Archive for the ‘Travel’ Category

Tour of Mt. Vernon

Wednesday, January 27th, 2010

Mt. Vernon
On Thursday afternoon, before our flight back to Denver, we did a tour of Mt. Vernon. The tour was not free, but it was well worth the cost of admission. In addition to the tour, there is a musuem onsite.
Clare at Mt. Vernon
George Washington’s home is totally worth seeing! His home is full of rich color, bright greens & blues with beautiful woodwork. Practically every room in the house has a fireplace, and the porch faces the Potomac River. It’s a lovely plot of land, and there are wonderful interpretive signage strewn around the property.
Mt. Vernon Signage

Blitz Tour of the Capitol

Wednesday, January 27th, 2010

Doug Washington MonumentMark in Front of Capitol BuildingClare In Front of Capitol Building
On Wednesday, we had a long break for lunch, so Doug, Mark, and I decided to take a tour of the Capitol area. We hopped in the rental car, with a vague idea of a plan. Mark was very familiar with the area, so I felt confident we’d have a good time. (more…)

Military Health Systems (MHS 2010) Conference

Monday, January 25th, 2010

Clare with Woodrow Wilson Bridge in Background
This year, I was selected, with 2 of my co-workers, to attend the Military Health Systems Conference in National Harbor, Maryland. It’s in a resort area south of Washington, DC. The conference would last from Monday to Thursday, and I was to be there the entirety. (more…)

Emma’s 13th Birthday

Friday, January 15th, 2010

Emma at Family Birthday Party
One advantage Emma has, over other girls, is that she has immediate family in separate states. So, when she turned 13, she got two birthday parties; one in California and one in Denver. (If our brother Jon had thrown her a party, she could have had 3 parties!).

Emma's Family Birthday Party
In California, we took her out for Thai food, and she had a large white cake with Fresh Strawberries and Thai Coconut Ice Cream.

Emma's 13th Birthday Party
In Denver, she had a sleepover and the girls enjoyed Pie & Ice Cream. The following day, we took them to the Denver Aquarium (pricey!!!). I liked how the Aquarium had an extra focus on the local stream & river environmental systems, that was a nice touch. The downside is that 12 year old and up are considered adults! It was quite a bit overpriced, in my opinion, but we all had a nice time and learned something while we were there!

After two weekends of celebrations, I was worn out completely. But, I’m sure she’ll always remember the beginning of her teen years!

Walt Disney World – (Day 2)

Saturday, September 19th, 2009

Clare & Dennis Tree of Life Andrew, Clare, and Dennis at Epcot

I woke up on Saturday, excited about touring Disney. We decided to focus our energy on the Animal Kingdom and Epcot Center. There was so much to see, even in these two parks, I didn’t know if we could do it justice. (more…)