George Mason

My parents came to town this weekend. We had a nice relaxing day yesterday and a fun night out last night! We went to Marrakesh in DC... I've posted about it many times in the past, but this was the first time any of my family had been there. Dinner was great! :) I think everyone had a good time!! After dinner we went to walk around Jefferson's Memorial (seriously my FAVE at night!!!). It couldn' have been a more beautiful night!!!!!! :) I don't have time this morning to post more pictres (I gotta meet mom and dad and the bros for church) but here are two just for a taste...


Here is my brother George and George Mason :) There is a memorial to George Mason right next to Jefferson's. George Mason's memorial is kinda cool... it is set up with a garden and fountain area modled after Gunston Hall. Kinda cool. I didn't realize Mason was so into gardening! :)



Here is Mason and me! :) (Side note -  you can check out my new haircut... chopped it all off!!!! :) Whaddya think?)

Today I think mom and dad and I are headed to Mt. Vernon.  My pops has wanted to check out Mt. V for a long time now.  The weather is supposed to be AMAZING again, so it will be the perfect day!  I'm sure there will be lots of pictures of that posted soon!!!!!  :)

Ok, off to church!!!

emeril at wholefoods!

heeeeyyyy! i just saw emeril at whole foods taping his next series! yay!

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DC at Night

So this past week my roomie Jason's step-brother Joe came to stay with us. What fun!!! :)

One night we went to Sakura in Fairfax. YUMMMMMY. One of my faves. I love watching the guys cook. I brought my camera to catch some of the show...

Our chef is cleaning the griddle.

The burning onion volcano

Jess' Sashimi plate. If I remember correctly, it is from left to right: swordfish, trout, salmon (tuna top center - not pictured)

Another pic of the onion volcano

Just makin fire for no readson ;)

Fire! fire!

Another evening, Jason and I took Joe to see the monuments at night. I LOVE DC AT NIGHT. It is suuuuccchhhh a beautiful city. It is such an awesome thing to see the monuments all lit up. Just beautiful. Here is a picture from the foot of the Washinton Monument looking down the mall at the WWII memorial (the golden lights/fountains) followed by the reflecting pool and the Lincoln Memorial in the distance. You can almost make out ole Linc just chillin in his chair. :)

This is Joe at the foot of the Washington Monument.

The wall of the Washington Monument at the right of the frame looking towards the other end of the National Mall towards the Capitol building.

Sorry this is a bit crooked... I didn't edit these pics any... hahaha. This is a picture of the WWII Memorial looking towards the Lincoln Memorial.

A closer view of the WWII Memorial. We also drove through parts of Arlington National Cemetary, visited Iwo Jima, found my great uncle on the Vietnam War Memorial Wall and circled Jefferson's Memorial. It was a great night!!! :) If you haven't visited DC at night, YOU MUST GO. If you've never visited DC, YOU MUST COME! I will take you on a tour!!!!! Come on up anytime!!! :)

On another note, but still related, I've asked a few of my friends to rank their favorite memorials/monuments. Mine are:

1. Jefferson Monument
Tie for Second place:
2. Iwo Jima War Memorial
2. Tomb of the Unknown Soldier
Tie for Third place:
3. WWII Memorial
3. Vietnam War Memorial

I know two ties is kind of cheating, but they are allll soooo goooooood. It is difficult to select one over another. I love Jefferson because it is just soooo beautiful. Jefferson's Monument sits along the tidal basin. When the cherry blossoms are bloomed, it is framed in light pink beauty. Sooo great.

I love Iwo Jima because it is based off of a photograph. That picture truly is worth 1,000 words.

The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier is also a place of beauty and emotion. At the center of Arlington National Cemetary, the final resting place for so many servicemen/women sits this living testimony. There is a soldier marching 24 hours a day 7 days a week. The men that guard the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier are of smilar build and stature. They pace a specific amount of steps with a matching stride. The ground beneath the soldiers is warn from their steps. It is a touching experience.

The WWII Memorial is the newest memorial on the National Mall. (The Air Force Memorial is the newest off the mall monument... anyhow, I digress...) The WWII is really beautiful. It is a low lying memorial that I think fits in so nicely on the mall. I like the cool, calm beauty of the Memorial.

The Vietnam War Memorial is another one of the emotional sites of DC. To see the thousands of names engraved on a black wall will bring tears to your eyes. I have a family member on the wall, and I love finding his name.

All of that to say DC is awesome. If you haven't visited, DO! There is plenty to see!

in memoriam

This weekend I attended the memorial service for my grandpa in Ft. Myers, Fl.

Despite the circumstances of this trip, I had a really great time. I think everyone was able to remember, treasure and celebrate our grandfather in a very personal way. It was nice speaking with his closest friends at the service and hearing how much of an impact he had on their lives. I am thankful to have such a great man as my grandpa!

Jefferson's Memorial as seen from the air

The view of the National Mall from the air. Working from the bottom of the picture up, is the Lincoln Memorial, the reflecting pond, the WWII memorial, the Washington Monument and you can barely make out the Capitol building in the top of the pic.

Gramma and brother Ben enjoying a Jello Pudding Cup. ;)

Who knew they both loved pudding! haha

Geo and Ben in my Uncle Tom's drop top ;)

My Aunt Maryanne and her Great Neice, Susan. :)


My family with my dad's cousin, Tom

My Aunt Maryanne, My gramma's sister, Lorette, my gramma Julie, and my Aunt Jane

Gramma and Ben

Everyone enjoying everyone else's company ;)



Four Generations! Aunt Jane, Gramma, my cousin Laura and her daughter, Claira



Four MORE Generations! My gramma, Aunt Jane, cousin Sarah and her daughters, Meghan, Susan and Summer



Too Cute Claira



What a smile! :)



A lil' tree frog I found ;)



Super Cute Susan



HAPPY 8th BIRTHDAY, SUMMER!



Aunt Judy and her husband, David


Grandpa's wishes...












On the island, there was an orchid house... look how beautiful!




So many rare types of orchids!



Sooooo coooolllll....





This picture shows almost all of the family that came to FL for the memorial service. I can't wait to see everyone again soon.

We will miss you, Grandpa.

ps - I learned a lot about my family history by looking at old photographs and speaking with my gramma and others. I'll be sure to post some of my favorite old pictures here soon. :)

pss - i have 17 mosquito bites on my legs alone.

Pigeon Key

Here is a little slideshow shoping you just how much fun we had on our private island in the keys this Thanksgiving. One of the things I was really thankful for this Thanksgiving - my bubba. Without my bubba, my family wouldn't have had such a great vacation. :)
Thanks B! :) rove roo!

Easter Weekend and Great Falls, VA

This Easter, my parents came to Northern Va to visit my brothers and me. It was the first time (since I leaving for college) that I haven't been home for Easter. I was a bit disappointed that I wasn't going to go home for the holiday, but things turned out GREAT. We really really really had a great time together. We ate (lots of cheese) and had a good time together. Joe (our cousin) came and hung out with us too. Joe is a recent transplant to NOVA. Now that he is here for a while, expect to see him a lot more in photos! :)

This is my mom playing Nintendo Wii. If you haven't tried the Wii, I highly reccomend it! This picture shows my mom (Wii-mote in hand) playing a car racing game. Her car spent more time trying to off road than it did on the track. It was pretty hilarious trying to watch her play. Our jokes stopped when she bowled (another game for the Wii) like a professional!! She beat us all!!!

We went to church on Saturday night, so Sunday morning (Easter am) we decided to take a road trip. After much discussion, we decided to check out Great Falls (in retrospect I can't believe we even entertained the idea of going to the circus!!!!!!! haha) Great Falls is soooo pretty. It is probably one of my favorite places in VA. It was a little chilly, but all in all a nice trip.

Here is the fam at the main overlook to the falls!

Cousin Joe chillin on the rocks

I'm teaching a Macro Photography class at my church next week, so I was going crazy taking some stock pictures to use in my presentation. This is one of them.

my momma <3>

Ben checking out the falls cliffside!!!! YIKES!

Ben is King of the MOUNTAIN!!!

Uncle and Nephew!

Taking in the sights.

My P's! Aren't they CUTE! ;)

More macro stuff...