Deep Creek Lake

A group of friends and I spent our Memorial Day weekend at Deep Creek Lake. Our house could not have been better situated on the beautiful lake. The house featured a hot tub, Swedish sauna, a creepy attic, a personal dock, a swing by the dock, a deck, a tire swing, basketball hoop, pool table, and lots of outdoor space. These amenities made for a great weekend full of fun and relaxation.

Friday night we drove to the house, ate dinner, and told ghost stories in the creepy attic by candle light. I, of course, told the death of a woman that still haunts her friends (Mary- seriously, you need to follow the light.)

The backyard

Saturday was full of games, kayaking, and a trip to the Super Walmart where we bought the famed Dora kite. A few weeks ago, Mary tried to fly her kite (which sucks). A little three year old next to us was flying a Dora the Explorer kite with ease. We mocked Mary's kite and vowed to find a Dora kite. Wayne bought the kite and we surprised Mary!!! She was not as excited as we were.





We also went to Funland where Trent and I hit the jackpot with the game Deal or No Deal. Then we played a round of mini golf. Unfortunately, Funland was having some troubles with their lights so we played a lot of the game in the dark. I will not complain because I ended up getting a hole-in-one!!! However, Trent did beat me by two strokes.

Look at all those tickets!!

Sunday we went to the local branch where we learned (by a professor of such things) how to save honey bees. This was somehow linked to being with our families in the temple. I did not follow that one.

I took a great nap on Sunday afternoon. Then Mary came back with a surprise - materials to make a slip n' slide. Nothing beats soaping yourself up with Dawn to speed down a tarp and end up in the mud!!!


Monday we went to Swallow Falls State Park. There are two beautiful waterfalls in the park. We took many, many pictures and played in the water. I tried out my new bright yellow water shoes. They made it easy for me to run and climb on slip rocks, play in the water. I think I will get them in every color. No really, I think I will.







Hmmm...




On the drive home, we were desperately searching for food. However, every restaurant we came to was closed. You know what they say "Never get too hungry, tired, angry, or lonely." Well, we had two down and we were close to a third....until...we saw this sign. We laughed for so long. I mean, really, we were in the middle of nowhere Maryland and this is what we find. Unbelievable.






Public Service Announcement # 99: How to buy great water shoes.

Catch Up

So I haven't written in a while. I hate to do it but it has to be done: a catch up blog entry.

Last weekend I spent a great evening in Baltimore. A group of us went to Little Italy where we all stuffed ourselves with delicious food at Amiche's. Oh, my gosh, we ate so much food. Then we made our way to the public bocce ball courts. We had a enough to make three teams. As we were making the teams, a woman asked if her ten year old son could play with us. He was a great addition to the team because he was on a bocce ball league. Not only were his skills good but his name was the perfect Italian name: Angelo Pizza. I kid you not. That was his name. Guess what his father does for work? Yeap, owns a pizza shop. As we played, people from the neighborhood would sit down on the benches and watch the game and give their opinions of the game. It was so much fun!!! Then we had some yummy gelato!!! Perfect.



The young boy is Angelo Pizza

I must have been pretty happy about this play since I am jumping up in the background.

The weekend before Mary, Trent, Kim, Wayne, and I drove to Raleigh, NC for a little weekend getaway. The night we got there we ate at the Waffle House. Oh, my, what an experience that was. We were greeted by our waitress who had at least 15 pens stuck in her hair. She swore up a storm. When I asked for my hot chocolate she said "what do you want? No. I am gonna finish my food." She was crazy and we laughed so hard. Especially when we saw the sign posted below.

The next day consisted of a tutorial on how to be a white, middle-class family.

1- Take your children to the farmer's market to buy strawberries and other treats. Don't forget the stroller.

2- Tour the town. Don't miss the large acorn. Please don't let the kids climb on it, as it is dangerous.


3- Go to Pullen Park. Take the train that goes around the park and ride the paddle boats.



4- Go to an outdoor concert at a nearby suburban lake. If you are lucky, a family band will be playing bluegrass music. If you are even luckier, then you will grab a t-shirt before the people behind you gets it.

Warning: This event will be filled with the most adorable children and a puppy. Leave your single friends at home or else they will think that you or a higher power is sending them a message.

Public Service Announcement # 98: How to enjoy an outdoor concert.

Happy Mother's Day!!!

You all know that I love my mom. It's no big secret. Here are a few reasons why.

1- She gives all of her time, energy, and love to her family. She has and still does sacrifice much for the benefit of her family.

2- When I am annoying, sad, frustrated, mad, and/ or anxious she puts up with me.

3- She is compassionate to those around her. She seems to always find the person that is downtrodden and goes out of her way to help them.

4- She is outgoing and likes to talk to new people. Sometimes I do not like this...like when we are traveling. However, she has this knack to get people to open up to her very quickly.

5- She has never pressured me to be more but expected me to be my best.

6- She thinks the best of others.

7- She can get feisty when she needs to.

8- She likes to try new things and see new places.

9- Even though she puts up with me, she still tells me what I need to hear.

10- As her mother once said about her, "She is the sunshine of my life."

She is so beautiful.

(Mom, I thought that you might think it was funny that I added the pic of me and you and your eighties hair!)

This is one of my favorite pictures ever. My mom got tired of riding her bike so my dad carried her along with both of their bikes. So cute.

Me and mom in Central Park

---Mom--- call Holly at 251-9986. She has my mother's day gift for you!!! Enjoy!!! You deserve a little pampering and some time to relax.

I Want Out of Wonderland

The first time I came to D.C., 11 years ago, I visited the Kennedy Center. At that time I told myself, "I am going to come back here and see a symphony." Luckily, that wish has come true many times over.

However, nothing has quite compared to last nights NSO performance. Mary had two tickets and graciously asked me to come along. I excitedly got dressed up and drove to the Kennedy Center. I was ready to have a peaceful night full of exquisite music. The first piece was VERDI: Overture to I vespri siciliani. It was the perfect mix of melancholy and whimsy. The second piece was PAGANINI: Violin Concerto No. 1 in D major, Op. 6. It was good, a bit long, but the violin soloist was extremely talented. However, she did not wear shoes on stage.

The third piece was....well there is only one phrase that describes it... A Beautiful Disaster (coined by Mary.)

Imagine yourself: You are sitting in the Kennedy Center, enjoying the beautiful music and scenery. Then a woman (see below) enters in a ballgown. "Oh, this is exciting" you think. You read that she will be singing the Arias from the courtroom scene from Alice in Wonderland. Interesting, one might think.

NOOOOOOOOOOOO. Painful.

She read the entire courtroom scene and acted out all of the parts. That was actually quite impressive. She was very animated. However, the arias were a beautiful disaster. In one part, the orchestra was going crazy and she was screeching very loud and very high. It was so bad that the little old man next to me had to cover his ears. It was so frightening that a little girl behind us was afraid and kept hitting the back of our seats. People were walking out. I was dumbfounded. These were my thoughts throughout the 1 hour that this went on:

1- This is like taking the Mona Lisa out of the frame and using it to sop up Koolaid. Then crunching it into a ball and throwing it into the waste basket for two points.
2- I am pretty sure this is what purgatory sounds like.

Well, least to say, I left the symphony much more anxious than when I came. That is not supposed to happen. As I think about it today, I just can not help but laugh. Seriously, Mary, thanks for taking me with you!

Public Service Announcement # 97: Just in case you are interested.

And the Race is On

After scalping my Nats tickets, I was unsure about what to do with the rest of my day. I was not sure if anything else would provide as much excitement and/or dread.

I went to visit my friend Mary. I am not sure if Mary and I have ever had a boring time together. We are both animated and try to live life to the fullest. Mary is constantly planning some small trip or activity. People should really consult her before having a party or going on a trip.

I was talking with Mary about my scalping experience and she said, "Now that you don't have plans you should come with me to Charles Town, WV." It took me about ten minutes to be convinced and I ran home to get ready.

Those of you that don't live in Virginia, Charles Town probably does not mean anything to you. For those of you that live in Virginia you probably hate the commercials - "Charles Town...races and slots." I love going to Charles Town because it means three things: 1- I get to drive through West Virginia and stop at vendors along side of the road. 2- I am going to eat at a buffet at the same time as watching the horse races. 3- I am will bet amongst my friends and get them to do silly things.

And their off....
Once we entered West Virginia, we stopped and bought some snacks along side of the road. We bought some peanut brittle, cashews, and some warm kettle corn. The worker at the stand took our picture and said "Aww, that's a perty one."

Mary, Wayne, me, Diana

I swear the buffet was a furlong....

We ate at the buffet for almost two hours. I ate mostly meat items and a lot of dessert. Wayne shared his strategy on how to get your money's worth at a buffet: no breads, no water, no starches, and take your time.

The race is on...
We went outside and watched the live horse races. Around race time, a huge crowed gathers. As the horses race, everyone is yelling for their pick. It goes something like this: "Run Littlemisslouwho!!" or "Come on, Easy Street." Now, I don't gamble....with money. Instead, I gamble with my friends and my own pride. We would place bets amongst ourselves like these: the losers serenade the winner with a song or the loser cooks dinner. Diana won twice, Mary won once, and I won four times. Wayne did not win.

Public Service Announcement # 96: How to watch horse races.

Lesson of the Day

Today's lesson: How to Scalp Tickets. I had two tickets to the Nationals baseball game that I was not going to use today. I tried to sell them on the listserve, on craigslist, and to some of my friends. I even tried to get seven friends to go with me but to no avail. I was stuck.

What to do next? Simple, I decided to go to the stadium and sell them. The entire time I was on the metro I kept thinking, "I can not do this. This is not going to work." I mean, I look too young, I am too nervous, and I have never done anything like this before. As I got closer to my stop, I made out a game plan.

I walked into the stadium and located the ATM. Yes, these people would have money. I went straight up to two young men and said, "I have two great tickets that I will give you for a great price." They asked how much, I gave them the price, and we made the transaction. It took less than 25 seconds. Wow!!! That was so easy. Next time I will ask for more money.

Public Service Announcement # 95: To deal with people like ME, click here.

Enamored

I am enamored with the Washington, D.C. temple. Every time I drive up the road and see it peaking through the lush trees, I get an unique feeling of being both excited and at peace. Today I spent some time outside of the temple to enjoy the beautiful Spring weather and the landscape. I thought I would just share some of the pictures that I took.


Spring flowers are my favorite: they are so happy! The next picture is of an arbor on the temple grounds. It was a perfect place to relax and feel the sun's warmth.

As I left the temple, the sun was just beginning to set. Beautiful.