Back to DC

Our flight back to DC had a convenient layover in Minneapolis-St. Paul, so we were also able to squeeze in a quick visit with Jacquelyn on New Year's Eve. Our flight ended up getting delayed for a couple hours, so we were able to take full advantage of the 2-for-1 happy hour at Houlihans with J-bird!

Back to KF for a quick goodbye!

We headed back to KF for final goodbyes including a fantastic Japanese feast on the farm.

MMMMM...sushi!

 

Unfortunately, we stopped here...but luckily we didn't buy anything!

Return to Seattle!

After Xmas, we drove out to Seattle with Cathy and Rich to visit Jeannie and friends in the city. We gambled at Tulalip with Paul and Linda, shopped for seafood in Pike Place Market and Uwajimaya, and met up with friends at Blue Star, Tacos Guyamas, Chinooks, Trophy and of course....

Pesos!

Oh how I miss great seafood!

Special thanks to Jeannie at "Hotel Brozik" for providing the best lodging in Seattle!

Xmas in Kettle Falls!

For Christmas, we flew back to Washington for a week long visit. We spent Christmas Eve with Julie, Ron and the Matney's, Christmas morning with Cathy, Rich and the boys, then the rest of Christmas day with Ed, Lynn and the Kowitz's.

Autumn, Auntie E and Lynn at the Kowitz Xmas Party

Out on the farm with Ed & Lynn.

Their new house is coming right along!

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Saturday night, we "went out on the town" in Colville. First dinner with Ron & Julie at Rancho Chico (thanks for risking your health for us guys!), then out to the Acorn Saloon with tons of people from high school. Finally, we wound down the evening in the ever-so-classy Logger Tavern before heading home for the evening.

Autumn & our good friend Missy* at the Logger Tavern!

*who according to an unnamed source at the bar "drives retards around" for a living, 

which I should point out, is not, in fact, true

Cake!

Yum!

Chocolate PB&J Cake

Thanksgiving!

We stayed in Falls Church for Thanksgiving, but got together with friends for a great dinner!

 

Happy Halloween

Capitals Game Night

We went to a hockey game tonight at Verizon Center to see the Capitals play the Flyers. The best part may have been the subway cars packed to capacity with rowdy, drunk hockey fans!

Let's go CAPS!

Awww

C-A-P-S

CAPS!  CAPS!  CAPS!

Thanks for the invite Will!

Six Flags America!

While we thought we would have to drive all the way down to Williamsburg to go to Busch Gardens for our roller coaster fix, we discovered that there is a Six Flags just a hop, skip and a jump around the beltway in Bowie, Maryland!

Six Flags America

Here we go!

Octo-fun!

Wow that's high!

Wooden coasting!

Autumn wouldn't ride this! There really wasn't that much doom involved...just a little doom.

Woo hoo!

Eastern Market

Ron & Julie flew off this morning to attend Jared's wedding (Congratulations Jared & Kelly!). We took Ed & Lynn to the Eastern Market to stock up on treats for their trip and for our dinner! We grabbed breakfast at a little Salvadorean deli and dropped them off at the airport.

Thanks to everyone for coming to visit!

Halloween is just around the corner!

So old!

 

 A real live (dead) blow fish! How do they keep them blown up?

Swearing In Day!

Autumn is officially official! It was a very nice ceremony...I may have already said to much!

No comment.

All suited up for the big day!

DC Sights w/ Ed & Lynn and Ron & Julie

Ron and Julie flew in on Wednesday, and they joined my little tour group on Thursday morning for a successful (at last) visit to the monuments. The weather still wasn't great, but we armed ourselves with golf umbrellas and persevered...much like the founding fathers!

Ron & Julie at the Washington Monument.

Ed & Lynn at the Vietnam War Memorial.

Lynn asked if there were any peace memorials on the mall....

...um, no.

 

Everybody at the pool from Forrest Gump. Jenny!!

Is that the back of a penny...?

Kind of ominous with the rest of DC fogged out of the photo.

Our first president must have been quite the ladies man with a monument like that! haha!

 

The Korean War Memorial...

everyone agreed that this got the award for the most unsettling monument of the day.

DC Sights w/ Ed & Lynn

Autumn's parents all came to DC for her official swearing in. As the unemployed husband, I played tour guide while Autumn was at work. It was a bit cold and rainy, but we had a great time in spite of the weather (I hope!).

Ed & Lynn at the Capitol.

The Capitol! Autumn was very jealous that she couldn't go on the tour with us.

Inside the Capitol! That dome is cast iron and literally weighs tons!

Look at the bones! That's no ordinary rabbit!

Just kidding, it's a prehistoric ground sloth at the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History.

Autumn met up with us that afternoon to go look at the weird rocks on the second floor...for the fifth time!

The solar decathlon...it was raining and there were tons of kids going through on field trips, so we just looked from the outside.

Day 2:  We attempted the monuments (again) today, but it was even worse weather than the day before. We made it to the White House and the Washington Monument before we had to duck into museums to warm up!

NYC Road Trip: Day 3, Atlantic City

It's Columbus Day and we're not at work!

We made a mad dash out of New York down to Atlantic City to honor and thank Columbus for his discovery of the new world by spending the afternoon gambling and walking the boardwalk before heading back to DC.

Yes it is...! ha!

Dune-arific!

Atlantic City was a blast, even if it was in New Jersey!

(Autumn curses the rickshaws and people feeding birds)

(Eric curses not being able to pump your own gas)

NYC Road Trip: Day 2

We got up bright and early for a cruise around Liberty & Ellis Islands, then spent the afternoon munching around the city. A quick visit to Central Park, the Museum of Natural History and then dinner at Bobby Flay's Mesa Grill capped off the night.

Ooh...ahh...

Us at the Statue of Liberty

I always thought that NY was famous for pizza, but I think that the "Col-Pop Chicken" might become the city's new signature dish! I mean hot fried chicken in a soda cup!!! plus a built in straw....ingenious! (Now wait is the soda keeping the chicken cold, or is the chicken heating up the soda?)

A walk through Central Park

Dino-bone battle royale at the Museum of Natural History...rawr!

NYC Road Trip: Day 1

To celebrate the first of many federal holidays that we now have off, we went to New York for the three day weekend! Unfortunately, you have to go through New Jersey to get there...

Ugh!

Maybe driving wasn't the best idea!

At last! Back on foot, and in Times Square!

Nothing says good time like last minute discount tickets for a show! We say "Wishful Drinking" (Carrie Fisher's one woman show)...it was about 20 years over our heads, but there was Star Wars stuff too, so overall, we give it a not bad.

Ah yes, the International Cell Phone, HUMAN HAIR & Italian Shoe Showroom next door to the hotel! If anyone back home needs any human hair, just give me a call, and I'll run up to NYC to get it for you!