The National Archives

It was pretty darn amazing to see the Constitution, Declaration of Independence, and other important U.S. documents at the National Archives. I got a little emotional seeing them up close and thinking about what it took for the signers and implementers to build a country of independence. The fact that it was close to Memorial Day weekend and we have troops fighting for those very freedoms and that independence probably didn't help any. It really was an inspiring experience. After all, I've learned about Jefferson and Washington and others all my life, but they've never seemed real. To see those documents and their signatures and realize they were people who really existed and did amazing things and that's why I'm here today and have what I have was incredible. 

It turned out to be especially great when we accidentally got turned around (okay, we got lost) and stopped to ask some guards where the documents were. They pointed around the corner through a doorway. We waltzed on in. And THEN we saw the line of people waiting behind a rope to view the documents. Oops! Essentially, we butted in line without even knowing it and did so at the direction of security guards. Ha! It pays to walk around D.C. with a stroller. Well, I guess the kid IN the stroller probably helped, too. But it was a wonderful and fascinating experience. 

I bought copies of the documents in the gift shop and, wouldn't you know it, they wouldn't fit in my luggage without getting squished. Shauna was totally great and we stopped at the post office to get a round tube. She mailed them to me later and it was well worth the wait. They still reside in that tube, but I will find a way to get them framed one day and display them proudly in my home. 

Pictures weren't allowed inside the Archives (for obvious reasons), but we did get a few on the outside. It's a beautiful building on the inside and out and filled with history. I'm so glad we got to stop there and see everything.  

National Squirrels!!!

We're walking along at the National Mall in D.C. one day and this group of school kids (okay, there were hundreds of groups of school kids!) is walking past the other way. A girl sees a squirrel on the lawn and squeaks, "Ack! A squirrel!" and then almost jumps on the boy walking next to her - like she's nervous about an attack. Ever so calmly the boy says, "Yep. That's a national squirrel."


It was all I could not to laugh out loud. Oh man. We kept walking and then I started laughing and shared with Shauna the conversation. Hilarious! From then on, we were on the lookout for national squirrels. The looked something like this:  

Yes, young lady, you should be afraid - very afraid! Perhaps we should hand out "WANTED" posters to everyone we pass in the hopes we will apprehend the suspects and prevent them from scaring any other idiot. Did I say idiot? I mean, er, young school girl approximately 13 years of age. 


National squirrels ... too funny, dangit! 

I fell off the blogging wagon ....

Ah life. Ain't it great? And incredibly crazy? And totally time-consuming? Yeah. 


It's been nearly a month since I last blogged and I still can't manage to get my pics posted from my trip to D.C. I really do intend to do that one day in the near future. For now, I'd just like to post a picture of this pretty little thing: 

Why yes, it HAS made my life a little more exciting. It's actually helped me get a little more organized (in this case "a little" means that it's better than the zero organization I had before). The iCal is great for appointments and keeping all my Young Women stuff in order. The address book is so zippy! I downloaded our ward list off the Church's website and saved it as a .csv file. Wouldn't you know that it imported lickety-split! Crazy fast. So now I have all the names and address of the girls in our ward right there on the computer with very little work. It's been so handy in so many ways. 


It's also good for the homework thing. Does that ever end, by the way? And to think that just the other day I said something to Mom about maybe going for a Master's. What?! Was I talking crazy?! Maybe. Maybe not. I don't really know right now. What I'd like is an education that will provide me with a good job that pays well so I can pay off all my school loan debts in a timely manner and actually start saving for life after 90 since social security will all be spent by Obama by the time I'm 42. It would be nice to have some security, and heaven knows we can't count on the politicians for that! 


Anyway, the point is, it's been a good investment and I'm very happy with it. It's also helping me get familiar with other programming that will be used in my field of work, so I feel a little more ahead of the curve. Too bad it can't take over my life and REALLY organize things without my help. Do computers like that exist yet? If not, is somebody working on it? Like one that mind-reads and then puts it all on the calendar and wakes me up with a to-do list in the morning so I know which way is up? No? Darn.

Mell of a hess

My printer at work has been working slower than sludge. I mentioned it in our last meeting and the IT department said they would check it out. Honestly, I thought it was the printer and knew several other printers had been replaced and just hoped I was on the list to get a new one. Yeah, right. 

So, they hire a new student (a 17-year-old brand spankin' new high school graduate). He gets assigned to take care of my printer problems. He goes through everything he knows. Tries all sorts of things. Finally figures out it's my Windows XP that has issues. He offers to upgrade me to Windows 7 (which is supposed to happen eventually anyway). This will supposedly fix the problem. If not, he doesn't know what the deal is with my printer. 

Comforting, right? 

Today, we finally got down to the installation business. It doesn't work and doesn't work and doesn't work. Then, he realizes it's because he "forgot" to make sure certain things transferred. Finally, we get Windows 7 installed. Wahoo! NOT SO FAST. My ENTIRE drive with ALL my data is missing. Yeah. Missing. It's about 3:30 p.m., kid's all hot and bothered because he missed a school assignment deadline trying to take care of my machine, and now he has to come back tonight after his classes to figure out where my data went and get it re-installed. This would not scare me so much except that ALL of my files (letters, newsletters, my ENTIRE job) are on the drive that went "missing." 

Why can't we just switch to Macs?! I know they aren't without their problems, but this whole Windows monopoly is a complete and utter joke. My next laptop/computer (I swear) will be a Mac if I have any say about it whatsoever. What a mell of a hess!!! And you know what I mean by that ....

MLB - Washington Nationals

My second major league baseball game was on May 28, 2011. Shauna and I went Matt-and-Little-Man free to see the Washington Nationals vs. the San Diego Padres. The weather was much better and because the stadium is newer than Baltimore we got more of a breeze. We were still hot and sweaty, but we didn't lose our body weight in sweat. Bonus! 

I guess I'm a terrible fan because I don't remember the outcome of either game we attended. My goal was to soak in every bit of the all-American experience, and that's what we did! Shauna had a hot dog at the game; I had a cheeseburger. Yummy! 

The best part was when it started to rain and all the people with the expensive seats started running for cover. Shauna and I just sat in our seats under the overhang and continued watching the game. It wasn't raining enough that they called a delay, so the game continued while everyone was hovering somewhere else. Note to self: if you ever buy season tickets to a baseball game (or any other sport) buy them under the "covered" section if you can. Saves you from having to remember an umbrella and miss parts of the game if/when it rains. 

The coolest part of the entire game was before we even got there. We got off the metro, rode up a couple of escalators, and walked out right in front of the stadium. So cool! I wasn't expecting that at all and it kind of took me by surprise. Plus, we asked for "cheap seats" out of direct sunlight. We were looking at about $20/seat. Then, out of nowhere, the cashier says, "Or I can get you a deal where you get a seat and a hot dog and drink for $14." What?! You can't tell us that up front? Jeesh. So, that's what we did. Cheap seats with food and drink included. It was great! And it was just as much fun, if not more so, than the Baltimore game. 

Here are a few pictures I caught at the Washington Nationals game:

Did you spot the Washington Monument in the background? Amazing! That monument was everywhere! You could see it from so many places. And the real thing, up close, was majestic. (Pics of that coming soon.) Hooray for baseball! 

MLB - Baltimore Orioles

Ahem. I grew up in a baseball town and never played a day of baseball. The only games I watched were a few friends while growing up and then some games in high school (our team was pretty dang good). That's it. 

Until May 26th, 2011, that was my experience with baseball. Then, Shauna and Matt and their Little Man introduced me to the "real" thing. My first major league baseball experience was at Camden Yards with the Baltimore Orioles. In spite of our near death experience because of the heat, it was actually really fun! 

I'm not gonna lie, the field seemed so tiny. We were in the cheap seats, but I don't think that had much to do with it. On TV the field looks so big to me. In person, not so much. And I was surprised at how slow the game moved. Not that it was boring ... there was just a lot of time to talk and laugh and eat between things. It's that kind of stuff that really makes it a family game anyway, right? 

These are a few of the sights from my first major league baseball game. 

But the cutest pics were of this Little Man with his dad:

 

THAT is what makes baseball the all-American sport. I do believe this was Little Man's first major league baseball game as well, so we now have a common bond. Other than my dangly earrings, I mean. Don't you just want to pinch his cute little cheeks?!

It was MIGHTY hot that day in Baltimore. Little Man almost melted. By the time we got tickets and finally found our seats, this is what he looked like:

It's a miracle none of us died of heat stroke. I think we later learned it was 89 degrees with about 90% humidity. Yeah. HOT. So worth it though! The whole experience was all the better because of the great company.