Thinking outside of the box

This is what happens when AJ wants a toy out of his toy box, but no one is around to take the lid off for him. We've since moved the toy box away from the top of the stairs.

YES WE CAN

It isn't often that Virginia is visited by major presidential candidates before primaries. Our primary usually doesn't matter, but this year being an unusually crazy primary year, we were visited by them all! I couldn't believe it when I heard that Obama would be in Virginia Beach, and as soon as I heard it, I knew we'd be there. It doesn't matter who you endorse or who you are going to vote for, but it's important to be politically savvy and active, as no matter how cynical you are about the government, these individuals are going to affect your life in some way or another. That being said, I am in love with Obama, and I think he is absolutely adorable! James and I waited in line for three hours, swirled in and out of parking lots around the convention center, wondering if we would get in or not. Sarah and Regis, of course, got there right before the event started and snuck in the front doors! Before we even got in! I laughed so hard....except of course I would have been SUPER angry had they gotten in and we hadn't, but thankfully we got in as well. We were pretty far away, and could barely see Obama over all the heads of the hundreds of people in front of us, but it was still very exciting seeing a presidential candidate speak. No matter how you feel about him, he can definitely deliver a great speech! And he makes you feel like you can actually make a difference in life, no matter who you are. I truly believe that...and all I can say is...YES WE CAN!

VIP at the Ted Constant Center

Despite our great dislike for the colors green and gold, James and I joined the family and GMU alumni to watch the George Mason Patriots take on the Old Dominion Monarchs at Ted Constant Center. Though we were cheering for GMU, James and I just couldn't bring ourselves to wear the colors, so we wore the orange and maroon proudly, with gold and green beads and cute headbands, of course. Brent got us sweet VIP tickets with the GMU alumni association, so we had the privilege of watching our first game from a box seat. Holla for the VIP entrance! Sarah and I were like, umm... VIP... SUPER exciting! The seven of us (Sarah, Regis, Toby, Abigail, Brent, James, and I) enjoyed free food, drinks, GMU alumni stuff, and of course pompoms. I had a difficult time getting into the game in the beginning, as ODU came out strong, and basically left us in the dirt. It was sad, but it was great catching up with Sarah and Abigail. But, the Patriots received a good half time talk, and made the game exciting in the second half! Sadly, though, they couldn't make up the difference, and ODU took the win. Still looking for excitement, we perused the campus, eventually ending up at their statue of the monarch. With no signs saying do not climb, we got some awesome pictures with the Monarch. I mean...this is what traveling to away games is all about! It's not about the win...it's about the experience.

Orange Vests

On one of the colder weekends in Virginia Beach, James and I helped my dad and the Knight's Of Columbus adopt a road. Seriously, I think it was the coldest day we have had since we've been here, but that only added to the joy of it. Wearing orange vests is exciting in itself, but having trash picker uppers topped off the joy! It's like having cherries on top of your icecream! (or cornflakes... it adds to the joy!) For those of you who were at our wedding, it was that little windy road on the way to the reception, so we constantly were watching out for cars. But, we were convinced that the orange vests would save us from the speeding vehicles. We've decided that people who litter drink ALOT of lite beer and eat at McDonalds and 7-11. And some people were clearly running from the cops as they just threw out full cans of beer and liquor... *tsk~tsk*. They were definitely partiers though. The most exciting find of the day was a crawfish, found by James, and a $10 bill found by one of the other Knights.

Two Puppies!!

Now that we are in the 757, we have two poodles! Two puppies are better than one! They get along...most of the time... Lizzie, of course, is AJ's auntie, but she acts like an older sister. Lady Elizabeth and Mr. Ambler Johnston (And...no...I'm not kidding...) We've decided AJ is going to need a friend after we move...so our little family may be growing! :-) (*Hint* It's another poodle)

Everglades

So the Orange Bowl was a rather uneventful game, but we went exploring South Florida the next day to make up. Angela wanted to check out the Everglades, so off we went. In a different lifetime, she had wanted to be a biologist of some sort and enjoys being out in ecosystems… anywhere other than suburbs. The national park was relatively easy to get to; we had driven by near it on our honeymoon to the Keys. At the visitor center we ran into fellow Hokies and a few Kansas fans, playing tourist. Out in the park we didn’t see many people. The place reminded me of an African savanna with odd pine trees. As an ecosystem it is totally unique in all the world. But America will probably drain it to put up new condos. The entire everglades system is dying as its massive fresh water reservoir is increasingly tapped into by an exploding population. Only through man-made controls does enough water even filter into the park, and it is shrinking in land area. This one is not global warming, just too many people taking showers south of Orlando. So you should visit the place before it disappears! But we got to see an “island” of lush vegetation. These “islands” float along a few feet a year in the muck and support a wide range of life. We saw huge air plants who feed only on the humid air. We didn’t see alligators, bobcats, or manatees, but they are there! We hope to take an air-boat ride the next time we visit!

Christmas with some G’s

After a lovely morning with the B’s, we packed up our little sailor and headed to Bad Newz. We spent all afternoon watching the cousins roll on the ground and exchanging gifts. It was great to see the G-rents and everyone again!

Hiding little lizard

A Green Friend

We found this little guy just chilling in the Everglades.