Spring 2005

Easter, March

This year I liked Easter because it was Sofia's first Easter that she could participate in. I got a basket full of candy, and she kept trying to get at it [left]. But since she's not allowed to eat any yet, I didn't mind.

I got really, really FULL this Easter because at Mom's we had a big Easter lunch with Grandma Joanie, and then later I went to Dad's and we had a big Easter dinner with Grandma Joyce. Whew! It was a lot of food even without the chocolate Cadbury eggs (my favorite)!

New Trumpet, April

This April, after renting a beginning trumpet for almost three years, I finally got a trumpet to call my own. Mom found a really nice used one at Northwest Winds, a Bach Stradivarius 37G with a gold-brass bell [right]. They trustingly let us borrow it for a week, and the horn seemed to be meant for me because the timing worked out perfectly for having my trumpet teacher, Ron Barrow, look it over (he gave his approval), trying it out at my school's band concert, and returning my rental. An added bonus is that it came with a case that has room for all the mutes that I use.

Washington, D.C., April

From April 9th to April 16th, Mom and I visited Washington, D.C. (while Jan took care of Sofia at home). We had a very busy itinerary, but we had a blast.

The first day there, we visited Arlington Cemetery, which was impressive. President Kennedy's gravesite was very moving, and Arlington House, the home of Robert E. Lee, was pretty interesting. After the cemetery we tried to tour downtown on the Tour Mobile, but because of the Cherry Blossom Festival, traffic was horrific. We ended up getting out and having lunch at the food court in the Ronald Regan Building and then touring the museum in Ford's Theater, where President Lincoln was shot.

The second day we took the Metro and a bus to George Washington's home, Mount Vernon, which was one of my favorite activities of the week. In the afternoon, we saw all the Mall's monuments, including those for Abraham Lincoln, Thomas Jefferson, George Washington, WWII, Korean War Veterans, and Vietnam War Veterans. Probably my favorite was the Lincoln Memorial [left—that's me in blue], where I also saw where Martin Luther King, Jr., stood when he gave his "I Have a Dream" speech. At the end of that long day we saw a concert by the Latin band Grupo Fantasma on the Millenium Stage at Kennedy Center.

The third day we started out with an early morning tour of the Capitol Building [above left, with cherry trees]. We had to get in line early, and although the week's weather turned out pretty nice, the mornings were cold. We were freezing by the time we got in! Next we visited the U.S. Botanical Garden [above right], which was a nice break from history and art. We also saw the Library of Congress. We ate lunch at Union Station, which was another one of my favorite sites. It had the biggest food court I've ever seen, and we did some successful souvenir and gift shopping there. After lunch we sat in the courtroom of the U.S. Supreme Court and learned about its history and how it works. That was kind of cool.

The fourth day was Smithsonian day. We spent the morning in the Museum of Natural History, which had an awesome collection of dinosaur bones. After walking through the Hirshhorn Sculpture Garden, we spent the afternoon in the Air and Space Museum [right], which was another of my favorites. We checked out every exhibit; our favorite was called "How Things Fly," where we could do hands-on experiments demonstrating the physics of flying. Even Mom understood it better!

That night we went back to Ford's Theater and sat just feet away from Lincoln's box while we watched Big River: The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, which was presented by a hearing impaired theater company called Deaf West Theater. They did ASL signing through the whole show, and it was really cool.

Day five started out early at the National Archives, where we saw a movie about the history and preservation of the "Documents of Freedom," the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution. Then we saw the originals, which are physically underwhelming but symbolically impressive.

We ate lunch at the Old Post Office, where we ascended the tower and viewed D.C. from high up. Then we went to the White House Visitor Center, where we watched a movie about all the rooms in the White House and toured the exhibits. We didn't go inside the White House itself, but we did see the outside [below]. Late that afternoon we went to the International Spy Museum and spent almost three hours there learning about spycraft and the history of espionage. It was another of my favorite D.C. activities.

Day six we went early to the Bureau of Printing and Engraving, where we saw money being printed. There were stacks and stacks of bills; it was awesome! That afternoon we spent at the National Gallery of Art. I didn't think I'd enjoy it much, but actually I liked seeing the art with Mom. We talked about different paintings. I decided that I like landscapes best. We also popped into the Smithsonian Museum of American History, but we were so tired that we didn't spend much time there. We did see the original "Star Spangled Banner," the flag Francis Scott Key wrote about, which is under restoration. That was worthwhile.

The last morning we crossed the Key Bridge, near our hotel, and walked around Georgetown. Then it was back to the airport. I had an incredible time, and I did so much in a week that I could barely remember it all. But we were pretty tired. And I was glad to be seeing home again.

Birthday, April

My birthday was on a Tuesday, so I had to spend most of it at school (bummer). But for dinner, Dad, Suzy, and Brennan took me to Outback Steakhouse for BBQ ribs—my favorite [and a big dessert, right]. Grandma Joyce came, too... and then Mom, Jan, and Sofia showed up! It was cool to have my whole family there to celebrate number 13—becoming a teenager!!

The following weekend, Dad dropped Robby Ryan, Taylor Williams, and me off at the movies to see The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. I read the book, so I really wanted to see the movie. The movie was good but really weird.

Some of the cool presents I got were a Harmon mute for my trumpet, a watch, and a DVD burner for my computer, plus a whole lot of green (most of which I put into my savings).

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