Happy Holidays!

Greetings friends and family! We hope you had a wonderful Christmas! I know we did. We started the week off with having our own Christmas gathering at home with our parents, grandparents, brothers, sisters, and our adorable nephews. Fun was had by all. My HUGE turkey came out terrific. In fact, we're still eating on it. The only thing about Christmas that does me in is the numerous amount of cookies we have. Mostly from Troy's mom, Cindy. I've even taken some to work and we still have some left!

Christmas eve was split into a couple of Christmas's. First, we went to my parent's to have breakfast.... ahhh, Krispy Kreme.... and to open gifts. Actually, most of the enjoyment came from watching Grant open his presents. It is so much fun to see him react. My mom cleaned out Christopher & Banks for me. Thanks mom! And Bret and Erin made sure I got Pushing Daisies so I won't be without it when it goes off the air next season. Troy is really enjoying his new rocker from my parents. Although, now I have to stare over it to the tv from my recliner. I hope everyone enjoyed the gifts we gave as much as the ones we got!


After Christmas with my folks, we headed to Bedford. No Christmas lasagna this year. In fact, the food fair was mostly snacks. Not quite as many mouths to feed without the Weavers. It was good to see mamaw and the rest of the crew. I was thrilled that the family decided to open gifts early so I could see them b/c we had to head back to Indy by 5pm. The hospital never closes... in other words, I had to work Christmas Day and the day after. We were extremely short staffed, but we always manage to do it. Christmas Day, many of us brought in food and the hospital provided lunch for the workers. It was very nice... even though we had to eat quickly.



I'm thankful it is the weekend now. Poor Troy has caught a cold. I'm trying to avoid it. But the weather is nice and warm and rainy. I'll think I'll stay in and enjoy my gifts. Thanks to all! Have a happy new year!

Here's the pictures!

Sorry for the long delay. A lot has happened in the last few weeks. Thanksgiving came and went. I had to work that day, of course. Sick people can't be left to fend for themselves in the hospital! But we did celebrate it with my family the previous Sunday. It was a great feast! I especially enjoy getting to see my nephew and hear the new things he says.

The weekend following Thanksgiving, we went to Louisville for my cousin Nicole's wedding. I was so happy for her! It was also the first time I got to meet Paul. Not bad, Nicole! Here are a few pics!



Since then, I haven't been doing anything other than work. Troy has a cold I'm trying to avoid. But I did purchase the Christmas turkey for our shindig coming up. I made the lady at the register laugh because I could barely lift it! So everyone coming to our place... be prepared for turkey!

Here is the link to snapfish to see the rest of our Washington, DC pics!

Day 7 and the trip home

We had another fun-filled and busy day the final full day of DC. We made it to our country's Capitol! And what a beautiful place it is! We got to do the first floor tour which is mostly about the rotundra. Amazing how large and grand it is! They then take you into the old meeting rooms. Once your done with the tour, they let you wander around the first floor on your own... but only since the Senate was already in session. The House was empty though, so we somehow got tix from a security guard to go sit up in the balcony and look down on where all our laws are made. It was kind of cool and see it.

Next we visited the Library of Congress. We were somewhat disappointed. There wasn't much to see other than the Gutenburg Bible... which don't get me wrong! It was nice, but that was it. Otherwise, unless you're doing research, the library isn't much to look at.

Next door, we visited the Supreme Court. Much more interesting. They don't have hearings on Fridays, so we got to go into a court and hear an explanation on how the supreme court works. Troy was more annoyed with the rather clueless lady who kept asking questions like, "If all judges are equal, why is the chief justice called the chief?" "How does he get elected?" And that was right after the tour guide had just explained it. The tour guide was getting rather annoyed with the lady. It was amusing.

And again, we managed to find another mall. This one was in the union station. It pretty much surprised us, because when you walk in, all you see is a bunch of asian keosks and some restuarants. It took some exploring to find the good stuff! I was a good girl and didn't buy more shoes...

which leads me to the fact that we had to buy another suitcase for all the crap we... er... I bought. Grant and Brian will be happy with us! Every time we went in somewhere, we found stuff for the boys! I had so much fun! We really need a kid. hehehe But we did manage to get everything and us home safely this evenings. The ride was less bumpy, but we were still in the very back... by our choosing. They were the only seats left together. Although, this trip, more people had to use the lavatory. And for some reason, nearly everyone left the doors open after they were done, which made it very noisy for us. Troy kept reaching over to close it. I, on the other had, was sound asleep most of the trip. We are glad to be back in our house and our bed. Troy is a little less happy since he has to go to work Monday. I took all next week off too. hehehe

Some more pics of the trip! But remember these are only a segment of our pics. I'll try to post a link to all of them once we get them organized.

Day 6 and my feet are killing me!

We finally made it to the National Mall. I can't remember the last time I walked this much. First off we overslept, so we didn't leave the inn until 10am. Secondly, it was decent out but WINDY again. At least the sun was shining. We went to the Washington monument first. It was really interesting. I didn't realize it was actually commissioned while he was alive. You can see where they quit building and waited to start again. Money was an issue even then! We did get to ride to the top. Very high. Pretty view though. We had to get tix early to ride up, so while we waited to do that, we decided to venture to the White House. hehehe. The reason I'm laughing is because we had just walked to the front of the place after walking all the way around it and being shooed away from the "tour" entrance because Senator Lugar didn't bother to return Troy's emails, when we got shooed away by a police officer informing us that the White House grounds were being closed off. Wha?! Then we saw it, or... heard it. The helicopter overhead. Apparently somebody important was either coming in or going out. That kind of made up for it... not really. Been better to have seen some secret service men around.

Then we vistied the WWII memorial, and walked up the reflecting pool to Abraham Lincoln memorial. It was impressive. You always see pics of these places, but until you've been there, you don't really realize HOW big it is. And it's not just a statue, all the carvings of his words around it. The Gettysburg Address. Very inspiring.

So after our trip up the memorial, we headed to the Vietnam Memorial. Very touching. As was the Korean War Memorial. Inbetween the two, we stopped to grab a snack at a cafe. While we were sitting outside enjoying the warming sunshine, I suddenly felt something grap my leg. I looked down and shrieked because a squirrel had decided I smelled good and grabbed my leg!!! The only people around were this older couple and the man said,"You know those have rabies." Thanks. ,The squirrel continued to make interest of me until I convinced it I wasn't food, nor did I have any of interest. It then went over to bother the older couple.

We made our way around the Tidal Basin to FDR's memorial. I liked all the water falls, but by then I was so tired, and so was Troy that we really didn't pay too much attention to it. Our goal was to get to the Jefferson Memorial, which we did. I must say I like this one better than Abe's. Maybe because there weren't as many people there, but the statue just seemed more magnificent. Maybe it just looked better because my feet were sore. Anyway, I enjoyed it.

So we walked back to the metro to go find dinner somewhere. Wouldn't you know it? My loving husband found me a mall with a Macy's. And it was a really nice mall. We hung out for a couple of hours so I could oogle the name brand shoe stores. Now we're back in our room, and just plain exhausted. But Troy said I had to blog to remember everything we did today. I hope you all are enjoying this as much as I am writing it. Tomorrow is our last full day here. To the Capitol we go!

Day 5 Washington DC

Today we visited the Natural History museum. I forgot to mention that yesterday we found out the American History museum is closed until the fall of 2008. It is fall!!!!! But alas, it doesn't reopen until November. I was majorly bummed. Apparently it's been closed for the last 2 years for major renovations. Maybe we'll come back with kids some day to see it. Speaking of kids, it must've been "field trip day" for several of the schools around here. The museum had lots of noisy pre-teens running amuck. It was still quite enjoyable to see the place. Got lots of pics. Even a few with Troy! My favorite part was the Gem collection. The Hope diamond is BEAUTIFUL. I told Troy I was taking pics of the things I wanted for christmas. The lady next to us laughed and said, "Isn't every woman?" I was particularly taken aback at the pink diamonds. I tried to take a pic, but without using the flash due to the glass case, it came out a little fuzzy. We also did another IMAX movie called "Deep Sea: 3D." Narrated by Kate Winslet and Johnny Depp. It was awesome. Although, again, we had to share the theatre with way too many younguns who couldn't keep their traps shut. They got a little better after it started and their teacher told them to be quiet. We then headed to Dupont Circle for some dinner at Kramer Books and Afterthoughts Cafe. The food was great, the pie even better. Much to my chagrin, I think I've gained about 10 pounds on this trip... even with all the walking! Tomorrow, off to the memorials! We're hoping it won't be quite as cold and windy. We're starting to think that next years vacation may involve a beach and a lovely placed call Hawaii. Enjoy the pics!

Right as you walk in, you're greated by this fellow.

Many of you realize that I couldn't go without seeing the Egyptian stuff. If they hadn't been sold out, I would've bought a mummified cat pendant. It was soooooo pretty!


This is the pic of the pink diamond. It didn't come out quite like I wanted it to, but you get the picture.

T. Rex, 'nuff said.

Ain't we silly?

Day 3 and 4 Washington, DC

Sorry for the delay of posts. We had a busy day on Monday! Where to start? We got up bright and early (at 8am) and headed towards the Air and Space Museum. My goodness! It was amazing! I couldn't believe the number of planes and space craft scattered throughout. We spent almost the whole day there. We even stopped to see an IMAX show called "To Fly" which was really neat. Mostly it was just nice to get off our feet for a few minutes! Not to mention, even though weather.com said there would be no rain, it POURED. So we were glad to be indoors. We ran to the ESPN Zone that evening to watch the Colts get defeated. We got lucky to find a section that was watching football and not the World Series. The Zone was cool. They even had tvs in the bathroom stalls so you wouldn't miss any of the game. The also had an arcade where we saw dozens of teens in costumes running around... what are they doing on a school night at the Zone? Anyway, today was probably one of my favorite days.



Day 4 was a little more somber. We visited the Holocaust Museum this morning. We stayed for 4 hours. It was really impressive. I don't really know how to describe it that would justify it. By the time we got done, I was sobbing. They don't allow pictures, which I totally understand. You really have to see it for yourself. How people can believe that it didn't happen is hard for me to imagine.

Afterwards, we headed to the Old Post Office. We went to the observation deck, 12 stories high. We got some nice pics of Washington from there. You couldn't stay up there very long because it was cold and blustery today. We headed back to the Inn at around 4pm and stayed in the rest of the evening. We're both a wee bit tired and our legs and feet ache. Tonight was a good night to just chill out. Hopefully tomorrow will be nicer and we can visit some of the memorials.

Day 2 The National Zoo

The BEST free zoo we have ever been to! It was enormous and it was well done. We took so many pics that I'll only be able to post a few today. I'll put my favorites. :) We got to the zoo about 9:30am. We stayed until about 3:40pm right before they closed for the annual "Boo at the Zoo." Which, for $25, looked really cool to bring kids too. You basically trick or treat at the zoo. They have a bunch of tables set up all over the place. Plus tons of decorations, which I took plenty of pics of! The weather was much nicer today. High of 69 and beautiful. I couldn't have asked for a prettier day. We had a wonderful time. We also wore our feet out! We fell asleep when we got back to the hotel. We had dinner down the street from our inn. I can't believe how much walking we've already done and we haven't been to the Smithsonian yet!

This pic was taken first thing in the morning. The trees were changing colors and it was beautiful out. A wonderful, crisp fall morning.

This one is for you dad. Although, I was a bit disappointed that there were no prairie dogs actually out on the prairie dog town they had built.
We were EXTREMELY close to the cheetahs. This pic was taken about 10 feet away from this guy. There were four of them. I was totally convinced that one of the cheetahs was stalking the zebras that were in the next cage (which was only a fence with some barbed wire) away. It was creepy!
I'm sure you've probably read and forgotten about the only pandas to have successfully mated here in the U.S. This is one of them. I'm not sure which one this is, but they were still cool to see.

Well, we safely arrived in DC. It was a bumpy ride. I don't know how we do it, but we always end up on the rear of the plane... right next to the lavatory. The stewardess assured us by telling us it was a short flight and not many people would get up. And right after that, a pregnant woman showed up. I can't blame her though. I've heard too many stories of pregnancy and always having to pee.

So our first night we weren't sure what to do. We decided to just take a walk around Adams-Morgan. Oh! First, I gotta show you pics of our hotel room. The place is gorgeous! We have one of the larger suites with its own bathroom.




So we wandered around Adams-Morgan, which is pretty much like Broad Ripple except, as the guide book says, "racially diverse." We passed Indian, Ethiopian, Peruvian... Bret would've loved the place! But since most of you know my husband... let's just say we ate at a place called The Diner. It was pretty good. Just your general family restaurant fare. Afterwards, we walked all the way to Dupont Circle, which is actually the next stop on the Metro. Speaking of which, why on earth doesn't Indy have something like the Metro? It totally rocked!


The following day we took the Metro to the Federal Triangle, which is the IRS, the Old Post Office, and the National Archive. We first went to the Spy Museum. It was really cool. There was no photography allowed inside, so you'll have to settle on the one of me in my "spy" hat at the gift shop.

We then had lunch at the Hardrock Cafe. Besides the prices, the food was pretty good! Check out me having my "Hurricane" drink.


Sorry, but there aren't very many pics of Troy since he was doing most of the camera work, but I did sneak one in while waiting in the line at the National Archive to see the Declaration of Independence...




The Constitution...

And our pic of the Bill of Rights didn't come out at all. Sorry!

By the time we left the Archives, it was about 5, and EVERYTHING shuts down at 5pm. So in the rain, we headed back to our hotel. And thus concludes our first full day of DC. So far, we're having a good time. There is some big marathon at the Smithsonian tomorrow, so we plan to avoid that and go the Zoo instead. According to the weather channel, the rain we had today will be gone and it will be warm and sunny again! We will keep you posted as the trip progresses!

Halloween Fun!

As most of my family knows, I'm a Halloween addict. I love the holiday. I also love fall. The changing trees, the cooler weather... ahhhhhh. Definitely my favorite time of year. So what do I do to enjoy the season? I decorate!

And as you can also tell, I love Snoopy!

We visited the Covered Bridge Festival last weekend. We went to both Bridgeton and Mansfield. We had a great time! Troy's mom, sister, and brother-in-law with their kid joined us. My mom and dad came for a bit too. I spent way too much money as usual. But I did find some great deals. My favorite purchase was a necklace with a pumpkin made of glass on it. There went the last of my birthday money! The trip did have a downfall, we were suppose to meet Mandy and Andy at Bridgeton hopefully around noon. Instead, they found us at Mansfield around 5pm. I can't believe they even found us in the mass of people! The reason we missed each other was because, believe it or not, there are very few cell phone towers in the middle of nowhere. Cell phones were practically useless. But it was still a very fun trip. Next weekend is Pumpkin Works! More pictures to follow.

A Birthday Surprise!

I love my family.

So last weekend, Troy and I were on our way to Coal City to check out Andy and Amanda's house and "get things ready" for my birthday bash NEXT weekend. Well, give credit to Amanda and Troy, they had the bash already planned for THAT weekend to surprise me! We drove up to the house and there were all my family and friends to meet me! I was so excited. Thank you to all who planned and helped with the surprise. I really had a blast. Here are a few pictures from the weekend.


Troy's mom made the cake. Isn't it awesome?! She made our wedding cake as well.

That's right. It was my big 3-0 birthday... but I'm still 29 until the 28th.




Just a few of the fun gifts I got. Thank you mom! I also got the cool little skeleton standing next to me with the pumpkin head from my sister-in-law, Amanda.

I'm still in shock that Troy was able to keep the whole thing a secret. Even my parents were in on it! Thank you all again. You are the best!

For those of you who haven't seen me in a while, I chopped off my hair. Nothing too drastic, but it's short for me! I really love it! And I'm sure you're asking, "Does Troy?" Yes he does! He's just happy I've stopped complaining about how boring my hair had become. The pic doesn't show it well, but I also dyed it auburn red. It really looks cool.

I know, I know.... 5 months is too long.

Okay, Erin. Since my poor husband has finally found a job where they actually keep him busy, he will be unable to keep this blog update. So I, Rachel, have decided to take it upon myself to try and update it. I'm not promising anything. I have a webpage that hasn't been updated since I got married. Shows you how dedicated I am to these things. Maybe someday when we have a little "something" to show off, I'll be more inclined to post.

Anyway...

I already pointed out Troy has a new job. It's nice to come home to a not-so-grumpy husband. What else? I'm not nearly as clever as my brother about finding the irony in life. But I will tell you that today, for some unknown reason, I took it up myself to really take a good look at the presidential candidates. Have you been to Obama's or McCain's webpages? You know what I found? ABSOLUTELY NOTHING that tells me anything about these candidates. Sure, they look flashy, but I couldn't find anything under "issues" that really tell me what these guys think. I'm either going to vote for Obama to be contrary, or McCain because he might get something done.

On another note, the Lucas Oil Stadium (or LOSers) is pretty nice. Troy and I went with some friends to the free opening. Aside from the way too may tickets given away that you can't move... the place was nice. Troy got to see them open the roof. Pics below to prove it.