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.

Wii Like to Box

No my brother-in-law has not gone crazy. Nor is he inventing a new exercise routine. This is what it looks like to watch someone play Wii Boxing. If you're watching the TV screen, all these movements make perfect sense. Really.

My Wife is a Closet Bracketologist

For the second straight year, Rachel is winning our NCAA pool. First off, let me say that this is the number one reason that I don't make people wager money on this pool. Second, how in the world does this happen? It's not that my wife is totally clueless about basketball (although she did think Stanford was on the East Coast and had never heard of Davidson, Dell Curry, or his son, but still had them in the Sweet 16), it's just that to win this you need a degree of luck. How lucky is she? If she wins the whole pool this year, I'm driving to Atlantic City with her and putting our life savings on Black 13.

Gretchen Winn, 1918 - 2008

My great-grandmother Winn passed away last Wednesday. Just looking at the dates I wrote above makes me realize how much she must have seen. 1918 to 2008. Quite a life.

Like most people, I assume, most of what I remember about my great-grandmother surrounds the holidays. She was a very creative woman and loved to celebrate the holidays with her family, but especially us young grandkids. For Halloween one year she hid our candy all through her house and then tied string to each one. Then she wound the string all over the house in a sort of maze we had to traverse to get our candy. We had so much fun running from room to room and getting our piece of string untangled from the others.

Another tradition was at Christmas time. She wasn't able to get out much (she stopped driving years ago) and wasn't much up on the "new toys" that we kids wanted (you know, stuff like G.I. Joe's and cassette tapes and Atari games). So she would take our Christmas gift, usually just five dollars, and disguise it in someway. One year she took one of those marble puzzles where you have to complete it to get inside. I remember seeing the five dollar bill, but not being able to get to it! The most creative one was when I got a roll of toilet paper as a Christmas gift. I was a little surprised and had to keep smiling because that's what you did when someone got you a gift and I'm sure dad had the video camera taping the whole thing. Finally I realized that she had rolled up one dollar bills in the toilet roll. I've told that story so many times and I still smile. It's always nice to get presents for Christmas (even today!), but great-grandma also made us smile with even the smallest of gifts.

I'll miss you Grandma!

Here is the notice that ran in the Brazil Times:

Gretchen Marie Winn, 89, Brazil, died at 8:35 p.m., Wednesday, March 12, 2008, at St. Vincent Clay Hospital.

Born June 13, 1918, in Clay County, she was the daughter of Daniel and Carrie Bolin Lancett.

She graduated from Brazil High School and began a long career employed at The Brazil Times newspaper where she worked as the advertising manager.

She married Richard E. Winn in 1936. He preceded her in death on Oct. 20, 2007.

She was active in the Clay County Chamber of Commerce and enjoyed crocheting, writing poetry and painting.

She was a member of the First United Methodist Church, Brazil.

She was preceded in death by her husband Richard, her parents, four sisters, Ruth Crewes, Margaret Butts, Helen Parson and Vivian Lancaster, and one son-in-law, Walter Wegner.

She is survived by one daughter, Karolyn M. Wegner, and one son, Richard E. Winn, Jr., all of Brazil, grandchildren Cindy Stiffler, Candy Clerk, Dan Wegner and wife Linda, all of Brazil, and Christy Prulhiere and husband Paul, Camby, Cathy Short and husband Shawn, Beaver Creek, Ohio, and Sally Ann Winn, Helena, Mont., great-grandchildren, Troy Stiffler, Indianapolis, Amanda Sebastian, Coal City, Trent, Tressa and Tiara Clerk, all of Brazil, Danny Wegner, Terre Haute, Amos Wegner, Brazil, Natasha Wegner and Aaron Prulhiere, both of Camby, Emily and Hannah Winn, both of Helena, Mont., and Kaylee M. Short, Ohio, and one great-grandson, Brian Sebastian, Coal City.

Moore Funeral Home was chosen to provide cremation services.

Visitation with the family will be 6-7 p.m., Monday, at Moore Funeral Home. A memorial service will be conducted at 7 p.m., Monday, with Rev. Tony Alstott officiating.

Should friends so desire, expression of sympathy may take the form of donations to First United Methodist Church, 201 N. Meridian St., Brazil, 47834.

Visit www.moore-funeral-homes.com to second condolences to the family or for more information.

Tis the Season for Gifts

My company means well. Each Christmas they give the staff a Christmas gift. Now I understand that they do this because the IRS would tax them if they gave out bonuses. I'd still rather have the money though. Human Resources has pointed out time and again how hard it is to find a gift to please everyone. However, I'm still not sure they always come up with the best ideas. So here is a review of past Christmas gifts from my company. Keep in mind all of these products are emblazoned with our company logo.

Umbrella This actually seems like a practical gift since all of us (except HR and the CEO, of course) have to walk a mile from the parking lot. I don't actually own this gift. It was given out the year before I joined the company. I saw a few of these in my first year, but they've been gone ever since. Apparently they break very easily. Good attempt, but a cheap product.

Baseball Cap This is pretty useless. We can't wear it to work and I wouldn't wear it out anywhere (except maybe to mow the lawn). It' a greyish/brownish cap with a blue bill. It also features our old logo which is pretty much unreadable at a distance. The material looks like it's been through the wash cycle 50 times. I supposed it's supposed to be "distressed," but it looks more like the company we got them from had 150 extra hats from a previous project that they needed to get rid of, so they stamped our logo on them and called it a day.

Duffle Bag I actually like this gift. It's the perfect size to fit under an airplane seat and is made out of high(er) quality material. I've actually used this several times on trips. Props to the people who chose this gift.


Blue Fleece-Lined Jacket Two years in a row with sensible gifts. Wow! I actually wear this all the time. It a short jacket lined with fleece. It's perfect for fall weather. Completely useless in the winter, but it serves it's purpose.

Folding Chair Apparently someone in HR subscribes to the "Generic Logo-Placement Gifts Catalog." It's one of those portable folding chairs with the company's logo on it. No cup holder, footstool, head covering like the fancy models. Most everyone seems to already own several of these and I have never seen this item again since it was handed out. Presumably it's in my garage somewhere and gets thrown in my trunk when we go to an event requiring us to bring our own chair, but never gets taken out because everyone already has one from their company. Also I own a Purdue chair, so why would I promote my company when I can promote my school? Yeah, I need to grow up someday.

Blanket Again, reasonably good thought, bad execution. This is one of the fleece blankets that fold up in it's own pocket. "Perfect for carrying to picnics" I believe is the slogan for this one. However, when you fold the blanket up (which is near impossible) to fit in the pocket, you find the zipper for the pocket...is on the inside. So that doesn't make much sense. I assume most people use blankets to cover up in, not go on picnics. Unfortunately I'm 6 foot tall and this blanket is about 50" long. At least I can cover my feet with it.

Black Fleeced-Lined Coat I guess they were tired of seeing everyone wear those blue fleece coats around. So this one is black, slightly longer, and has a hood. Also, only the body is lined, not the arms. This makes no sense to me. If you wear this in the fall, your chest is hot while the rest of you is comfortable; if you wear this in the winter, your chest stays warm while your arms freeze. I'm seen a few people wear these, but mostly those blue fleeced coats are the main fashion choice in jackets around here.

Fire extinguisher To be fair, this wasn't a Christmas gift. Once a quarter, a $25 gift card was given out to those who hadn't taken a sick day. The IRS began saying that those gift cards would have to be taxed, that they were like additional pay. Only physical items could be considered tax free gifts. So my company decided to give out gifts for those with perfect attendance. After thinking long and hard, they came up with...a fire extinguisher. It's one of those little models you keep under your sink. I'm not sure if the gift was to imply that our old building was a fire hazard or that they just had given up deciding what to get us and happen to be in the fire extinguisher aisle. I've never seen anyone have these at their desks. When they were being handed out, even my usually reserved co-workers were chuckling at it. What in the world were they thinking? Who wants a fire extinguisher as a gift? This has got to be the worst gift ever. Fortunately, my wife (queen of the shoppers) was able to identify the item as coming from Target. They let us exchange it for something from the same department. Now we're the proud owners of a shop vac. Much better.

Cooler on wheels I really don't get this one. It's a flimsy material lined with that grey water/cold proof cooler stuff you see on those bags at Costco to store your frozen foods on the way home. It's the kind of cooler they sell at the Colt's Pro-Shop for tailgating. This cooler is on two wheels with an airport style handle on top. Now the only time I use those suitcases on wheels are at the airport. And I KNOW you can't take pop or beverages on a plane anymore. Maybe they think we're all transporting cold beer from our cars to the office. A side note: a coworker (I assume. I'd never seen her before, but she was getting a gift so she must work here. I doubt people are coming in off the street to get a cooler on wheels.) thought it was a laptop case on wheels. Well, it is on wheels, but the flimsy construction and cooler-material interior seem to blow that out of the water. Sometimes I wonder how people get hired here.