National Zoo - You wish your Zoo was this Cool!

Usually a trip to the zoo to see exotic animals is more like a trip to see the exotic animal habitat. Well, our trip was fairly AMAZING!!
Tigers awake!
Lions awake!
Male lion finds female lion. Male lion tries to get some from the female. She then ROARS and he ROARS back and it is suddenly the best trip ever!
Huge nasty mean bee in the drain.
Monster snake! When I looked in at him he looked over at me and then turned away. He then opened his mouth and just sat like this for a good minute. Like he was trying to catch a fly or something.
No. 1 reason I love the national zoo. The orangutans! They have this "freedom" like I have never seem for any other animal anywhere in captivity.

Yep! It goes right over top of people head.
Meet the newest addition to the national zoo. Little Ellies I just love em. This one was having a good ol time squirting water around. She'd spray it and then trout around.




The pride and joy of the Zoo. A giant panda. She recently had a babe that was sent back to China :( I guess that is just part of the deal.
She also was up and about, climbing over the rocks and walking along the edge closest to all the people.
Lots of babies born this year.

Oh, not that one, he was born last year :)
And that one is far from being a baby despite her need to be carried.
It was a good trip. I don't remember the children screaming or crying at all. Key words, "I don't remember!"

Luray Caverns, Virginia

On camera flash sucks!

Winter was very into the audio tour.





Natural fame at it's best.

Lake Stoneycreek, Pennsylvania

Previously never known to anyone that didn't already live there or a relative of someone that lived there, Lake Stonetcreek is very close to Shanksville, PA. You know where one of the planes went down on 9-11. It is so close indeed that my grandmother heard the boom and felt the house shake when the plane crashed.

We visited the crash site while we were there. Needless to say, it is both beautiful and full of heartache to visit.

Our trip was spent mostly relaxing and enjoying the company of my grandparents, who thanks to me and great-grandparents :)

Not much to see, but there is a little house that has the logs of the phone calls that some of the passengers made to their loved ones before the plane crashed. Impossible not to cry if you read those. It also has a lot of info from 9-11 and how things played out.
Winter enjoying her "Judy the Great."
When my grandparents were growing up they use to go to a near by lake to go boating and swimming. We went to check it out. There was a park that the kids liked.

When you go to a lake and you don't bring a swim suite what is one to do? Winter was in the water before I could even think of objecting. I figure, she has no boobs and as far as everyone else was concerned, she would need dry clothes after, more than the need to be modest while swimming.
Ledger on the other hand was not extended that courtesy. Mostly because he was in before anyone was able to get his clothes off :)
His lips were blue by the time they were done. Judy the great gave him her shirt and his pa-paw, got him snuggled and warmed up.
Don the great and pa-paw getting him dressed.
Waiting for the princesses to come out of the bathroom clothed.
Judy the great's shirt was the perfect size if you ask me!
Wowzar, isn't he handsome. That's mine!
Miss attitude giving me "the look." And yes, I am still looking forward to the teenage years.
Ice cream at a little local joint. Check it out, 4 generations!
This is the main road through Shanksville. And those little houses at the bottom of the hill is the town. Almost literally the whole town.
Growing up in Virginia, my mom took me to the lake a lot. A LOT! I didn't always appreciate it. In fact I am pretty sure there was a screaming, ugly snot crying, threatening to run away episode. I am not proud of it, but it seemed like I could just go the next time and it wouldn't matter. My great-grandmother was alive then. I feel shameful for not wanting to go.

Anyway, until very recently these beauties didn't exist at the lake.
I LOVE THEM!
I happily could have take thousands of photos of them.
They make me smile.
And I think they look good across the sky. More than that, I know they are doing something good for the earth.

This is how you know you are getting close to the lake. The big red/purple barn.
This is the "get you shoes on" sign, because now you are turning onto the last road to grandma and grandpa's house.
Now you can see the house and know any minute Judy the great is going to come outside to greet you. She'll make a OOOoooooo sound because of her excitement to see you and she'll give you a big hug and kiss that the bright pink lipstick will stay on your cheek. And you will be happy.
We spent 4 of our 14 days at the lake. Playing cards, talking, let's the great grandparents get to know their great grandchildren. It was wonderful!

Bitter Witch

Traveling with children is usually fairly stressful, but almost getting into an altercation with an obviously barren, bitter woman within two minutes of taking my seat on the plane…that’s a first.

Cory, myself, our daughter Winter (4 years 3 months) and our son Ledger (20 months) all took a flight tonight going from Salt Lake to Washington DC, Dulles. Things seemed to be going well as far as getting through security, waiting to board, and even getting to our seats without a meltdown. I had everything ready. Winter and I traveled quite a bit before she turned two and we made the trip to Virginia at least twice just the two of us. I am not a novice at this trip. I got special surprise toys before the trip, packed sweet snacks, salty snacks, got a drink in the terminal, brought the car seat on the plane (toddlers travel better restrained), I even went as far as to ask the woman at the ticket counter to see if there was an empty seat so both our children would have a chance at riding more comfortably. LUCKY ME, there was two empty seat the row across from ours. The ticket woman changed Cory’s seat to the one across the aisle (so she said.) All on board and ready to go is when the trouble started.

“You’re in my seat” is what the woman said who was standing in front of Cory as we both were getting things stowed under seats in front of us. I started saying “we are a family sitting along here…” but before I could finish she cut me off saying “Oh no, I booked this tickets months ago and I am not going to get stuck riding in the middle because of YOU.” I understood her frustration, especially I recognized the uppity, I am a Delta passenger attitude. I waved my hand in a dismissive manner and tried to explain again “the actually is supposed to be two empty seats over there and you…” Cut off again, she said this was her seat and proceeded to begin sitting down on top of Cory. In such a shove over way, Cory hadn’t even had the chance to grab Ledger shoes he had put in the seat-back pocket. So there she sat, Winter, Ledger, and me on one side and some awful woman, an empty seat, and Cory on the other. Ha ha that is just the set up!

As everyone else around us files in and get into their seats, the woman makes a call. Instead of over hearing (she is after all less than two feet away) her tell her loved one somewhere along her travels, she is well and getting ready to take flight, she launches into telling the person on the phone about the terrible trouble she has had with people on the plane. She tells them that they tried to take her seat and “after she booked it months in advance!” Oh brother, was all I could think. Cory looked over her at me and was really beginning to fume. WHO DOES THAT?!

Then, she starts talking about how bad the flight is going to be because of Ledger and Winter. I looked right at her and said “I hope he screams the whole freaking flight just so YOU have to be bothered.” HOW DARE SHE JUDGE MY CHILDREN?! My mama bear came out so fast, I would have gladly ripped her fat, ugly head off her frumpy fashion accident body. She then repeated what I said into the phone to whomever she was speaking to, who I assume told her to mind my own business because this is how it played out…

Bitter witch “mind your own business”

Mama bear “you are talking about my children, who haven’t done anything”

Bitter witch “you are just made because this is my seat, go away”

Mama bear “I can’t go away, THIS IS MY SEAT” the ridiculousness of it all made me laugh which really pushed her over the edge and she yelled back

Bitter witch “I AM TRYING TO TALK TO MY HUSBAND!”

Mama bear “THEN STOP TALKING ABOUT MY FAMILY!”

Bitter witch “I am getting the flight attendant”

Mama bear “GOOD!”

I brood! I could have easily jumped up and down on her head and not stopped to think about jail time. I am not going to sit there quietly while you bad mouth my children. Had she just heard what I had to say in the beginning, the whole mess could have been avoided. Or if she hadn’t been so rude about it, or I don’t know, not talked about me like I am so unworthy to even be known in her existence.

She then disappeared for a few minutes. When she returned she grabbed her bag and was asked to move up a few rows. The guy across from me and one aisle up waved goodbye to her with me and then winked at me. Thank goodness there are some understanding people in the world!

As I write this on the plane I seriously contemplate mowing her down with our car seats on the way out. I guess her never knowing the joy of her son or daughter loving her unconditionally is punishment enough.