Catching Up

Contrary to what you may have assumed, I have NOT dropped off the face of the earth, given up writing my blog or broken an arm (or two).  The silence here on this blog is inversely related to the crazy, busy life that has been happening here in my corner of New Hampshire.  I will try to write about all that has been happening, and here is a start:

We actually took a vacation a couple of weeks ago.  We went camping.  Not my favorite thing to do, although after I read this from Margaret, I felt a little more inspired.  Camping has a way of re-connecting us with each other.  The days are longer because the "time-thieves" (i.e. the computer, that dastardly TV, and the toxic video games) have been left at home.  Without the screens to capture our attention, we are left to focus on one another.  The kids look for ways to occupy themselves and get active--frisbee, bike riding, swimming, miniature golf, shuffle board, swimming again, playground, and even, *gasp* a walk with mom and dad around the campground.  We play games, read books, talk to each other and pray. I even snuck in a math worksheet or two for the younger boys--they were not impressed. 

Campfires are the best part of camping.  We all love to roast marshmallows, although none of us likes to eat them much.  Daddy will eat one or two, but that's his limit.  The only ingredient of s'mores that I like is the chocolate, and I prefer my chocolate straight up, thank you.  But, still, the campfire's the best.

We were supposed to borrow my sister-in-law's camper, but there was a mechanical problem with it, so we borrowed an older, much-loved pop-up from a friend.  By "older, and much-loved" I mean old and a good deal past its prime.  First off, the spare tire that used to be attached to the back of the camper flew off as we were driving down the road.  I was following my husband in our van with one of the kids.  It was a good thing I was watching that spare tire bounce up and down crazily, because when it came off, I was able to stop quickly.  If I hadn't been able to stop as quickly as I did, it is likely the tire would have crashed into my windshield!!  It was pretty frightening. 
As we drove into the campground, we could see that, like many campgrounds these days, a lot of the campers there were "seasonals", meaning that they are people who leave their campers there year round and come up when they are able--kind of like having a lake house, but without the lake...or the house.  You can pick out seasonals pretty easily.  They are the fancy big campers with the slide-outs that have decks with lattice and perennial gardens surrounding them. 
Pulling in with our *ahem* well-loved pop-up (minus the spare tire), we bore an uncanny resemblance to the Clampett family as they journeyed into Beverly Hills.

Seriously...

Come to think of it, I have a son (or two) whose appetite rivals that of Jethro Bodine.

Fortunately, our neighbors didn't resemble Mrs. Drysdale.  The other campers were very welcoming and kind.  Perhaps out of pity, but still, they were nice.

Our home Sweet home

As we set the camper up, we came to realize that the electricity didn't work.  Also, the water hook-up leaked, so we turned the water on "only" when we needed it.  So...no power...no water.  And the bed that hubby and I were supposed to share was somewhere between a twin and full size.  Around this time, hubby had to ummm, "remind" me that we were having fun. 
Oh yes, that's right...fun.
Eventually, I did adjust my attitude, and we did have a good time.  This double rainbow that appeared after we set up helped.

The kids really enjoyed the playground, mini golf, shuffleboard

and, of course, the "cement pond."

After four days, we left for home, refreshed and rejuvenated and re-connected with one another. 
I'm pretty sure I heard them say as we left, "Y'all come back now, here?"

It was our last day in Washington, DC. The weather was very nice...sunny, high 30s... but schools were still closed!!! Dear hubby, who has plowed snow for 20+ years, noticed (repeatedly) that they did not take care of roads and parking lots properly, therefore, instead of getting back to business, so to speak, after a snowstorm, the region remains shut down. Honestly, plowing is hard on equipment, expensive, and a pain in the neck for the operator. The local gov'ts do not budget a lot of money for snow removal...and why should they when the whole "snow situation" clears up on its own in a couple of days?!
Anyway, we spent our last day in DC. Because of the bad weather the last 2 days, we did not get to see all that we wanted to, but we still had a great time. Today we visited the Smithsonian Air & Space museum, Natural History Museum, Washington Monument and the National Archives. I really wanted to get to the National Gallery of Art and the American History Museum, but time and energy failed us. We all returned to the hotel tonight with aching feet and sore muscles...we did a lot of walking!!! Poor Annie fell asleep on Daddy's shoulders as he carried her to the Metro station from the National Archives. And poor Daddy's back, carrying her all that way!
Going to the Archives was a treat for me. Since we are studying American History with Serendipity, I really, really wanted to get a peek at the Declaration and the Constitution...um, I mean show the kids. It was the end of the day and everyone was tired, but the kids grudgingly agreed to accommodate me and we walked the few blocks to the Archive building. I think they are happy they did, but they may not admit it for a few years;) The lights are low in the building so as to not damage the documents and there is no flash photography. Good thing I just figured out (on this trip) how to turn the flash off on my camera. I was able to take some decent pictures of the documents (even the Magna Carta!!!) But, as I was taking a picture of one of the pages of the Constitution, my flash went off! Loud gasps sounded all around me and the Government workers said, "No flash photography, please." I. was. mortified. I apologized profusely and tried to explain that had I turned the flash off, and I didn't know what happened...The worker smiled and said it was OK. How embarrassing!
We came back to the hotel and we all went swimming and in the hot tub. It was really good for our tired muscles. While the boys and Dad played Marco Polo, I helped Annie practice swimming. She's getting good at it and can doggie paddle her way across the pool with her floatie bathing suit on. She was so excited and said, "Let's do this every night!" Now while I agree with her that it is better than watching TV, it's going to be a little difficult to manage back in New Hampshire (we haven't installed the indoor pool yet:))
Well, off to bed. If I know my husband, we'll be off bright and early in the morning.
I am so thankful that we had the opportunity to take this trip. Being here really inspires patriotism. What a beautiful capital city we have, with amazing treasures within it. We should be proud to be Americans; even when we have serious issues with our president's policies(and I really do), there is still reason to be proud.

National Shrine

Well there was more winter weather today. Lots of ice. So we hung out at the hotel for a good part of the morning and played some games. Then we decided to drive into DC to see the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception. Hubs did a great job of driving into the city and finding our way--of course his navigator was top notch, too:) We arrived about 10 minutes after Mass started in the Crypt church, but we went in anyway. It was lovely.
We toured the rest of the Basilica after and it seemed that every time we saw something new it was more beautiful than the last. Dh, being a contractor, was amazed at the construction and the immensity of it.
As I walked around, my soul was stirred. The building itself was like a prayer, the beauty of design and craftsmanship gave great glory and honor to Our Lord and Blessed Mother. That is not even to mention the ginormous mosaic of Jesus in the ceiling of the sanctuary which is so imposing and commanding that it sets the tone for the entire church. It was all amazing!
Downstairs, of course, was the gift shop. Actually it is split into two parts. On one side of the cafeteria is the gift shop and on the other side is strictly a bookstore. Now, anyone who really knows me, knows exactly which shop I headed for:) Yup, I bought books! Not as many as I wanted, but I got some ideas for mother's day!
Anyway, I made a slide show of our day. Enjoy!

Slow day

Well, you'd think I would learn to keep my mouth shut.
After bragging reporting that there was no snow here in Northern Virginia, we awoke to a white world. It was only a couple of inches but it mixed with and later turned to sleet, making it very slippery. We ended up taking in a movie at the huge and very nice cinema in town. We saw Mall Cop and it was pretty funny. Annie slept through most of it, and I had a giggling episode that was very embarrassing! My boys' reactions only made it worse! Oh dear, good thing it was dark in there!
The kids again went swimming and hot tubbing in the hotel's pool, we played card games, watched TV and that's about it.
We are hoping to be able to go back into DC tomorrow.
On a positive note, we learned that back in NH they are expecting a big snowstorm tomorrow--10 - 14 inches! And we won't be there for it...darn;) Sorry guys, couldn't resist!

The National Zoo

Oh we had a good time at the National Zoo today! And (when will I learn?!) I spoke too soon. It snowed here today...not NH snow, but VA snow, much prettier and much less inconvenient!!! There were a few other brave souls at the Zoo besides ourselves, but not many. The plus side is that there were no lines for the bathrooms! The kids really enjoyed themselves. Annie absolutely loved the elephants. We had to keep going back to retrieve her from the elephant room. The elephants were inside when we saw them, and the young elephant was so funny to watch. He was acting just like my boys do!! Playing and roughhousing and going from one thing to the next. At one point he got his leg stuck inside a hanging tire...he was able to free himself...I guess he does that all the time. He was quite entertaining!
I loved the pandas and all the boys liked the big cats. The male lion was grumbling and growling and roaring all day....scary!!! We didn't get to see the new baby gorilla, but the orangutans were charming! One of them was playing in a bucket of suds, and, of course, licking the suds off his hand...again like my kids....hmmmm, should I be worried?
Riding the Metro was an interesting experience. It's actually pretty easy to figure out. I got a bit motion sick on the way to the Zoo (so many stops and starts - ugh), but I was fine on the way home. There's much more walking to do in a city to get from place to place, even with public transportation, than at home where we drive from our driveway to the parking lot of where we want to be. We have it much easier, but the walking is so much better for us.
We didn't get to the basilica today...maybe later this week.
Still having a great time!

Mass and a half

We drove to Front Royal, VA this morning to attend Mass. At St. John the Baptist Catholic church they have four Sunday Masses and one Vigil Mass. The 12:30 pm Sunday Mass is a Latin Tridentine Mass. We opted for the 10:45 Mass which is half Latin and half English Novus Ordo. Fr. Fasano, the pastor, said Mass facing the altar. The church was filled to standing room only (and many were standing) primarily with families. It is an active parish.
The Latin we are studying with our kids paid off! Ethan, at one point, told me he didn't need the missalette for the Sanctus, as he has already memorized it! :) It was pretty cute. Father Fasano opted to celebrate the Conversion of St. Paul today and his homily was chock full 'o nuts!!! He began with the definition of conversion for any of us who didn't think we needed conversion;) (def: eliminating every person, place or thing from our lives that leads us away or hinders us from growing closer to God). He told us that the holiest one among us can become better and worst among us can be transformed. Fr. led us through a conversion checklist of sorts about how to grow in our spiritual life, because, quoting Padre Pio, "If we are not moving forward in our spiritual lives, we are moving backward." Below are some of the highlights:
* Make a rule of life and decide when and what prayer you are going to add to your life. He emphasized the beginning and end of the day...what Jose Maria Escriva calls the heroic moment...if we cannot get up and go to bed at appropriate, predetermined times, then what we are able to offer to God between these times is lessened.
* Morning offering, grace before and AFTER meals and the Angelus were recommended.
* In order to keep the "fire of divine love" alive inside us, we need to feed this fire. The spiritual logs we must use to keep this fire burning are spiritual reading and meditation. He mentioned the classics: Imitation of Christ, Introduction to the Devout Life, and Soul of the Apostolate. He emphasized that books are always necessary to growth in the spiritual life.
* Of course, Fr. Fasano highly recommended the rosary. He told us that after a short time of praying the Rosary, we wouldn't be able to live without it!
* We were able to receive Our Lord kneeling, as Fr. stood behind the altar rail.
It was a lovely Mass experience...more like spiritual direction than a homily...no generalizations, no abstract theology, but real, down to earth, suggestions and challenges. Straight talk. We all need conversion and here are some ideas. Period.
Praised be Jesus Christ....now and forever.

By the way, did I mention that it was in the 30's, sunny and THERE'S NO SNOW HERE!!! We spent the rest of the day touring the Shenandoah Valley and Northern Va. We had lunch at a restaurant called "Victoria's" (mentioning that for my niece--Hi Tori!). The kids went swimming and Scott eased his aching arthritic joints in the hot tub.

You know, in November-ish, when we see the geese flying in their V formation heading south? Well, I think I know where they end up. There are tons of geese here! There is a pond behind the hotel and it is full of geese, as are all open water spots in this area. The pond also has a fountain in it....and it is working right now...in January!

As we were walking outside tonight, we saw one young woman running for her car shouting to her friend, "I'm freeeezing!" We all chuckled. Most of my family was jacket-less. This is spring weather for us! We are noticing that southerners do not like cold at all. All of the buildings we enter down here, it seems, are too warm for us! We may be chuckling at them now, but I doubt we would be laughing during the summertime here. We would be suffering, I am sure!

Still having a good time. Hoping to visit the National Zoo tomorrow and the National Shrine of the Basilica of the Immaculate Conception. Hopefully I'll have pix to share.

We're here!!

We drove through the night and arrived in VA at 8:30am. Much too early to check into our hotel, so we decided to take a swing through DC. We ended up touring the capitol building, driving around the city to plan what we wanted to see and visiting Arlington National Cemetery--all before 1p.m. Boy, am I tired! It was really cold and windy at the Washington Monument at 9am this morning, so we decided that we would come back another day. Boy is that obelisk huge! There were remnants of the inauguration and Obama adulation in evidence, but also some pro-life messages to be found. The biggest clue that something significant had happened here not too long ago was the vast multitude of porta-potties lining the Mall---hundreds!




































A crime was committed at the Capitol today. Our "light" lunch in the Capitol restaurant was highway robbery!! Yikes! Good thing admission to all the national buildings is free!






























Poor Annie was all tuckered out!
The boys have already been swimming and we are headed out to get something to eat. (Not at the Capitol). We're having a great time! Wish you could be here! Oh yeah, and there's no snow!!!

Inauguration

We watched the inauguration of Barack Obama today. I had to "force" my 16 year old son. His comment was, "Why do we want to watch that?!" I have to admit it was difficult...my beliefs are just about the polar opposite of our new president's. But, I needed to feel patriotism. I did not want to go back to the days when I was ashamed of America--those days when Bill Clinton's "loose morals", lying, philandering and worse made a mockery of the office of president. I was embarrassed by his actions and the attitude of (some of) the American people that "whatever he does in his private life is not our business." It was only after George W. Bush took office that I could appreciate the privilege and honor of being an American again...a feeling that was heightened following the terrorist attacks of 9/11. So, I did not want to step back into that unpatriotic "place"; nor did I want to drag my children there.
So, we watched. We talked about what a wonderful country we live in that we can choose our own leaders and even when "our guy" doesn't win, we can still (and should!) be involved in our government by writing letters, making phone calls and praying. We discussed the fact that we now have a bigger job before us. We must pray harder than ever before for our new president and for the protection of the unborn.
So we were able to be proud of our democratic system of government, the peaceful transition of power, the grace and class the Bush's displayed, the beautiful city with its historic monuments, and that America chose to move above and beyond the "race" factor by electing the first (part) African American man President of the United States. In fact, there was a lot to be proud of...and still plenty to be concerned about, in my opinion.
Thanks to my dear husband's inquisitiveness and enthusiasm, we will be visiting our Nation's Capital next week...an impromptu vacation! His business slows down a bit in the winter, affording him the time to do a little "surfing". Last year, he decided it would be cost effective for us to purchase a Keurig gourmet coffee maker. Ok, it was a little random on his part, but it does make great coffee! (He is so NOT impulsive normally--I think he gets cabin fever!) This year, he's decided it's a visit to Washington, D.C.

I am hoping our visit will impress upon our children how blessed we are to be citizens of such a great country and that in turn, they will understand the real responsibility we have to stand up for what is right and get involved...and also the necessity to get on our knees and pray.