Cousins in Birmingham 1

So the Sartins came to B'ham, but we made a small trade.  Anabelle for Eli, Sylus, and Addy.  I think everyone had a great time.  Sylus is into the magic tricks right now, and has some pretty cool tricks "up his sleeve".  Minecraft is fun for everyone apparently.  And even though Eli got sick at the Leeds playground, his smile widened when we got to "drive" some of the boats at the BassPro shop.  Do you know they sell stuffed animal deer heads to put in your children's room.  That is just weird.  And while all of the fun was going on at the Junkin House, we heard that Marcia was serving the tea, pastries and fresh strawberries to princesses Belle and Stella.  The smiles on those girls faces show they didn't miss us a bit.  :)

 

And for anyone reading this years down the road, please see if Stella still has deathly fears of the hibachi grill or Mexican sombreros.  Too Funny. 

 

 

Day Trip to McWane

McWane has two really cool new exhibits.  One that highlights toys over the generations, then the other is a new permanent area "Itty Bitty Magic City".  The toy area had a really fun arcade area, and some tests to see how well you remember the Nintendo music...I did really well.  We saw Zoltar from the movie Big.  You only get one hour in the IBMC, and the kids did NOT want to leave.  Ruby loved the animals and would actually pet them because they were not real.  Belle loved being a waitress.  This was the first time ever at McWane to have to park on the street as the parking deck was full...very busy.   

 

Washington DC

So I am continually amazed at the cool things I get to do while on business, and this was one of them.  I had a two day meeting in DC, so I flew up on Monday early to get to see the sites, and back on Wednesday.  I worked at a building on G street about three blocks from the White House...too cool!  This was my first time on the metro by myself, taking it into town from the airport...only missed one train not knowing the right direction.  Getting in early on Monday, I was able to visit Ford's theater, the White House, and the Washington Monument.  I went in the American History museum, and realized quickly that I am not very interested in this history stuff...so I just left and went back to my room. 

 

The next day after work, I had tickets for the Nationals game.  They were playing the Braves, and I had tickets on the 2nd row behind the dugout!  Could not have been better seats...no one was in the first row.  Got to the stadium a little early off the metro, and watched the Braves hitting batting practice...then the clouds came...then the rain came...then the severe thunderstorms came...and I quickly starting thinking that my awesome seats would not even be used.  But the storms passed, and they began the game 2 hours late.  Strasberg was pitching, and wow, 98 mph is really fast, and as close as I was I kept flinching every time a left handed batter swung a little late.  Guy next to me was a Braves fan from Boaz, AL.  So best seat in the house, and looking forward to enjoying these seats...when mid way through the fifth, they announce that anyone needing to get back to the city on the metro, last train is leaving in 15 minutes.  DOH!  Oh well, I made it through the fifth, saw Bryce Harper hit some balls really hard (no hits though), saw a Braves team I hardly recognized up very close, bought a new ball cap, and had a great time.  Made it back to my hotel as they were closing up the metro areas downtown.

 

My meeting on Wednesday ended about an hour early, and since my flight was later in the evening anyway, I took the Arlington stop on the metro, and visited the cemetery sites.  I got a lot of strange looks as I was on my way to the airport dragging my luggage and computer case...through the entire cemetery.  I did try and be as respectful as I could by lifting the suitcase and carrying it in more quiet areas.  Beautiful area.  And I had chosen the window seat for the ride home, and it worked out nicely to get some really great pictures of the National Mall on the way out.