Smithsonian's National Air & Space Museum

Saturday we were planning to visit the National Zoo, but rainy weather kept us away.  Instead, we visited the air & space museum.  This museum was a little over Kaylea's (and my own) interest level.  However, we were able to locate the kid's section and limit our visit mostly to it.  After watching a demonstration on "How Things Fly" we did go see the plane flown by the Wright Brothers.  It is amazing to think that plane was built in 1903 and it is in great condition, especially as many times as it crashed.  I am also in awe to think that one of the Wright brothers was able to watch his dream of flight become reality and live to see commercial airlines.

Supreme Court Ruling

The Supreme Court ruled on Friday that the U.S. Constitution provides same-sex couples the right to marry, handing a historic triumph to the American gay rights movement.
The court ruled 5-4 that the Constitution's guarantees of due process and equal protection under the law mean that states cannot ban same-sex marriages. With the landmark ruling, gay marriage becomes legal in all 50 states.

Immediately after the decision, same-sex couples in many of states where gay marriage had been banned headed to county clerks' offices for marriage licenses as state officials issued statements saying they would respect the ruling.

I took advantage of being in DC and used my lunch break to walk to the Supreme Court building to witness history.  There were some interesting sights to see, but all in all, most things were tasteful.  I love living in the city and being so close to the action.

Lorton Station Swim Team

Kaylea joined a swim team in our neighborhood.  The team was created for the kids of Lorton Station to participate in a summer sport where they could learn and improve their swimming skills in a fun environment.  The team practices every week night and has swim meets throughout the summer.  We originally signed Kaylea up for a swim class so for the first week she has been having a lot of swimming in her life.  It is amazing how far she has come this week.  She can swim the entire length of the pool unassisted.  She can also float on her front and her back.  She is learning the back stroke, too.  I’m looking forward to watching her improve.

Taste of Reston

This past Saturday we went to the Taste of Reston for some fun.   Reston is a city in Virginia about 30 minutes away.  I’m quickly learning that everywhere is about 30 minute away!  The event had a carnival with quite a few rides and games, a family fun zone, and plenty of food and drinks.  We ended up staying for nearly 4 hours.  It was very hot outside, but we didn’t let that stop us from having fun.

 Later that evening, my mom and I did a mystery shop for dinner.  It doesn’t look like we are going to have much trouble getting assigned mystery shops in this town!

Share a Coke with Ashlea

I have been waiting forever to get these Coke's.  The share a coke campaign had us with unique names looking for our bottles.  I never did find one, but I was able to use MyCokeRewards and order these custom bottles.  I may never drink them, but they are super cute!

Last Day of Kindergarten

I almost forgot to post about Kaylea's last day of school.  We were staying at the Horseshoe Casino, but it was just as much fun.  We really tried to make the week between the apartment and Virginia busy and fun.  Kaylea was excited about finishing kindergarten and I was really excited about everything she learned.  We were blessed with an excellent teacher and a great school.

See Ya Later Gator - Going Away Party

We were lucky enough to have a large turnout for our going away party.  We hosted a party at Wick's Pizza the Friday before we hit the road.  Erin and Chris were very generous and bought us a photo booth.  It was a hit and perfect for the occasion.  I couldn't put every picture on the blog, but I put quite a few.

We had a pizza buffet along with cupcakes and cookies.  We had address cards with our new address and M&Ms with our pictures on them.

We received some really great going away presents.  It was an emotional night, but it was everything I hoped it would be.

Virginia Residents

We arrived in Lorton on Saturday night.  We were all exhausted so I was thankful that our beds were put together. Kaylea was excited to see all of her stuff and to see her room.  It's been a long 3 months with no privacy and having a room in the middle of the dining room.  The drive was interesting. In one car was me, Kaylea, my mom, the cat, and the dog.  The dog wanted to ride on my lap most of the trip (after she got over the fact she couldn't ride in the back and torment the cat).

We got to work right away and we got a ton of stuff done.  Basically in 3 days were went through every box and decided what we wanted to keep and what we wanted to put in a yard sale.  We organized, arranged, unpacked, and hung pictures.  Everything is out of boxes and every picture is hung.

Wednesday we took a break from the madness and went exploring at the National Harbor.  It was very nice.  We were going to do some shopping at the outlet malls, but decided we would go and let Kaylea spend some of her birthday money instead.  She went to Toys R Us and ended up leaving with a perfume making kit and a giant stuffed teddy bear.

Thursday was more relaxed, too.  There were only a few things to do.  Kaylea slept until nearly 11am.  I had to wake her. We had a visit at the school at 2:30.  It was a great visit.  I think we all felt more at ease.  In addition to visiting the school, I was able to see where the before school care center was located and meet those workers.

It has been a long, but rewarding week.  I've been tracking my steps on the FitBit and I've had no less than 15,000 steps a day, with no workout!!!  We did a LOT of shopping and getting the basics for the house and pantry since we didn't bring any of that stuff with us. Kaylea had some fun, too.  She loves playing in the hose.  We had dinner at the Fireside Grill and she definitely enjoyed eating outside and being able to walk across the street to eat.  She purchased some skates, that were nearly impossible and tried her hand at skating.

Saturday evening we took Nana to the airport so she could get back to life.  It was sad seeing her go, but we have plans for a return visit in September and they are planning to come and see us in October.  We were so close to my office at Headquarters that I wanted to drop in and see where it was.  We posed for a few photos outside and as we pulled around the corner, we came upon a hot dog stand.  Jordy has been telling Kaylea about all of the hot dog stands since we told her we were moving.  She was one happy camper!