bAck 2 skoOl

Oh. My. Gosh. It is SO HOT OUTSIDE. I believe that it got up to 102 degrees tonight.......and I was outside at marching band!!!! Yay!!!!!! (Please note that I was being sarcastic there. It was painful.) And you know what? SCHOOL STARTS TOMORROW. Tomorrow, I'm a freshman! And you know what? I really don't know how to get to any of my classes. Amazing. Anyway, I haven't shared any pictures lately so here are a few of my school stuff.

It's the last night of summer vacation. And tomorrow is a new beginning.

This weather is just... weird

Some days, like Wednesday, are freezing cold, while others, like today, have 90 degree temperatures.

Some days, you can't find enough shade from the heat, and then some day the frigid downpours chill you to the bone.

Some trees have begun to lose their leaves and sport bright foliage, while the grass abundantly grows bright green in some lawns.

It's all quite annoying actually. On some of these days you may see me walking around in a spaghetti strap tank top, short shorts and flip flops, and then the next day jeans, long top, hoodie and converse.

The seasons are totally messing with me. Some nights I have to play with my plastic mouthpiece because it's so cold, and others I long for the cool touch of the metal.

Some days, I want nothing more then a cup of hot cocoa and a nice shower, but the day before I hid away all day in the A/C and repulsed the thought of a hot drink.

Today is scorching. I wonder what tomorrow will bring.

*note* School starts Wednesday. As in two days from now Wednesday. Eeep!

Intensity

Yesterday marked day five of intense marching band. My mom was helping paint the new band shed for the uniforms and equipment and was surprised by how intense it really is at practice! So today, I thought I'd share some quotes from last night (just last night!) to give you a sense of what actually happens at these five hour practices.

"STOP! Reset! That was the laziest horns up I have EVER seen! Well, maybe not that bad, but pretty darn close."

"The whole ballad? *cracks up* Wait. You're serious?"

"And I'm supposed to backward jazz run HOW?"

"I love that some of you are here at like noon for a sectional but you have to actually be awake for regular practice."

"LEFT! (right) LEFT! (right) READY! HALT! (place, together)"

"How in the world am I supposed to get from one end of the field to the other in sixteen counts? Oops. Wrong set."

"Get your chicken out of my rice paddy!"

"We're doing the whole opener? This is gonna be hilarious!"

Matt (drill staff): *sniffs air deeply* "Hmmm. Smells life fall."

Lisa (drill staff): *attacks Matt*

"So from set seven to eight I always get hit in the head by this one trombone player and it hurts!"

"Who was it?"

"I dunno. Some little kid with a trombone."

"Toes to the sky! March aggressively! TO THE SKY! THAT'S NOT AGGRESSIVE ENOUGH!!!!

Just a normal day in the life....

marching band and everything else that's been going on the past few days

Whew! I'm tired after just typing the title! I haven't posted since when? Monday afternoon? That's just sad :( So this is a post to catch up on the goings-on in my life.

MONDAY EVENING

Was our first marching band rehearsal! It was rather chilly and a bit misty, but we worked on out new music and were able to practice our new music and set a few drill spots which was good and fun. I had forgotten though how much it hurts your feet to march backwards!

TUESDAY AFTERNOON/EVENING

Guess what? Marching band! It was still cold, but at least it wasn't raining! After marching band got over at nine, I drove up to Olive Tree's for a sleepover with her and Elrania and our friend Serena. We watched Monty Python and the Quest for the Holy Grail (lolz) and had a lot of laughing fits. (Especially when I was coming back from the bathroom, stepped on a corner of one of the air mattresses, tripped, and flew through the air landing on top of Olive Tree and Serena. Oops.)

WEDNESDAY MORNING/AFTERNOON

In the morning we filmed our last Lord of the Rings spoof. We had so much fun! The funniest part was the scene where Frodo, Sam and Gollum are at Mt. Doom and Frodo (me) had to push Gollum (Elrania) off Mt Doom (a hill) to kill him. So Elrania and I were stage fighting and I made the move to push her down the hill and she rolls head over heels and totally cracks up. We just had to put that in slow motion in the movie. After I left Olive Tree's I had to go straight to my trumpet lesson and then we went to see my little cousins for about an hour and a half. By the way, it was raining quite a lot the whole time.

WEDNESDAY LATE AFTERNOON/EVENING

At 3:30 I headed off to the third day of boot camp. (marching band) It was raining so we stayed inside and did music practice until eight. By that time they said that it had stopped raining and misting, (It hadn't) and so we would go down and do some drill practice at the parking lot for about 50 minutes. It was pouring, I didn't have my raincoat, and I couldn't see anything because my glasses were covered with water. My section says I need windshield wipers for them. It was a long 50 minutes. One of the worst parts though was that all of these little frogs had come out to play in the lake that was the parking lot (Seriously. At some times I was ankle deep in water.) Unfortunately they were very small, they hid under the water and we weren't allowed to look down to watch where we were stepping, so there was a great amount of frog carnage by the end. Poor little frogs....

Important Message: Please Read

As some of you who like chatting in the chat box on the sidebar may know, we've had a slight problem with someone impersonating me. At first it was just little things like 'hi' and 'anyone there?', but today the situation escalated when this person started making rude comments directed towards me and began using inappropriate language, etc. As I believe I have stated before, I do not tolerate mean-spirited or rude comment/chats on Treble Clef. That is my policy, and because one reader violated that, I have taken down that chat box. I'm sorry, because there are so many of you who used it respectfully.

Boot Camp (for musicians)

Yay!!! The season for my favorite sport finally starts today! In case you don't know what sport I'm talking about, it's marching band.... (YES, marching band IS a sport) But is any case, my family has had to live with me going on about sets, drill, eight to fives, six to fives and twelve to fives, jazz runs, roll step, block and a bunch of other terms for a whole year without really understanding it. But now, it's a whole new season of fun! I just came back from uniforms and the first practice is tonight. (I just hope it stops raining) Eeep! So EXCITED!!!

Take Me Out To The Ball Game

Today my immediate family and my grandmother went to a Sea Dogs game! The Sea Dogs being an affiliate of the Red Sox, I put on my Jacoby Ellsbury shirt and snagged XanFan's Boston cap. (and my ticket of course)

Before the game started, I took some pics around the stadium.

If a Sea Dog makes it to the big leagues, they get their name up in the park.

The umpires and captains had their meeting at the plate...

And I snapped a photo of the infielders right after the national anthem.

Then the game began!

Right off the bat (hey, that's funny!) a member of the opposing team hit a foul ball into the parking lot- right into some poor person's windshield!

After the first inning, Slugger made his tour around the warning track.

During the course of the game, each of us ate a Sea Dog Biscuit. (as usual) Yum!

We had lots of strikeouts!

The score was back and forth the whole time- making it a very exciting game, but in eleven innings the Sea Dogs finally prevailed with a final score of 7-6.

So with the win, the lighthouse in center field popped up to celebrate the victory.

The Sea Dogs were very happy to win, and it sure was a fun game to watch!

It's raining now, which is good for the soil because we haven't gotten a lot of rain this summer. It's kinda nice 'cause I can wear sweatpants and cozy up with a book and some hot chocolate. The season- it is a'changing.

Featured Blogger: Hannah

Please welcome our first featured blogger on Treble Clef: Hannah from My Nutty Life!

Hannah has been on blogger since November 2009 and has a few blogs- her main ones being My Nutty Life and Find That Creative spark. She posts often and has good clean designs. Check them out and follow!

This is the interview I conducted with her:

What is your blogger name and why? I chose my real name, Hannah, because I wanted my readers to be able to see the real me, and my real name would help that.

What is the title of your blog and why? The title of my first blog was "The Nut's Blog". I got horribly sick of it and when I switched from Wordpress to Blogger I changed my title to "My Nutty Life". I do have a slightly nutty life and I wanted readers to know about it :)

Are you a cat person or a dog person? Definitely more of a dog person! I really, really don't like cats!

Describe your dream future life. Wow! Well I think I would be a homeschooling mother of a bunch of kids, a happily married woman and a professional photographer. I would live in a beautiful house either on the beach or by a lake and I would have written a few best-selling books :)

How long have you been on blogger? Since November 2009

Do you have any pets? Nope. I wish I had a dog, though.

Do you have any siblings? I have two younger brothers and a younger sister, ages 11 3/4, 10 and 8.

What is your dream vacation? Probably a luxurious house on the beach in Hawaii. :)

What is the quote that speaks to you the most? hmmm........ I'm not sure! I've never thought about it :)

What are your favorite song lyrics? 

"Look at the world like you've never seen it before,

Breath the air like its new.

Life is a true miracle and I'm blessed to be me,

And you're blessed to be you."

Of these, which describes you best: Musician, writer, athlete, photographer, scholar, or artist?

At the moment a photographer!

What faith do you practice (if any) ?

The Catholic faith.

What are some of your favorite foods? Hamburgers, pancakes, chocolate cake, french toast, bagels, mac 'n cheese and tacos!

How are you educated?

I'm homeschooled and I'm proud of it! :D

What are your favorite subjects in school?

Writing, art, maybe even math this year because I'm going into algebra! 

You mentioned that you would like to have kids in the future. What would you name your baby boy? Girl? For a boy either Caden or Jake, for a girl either Jennifer or Lucy.

What song are your favorite lyrics from? *blushes* actually, their from a song that I wrote. Its the first time I shared them with anyone :) and thats all I'm going to share! Just a sneak peak! :D

What kind you camera do you use for your photography? I use a Kodak point-and-shoot but I'm hoping that I'll get a new one for my birthday

Have you always been homeschooled or did you ever go to a public school? I went to preschool but since then I've always been homeschooled :)

Visit Hannah's blog by clicking on the button below:

So I'd say that this featured blogger thing worked out, huh? I'm going to try and do this every other weekend- if you want to be featured, just shoot me an email!

Answers Among Other Things

Put your hands together and give a big round of applause to Olive Tree and Robin Blogs for this awesome fall look! I hope you like it 'cause it's staying this way until December. :) I did get some questions for the last post and (as promised) here are the answers. I hope that you learn a little bit more about me.

Emma @ Summer Girl

Are you a morning person or a night owl?

I'm really more of an early morning person. As I've mentioned before, many of the posts during the school year are before six in the morning!

Have you ever been to Europe?

*sigh* Not YET, but we may go to France for April vacation.

What do you hope to go to college for? (scholarship possibilities)As of right now, music education. I could probably get a music schoalship.

Zoraz @ Dog Trainer In Training

Whaz your FAVORITE book?

THAT, my friend, is and impossible question. Just look under my profile :)

Favorite blog?

I love any blog that I follow.

 Love dogs?

Not a bit. I adore cats, but I am very allergic and can't be around any animals for extended periods of time.

SofieRose **I have no blog

What is your favorite fruit?

Mmm. I love fruit. Raspberries, grapefruit, watermelon and pineapple are at the top of the list.

Have you ever been out of the country, if so, what other countries?

Let's see. (I live in the USA) I've driven to Niagra Falls before so Canada. I went to Grenada in 1st grade and Belize in 5th.

Do you like cooking or baking?

Yes I do! In fact, I baked some brownies yesterday. Yum :)

Olive Tree @ HorseFeathers

May I ask why you're doing this little exercise?

To let my readers learn more about me through their questions.

Have you checked your email recently (re: blog design)?

Obviously.

Ripple @ Low Brass

Hmm, How do you feel about homework?

Depends on the assignment and how much of it their is. If I have five subjects that I have homework in and hours of homework for each then it's torture.

Favorite kind of sandwich?

Swiss cheese, lettuce, mustard, cucumber, pickles, potato chips, s&p, on white.

Now, do you like or dislike palm trees?

I love them. (not that we have any where we live)

Fan Questions

Before I get to the real meat of this particular post, I'd like to mention that if you want a really long laugh, to check Treble Clef on Friday evening to read the post entitled 'Cornet Crazie's Epic Fail'. You'll love it. Promise.

Anyway... As of today, I having been blogging on Treble Clef for one year, seven months and three days, and I think that it's time that you guys get a chance to ask me some 'fan questions'. This a chance for you to ask me any questions at all (within appropriate reason of course) which I will answer in what I hope to be a nice long post tomorrow. The reason I'm doing this is that sometimes I find myself wondering about other bloggers. Does Laurea like...? I wonder if Eldarwen has ever been to....? So if you want to ask any questions about me we'll have an 'Uncovered Blogger' post tomorrow. You may ask as many questions as you like but do it in this example format:

Your Blogger Name @ Your Blog

Question 1

Question 2

Question 3

Additional Questions...

Closing (If you want)

EXAMPLE:

Cornet Crazie @ Treble Clef

What kind of ice cream is your favorite?

Why do you play the trumpet?

How did you come across blogger?

This is cool, I can't wait to see the answers!

Finally, 3 people have contacted me about being featured bloggers....if you'd like to be featured, please email me!

Slipping Away...

I. Am. Flabbergasted. (Haha. I love using that word) I go back to school two weeks from tomorrow. Ahhh! Where on earth has this beautiful summer gone? Like, I'm up at my grandparents for a few days and then marching band starts next Monday (so excited) and the first day of high school on September 1st. Like WOW. But really, I am so not ready to think about school quite yet. So here's a quick recipe for a yummy summertime drink that is really easy to make and that I love. I don't want to let go of summer quite yet.

Cornet Crazie's Recipe for

Easy (yet delicious) Iced Tea

First, boil a bunch of water, and wash a container that can hold hot liquid.

When the water boils, pour it out into your container (it really can be any size)

Next take tea bags of your favorite black tea. Red Rose and Lipton work well. If you are using a small/medium/large container, put in 3/4/5 tea bags and put on the cover.

Steep for 5 minutes, then take out tea bags.

Fill a glass with ice and pour. (It's OK if it's still very hot- the ice will cool it immediatly)

Add lemon, raspberry, and sugar to taste.

For a yummy twist on the concoction, pour half the glass with lemonade and the other with the iced tea.

Also, I changed my signature and I LOVE it. It's really close to my own handwriting.

An Appointment with Ripplestar

Hello everybody! Ripplestar is over and we decided to do a conversation post since we haven't done something like that in a while. I'll write in orange and she'll write in blue. Ready, Ripplestar?

Yes I am, Cornet!

Haha. So, what should we talk about in this post? You pick a topic to start.

Cheesecake.

OK....that's random. Hmmm. Cheesecake. Ya know, I find cheesecake quite gross actually. However, Louie Armstrong has a HILARIOUS song called 'Cheesecake'. 

For my counselor's birthday at summer camp we made her a cheesecake with graham cracker crust. Yum!

Eh.....not really my thing.

Everyone is entitled to their own opinion. I like the crust the best.

Well YEAH! I looooove graham cracker crust- but preferably with chocolate cream pie inside!

Oooh! Delicious! I also like blueberry pie!

Aww man...I think it's time for a new topic. This is making me extremely hungry and my mom JUST started making dinner!!!

Haha! So how do you feel about marbles, Cornet?

I must confess, I sometimes feel like I've lost my marbles when I'm with you.

And how do you feel about that?

What's this? A psychiatrist appointment?

Nah, just a meeting with your inner Ripplestar.

Inner...um...Ripplestar, eh? That's just strange. And why are you singing 'A Whole New World?'

Just one of the many things you learn at Camp Bishopswood.

LOL. Well, at Pilgrim Lodge I didn't learn the lyrics but I did compose a very nice arrangement of it!

Yes. We sang it while canoeing across the lake.

I love canoeing, but I prefer kayaks. But if the whole point of it is to sink the boat, then canoes.

Haha. Kayaks are easier to maneuver. I'm hungry.

Me tooooooo. Maybe we should go see if we can help with dinner? But first we need to come up with a title for this post! Any ideas?

"An Appointment with Ripplestar."

Fine. See ya later everybody!

 &

So what's changing?

First of all, I must say thank you very much to the 13 people who took my blogger survey! You may still take it to give feedback at anytime that you wish. Everyone had good information and ideas that are now being incorporated.

Many of you said that you would like to see a new look soon. Well, you should be getting a little tired of 'Summer Storm' because it's been up since the beginning of June and the beginning of the summer months. But guess what? It's almost September and time for the fall theme! 60 Treble Clef readers voted on the theme poll, and the decision was 'Vivid Leaves'. Yesterday I put in my request for her 'Just for You' package that I won in Hannah's photography contest. So a new fall theme coming in early September!

With the new theme will be a slightly different layout. The blog will still be 3-column, but both sidebars will be on the right, and the post area will be large enough to hold X-Large pictures!

Also, the playlist has been moved to the bottom of the blog so that you can see the whole player, and the stats are now on the sidebar.

Many people wanted more pictures in the posts and I am going to try and add more of them. For now, here's a nice picture of a geranium on the front porch:

Readers mentioned that they'd like weekly polls just about basic things about the bloggers who follow/read Treble Clef. I liked the idea, and so I'm instituting it. Please check out the newest poll!

Finally, (I think), to get a variety of posts out there, I'm going to be hosting featured bloggers on Treble Clef! Please email me at trebleclefblog@gmail.com if you would like to be interviewed here!

My buddy Ripplestar is coming over today and I haven't seen here in a really long time, so I'm excited!!!

Survey- Please Read and Take!

So, I saw that Eldarwen had done something like this on her blog to get feedback from her followers and I like to here for you guys too. Please take the following quick survey on my blog so that I can know what you think!



THANK YOU!!!

It's good to be home....

It has been a long week. I saw all your comments on XanFan's two posts, I hope that you were entertained! (And just so you know, we will not be getting a dog OR a cat, I'm very sorry to say. Why? Because yours truly is extremely allergic to both and they would give me asthma problems. Sadness) And while we're on the topic of asthma, let's talk about camp.

Camp started out fantastic. Pilgrim Lodge is just this amazing place where you feel so safe and loved and really close to God. It's really hard to explain if you've never been there. :) But in the wee hours of Monday morning....I had an attack. And it was bad. I won't go into details, but I had to go to the hospital and they put me on a steroid and I was pretty messed up for a lot of the week. (yuck) But the rest of it was great. I have to say though, I am super tired so I'm signing off now and will post again tomorrow!

(Also, feedback please. Do you think XanFan did an OK job? What did you think? Would you mind if he guest posts when I'm away again? Vote on the poll and comment.) 

BEACH!

I had the greatest day at the beach yesterday. The waves were huge and really powerful. One time I couldn't get up for like five minutes because the waves kept knocking me down. The water was really clear too it looked like it was tropical! But the best part was that there was a nice breeze blowing and that the water wasn';t too hot or too cold. In other words, IT WAS AWESOME!!!!!!!!!!

Well Here We Go!!!!!

This is my first post so......................
               Today I really wanted a cat or a dog, but I'm not sure which. They are both pretty awesome but they both mark their territory which i wouldn't want to clean up. Dogs are playful and like to play fetch but their slobber is really gross. Cats are funny and cute but get tired easily :(. Please comment and tell me more traits about cats and dogs and also what do like better cat or dog?

http://cvcl.mit.edu/hybrid/cat2.jpg                                               http://imgsrv.nightswithalicecooper.com/image/nwac/UserFiles/Image/DogObedienceTraining.jpg

????????????????????????????????????

Home Again, Off Again

Whew! I am finally home- but not for long. Let's start by talking about yesterday. It was an AWESOME day at the beach. The water was warm, it wasn't broiling up on the sand, it was perfect. Except for the jellies at the beginning, of course. I hate jellyfish, and it's all because of one nasty incident two years ago in Cape May.  Let me explain. I was having a great time bodysurfing with XanFan and my dad. I had just had a particularly good ride in and I ran back into the water and dove into the waves. Straight into a large jellyfish. Let me tell you- jellyfish stings all over your face and left shoulder are very painful. But yesterday, luckily, I only got a small sting on the palm of my right hand.

In the evening we left and began the 8-9 hour drive home. The Garden State Parkway was waaaay backed up and we didn't get home until 4. However, when we were almost getting off the last highway when we say the moon rising. It was stunning. It was huge and orange and it hovered over the horizon in the slimmest crescent you can imagine.

But anyway. I'm off again today bound for Pilgrim Lodge, and to keep you entertained while I'm gone, XanFan will be guest posting here. So see you all in a week!

Hello Lobster in the Mirror

Well, you can certainly tell that I've been at the beach the past three days, that's for sure. Even though it's been nice and warm at home, my body hasn't actually looked like it was summer until now. Pretty pale with now freckles to speak of. Pretty odd, actually. But then you stick me out on a beach for three days, about four plus hours per day and finally I look like it's summer.

 No more white- or at least, not a lot :) Course, it's not like deep tan, but I sure do like a darker color now that it's summer and all.

But the heat and sun can also make you look quite lobster-like, even if you re-apply the sunscreen. So half of me is red, and the other half is tan.

And my face has popped out into millions of freckles. Especially on the nose.

And the hunmidity does make my hair frizz, but when the sun catches it, it looks more like deep auburn than brown which is nice.

So lobster-ness is annoying but basically, I'm glad that I'm finally catching up to summer. :)

 

Double Tags

Hello! Eldarwen tagged me with the Pure In Heart Tag/Award and I *think* that I may have done it before, but it's been awhile, so I'll do it again just for fun. (For some reason the picture isn't copying :P)

1. Which do you prefer–Apples, Oranges, or Bananas? Apples or oranges. HATE bananas.

2. How many siblings do you have? 1 brother and a couple friends who I WISH were my sisters :)

3. Where do you live–a prairie, Woodland, city, or other? A city, but where I live is pretty unique because we're far enough away for it to be quiet, but within five minutes of everything really important. (Grocery store, church, school, library, baseball fields, ice cream shops, etc.) 

4. What is something you enjoy doing with your family? Playing games like Anomia and Apples to Apples in the evening.

5. Is your room clean? No.....

6. Which would you prefer to visit–Italy, Greece, France, Spain, or England? I really want to go to ALL of these places sometime in my life, but it looks like I'll be in France first.

7. What is a scripture that encourages you? Ummm....let me think on that.

8. Gum, chocolate, or jelly beans? Depends on how I'm feeling. Usually gum.

9. What are your favorite types of books? Oooh....EVERYTHING!

10. Which is your favorite ice cream flavor? I have two: Peppermint Stick and Raspberry Sorbet

11. If you had to eat one type of food for two weeks, what would that food be? Spicy black bean tacos!

12. Are you an outside or an inside person? Depends on the weather :)

13. Describe yourself in three words: Musical, friendly, smart.

14. What chore do you like to do the most? Laundry...but not folding it.

I tag/award: whoever hasn't gotten this award before, and wants it! :)

Now I decided to make a tag of my own!

It's just basic and random. Have fun!

What kind of computer are you on? PC laptop (my mom's)

What do you want to eat right now? M&M's and dried cranberries.

What is your favorite color? Greens and blues.

What would you name your child who is a girl? Kasta Jane or Jasmyn Isabella

Boy? Sky Alexander

What describes your eating habits? I'm a vegetarian.

What kind of iPod do you have? A green Nano Chromatic.

Where are you most likely to go for your next big trip? France! (*excited squeals*)

What time do you go to bed? Normally in the school year 9-9:30. It may seem early but look at the answer to the next question.

What time do you get up in the morning? During the school year, 5:30.

What kind of school do you go to? I just graduated from a public middle school and am going on to public high school.

Do you want to go to college? Yes.

What do you want to be when you grow up? A band director!

What is your favorite band? OWL CITY!!!!!!!

What is your favorite instrument? Trumpet.....a pro silver Yamaha Xeno to be specific.

Do you like blogger? Nope. Don't like blogger at all. I LOVE IT!

How long have you been on blogger? Umm....this blog since January 15th 2009.

What relegion do you practice, if any? I'm Christian, specifically United Church of Christ.

Do you like chocolate pretzels? Totally love.

Where would you rather swim? In a ocean with big waves and warm water!

Flashlights or candles when the power is out? Candles.

What kind of swimsuit do you prefer? I usually wear a tankini.

Showers or baths? Showers.

Who do you tag? Everyone who feels like doing it :)

Beach Days

Have I MENTIONED how much I LOOOOVE the beach?

It must be something about my being a picses, because I could totally live in the water.

Swimming, swimming, swimming. All day long.

As you may have guessed, we're in Cape May now!

And we went to the beach (of course) and the water was simply glorious.

MUCH warmer than it is at my house, eight hours northward.

And the waves! Oh the waves!

Perfect for body surfing.

I love the beach. LOVE IT.

Like I said, I'm a pisces.

Well, time to make dinner now! Grilled corn on the cob, fresh green beans, grilled porkchops and grilled portabella mushrooms for us vegetarian types :)

And then of course, back to the beach tomorrow....

Philly Fun

I am sitting typing away this latest post in a small hotel room in New Jersey that smells funky. Now how's THAT for a starting sentence? Today we drove up to Philly to see historic sites!  We started with the liberty bell which was really cool. I loved all the quotes about it and was able to capture some of them (and the bell itself) on camera. My mom remarked in her facebook status 'Proclaim Liberty throughout all the Land unto all the Inhabitants thereof ~ inscribed on the Liberty Bell ~ I will disregard the fact that I had to go through security and have my bag checked prior to seeing this fabulous symbol of Liberty.' This is actually pretty funny....we're seeing a bell of Liberty and we still have to go through security. LOL.
Second, we headed over to a portrait gallery. (Pictures of the Founding Fathers and about two women) It wasn't the most interesting or entertaining thing, but I must say that it was quite fun to laugh and all the rediculous wigs that people wore in that era. And the highlight of the experience? XanFan's crazy comment while looking at a particular painting: "Oh. My. Gosh. Martha Washington is a freak."

We popped over to Congress Hall and Independece Hall which were both interesting, greak landmarks, and EXCELLENT photo ops of course. :) Tomorrow we'll drive two hours south again to Cape May and it'll be hitting the beach for the next few days. Wa-hoo!

And finally.........next April vacation......we're going to try to exchange our timeshare for a week in France!!!!! That would be SO AWESOME.

In The Cave

Today's cave explorations were awesome! So many cool rock formations, stalagmites, stalactites, but I'll go in more detail with those when I have pictures. It was kind of creepy though being 80 feet under the ground and having all that rock above you. The history of the cave was really interesting too, because it was accidently found and had the best rock formations in the world. Awesome!

Other plans for the day? Swimming, reading, dinner and card games. Fun, fun, FUN!
And I must say, it's been pretty fun hearing that right now I'm so close to many of you bloggers. :)

A Day in DC

Today we went to DC! We had a very good time, although my feet are killing me from standing so much. My dad and XanFan went straight to the Museum of Natural History, while my mom and I headed over to Holocaust. It was freezing!!!! Seriously, the AC was cranked up so high that it was hard to stand and read one little thing without wanting to move to warm up. And of course, my dad had the sweatshirts. Other than the temperature though, I did like learning a bit more and getting to see all the artifacts and stuff. For the afternoon, we went over to Natural History as well which was nice and warm and VERY cool. I absolutely loved the ocean exibit. We wrapped up the outing with dinner with some family in the city and then we headed back here and I'm about to play the card game 'war' with XanFan and my dad.

Tomorrow we are going splunking! (Cave Exploring) I've really never been in a honest-to-goodness CAVE, so that will be fun :)