After Christmas Mike, Adam and I spent some time with my brother Philip shooting some of his guns. That is GUNS ! Mike had NEVER shot a weapon before so Philip had to remedy that. ;) I have to say he did pretty good .
Yeah !! Katy finsihed running the whole 5K race. Mike and I ran with her. It was cold as #$%$. But, we made it to the end. She is going to do Grils on the Run in the Spring so I am looking forward to a May race.
All about Girls on the Run
Katy's Race Photo - if you want to order
This past weekend we went and saw our first President's home .. Mount Vernon. It is about 20 minutes from our house and it had been about 9 years (I was pregnet with Katy then ) last time I went.
I have to say I was very impressed. They have built a very cool interactive center and musuem. Along with the house and the grounds it is very neat to visit.
For more info:
Mount Vernon
Katy had her first soccer game this past weekend. She did pretty good considering it was her first time to play. Gabriel is doing really, really well in his gifted class. He wants to play basketball this year and that does not start until the winter.
Katy is going to do Girls on the Run this fall. On Dec 9th she will run in a 3.1 mile race. Yea! I am going to train and I think both Mike and I are going to run with her.
Adam took senior pictures last week. Hopefully those will be in soon. He starts in the next few weeks as a shirt manager at Starbucks. Not bad for a senior in high school.
Mike has had at least 3 people scheduled to look at his condo. We are crossing your fingers and St. Joesph's that he gets an offer soon.
We went out this weekend and looked at neighborhoods all over Fairfax and Loundon counties.
Today ....I look at my kids and see them growing up before my eyes. Here are some photos I have taken of Katy and Gabe the 1st day of every school year for the past 5 years. (In case you wonder where Adam is..that was the time when it was not "cool" to have your mom following you with a camera. )
Today -- Katy, 3rd and Gabe, 4th grade
2005 - Katy, 2nd and Gabe, 3rd grade
2004 - Katy, 1st and Gabe, 2nd grade
2003 - Katy, Kindergarten and Gabe, 1st grade
2003 - 1st year in Vriginia and Gabriel 1st day of kindergarten. He is getting a hug from big sister Briana, 4th grade, and little sister Katy, who is in pre-k at St. Phillips at that time.
An estimated 164,295 students will begin the 2006-07 school year on today in Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS), the nation’s 13th largest school system. My kids are just 3 of the many, many kids who start school today in Fairfax.
For me, it signals to the start of a new year. By the end of this school year many things will be changing. First and most imporant Adam wil be graduating and starting his adventure into college and the adult world. Second, by the end of next summer will be moving out of Annanadale and into a new area of Fairfax (and closer to work and shorter commute) and Katy and Gabe will start to a new elementary school.
Ok..last night we put out a "soft" opening of Mike's condo. Which means it is listed on tons of classified site on the internet and the all important Craigs List. (After about a week of seeing what kind of traffic he is geeting then we are going to put it on the MLS.) We buried St. Joesph in the plant and said the prayer but I teased Mike that St. Joe was starting to work before that.
Before we went out to do a few things on Friday I left St. Joe in Mike's condo on the kitchen table. When we got back Mike checked his email and there was a email asking him if he condo was for sale still. Weird thing is we had not adversted it anywhere. The website I built was on the web but no one knew. We guess he did a search for Stonecroft for sale and came up with it. When you do that it is the first thing you see on the internet. OR it could have been St. Joe leading the way. :)
Anyway...if you want to see the listing here it is
Mike's condo
Katy and her growing corn......
Watching the fishes.....
Katy as a starfish........
Just learned that Chris Pearmund's new endevor The Winery at LaGrange is opening Labor Day Weekend. Mike and I can't wait to see what they have done with the place.
" Very rich in history and soon to be very rich in wine, the new Winery at La Grange will open as Prince William County's only established winery. The red brick three and a half story La Grange manor house built in the 1790's has survived numerous owners and finally has come to rest with an unique group of investors brought together by Chris Pearmund. While the 5,500 newly planted Cabernet Sauvignon vines grow silently, preparations continue in the manor house refurbishment and completion of the new Winery building.
The Winery at La Grange's initial 2,500 cases of wine include: Vidal Blanc, Viognier, Chardonnay, Meritage, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Norton, Claret, Pinot Grigio, a Brut Reserve sparkling, and a Petit Verdot styled Port."
It is the quickest any winery has ever opened in North America. BTW...this is the baby brother of Pearmund Cellars. One of our favorite Virginia wineries.
We got a sneak taste of some of the wines back in March and they were already fantastic. I am very excitied about the wine they call Snort 2005. On basic terms it is a port style wine. The very small taste we had was fantasic and that was 6 months ago.
I am also very thrilled that Chris is doing a 2003 Brut Reserve - Sparkling Wine. If it is as good as some of the sparkling wines that Oasis (and why do I have the feeling it will be better) I am sure it will knocks your socks off.
Plus I can't wait to see what they have done with the place. It was falling down to the ground when they bought it. We did a quick drive by a few weeks ago and it was looking great.
So, what a great way to kick off September. I am sure it will be a great fall this year. I have a good feeling about this school year and life in general. :)
Ok....Mike is going to put his condo on the market in the next week or two. I have built a website, design the brochures, read up on every free classified site out there and have become an expert in selling the houses.
But...one thing was missing...
This guy....St. Joesph. He is the house selling saint. Seriously. OK..it may sound silly but when you are raised Catholic it makes sense. :)
So, I bought the saint and as soon as we are ready to put it on the market we bury him face down in the dirt near the house (or in Mike's case -- the plant on the back porch since it is a condo)...say your prayer everyday for x amount of days and St. Joseph helps you sell it quickly without being ripped off.
St. Joe's Website
I'll post a link to the condo once we officially put it on the market.
Katy and Gabe are loving YMCA Summer Camp.
Gabriel is doing "Survive It" Camp. They spend the days hiking, learn how to canoe, going through streams and creeks and getting as dirty as one little boy can possible be. He LOVES it. It was the perfect thing to help him settle back in to life in Virginia. :)
Katy is in Explorers Camp. She likes it too. She goes hiking, doing crafts, archery and
lots of swimming at the Water Mine. (A cool water park near the camp)
We are leaving tomorrow for a quick weekend trip to Virginia Beach. And a quick dinner with Mike's parents -- yum! Mike mom is a wonderful cook. :)
Next week is the last week before school gets back in....I can't believe summer is over. It went very, very quick.
Ok..I promise to post more kid photos when we get back.
:)
My Katybug and Gaby are back this evening. They arrive back at 8pm at Dulles Airport. I cannot wait to see them.
I have been spending the past week or so fixing up their rooms. I did Gabe's in a Space theme and did Katy's with butterflies, ladbugs and dragonflies.
They are going to be so exciting to see the garden. I made sure to have fresh battieres in the flashlights so they can look when we get home tonight.
I am sorry I have not blogged since Mike and I got back. I did when 1st place in a bar tournament right after we got back. :) And one of my closest friends (Shirl)came into town last weekend to celebrate her birthday. We spent all day on Saturday driving around the Blue Ridge Mountains go from winerey to winery. I'll post some photos soon of us.
I am waiting right now in the Full Tilt Poker room at the WSOP. There are not letting people in to watch yet but Mike just text messaged me to say he is up to 14000 chips. Not bad at all for the 1st level. :)
Me...so far I have about a 1/2 dozen t-shirts, 3 deck of cards, assorted bags, a baseball and some sun screen. OH !! Plus I won a $375 Black Video ipod. Yes, you read right. :) I was playing at the Pokerstars.net free battleship game (which is heads-up poker) and I won against a guy who is playimg in the WSOP tomorrow. After I won I got to pick out of a huge deck of cards to what prise I won and I was lucky enough to pick the video ipod. I think the guy I won it front was more excitied than me...it was the first one won of the day. Everyone else had goten teddy bears, cards, hats.
I have so say so far not a bad vacation. Even though I worked remotley Thursday and Friday (and are working some today) winning a few things in the evening and during time off has been really fun. :)
Tonight we went and played a cash game (1/2 no limit) at MGM Grand.
I got to the table and usually I am very conservative about playing because hey..I don't want to lose any money. But last night it was like..you know...it not my real money. Thi sis money I won so what do I care.
So, within the hour of playing I more than double what I have by playing very, very aggressive...I used the devil duck as a card protector and at the end the guys at the table were saying "fear the devil duck".
Mike was at another table so after I cashed out I walked over to see how he was doing. He was down about $20 so I lent him the devil duck for the next hand. He ended up with a pair of kings and total for the night was up a bit more than we started with. :)
After that we went for dinner at a great Irish bar at New York, New York. Great beer, food and music...what more could a Scott-Irish-Italian red-headed girl ask for ?
Not only did we get our picture taken at the bar......
but our card protectors -- Donkey and Devil Duck had a bonding moment over a good Irish beer.
Mike is really Harry Potter's older, cooler, 1/2 Asian brother :) Maybe when we get back to NOVA we go shopping for new glasses.
Tonight we decided to go old school and visit downtown Las Vegas and Fremont Street.
according to one Vegas site "Fremont Street Experience is five blocks of thrills in the heart of Las Vegas. Ten casinos. 10,000 slots. More than sixty restaurants. Uncountable bars and lounges. All under Viva Vision - the biggest big screen on the planet, 90 feet overhead, blasting state-of-the-art light and sound shows every night, always for FREE. "
It has some of the most boring, run-down casinos I have every seen. Lots of country singing, and cheap t-shirt shops. I can see why the World Series of Poker moved from Binion's to the Rio.
And you can buy exciting gifts such as this to bring home to loved ones.....
Forget the CIA, FBI and other covert operations going after terrorists around the world.....what we really need is Steve Wynn on the job. Anybody that can have a hi-tech mini bar/mini snacks unit that can sense within 60 sec if you remove an item and then charge your room for it -- should be fighting the war on terror...not building more hotels.
Also is you wanted to buy the very comfy bed we slept on ( with
pillow-top beds and 320-count bedding) you could have the whole thing for a mere ($2,400).
Not only were the bathrobes and slippers available for purchase, but according to a price brochure in the room, we could also buy the TV ($1,700), the Andy Warhol prints ($175), and a Ferreri downstairs in the showroom (which cost $10 to enter).
It has been a lovely vacation spot -- it is everything you'd expect of a 4 to 5 star hotel. The rooms are nicely built with floor to ceiling windows, the bed is comfortable, and the views are spectacular. Turndown service at night is really nice but no doormen when you walk into the hotel.
Today we move on to our home away from home for the next week (hopefully longer) to an extended stay hotel. I am sure it wil not be as nice as the Wynn bit it will have free internet access, free workout room, 24 pool and hot tub and a kitchen. All the comforts of home. :)
.
Ok...after been in such a great mood after winning we decided to go out later and check out the buffet at the Bellagio. And it looked like everyone in Vegas had the same idea so we said the hell with that and went to see the famous fountains. If you even want to see them the view from the Fontana Bar at the Bellagio is a great place to go. Of course the worst horrible part is that they go off to Celine Dion singing the theme song from the Titanic...ugh! Couldn't it be something more interesting than that ?
So we finally find a place that is serving dinner in the Bellagio. We sit down, get seated and I realize I don't have my cell phone. Which is a very bad thing. I jump up and start retracing my steps ...Hoping and praying that it is at lost and found. Just on a whim I go back to where we were standing to see the fountains and by some miracle my phone is still there on the ground under a table. SHOCK that it was still there !!!
Today Mike and I played in the noon tournament at Ceasar's. Mike was out in 80th but me, little ole me, made it to the final table and cashed out in 7th place. WHEE ! After 6 1/2 hours of play it felt good to make it that far. I was the only woman at the table so that felt kinda cool.
Don't think I will quit the day job yet..... :)
Real quick...here is the view from the Wynn at night....you can see the fountain in the bottom of the photo
...and Mike blogging on AOL with the Strip behind him. We went to eat at this great place at the Venetian called The Bouchon. Great, great French food. We played some 1/2 no limit in the room before that. Nice room with lots of tables.
Before we got on a table, I had a run in with Jennifer Tilly, yes the Jennifer Tilly. As we were waiting for a table in the poker room she runs in with her boyfriend, Phil Laak.
Before I know it my big toe is crushed by Jennifer's big stiletto heel. Ouch !! A small part of the toenail is now missing in action. She was very nice about it though...even said she was sorry.
We have finally made it to the Wynn Hotel. I understand now why people like being rich. This hotel rocks. When we got here I asked for the upgrade to a panoramic Suite and they gave us a free upgrade to a panoramic Corner Suite. Very, very nice. The bathroom really is wonderful...HUGE soaking tub with a TV built into the wall in the bathroom.
Waj's Blog
Waj posted to her blog today that she made it back safe and sound. To read her adventures hit the above link. Welcome back Waj !
Wow! Can I say that again ? Mike won a seat last night to the World Series of Poker main event. In case any of you does not know what that means.....trust me..it is a big deal. Of the thousands, and thousands of poker player (both amature and professional) that play very few make it to this.
It makes my little poker winning in the local free tournaments look like well...not much.
Mike is a very smart and skilled player. He beat around 3000 players online to win spot in this.
He has to play with more than 7000 players to make it to the final table in the WSOP. But, we all have to have a little dreamer in us some times. And it is better odds than the lottery.
Just so happens we were going to be on vacation during that time so it works out ok. And the wonderl, wonderful people I work for are going to allow me to work remotely so I can stay out there and cheer him on..and be the social planner and goofer. :)
Mike has started a blog on AOL so if you want to read more....
DonkeysAlwaysDraw
WOW! Mike and I finally moved the HUGE swingset I bought from Alex and Steve. Talk about a day.
First, we go pick up the uhaul from a place in Leesburg called Bargin Buddies. This is no Avis. The cars and uhauls they had for rent look liked they had been in a Friday night stockcar race. The women/man (who could tell) that rent it to us said that homeless lives in the uhauls at night.
So, Mike drives the uhaul. Alex and Steve live in Lucketts . Which is very beautiful but way, far away from DC. The road they live on is a very, very country road with many bumps and hairpin turns. On the way back I kept have visions of the uhaul turning over while driving down that road.
Anyway...all and all it was a pretty ok day. Steve had several of his friends come out and help us. Alex made wonderful burgers and veggies for lunch. She and Steve have the most amazing house. Wide front porch, lots of open space. I would love to clone it and have one for myself.
For now... the swingset lives in pieces in the side of the yard until I move out to Herndon/Chantilly area next summer.
Mike thought it was a really great idea to have Wooley go to the pet spa for the day to get groomed. Wooley is such a hairy cat that they had to SHAVE his tummy to get him back to normal because he had so much hair tangled underenth. Burke, his naughty cat brother, hissed at him for about 4 hours after the Wooley got back home. Mike, of course, thought all of this was really, really funny.
Here is Adam's car...a 1996 Jeep Cheerkee Country -- He worked hard to earn his own money for it so I am sure he will take care of it.
Leap forward 17 years from MAY 1989 and now instead of a new baby boy I am about to give birth to a teenage driver. I am excited and scared out of my mind all at the same time.
Tomorrow Adam, Mike and I drive to Charlottesville, Va to pick up Adam's Jeep Cheerkee. And I have to say I am very proud of my son because he has worked his ass off at Starbucks to pay for this car. It is a 1996 Jeep Cheerkee Country -- dark green, 4 door with a 4 wheel drive. It has had one owner (my next door neighbors daughter) and has been very well maintained.
Adam leaves for Mississippi on Sunday so he only get to drive it one day but hey that's ok because he wil not get his DL until the middle of August. He has more than 50 hours of driving with me or another adult plus he is taking Behind the Wheel right now so i feel good that he will be a safe driver. Plus since he paid for the car and he is paying his insurance I feel pretty good that he will be a excellent driver.
Since Adam has no DL yet I am driving with him back to VA while the other Mike drives my car back.
The good news in all of this is Erica (who we are buying from) lives right near three great VA wineries I have been wanting to try out. So, we drive down, grab some sandwiches, try some wine (Adam get cokes) and make a day of it.
I talked to Katy and Gabe last night..they seem to be bored but having an OK time in Mississippi. I miss them so much !! I can't wait until they get back.
Last -- I crossed out two items on my summer to do list that i got done. 28 more to go. :)
We had dinner tonight with Sam and Amy. They both finally sold their condos so they are off to live the good life in NYC. Both Mike and I will missing seeing them...even though Sam will be down to AOL a good bit it is not the same as them being right her in good ole NOVA.
Good luck guys!
My friend Waj is leaving in a few days for to Israel and Palestine in a few days. Yes, she going to the Holy Land! No, she is not converting or starting a llama farm.
She will be interning with Panorama - the Palestinian Center for the Dissemination of Democracy & Community Development, an NGO based in Ramallah. The good news is that she be living in Jerusalem. The bad news is that she will have to pass through checkpoints to and from work. It should be very interesting to say the least!
If you want to read her blog ...go here
Waj's Blog
She is one of the coolest and funniest people I know. I am sure her blog will be entertaining. :)
In more good news...Adam was promoted to shift manager at Starbucks. Whee !! I am very proud of him. He will be training like crazy the next few weeks before he leaves for Mississippi. In August when he returns he will get his DL. I can't believe he will be driving. I am going to have him a car by then. It is both thrilling and scary as hell to think he will be driving be himself. Besides taking Behind the Wheel I am also signing him up for a defensive driving course.
Katy, Gabe and Bri leave for Mississippi Sunday. I know Lance is very ready to see all of them. I hope that Katy does not get too homesick this summer. This wil be the longest they have ever been away. I am both ready for a break and nervous that they wil be so far away. Lance is a great dad so I don't have to worry but when you are a Mom you always do. :)
I am almost finished with my latest National Geographic book...I expect this one to sell quite well and get good reviews. God knows our team has worked our asses off on this project. Garrett is going to take us all to Georgis Brown's when we are done. Whee !!
Ok..back to work......
You know ...life is funny. It has a way of changing in ways you never thought possible. I love it when people suprise me.....in good ways suprise me.
Take today...I called Bri's mom Vikki to find out what size photos she wants of the great photos I took of Bri.
She actually thanked me for taking such great care of Bri and raising such a great kid. Wonder never cease. Of course I am not sure if it was sincere or not but at least the words were there.
I know she is going to have a great time living near her Mom and Dad. If anything good can come out of what happened between Lance and I -- I think that this may be one big thing. It will be good for Briana to have them both close to her. And we will miss her but I think right now Bri needs this. And she need to get to know her mom the way she knows her Dad.
On to different note...I am almost finished with my NGS Children's Book. ..Our Country's First Ladies. YEA!! I wil be finished with the other one by the end off the month. Then only small NGS projects for the next few months. I need a break from photo editing and shooting 12 hours a day.
Gabe got a baseball award last night for most hits/runs. He was so excited ! Katy is going to play soccer in the fall. I already bought the school supplies for them for the fall from the PTA so at least that is done.
Yes, miracles do happen...Adam, 17, and Bri, 14, allowed a couple of photographs to be taken after we went out for Briana's going away dinner at Cheff Geoff's. Don't they look great all dressed up ?
7 more days until school gets out.....I cannot wait for the lazy days of summer. It is also very bittersweet because my stepdaughter Bri will be returning to Mississippi to live with her Dad. I sometimes hate the way our family is divided now.
I am going to miss her something terrible. How can you raise and nurture a child for 11 years and not have an empty hole in your heart when she flies from the nest? Briana is 14, a talent artist, wonderful sister and most of the time a joy to be around. She is smart, clever and very beautiful. She is going to be fine but I am going to miss on Sunday morning how she crawls into my bed and just snuggles with me...telling me about her week, her friends, what boy she likes now, begging to go to the mall...being oh so grown up and in some ways still a child.
I know Gabe, Katy and even Adam are going to be very sad when they come back from visiting with their dad and Bri is not here. This is their sister that they have grown up with. Who has fought with them, played countless hours of Beanie Babies, built inside forts and outside secret holes? Who has comforted them, loved them and been there for them.
Last night I took her and Adam to a fancy DC restaurant (Chef Geoff's). We got all dressed up, did valet parking, the whole nine yards. We get seated at this nice candlelit table. Bri is very exciting to be out and looks down at our table and sees that they have paper on top of the cloth tablecloth. She gets all excited and says .. does this mean we get to color on the paper..where are the crayons ?? LOL...I tell her that there are no crayons at Chef Geoff...the price of growing up. :)
We will all love and miss you Bri...and will be counting the days until next summer when you come stay with us for a month.
On another note...I miss all the kids this summer. Gabe and Katy wil be gone awhile also returning in August. And when Adam returns he will have a car and will embark on his last year of high school. I can't believe he will be a senior!!
WHEN I ever finish these two books for NGS ....I will spend the lazy days of my summer painting the house, working out everyday and getting Zumba certifies to teach, I am going to take dance classes and learn the tango.
I am going to workout everyday. :)
I am going to enjoy silence, hearing the crickets at night, sipping a glass of wine under my outside chandelier.
First, yes it was the hottest temps in the country today here in DC. A whopping 96 degrees. Bad news -- AC still not really cooling, Good News - I am getting a brand new AC/Heating Unit June 15th.
Lance (my ex -husband) got a fantastic promotion today at work. It almost seems like karma because it is right before the kids come down for the summer with him. It will be more money, day hours and no weekend work. I am so glad that he is doing well....and also somewhat sad that it never came to be while he lived here in NoVA but he is a Mississippi boy at heart.
Onto other thoughts...I downloaded the a free trial of RRS. It is really awesome to be able to get all your news and blogs in one place without having to jump from webpage to webpage. The one for mac is Net NewsWire
Very cool site.
I did try out and get an account on corkd
I am Vawinelover and I have already written one review :) In case you don't know Corkd is a free, web-based service that makes it simple to review and share wine.
The just started up about a week ago and already had 4000 members. You can become drinking buddies online. :) Not real drinking buddies but friends with other people that like trying good wines.
This will be a quick one today since I am on deadline for two books right now for National Geographic. (aka NGS)
Today summer turned on here in Northern Virginia (NOVA). Last week we had the coats on and this weekend it feels like Florida was transported to my backyard...along with several hundred bugs and humid temps. We are going to be adventurous this year and plant a small garden. The kids and I (Bug - my youngest girl, Skatergrl - my beautiful wantabe skater girl, and GB - my 9 year-old Mr. Bossy) are going to plant squash, tomatoes, corn, peppers and green beans. I even rented a tiller last week and till it up. Boy, I am glad not to be a farmer.
Cool page you might want to check out...Mike sent this too me today
http://corkd.com/Wine Review Blog
You can post your own wine reviews...how cool is that. I am going to have to try it soon. The Virginia Wine Festal kicks off next week. Great fun and even better wines to try.
Ok......that all for now.stayed tuned to tomorrrow..I might take out the AC guy if he does not come fix my AC. 
Katy's First Communion was beautiful today. I had to almost bribe her to get her to wear a dress but in the end I think she had fun picking it out. Afterwards we went to Gabriel's ballgame and tonight....Mike and I get to be all dressed up and go to the White House Press Photographers Dinner. Very, very fun :)
Here is a photo of Katy and Gabe, 7 and 9.
Ok...here is my first attempt to blog. As my profile says I will be writing about all softs of crazy and interesting things...well interesting to me. :)
You will here about my kids -- Katy, Gabe, Adam and my step-daughter Briana
I will see if I can capture images of the teenagers but it might be a harder task than I think. :)
Last last time I remember being this sleep deprived I think Katy was an infant.
For the past three nights Mike has played poker until the wee, and I mean wee, small hours of the morning. Of course, Mike is not a quiet poker player. So, if he is downstairs I get waken up to thump, thump thump to his hand hitting the granite when he loses a hand.
If he is playing upstairs in the office I hear the wonderful string of profanity along with a loud "you have got to be kidding" when he loses a hand. Or the computer mouse being slammed down (Mike went ahead an bought several last time he broke one) on the desk.
Believe me -- I think I would rather be awaken by an infant then a mad poker player. Maybe it would not be so bad if Mike was making lots of money (and I could buy new clothes) but it just seems to be the same $500 getting won and lost, won and lost over and over again.
On top of this -- Mike and I work opposite from each other. On two nights a week it is sometime 2:30 am before he gets home from work-- which usually wakes me up. And I being the Mommy of the house I have to be up by 7:00 am to make sure everyone is up and off to camp and I am at work.
And too add onto this it is just harder for me to sleep some nights. I wake up thinking up Emily, Ashleigh and Noah. Or silly worrying about my kids.
YAWN !! I need just one night of solid non-interrupted sleep very soon. Or I may just have to disable the internet in the house so there can be no online poker. :)
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