very very interesting exhibit! There were all sorts of videos and displays that led through Washington's life. Spending the time exploring in the museum gave me an entirely new appreciation for Washington, and it made that era become more real to me. I had no idea how much he did for his country, and what a phenomenal and selfless leader he was.
After touring the museum, we headed outside quickly to get a tour of the mansion, which was beautiful! Unfortunately, yet again, we were not allowed to take any pictures on the inside. After the tour, we headed outside to take in a beautiful view of the Potomac River. The day went by so fast that it felt good to relax and take a breather.
We left Mount Vernon around 5pm, and headed to Richmond to our hotel for the night, in spite of all the horrible weather reports of the Tropical Storm headed to the coast! By the time we reached Richmond, we found out that the race had been postponed until Sunday. Luckily enough, we were able to get our money back for the room, and we headed through the storm back to Daniel's house for the night.
The next day, we bummed around town while the storm passed through. Amy spent much of the day shopping, and relaxing at Barnes & Noble while the boys played video games at the house.
Later on, Mark and Daniel headed to Lowe's and Home Depot, while Amy read her book, and then they headed to Buffalo Wild Wings to watch some baseball. A much-needed day of relaxation after all the walking and sweating the whole week so far!
After Iwo Jima, we enjoyed a nice lunch at IHop before making our way to Mount Vernon for the day. At Mount Vernon, we began with a short video before exploring the grounds. We made our way to Washington's tomb for the wreath-laying ceremony. They asked for volunteers, and Daniel had a one-up since he was in the military. All three of us were able to take part in the ceremony, and recorded our names in the history books! Amy led the group in the Pledge of Allegiance, while Daniel and Mark layed the wreath in Washington's tomb. Since we participated in the ceremony, we were able to take pictures inside the tomb, which was pretty neat!
After the wreath-laying ceremony, we explored a bit before heading inside to check out the museum, and headed down to the riverfront, to the dock. Luckily, on such a hot day, we were able to catch the shuttle back up to the visitor's center.
We spent a LONG time inside the museum - also a very very interesting exhibit! There were all sorts of videos and displays that led through Washington's life. Spending the time exploring in the museum gave me an entirely new appreciation for Washington, and it made that era become more real to me. I had no idea how much he did for his country, and what a phenomenal and selfless leader he was.
After touring the museum, we headed outside quickly to get a tour of the mansion, which was beautiful! Unfortunately, yet again, we were not allowed to take any pictures on the inside. After the tour, we headed outside to take in a beautiful view of the Potomac River. The day went by so fast that it felt good to relax and take a breather.
We left Mount Vernon around 5pm, and headed to Richmond to our hotel for the night, in spite of all the horrible weather reports of the Tropical Storm headed to the coast! By the time we reached Richmond, we found out that the race had been postponed until Sunday. Luckily enough, we were able to get our money back for the room, and we headed through the storm back to Daniel's house for the night.
The next day, we bummed around town while the storm passed through. Amy spent much of the day shopping, and relaxing at Barnes & Noble while the boys played video games at the house.
Later on, Mark and Daniel headed to Lowe's and Home Depot, while Amy read her book, and then they headed to Buffalo Wild Wings to watch some baseball. A much-needed day of relaxation after all the walking and sweating the whole week so far!
Friday, September 5, 2008
East Coast Vacay Part IV
On our second day in DC, I got up early and decided to enjoy breakfast at the Corner Bakery before another big day of walking, leaving the boys to join me later on by the White House. On my walk down to the subway, I couldn't help but grab a Pumpkin Spice Latte from Caribou before catching the train into DC.
The boys joined me in front of the White House, but we found out we needed to have gotten approval from our Senator in order to tour it, so we instead walked down to the White House Visitor's Center and explored all sorts of things that were once in the White House.
After the Visitor's Center, we continued walking toward the Lincoln Memorial, and saw the Vietnam Memorial on the way. We made it to the Lincoln Memorial and picked up some cool postcards from there before we continued making the loop towards the Washington Monument. On the way to the Washington Monument, we stopped for a while at the Korean War Memorial, which was one of the coolest memorials in DC, I thought. It was a sober reminder of the sacrifices these men made, especially with the reminder that "Freedom is not Free" on the wall nearby.
The boys joined me in front of the White House, but we found out we needed to have gotten approval from our Senator in order to tour it, so we instead walked down to the White House Visitor's Center and explored all sorts of things that were once in the White House.
After the Visitor's Center, we continued walking toward the Lincoln Memorial, and saw the Vietnam Memorial on the way. We made it to the Lincoln Memorial and picked up some cool postcards from there before we continued making the loop towards the Washington Monument. On the way to the Washington Monument, we stopped for a while at the Korean War Memorial, which was one of the coolest memorials in DC, I thought. It was a sober reminder of the sacrifices these men made, especially with the reminder that "Freedom is not Free" on the wall nearby.
After the Korean War Memorial, we saw the World War I Memorial, which was much more understated than the World War II Memorial just a few steps further. The World War II Memorial was really awesome! I'm sure it's not quite so cool in the winter, considering so much of it is water fountains, but it was gorgeous on the blistering hot day we were there :)
We toured the Washington Monument, going all the way up through the center and were able to see the beautiful views from its top. However, it was kind of junky, since the grass was all dead (apparently they were doing some sort of treatment to it?), and there was a big AARP tent up near the Lincoln Memorial. It was neat to see the Capitol Building from up there, though!
By the time we got back down from the Washington Monument, we were all ready for a break, so we made our way to the Holocaust Memorial Museum and had lunch in the cafe there. The food wasn't anything to write home about, but the museum sure was!
We thought we might spend a good hour in the Holocaust Museum, but three hours later, we finally left, and I think all of us could have stayed even longer! It was incredible!! The hours upon hours upon hours spent to put this museum together blows my mind! There was so much history, so many stories, and so many artifacts from this time period. While we were unable to take any pictures inside, there are so many images that will be forever etched in my mind - one of which was the railroad car that so many rode in, headed to concentration camps. The mounds of shoes and other things were so sobering.
By the time we finished up at the Holocaust Museum, we barely had time left to go anywhere else, but we managed to find a half hour at the Smithsonian, and even a little more time in the beautiful gardens just outside it.
We were more than ready to make our way back to the Metro by the day's end. The entire trip was so fantastic, but it was a LOT of walking, and with temps in the mid-to-upper 90's, we were pretty exhausted.
For supper, Mark and I ventured out to Chili's down the street, and then called it a night!
Thursday, September 4, 2008
East Coast Vacay Part III
Well, Day 1 in Washington, DC was really really awesome! We started out around 8am, had breakfast at McDonald's, and then walked down to the metro and took it to Arlington National Cemetery. We got off and walked to find the Tourmobile loading area and our first day in DC, we took the Tourmobile bus tour.
We enjoyed the nice ride around the nation's capitol, mapping out a plan of what we wanted to see the rest of that day and the next. We got off at the Capitol building, where we took a guided tour of the building. It was really awesome to see where decisions are made in our nation, and all the beautiful and ornate decorations there. The dome was breathtaking!
Towards the middle of our tour, a congressman (can't recall which one), approached the group and let us know that we had the unique opportunity to sit in on an energy presentation made by many republican members of the senate after the tour! It was really neat to be able to sit in the seats there as well, and to listen to some of the presentations. Now when I see that room on CNN and the like, it's neat to think, "I was there! And I sat right there!" :)
After the Capitol Building tour, we walked across the street to the Library of Congress. What a BEAUTIFUL building! It kept us busy for the next couple hours, after which we hopped back on the Tourmobile, and stopped off at Union Station for lunch at Pizzaria Uno.
I almost got left behind at Union Station when I went to go shop quickly at Express and lost track of time, but did make it back, and we then went over to the Jefferson Memorial for a bit. It was so awesome!! We had to hop back on the Tourmobile about 20 minutes after so we could make it back to Arlington Cemetery before it closed for the night.
Arlington Cemetery was SO cool! It was such an honor to be there and see the gravesites of all the men and women who gave their lives for this country. We were able to be there for the changing of the guard ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier - VERY cool!
After a long day of walking (and considering how seriously hot it was), we were glad to get back to the hotel!!
We enjoyed the nice ride around the nation's capitol, mapping out a plan of what we wanted to see the rest of that day and the next. We got off at the Capitol building, where we took a guided tour of the building. It was really awesome to see where decisions are made in our nation, and all the beautiful and ornate decorations there. The dome was breathtaking!
Towards the middle of our tour, a congressman (can't recall which one), approached the group and let us know that we had the unique opportunity to sit in on an energy presentation made by many republican members of the senate after the tour! It was really neat to be able to sit in the seats there as well, and to listen to some of the presentations. Now when I see that room on CNN and the like, it's neat to think, "I was there! And I sat right there!" :)
After the Capitol Building tour, we walked across the street to the Library of Congress. What a BEAUTIFUL building! It kept us busy for the next couple hours, after which we hopped back on the Tourmobile, and stopped off at Union Station for lunch at Pizzaria Uno.
I almost got left behind at Union Station when I went to go shop quickly at Express and lost track of time, but did make it back, and we then went over to the Jefferson Memorial for a bit. It was so awesome!! We had to hop back on the Tourmobile about 20 minutes after so we could make it back to Arlington Cemetery before it closed for the night.
Arlington Cemetery was SO cool! It was such an honor to be there and see the gravesites of all the men and women who gave their lives for this country. We were able to be there for the changing of the guard ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier - VERY cool!
After a long day of walking (and considering how seriously hot it was), we were glad to get back to the hotel!!
Tuesday, September 2, 2008
East Coast Vacay Part II
Well, in continuation from my first three days of the trip...
We grabbed some Papa John's after arriving at the hotel in Charlottesville, and went to bed soon after. (Well, I did - the boys stayed up watching the Twins' game)
We slept in a bit the next day, and then headed to nearby Monticello (Thomas Jefferson's home) around 10. We took a tour, and then wandered around the grounds for a while. What an absolutely beautiful home and estate! We spent about 2 hours there before we hit the road for Michie's Tavern, where we had some really yummy homecooked fried chicken, bbq sandwiches, harvard beets, mashed potatoes/gravy, and lots more food! It was delicious, and we ate way too much! After looking around in the gift shop, we hit the road again, but decided that instead of going to Ash Lawn Highland or Montpelier, that we'd head west to drive through the Shenandoah National Park instead.
It was about a 3 hour drive through the mountains, with about a 90 minute hiatus in which we hiked this trail to find an 81-foot waterfall. The hike proved to be grueling and the waterfall pretty disappointing, but that made up for all the pizza last night, right? :) We saw a couple bear caves while on the hike but no bears...just then!
I headed up a bit earlier than the boys while they explored a bit more, and after a grueling climb back up the hill, finally made it back to civilization. As I was walking to the restroom, I came face-to-face with a deer, and then as I was walking back to the car, I saw the boys had come back to the car, and were just taking a drink break. A few seconds later, we heard some people shouting something about a bear, and that we had to drive over by them to see it! Sure enough, there was a medium-sized black bear that had climbed up in the tree! The folks who were standing there said that it came out of the woods about 2 minutes before I had (FREAKY!). In fact, if I hadn't stopped twice for a minute or two, I may have been face to face with the bear as well!! The people said those bears are about 3 times as fast as humans, and that at the first sign of it moving down the tree, we should sprint for our cars and get in right away! Luckily for us, the bear didn't come down, but it was cool to see!
After our little hike and bear sighting, we continued on through Shenandoah, and after seeing yet another bear and a LOT more deer, we finally made it to the end of the park, and headed on our way to our hotel in Crystal City for the night.
The hotel (the Hyatt) was really very very nice, and we were glad to be there after such a long, exhausting day on our feet! The next three days were to be filled with lots and lots of walking around DC, and we needed our rest :)
We grabbed some Papa John's after arriving at the hotel in Charlottesville, and went to bed soon after. (Well, I did - the boys stayed up watching the Twins' game)
We slept in a bit the next day, and then headed to nearby Monticello (Thomas Jefferson's home) around 10. We took a tour, and then wandered around the grounds for a while. What an absolutely beautiful home and estate! We spent about 2 hours there before we hit the road for Michie's Tavern, where we had some really yummy homecooked fried chicken, bbq sandwiches, harvard beets, mashed potatoes/gravy, and lots more food! It was delicious, and we ate way too much! After looking around in the gift shop, we hit the road again, but decided that instead of going to Ash Lawn Highland or Montpelier, that we'd head west to drive through the Shenandoah National Park instead.
It was about a 3 hour drive through the mountains, with about a 90 minute hiatus in which we hiked this trail to find an 81-foot waterfall. The hike proved to be grueling and the waterfall pretty disappointing, but that made up for all the pizza last night, right? :) We saw a couple bear caves while on the hike but no bears...just then!
I headed up a bit earlier than the boys while they explored a bit more, and after a grueling climb back up the hill, finally made it back to civilization. As I was walking to the restroom, I came face-to-face with a deer, and then as I was walking back to the car, I saw the boys had come back to the car, and were just taking a drink break. A few seconds later, we heard some people shouting something about a bear, and that we had to drive over by them to see it! Sure enough, there was a medium-sized black bear that had climbed up in the tree! The folks who were standing there said that it came out of the woods about 2 minutes before I had (FREAKY!). In fact, if I hadn't stopped twice for a minute or two, I may have been face to face with the bear as well!! The people said those bears are about 3 times as fast as humans, and that at the first sign of it moving down the tree, we should sprint for our cars and get in right away! Luckily for us, the bear didn't come down, but it was cool to see!
After our little hike and bear sighting, we continued on through Shenandoah, and after seeing yet another bear and a LOT more deer, we finally made it to the end of the park, and headed on our way to our hotel in Crystal City for the night.
The hotel (the Hyatt) was really very very nice, and we were glad to be there after such a long, exhausting day on our feet! The next three days were to be filled with lots and lots of walking around DC, and we needed our rest :)
Monday, September 1, 2008
East Coast Vacay Part I
Well, I'm sitting here at the Chesapeake Public Library killing some time before we go meet Daniel for lunch, so I thought I'd get a start on my review of our trip to the east coast from August 29-September 8 :)
Well, Mark and I flew into Norfolk at midnight on Friday night, Aug 29. Daniel picked us up, and we headed to his place in Chesapeake, about 20 minutes away. We spent a little time hanging out, and then went to bed.
Saturday morning, we got up and went for a run around the area - all 3 of us - and then came home, ate a 3-course breakfast (compliments of Daniel), and showered up. We decided to be crazy and try Parasailing! We scheduled a time for 2pm, and then headed over to Daniel's buddy Jim's place for a little while. Jim came with us, and after lunch at Rudee's down on the ocean, we boarded the boat and took off.
Parasailing was amazing, although I was scared half to death when we started hearing the straps adjusting while we were 1200 feet in the air!! Mark and I went up first, followed by Daniel and Jim. Besides the adjusting straps, it was incredibly peaceful up there, overlooking Virginia Beach and the Atlantic Ocean. Unfortunately, while on the boat, our camera fell on the deck and was ruined.
After parasailing, we hung out down by the beach for a while, then took in a car show, then back to Jim's for a few minutes before heading back to Daniel's place to get ready for supper with Dan and Kristin.
For supper, we went to Lynn Haven Fishhouse, which was yummy! But before we ate (there was a 30 minute wait), we went for a walk down by the beach and came across a private fireworks show - VERY cool :) We wandered back over to eat some yummy seafood, and then went down by the beach again to hang out. We went for a walk along the walkway off the beach, and then did a little shopping and ate some ice cream at Hagen Daas. After that, we called it a night :)
Well, on the second day, Sunday, we got all dressed up and tried to go to church, but apparently the church wasn't meeting that Sunday - they didn't have their 11am service. So instead, we spent much of the day putzing around looking for a new camera - successfully :) But before we found it, Daniel showed us around the Naval base, which was VERY cool, and we even got to tour a submarine (me in my church clothes, including heels - very fun lol)
After we finished at the Naval base, we got the new camera, and then headed to Daniel's to relax a bit. We were planning on going to this concert at the park that Kristin was playing in, but we were too wiped out to move barely, so we stayed in, ate spaghetti, and watched a movie before heading to bed nice and early. We had an even bigger day ahead of us the next day, and we needed our beauty sleep :)
Monday morning, we got up early, and were on the road by 8am headed for King's Dominion! It was such an awesome day!! We rode roller coasters all morning and hung out at the water park riding all those rides and slides all afternoon. We finished the day with a ride on the Volcano - most awesome roller coaster yet :) After King's Dominion, we drove down to Charlottesville and checked into our hotel.
Well, this thing is about to kick me off, so I'd better post and be done :) More to come!!
Amy
Well, Mark and I flew into Norfolk at midnight on Friday night, Aug 29. Daniel picked us up, and we headed to his place in Chesapeake, about 20 minutes away. We spent a little time hanging out, and then went to bed.
Saturday morning, we got up and went for a run around the area - all 3 of us - and then came home, ate a 3-course breakfast (compliments of Daniel), and showered up. We decided to be crazy and try Parasailing! We scheduled a time for 2pm, and then headed over to Daniel's buddy Jim's place for a little while. Jim came with us, and after lunch at Rudee's down on the ocean, we boarded the boat and took off.
Parasailing was amazing, although I was scared half to death when we started hearing the straps adjusting while we were 1200 feet in the air!! Mark and I went up first, followed by Daniel and Jim. Besides the adjusting straps, it was incredibly peaceful up there, overlooking Virginia Beach and the Atlantic Ocean. Unfortunately, while on the boat, our camera fell on the deck and was ruined.
After parasailing, we hung out down by the beach for a while, then took in a car show, then back to Jim's for a few minutes before heading back to Daniel's place to get ready for supper with Dan and Kristin.
For supper, we went to Lynn Haven Fishhouse, which was yummy! But before we ate (there was a 30 minute wait), we went for a walk down by the beach and came across a private fireworks show - VERY cool :) We wandered back over to eat some yummy seafood, and then went down by the beach again to hang out. We went for a walk along the walkway off the beach, and then did a little shopping and ate some ice cream at Hagen Daas. After that, we called it a night :)
Well, on the second day, Sunday, we got all dressed up and tried to go to church, but apparently the church wasn't meeting that Sunday - they didn't have their 11am service. So instead, we spent much of the day putzing around looking for a new camera - successfully :) But before we found it, Daniel showed us around the Naval base, which was VERY cool, and we even got to tour a submarine (me in my church clothes, including heels - very fun lol)
After we finished at the Naval base, we got the new camera, and then headed to Daniel's to relax a bit. We were planning on going to this concert at the park that Kristin was playing in, but we were too wiped out to move barely, so we stayed in, ate spaghetti, and watched a movie before heading to bed nice and early. We had an even bigger day ahead of us the next day, and we needed our beauty sleep :)
Monday morning, we got up early, and were on the road by 8am headed for King's Dominion! It was such an awesome day!! We rode roller coasters all morning and hung out at the water park riding all those rides and slides all afternoon. We finished the day with a ride on the Volcano - most awesome roller coaster yet :) After King's Dominion, we drove down to Charlottesville and checked into our hotel.
Well, this thing is about to kick me off, so I'd better post and be done :) More to come!!
Amy
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