Medieval Times

We went to the Medieval Times dinner and entertainment thing at the Baltimore Castle. I have gone before in LA and I enjoyed so I thought for sure Devin and Jordan would have a good time. It was pretty fun, the food was amazing and the knight for our section threw a flower to me which was pretty awesome! The only thing that killed me was this little squealy boy behind me. He wouldn't shut up, he had to scream and holler at everything and he had such a squeaky annoying voice. I didn't let it ruin my night or anything but mad it was pretty bad. The horses that they use for these events are so pretty and they do the coolest things. The picture of Devin is with this guy that works with the hawk to get the hawk to do tricks during the show.

D.C. Trips 2 and 3

The third trip to DC was to go to Arlington Cemetery. We got there just in time to bolt to the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and watch the changing of the guard ceremony. It was very cool. Definitely something I would suggest everyone seeing at one point or another. The guards were very professional and everything was extremely crisp to perfection. The cemetery had such a sacred feeling to it. We didn't stay for too long because it was SO hot but it was way worth going to.

Our second trip to D.C was with Jordan and this time we made the itinerary small because we went on a weekday and its too hard to cram everything in just one day. When we got there we had set the GPS to the Air and Space Museum. We parked where it said the museum was and hopped out, paid and started looking for it. We were WAY FAR away from it. By the time we got there it was closed so we took a cab to the vietnam wall. We got a few really good pictures then we went to the Lincoln Memorial again and then this time we were able to make it to the White House. The White House was pretty cool except that we walked around the entire thing and it was a lot of walking and not much to see.

NEW YORK CITY

The Train Station in New Jersey

Cruise boat to the Statue of Liberty

This is going to be a LONG post because this was a very long day! Devin's brother Jordan came to visit for a week and I had a lot in mind for us to do. I have been DYING to get to NYC so that was on the top of my list. I bought tickets online for everything because I remember how bad the lines were when I went forever ago. The day started with us waking up late, getting ready late and leaving late. I was somewhat annoyed but what can you do! We got to the train station in Aberdeen to find out that it is closed on the weekend so we got in the car and started driving. Devin asked if we should stay in Aberdeen and go to NYC another day but that wasn't going to work because I had everything planned and we had to go.

We drove all the way to New Jersey and I started getting worried that we were going to get stuck driving to the heart of New York and I knew that would not be good so I had Devin make a few phone calls to find a train station close to where we were. We drove to a train station in Jersey and rode to Penn Station NYC. Devin had major anxiety because of the crowds and the unfamiliarity of the area and public transportation. From there we took the Subway to Battery Park to see the Statue of Liberty. We were 2 hours late for our ferry ride but I had a feeling that we would still be able to make it. We hopped in a line and it was the right line to the ferry, we were in luck. There were a bunch of signs telling you what you couldn't have on the ferry or the islands and that there was a security check inside of the building ahead. Jordan let us know that he had 2 knives on him, I was a little shocked because it's New York and most of the buildings have security now. But he didn't know that so he told us he just wouldn't go. We thought that would be lame so we told him to ditch the knives in a bush somewhere, he was extremely hesitant but ditched them anyways. We went to the Statue of Liberty island and walked around for a little bit, went to the gift shop took some pictures then I was done. I thought that Ellis Island was the island with the Statue of Liberty but there are two islands. I wasn't looking forward to all of the lines and waiting and Jordan just wanted to get back to his knives so we stayed on the boat and headed back to shore.

We went to ground zero after that, there was a very neat memorial on the wall of the fire station right next to where the twin towers used to be. They are in the process of building new buildings where the towers were so it was all closed off. It was pretty touching just being there. I discovered these guys that sell purses on the street, I think that some of the purses are knock offs but some of them are stolen real deals, anyways, I was ecstatic! I found a coach purse and a Chanel clutch that are pretty much the coolest and they were way cheap. I bought a Prada bag but you can tell its not real Prada, its still pretty though. The stores that we walked by were so pretty and all of the window displays were so enticing but we had such a strict schedule there was no time for shopping.

I thought the boys would like to go to Nintendo World so we took a cab there, the guy dropped us off somewhere close to it but we were lost for a good half hour and when we found it it wasn't really that great. There were too many people and it had way more hype than it deserved. We were starving so we found a pizza place in a wall and had some excellent over priced pizza. Then it was time to head to the Empire State Building. The lines were absolutely atrocious we were in lines to get up to the top and it was so crowded you had to fight to get a view and then there were lines to get down to the bottom. Devin and I were pretty stressed out and irritable by this point so we were not communicating well. I had more I wanted to see and he just wanted to leave. We walked briefly by time square then took the subway back to Penn Station waited for our train and headed back to Jersey and then we made our way back in the car to Aberdeen. We got home at about 3 in the morning. It was a very long day and we all needed some sleep.

The game that made us Phillies fans

July 11, 2009 Phillies vs. Pirates. We had never gone to a Phillies game yet and were SUPER excited for this event. We drove the distance (I don't remember how long it took) through Delaware and on to Pennsylvania arrived in Philly and found out that the game was sold out. It was pretty disappointing until we spotted the line that led to the slight chance of a standing ticket. We stood in line anxiously for at least an hour and when we got to the front we were in luck. We decided to buy some tickets to other games while we were there except most of the games were sold out. We ended up buying tickets to 3 games in September which I CANNOT WAIT to go to!!!

We got into the park and since we didn't have seats it was a little awkward, hands full wandering around like lost puppies. It was ok though, we found a place behind home plate that was actually a really decent place to watch/stand. We bought Phillies hats because I really like baseball hats and I knew they would be a team I would like to watch and be a fan of. The game started and the Pirates were doing really good, 3 runs in the first inning, 2 in the second, it was looking good for the Pirates. Meanwhile I was scouting out seats that were open and in the 3rd inning we decided to sit in some great seats behind home plate. That lasted until the 6th inning! During the game I heard someone say something about the Vice President being there but I didn't really believe her until I looked down at this odd crowd of kids and then sure enough there in a red Phillies hat was the VP. He was nice enough to sign some stuff for the slew of kids that were dying to meet him. We took a few pictures and then I told Devin he should go down there and get a close up with him. I knew he had the guts and I didn't but I didn't really think he would do it. He took off with the camera to go hang out with Biden. During the 6th inning the Phillies scored 3 runs. It was exciting but the Pirates still had the upper hand. A couple minutes later Devin came back and he looked pretty embarrassed. He said he just walked on down to the Vice President until someone stopped him and asked him if he had special seats so he had to leave the are. We were only 30 feet from him so that was good enough for us.

When he sat down and got situated a few people came over to where we were sitting and started looking at their tickets and the seat numbers and we looked really stupid at that point. They asked if we were sitting in the right seats so we eventually had to move after an embarrassing display of trying to figure out where our seats were. In the 7th inning Pirates scored 2 more and then the 9th inning came. The score was now Pirates 7 Phillies 3. Tons of people had left so we scored some good seats to watch the rest of the game. 9th inning Phillies scored 5 runs, I can't remember all that happened but pretty much there were a couple home runs and the rest was a blur of screaming and clapping and crossed fingers and they pulled through with a victory. It was a great game. Devin didn't have a voice after the game, it was awesome!

Hershey Park

I wanted to share a little bit of my past with Devin so I planned a trip to Hershey Park. From where we live its an hour and half drive so not bad at all. We went on the 6th of July thinking that since it was a Monday it should be a little slower but I don't think any day in the summer is a slow day at a theme park. It was still a blast. We got really cheap tickets with a military discount, I couldn't complain! I really like going to theme parks with Devin because he turns into a little boy right when we get through the entrance. I had a map in my hands and I was looking for good places to eat, little souvenir shops, and of course the Hershey chocolate attractions.

Devin was trying to race through the crowds to get to the rides. I was ready to relax and go slow so I asked Devin what the rush was and he just looked so confused and said I wanna ride the rides c'mon. It was pretty cute I must admit but man I can't keep up anymore. I waited in the ridiculously long lines with him but as we got closer to each ride I started having anxiety attacks, it wasn't as much of a thrill as I remember. There was one ride that I got so nervous I almost backed out but I'm glad I didn't cause it was the best ride there.

After a bunch of roller coasters I was way ready to hit the water park. I love water slides, I love the security of sitting on something and feeling a little bit more grounded then flying all over in the air attached to a couple nuts and bolts. We were feeling a little hungry so before we went to the water slides some good ol classic cheese steaks were completely necessary. I think that might have been a slight mistake because they were super greasy and I have a sensitive stomach. I didn't puke thank goodness but I didn't feel the best after eating. The water park was fun when you actually got to the ride but the lines were ridiculous and I hated that you couldn't look anywhere because all of the girls/women were half naked. It was really uncomfortable and I was getting annoyed because thats the last thing I wanted to look at let alone my husband looking at that. Devin saw this wave pool and he wanted to do it so he stood in line for about 40 minutes to ride 30 seconds. So worth it! (not really) I was so sick of the sun beating on me. We left the main water park and hopped in line for the lazy river. It was nice once we got in the water but by the time I got in I was roasted. My arms were so sun burned and I was so dehydrated that it was pretty uncomfortable. After the lazy river we called it good and then went to the Hershey World building. There was this fun little ride that took us around and explained how Hershey stuff is made. There were singing cows and we even got chocolate at the end. It was way fun. I bought a cookbook that pretty much has the best looking deserts ever in it so I cant wait until I have a stove so I can bake. That ended the trip to Hershey Park but I'm sure we will go again before we have to leave the area.

Wildlife

There are so many animals on base, I love it. So far we have seen TONS of deer, the bucks are in velvet right now so its fun to watch for them and the babies are tiny and they still have their spots. We saw a baby fox the first Sunday we were here. There are a bunch of groundhogs. Everywhere you go there are groundhogs. They are the cutest little guys. The deer are very mild tempered, you can drive right up to them without them flinching. They sometimes hang out in front of our hotel and you can walk pretty close to them and they don't run away they just walk away slowly.