Today started with a family brunch in Bethesda, MD. It's always great to see family and I am so glad we were all able to get together! You know there will never be a dull moment with Uncle Jimmy, or as I like to call him, Jammi. He also calls me Jammi, even though it is his name not mine....no one understands, but we still love him.
 |
| Jammi, the volleyball legend himself! Mom, do you notice the spice rack in the back...you made it! |
 |
| Reason #472 we love Jammi, as we sit down to brunch, mind you we have been hanging out for 30 minutes, he calls my Mom in Arizona to "do the face time" only to tell her we will call her back in 20 minutes....wait you called me, hahaha! |
 |
| The whole gang, minus Mary Beth (I don't have one with MB, someone send me one!) - Kathy, Anthony (about to be 30!), Jammi, Marissa, me, Layla, Jeff and Chris |
 |
| Nanny, still strong at 91! I learned at brunch I have a Great Great Aunt Kathleen who was a nun in Sydney, not the first in my family to live in Australia! |
After brunch we headed to DC to meet up with Alex, a first year at Kellogg, I guess now he's a second year, weird. Big fan of Alex, we hit it off immediately as we share the sense of humor of 11 year old boys. Alex was on the KWEST trip we lead though Kellogg last year and will be leading the bike trip this year. Thanks for keeping' it alive :) In just a short year he's become a lifelong friend, I tear up a bit thinking of missing his and Lynette's wedding...anyway.
Alex was in the Army and spent two years in the Honor Guard in Arlington, VA. I will never be able to remember exactly what his title was or any of that, but I just like to think of him as overall Badass. I will leave it at that for the sake of Lynette, his fiancé, he has enough self-confidence :) He was in DC for the weekend so offered to hang out and take us around Arlington Cemetery as I had never been. So glad we didn't have to say goodbye in Evanston and got to see him again! It was an awesome day and he pointed us to lots of special sites and gave insight to how it all works. It was an unforgettable experience - thank you Alex for your service and for showing us around!
 |
| Obligatory out the car window pic of the Australian Embassy |
 |
| View from Lee's house |
 |
| Lockerbie Memorial - 1988 terriorist bombing, I didn't know much about it and had to look it up, I was only 6 but don't remember this at all - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pan_Am_Flight_103 |
 |
| Abner Doubleday's grave, complete with some baseballs, fitting |
 |
| Changing of the Gaurd's - they are so precise! |
 |
| Alex's favorite place as there a so many hidden graves of heroes that many just walk past |
 |
| In that same section, a famous SAE and medal of honor recipient - Chris got to drop a little knowledge on Alex |
 |
| Walk though area 60, which is where many of the recent fallen soldiers of Afghanistan and Iraq have been laid to rest. It is shocking how many there are and how young so many of them were - not even able to buy a drink at a bar and paid the greatest sacrifice. |
 |
| Gravestone in the tree stump |
Since our tour didn't include water or snacks, we were starving. We headed around the corner for Pupusa's. They were delicious! They are an El Salvador staple described as a mix between a dumpling and quesadilla. Definitely go here!
 |
| Final pic with Alex - we will miss you! |
 |
| Can't even tell Alex is wearing short shorts :) |
Next up - Chris's Uncle Raymond and Aunt Susan's in Virginia (not exactly sure where). It's only a 3 hour drive so we might explore a little more in DC.
No comments:
Post a Comment