National Cherry Blossom Festival and Parade 2015

Mom keeps saying I've done everything in D.C. and while that's not even close to true (one of the biggest reasons why I love D.C.!),  I have seen the National Cherry Blossom Festival Parade before. I planned to go this year anyways, but it ended up working out even better that Grandpa and Jeannie were in town and the four of us went together.

After the parade we walked over to the Tidal Basin. It was crazy crowded as can be expected, but it is also the peak and worthwhile to see. Plus, I was the only one of us that had seen the MLK Jr Memorial before.

Easter at National Harbor

No fishing and catching Easter dinner this year (I love living in Alexandria, but I also really miss the lake), but we did go all the way to Maryland. When I was telling Mom and Dad about this year's winners yesterday, I was surprised neither of them had ever heard of the annual contest. Well, maybe I shouldn't have been surprised, but seriously it's like a huge annual tradition in the area and how had they at least not heard about it going on this year. Thus, it seemed a must to check them out in person this year.

I have also been wanting to go on the Capital Wheel since the first time we went over the bridge to Maryland to go to the nearest Aldi. Recently Mom found a list that was something like tourist must dos for D.C. area residents and the wheel was actually mentioned as one of the NOT dos, so naturally that made me want to ride it even more. I get what it was saying that you don't necessary get much of a view of D.C., but really what do you expect you're not exactly all that close. However, it still is a great view of the Potomac and it's interesting to see both the Washington Monument and George Washington Masonic National Memorial from it. Plus, you go around a bunch of times. Definitely the longest Ferris wheel ride I've ever been on besides the London Eye, but that's just one time around like the biggest one really slowly.

2014 Year in Review

In January Dad, Mik, and I went to Walt Disney World. Dad ran the WDW Marathon and we enjoyed staying on the Club Level at Animal Kingdom Villas.

February marked one year in our house in Alabama. We still weren't unpacked, but we did get snow. Never did really unpack everything in Alabama. However, another move later and we are almost all unpacked in our new places (just a few boxes left in Mik's room and Mom's organizing her stuff at her place is just a forever ongoing project).

Mom, Mik, and I visited Walt Disney World for a quick weekend trip in March to get our DVC discounted vouchers for next year's Premier Passes and go to the Epcot Flower & Garden Festival.

I spent a lot of the first half of the year at the lake house we rented, especially after Charter finally decided we weren't too far from a hook up to have internet in March. Did quite a bit of fishing, but only caught one fish, which was early on Easter and ended up being our Easter dinner.

In March/April we decided that it made more sense to switch from saving for a dream house on the lake to a condo in the DC area as it actually made sense as a place for us to live long term. In April we went to check out different areas and condos. We also went to Opening Day at Nationals Park. We did end up making an offer on a place, but they refused it because they did not want to make reasonable accommodations to the entry. Loved that unit, but it turned out for the better because we ended up in a community with much better amenities and I got my patio.

As soon as the 2014 Cubs schedule came out last year we decided we would see a game at Wrigley Field during the 100th Anniversary season when the Dbacks were in town and we choose the Wednesday game because that was Dad's off day, so he wouldn't have to take as many days off to go. Ended up being the actual 100th Anniversary date!

We all ended up back in Tucson in May and visited the Titan Missile Museum, which we had never gotten around to visiting in all the years we lived in Tucson.

At the end of May we closed on Mik's and my condo in Alexandria. In June Mom got a job relocation to Virginia and her and Dad found a condo to rent in the same complex as ours. The moving process took four months, but unlike still having at least a room full of boxes a year later from the AZ to AL move we have actually pretty much entirely finished unpacking (or at least Mik and I only have a few boxes left in Mik's room).

When checking out the local used bookstore when we first got our condo in Alexandria I found a 1940s Virginia Guidebook that Mom got me as a housewarming gift. After finding 1940s book on Tidewater Virginia I decided to start a 1940s book collection by finding books printed in the 1940s at local used bookstores. I'm using a bookcase we put in our dining room for the collection, which now includes several books I already had from the books I saved from my Grandma Kjos' library, a dictionary my Dad had that was originally my Grandpa Wasiak's, and seven other books I've found at various used bookstores in my travels this year.

I enjoyed some time at the cottage in Michigan with Grandpa, Jeannie, and Kirsten in June.

Also, in June Dad and I checked out the mini golf that was set up along the sidewalks in downtown Huntsville.

For Mom's birthday in July I got us tickets to see the Blake Shelton concert at Wrigley Field. She said it was the best concert she's ever been to. Mine, too, but I still don't officially like concerts. However, it was awesome see Neal McCoy perform. He's a true entertainer.

Dad and I went to Poland in August for the 70th Anniversary of the Warsaw Uprising. I enjoyed hearing the first hand stories from my Grandpa Wasiak as we visited the Warsaw Uprising Museum and the area he grew up in Old Town.

When we lived in Arizona we traditionally went to a Nats @ Dbacks game once a season. Now that we live a metro trip away from Nats Park we went to several games this season, but most importantly we started a new tradition of going to a Dbacks @ Nats game. Also, I got Mik to agree to be a Nats fan now that we live in the area. He's still a Dbacks fan, but he roots for the Nats, too, unless they're playing the Dbacks.

For my birthday in October we went on a Disney Cruise that included Mik and I finally going to Mexico (Cozumel) and a stop in Jamaica. Mom and Dad also did the Castaway Cay 5k. I also ended up with a fleet of Dumbos from collecting the popcorn buckets for my Dumbo lamp project and also Mom getting me a stuffed Dumbo, which Mik found quite snuggy.

For years I have been wanting to take Mik back to the top of the Washington Monument, but it kept being under renovations when we visited and then repair after the earthquake. It reopened around the time we moved to the area and in November we finally got tickets and did it. Mik couldn't enjoy the view as they did not have the periscope like when we took him in 2006, so he still has no idea what I have been trying to explain to him all these years because he doesn't remember it.

The weekend before Christmas Mom and I went to Nashville as she got us tickets to see the Opry at the Ryman as my Christmas present. When I heard about the Kelly Clarkson's Miracle on Broadway concert I got the tickets for that as her Christmas present (I told her not to get used to concert tickets as presents!). We also toured the Ryman, visited The Hermitage, got boots, and enjoyed music at a honky tonk.

Since moving to Alexandria Mik and I have enjoyed visiting the various museums, especially the temporary exhibits, in D.C. In December I took him to a variety of the holiday things including the Holidays at Union Station, Capitol Christmas Tree, National Christmas Tree, and our favorite Season's Greetings at the U.S. Botanic Garden. In December we also visited Walt Disney World mainly to pick up next year's annual passes, but also to enjoy the holidays at the parks.

Got Water?: First Alabama Fishing Trip

 Got Water? Yes

Yesterday Dad and I took the boat out for the first time in Alabama.  Dad named the boat Got Water? back when we had it in Arizona.  Now that we live in Alabama we most definitely have water.  In particular, the main river around here (Tennessee) actually has water unlike the "rivers" of Tucson being dry 99% of the time.

It took us all morning to get the boat ready to take out, as we had to install the fish finder I bought for it.  We decided to take it out on Lake Guntersville for our first outing.

Got Fishing Gear? Not so much

When Dad went to get the fishing gear from the storage unit he could not find one of his tackle boxes.  A quick look in the house and shed also did not locate it and we do not remember seeing it since the move, so it is likely still in one of the boxes that have not been unpacked.  That tackle box had his reels, so his poles were useless, but we still had my pole and one of the extras we had gotten when my pole was missing (something was actually found in the move! Mine had been lost in the garage for years until we found it preparing for the move).

With two poles and one of Dad's tackle boxes we headed on the lake.  Once out on the lake we discovered we only had the ability to set up one of the poles (not mine, sadly) because we did not have anything to cut the line with.  If only, we had noticed that before we were out on the lake, as we could have taken the scissors from the truck.  Luckily, the one pole only had a swivel on it and Dad had one spinner.  It was not the recommended color for the lake, but at least we could attempt something.

We did not catch anything, but we enjoyed getting the boat out and the fish finder definitely works great with the main reason we wanted it was to know depth.  Dad even let me drive the boat on and off the trailer.  I totally stunk at getting it up to the dock for Dad to get on after we launched it, but I did get it onto the trailer on the first try.

This trip was certainly a good practice run for Thanksgiving.  Now we know we have to find that tackle box or what we need to get before we go.  Perhaps, it is also time to upgrade from my kiddie tackle box, which was in the one tackle box of Dad's we found.

Continuing Our Melting Pot Tradition

When I "graduated" from high school in 2004 we went to The Melting Pot.  Then in 2007 we celebrated my Bachelor degree graduation at The Melting Pot.  Mik graduated from high school in December and last night we finally got around to going to The Melting Pot to celebrate (it took so long to get around to it because of Mom and Dad going to Chicago for Christmas and then having  several days of parties and get togethers this past week with their getting remarried on January 1st and having a bunch of family and friends in town).


Unlike most times we have done the Melting Pot, this time we stuck to just the cheese and chocolate.  It was also the first time we had gone as just the four of us and it was kind of odd to only have one pot at the table.  Thus, we had two cheese courses to be able to try to different cheeses.  Then for dessert we had the Cookies and Cream Marshmallow Dream.

I've been to the top of that!

For years when driving between Tucson and Phoenix I always thought about climbing to the top of Picacho Peak and would say I want to go to the top of that sometimes when we went by. Back in 2010, I finally did it with Dad. Then began a tradition of me saying I've been to the top of that everytime I first spotted Picacho Peak when on the I-10. Now it has evolved into almost a competition of who says it first with Mom saying when we were on the way to the Case Grande Ruins the other weekend, have you been to the top of that when we first saw it?

Now on the way back from being in San Diego Dad was sure to say I've been to the top of that first. Mom had been listening to something with headphones and ten minutes later said you've been to the top of that because she didn't realize we had already done that whole thing.

Guess we're going to find some new thing to point out on road trips from Huntsville, since we won't be going by Picacho Peak often after we move in early 2013.

When and How Not to Visit Fort Bowie NHS

Yesterday, Dad and I went to Fort Bowie National Historic Site.  I had been wanting to specifically go on July 28, 2012 for months because it was the 150th Anniversary of the Fort and getting the National Park stamp on that day counted to get a special 150th Civil War Anniversary certificate with the National Park Travelers Club.  Unlike usual, I totally winged it and all I looked up was the address of where the park stamp is located (the visitor's center).

We arrive and it is just a parking lot and you have to hike a mile and a half to get to the fort and visitor center.  Not that big of a deal normally, but it is July and it was already hot at 10 a.m. and it was only likely to get hotter.  Plus, we brought no water, no food, and I was wearing new shoes.  Despite seriously considering giving up on it, we trekked on.

The hike was not really that bad, but it was hot.  Of course, we get there and there are at least ten other visitors that certainly did not hike in, as we were the only ones in the parking lot.  Yes, we did see there was a number to call to find out how to access it if you cannot walk the trail, but we took it seriously as something not to abuse.  Apparently, they do not really care, although you do not get the real experience if you do not do the trail and see the sites that relate to and really lead up to the creation of the fort.  It was worth it overall, but I would have rather just drove up and got the stamp for the day and come back in the fall or spring when the weather is nicer to really experience the site.

Making Mom Try Something Different

Last night I went out to dinner with Mom and Dad to go to a Mexican restaurant for a cultural activity for my current Masters in Education course on multicultural education.  We ended up at Los Portales, which at least Mom and I had not been to before.

The most common Mexican place we end up at is La Salsa, which sure is not the same being a chain, but it is nearby and more fast food.  Mom almost always gets a shrimp quesadilla.  Thus when she said that was what she was getting at Los Portales, which had a lot of different shrimp dish options, I would not let her.  She ended up with a dish with shrimp topped with cheese and a chipotle sauce.  It was spicy, but she did like it.