Music out in the open

Last Thursday we once again took in a free concert thanks to Fairfax County. This time it was to see the Steep Canyon Rangers, a fantastic Bluegrass band out of North Carolina. They are currently touring with Steve Martin (yes that Steve Martin who happens to be quite the accomplished banjo player) so it was great to see the Rangers for free.

These guys wore suits! So professional. And the way they moved on stage between microphones was like watching a well rehersed ballet.

It was also an opporunity to see a former co-worker and friend of mine who actually introduced me to the Steep Canyon Rangers and several other Bluegrass bands. JT brought along his girlfriend Nicole. It was fun to hear updates about my former company.

The boys stayed around for only about one or two songs before heading off to the playground. Frying Pan Park is an active farm, so after the show we wandered around and saw all the cows, pigs, sheep, and chickens they keep.

Lulu really liked meeting the sheep

Strained.....

Sometime over the weekend I strained my lower back. Not exactly sure what I did that caused this injury just that by Sunday night when I crawled into bed I knew something was wrong. When I woke up Monday morning I could barely get out of bed. I called in sick to work, took the boys to day camp, and then came home to set up shop on the couch with my feet up and the heating pad. When James called me at 0930 I knew I was more uncomfortable than I thought I would be. Turns out he had made me an appointment at DeWitt and was given me fair warning to get ready for a trip to the doctor’s office. All I could do was brush my hair and teeth.

Sure enough the PA said it was a lower back strain and ordered me to bed with some medicine. Since then I have been on the couch with limited movement. Tuesday morning was much better than Monday. And I had more mobility. Today I made the trek into work with every intention of staying there. Within an hour I had made the decision that I would only work 4 hours. And an hour after that I was on the Metro with work in a bag making my way back home while I still could walk up right!

So here I am again. On the couch with an ice pack on my back (a really nifty one that James bought on Monday) and finishing up my last two hours of work. Oh yay. Back problems.

And our next duty station is........

Fort Belvoir, VA! If you can believe it!!!??? James told me last week that he saw that Fort Belvoir was listed as his next duty station reporting January 2011. This sent James on a fact finding mission that resulted in finding out that the new command he is joining and working with right now put in a by-name request for James which took precedent over his "former" orders to Fort Huachuca.

James and I have had huge discussions about the pros and cons of staying at Fort Belvoir or fighting the by-name request and going to Fort Huachuca. Without giving the full list of what was discussed...Fort Belvoir won out.

So there you go folks. James won't be moving out to AZ with the furry children. I won't be living with my sister and brother-in-law. And if you want to come and see our Nation's capital we will be here for at least a couple more years!!!!!

Holy Ghost Tent Revival

James, the boys, and I went to our second free concert through Fairfax County Summer Entertainment series last week, this time to see Holy Ghost Tent Revival. Billed as not being one type of music or another I remembered seeing this band's name for a festival last fall in Maryland with Scythian. So I was intrigued and wanted to hear more. The park listed Holy Ghost Tent Revival as "Indie/Americana." And I would tend to agree. It was a little bit of everything and I loved it! I bought both of their CDs and haven't stopped listening since.

The sound wasn't the best, but the venue allowed us to bring Lulu and have dinner outside at gloaming. It was pretty awesome. The boys didn't care much for the music and went and to explore the playground. We forgot to bring a water bowl for Lulu (bad parents we are!) but the park provided one. We will remedy that this week since we are going to see the Steep Canynon Rangers this Thursday. Can't wait!

Backyard barber

A couple of Friday nights ago we were talking with the boys about getting their hair trimmed. Joe is determined to keep his long (much to my nagging of him to stop playing with, and brushing, it on a regular basis) while Jaime, who had long hair in the winter, seems to be enjoying a shorter cut. The conversation ended with James giving Jaime a cut that night in the backyard. While Joe hid inside the house far away from the clippers. It was pretty cute.

Before

During

After

Starting off the summer on the right foot...or was it the right ear?

A couple of months ago our friends Becky and Leo invited James, the boys, and I to join them during their annual Disney World trip. With the good will of our Army family (Becky and Leo and MWR) we decided to make the trip :) I know that Disney has its haters and its devotees. I believe after our week on the property I am somewhere in between. We truely enjoyed ourselves!

Our trip started after picking up the boys for the summer. We arrived at Becky and Leo's in time for dinner and shortly afterwards hit the hay since the elder boys decided that we would start our roadtrip at midnight. Normally a drive on I-95 at midnight on a Sundy/Monday morning would be a breeze....except this night it seemed that VDOT decided to shut down two of three lanes for construction. Within two miles of getting on the interstate. So we lost about 30 minutes trying to get through Fredericksburg. After that we were flying! Well, with three kids we were flying. After about 15 hours we made our final destination and homebase: Saratoga Springs Resort.

The week was a bit of a blur of food, heat, rides, sights, naps, laughs, and fantastic service everywhere we turned. Here's the break down of day, park, and highlights from our first three days:

Monday--Downtown Disney
Since it was our first day on the property, we took the water taxi from the resort to Downtown Disney for dinner at Raglin Road. After a great meal (even I was surprised) we walked around and saw the sights.

Tuesday--Magic Kingdom
We arrived in time for the Opening Ceremonies and didn't leave until after 11:00 PM. That is about 15 hours if you're counting. Highlights were the boys getting out of their comfort zone with the Haunted Mansion. Me almost losing my lunch on the Mad Tea Party due to Leo's spinning ability. Meeting Pooh and friends during our breakfast buffet. Oh and Space Mountain rocks!!!!

Wednesday--Animal Kingdom
Not our favorite park due to the fact that guests are squeezed into small spaces and people leave their manners at home. But Dinosaur, Kilimanjaro Safaris, Kali River Rapids, and Expedition Everest were excellent! Oh if you are on the Disney Dining Plan do not try and eat at Rain Forest Cafe, they don't take the plan :(

You can see our photos here. Tomorrow I'll add information on the second half of our trip.