1920s Class Reunion and July 4th

Clint had his 20 year class reunion the week of July 4th.  His class decided to do a 1920s theme to match (20 years).  We actually got pretty into the costumes, though sadly some of the details aren't noticeable in the pictures--like the pleats on my dress and my t-strap shoes. I regret not taking a close up shot of our faces--I actually put a lot of effort into my make up (which I never do) and tried to perfect my cupid's bow.

So I promise in the picture below we are not contemplating a murder even though we appear to be.  We thought we should take an artsy serious one--fail!  I need to learn the neutral smile.

Of course we had to participate in the usual 4th of July festivities including Breakfast on the Boulevard, the parade, the family, barbecue, and of course fireworks.

Max was wiped out after a long day of fun!

World of Wings

Our next adventure in New Jersey was the World of Wings museum.  They had a lovely butterfly atrium where we saw butterflies, of course, but also some turtles and fish.

This museum also had some very interesting displays, such as bedazzled beetles (look closely below.  Those are in fact little rhinestones glued to the pinned beetle.  And there were many, many more.)

I think my favorite weird display was these bug panoramas.  There were a bunch of them, and they were quite elaborate. The inside of this museum sort of reminded me of an eccentric grandma's house.

And of course, there was a very cool toddler area.  This was Max's first time in a ball pit and this picture doesn't do justice to his pure ecstasy at being surrounded by BALLS.

Van Saun

One of the fun things we did while in NJ was going to Van Saun Park which has a little zoo.

Don't worry--this is actually a statue.

You can't really tell, but we had a fun train ride around the zoo.  At the end of our adventure, we rode the carousel.

Longwood Gardens

My mom and I went to Longwood Gardens on the way from Maryland to New Jersey.  The gardens were phenomenal, and Max had soooo much fun in the children's garden.  I think the pictures speak for themselves--and I didn't even get everything!

Pahty Reunion and Karen!

So my summer started a bit early--I missed graduation to fly out to Maryland with Max in tow!  Karen graciously picked us up at BWI, and we trekked slowly through rush hour traffic to Gainsville, stopping at an Italian place, Dolce Vita, along the way (where Max impressed Karen with his table manners).  Once in Gainesville, we sneaked through the gate entrance to the neighborhood like ninjas and found Janelle's house where she hosted a Pahty reunion!  (For those who don't know, the "Pahty" is the group of women that I went on semester abroad with.)  We supped on salad and soup and scones that had an important resting period, and enjoyed reacquainting ourselves.

Karen left Friday morning, and the pahtiers had a lovely walk in the Bull Run Mountains or the Blue Ridge Mountains, or something like that (though frankly I wouldn't exactly call these woods mountains.) I enjoyed the company, the luscious greenery, and hiking without carrying Max, who was being babysat at Janelle's.

Oh, and we saw the ruins of an old mill too.

Later that evening we stopped by the Manassas Battlefield (which I didn't photograph) and then had dinner at Hunter's Head Tavern where we indulged in Shepard's Pie and nostalgia.  Unfortunately, Max's table manners went out the window this night and all he would eat at the restaurant was ice.  I think perhaps all the bustle and noise overwhelmed him.

On Saturday we drove into DC and cruised around the tidal basin to see the monuments.  First stop was the new MLK monument, which Clint and I saw under construction (but mostly finished) after Karen's wedding.

The next stop was the FDR monument.

And a nice lookout of the Washington monument before entering the Jefferson.  Someone here noticed Max's Aggie hat and got all excited until I informed him that I am actually a Cougar and was there with an entire group of Cougars.  Hah!

Oh, what a good looking group of ladies! (And one little boy.)

Afterwards we had lunch at Good Stuff Eatery, which was pretty much amazing.  Then we headed into the National Gallery of Art

We then moved on to Ann Marie's home in Reston where we had a yummy Mexican meal and more nostalgia and reminiscing, as well as a little group therapy.  Ann Marie extended her hospitality and Max and I stayed in Reston for the night and said our goodbyes to the rest of the pahty.  Sunday morning I went to a 9am church which conveniently was a short walk through the woods from Ann Marie's house.

The next phase of my adventure was at Karen'splace!  She picked up up from the Metro and we played at the playground and went for a little walk on the cool trails behind her home.

We had some delicious salads for dinner and enjoyed catching up.  Then my mom arrived that evening and spent the night in preparation for the journey to New Jersey.

Thanks Janelle, Ann Marie, and Karen!