East Coast Trip - part two

Lucky me! I got to finally meet - face to face - my friend, Sujata of The Root Connection ! We became friends in blogland - where we had shared stories about family and quilting - and we were able to stop for a visit on our East Coast trip.  She showed us many of her quilts, which were even more beautiful in person!  This was truly a highlight of our trip! Thank you Sujata for your warm welcome - looking forward to more visits in the future, we hope!

Sujata and her beautiful quilt, Kavita's Garden. 

4th of July at the Fairfax, VA, parade!  My family has a long history of 4th of July parades - growing up, our town's parade went right past our house, so every year was a big family reunion-parade-potluck dinner-carnival-fireworks day! As a result, it's not "the 4th" without a parade, and family and friends.  This is my brother and sister-in-law, Chuck and Jean.

Military honor guard.  

Another big highlight - meeting our newest family member, Hudson!  My daughter, Hannah, looks pretty happy, doesn't she? Such a sweet boy - and named for us, what an honor!

I can't stop looking at this picture - I just LOVED holding him and talking to him, I could have done it all day. We were talking about how he wants to take piano lessons some day.  :)

Another favorite photo - Scott and my nephew, Nathan (Hudson's daddy).  It just kind of tells a story, doesn't it?  Just a great family day, lots of fun, lots of great stories told and shared.  Just wish we could see these great people more often!

Next day - sightseeing day! Hannah and her bf Danny, who had never visited D.C. before.  So - we did a big walking tour of the monuments, starting with the Washington Monument.

Scott, Danny, Hannah, and nephew, Evan, at the Jefferson Memorial.  Great family day!

Happy 4th!

Thank a Vet Today!

Although this cartoon was created for Veteran's Day - the message holds true today. My dad was a veteran - served in the Navy during WWII, and was even present at Pearl Harbor. My father-in-law served in the Army in Panama; both of my brothers served in the Navy during the Vietnam War; my brother-in-law was in the Reserves, and my husband served in the Army during Vietnam. Scott was a singer with the U.S.Army Field Band and Soldiers Chorus. He traveled the U.S., performing mostly in schools. You can hear them, here. I am so proud of my family's military service - and of my country. Happy 4th of July, everyone!

Special Moments

We took a really nice family vacaton over 4th of July this year. Four of us (Scott, our daughter, Hannah, and her boyfriend, Mark) drove from Illinois to Washington, D.C., to visit my relatives. We had a great time, and didn't get sick of each other! Below, see Hannah and Mark along the Potomac, in Old Town Alexandria, Virginia. Very hot, but a beautiful day!We had lots of fun with each other. We were invited to the home of Joel and Jesse, friends of my nephew, Nathan. We had an outdoor picnic, including some fun playing baggo (see my sister-in-law, Jean, celebrating with Mark, below), and then watching the D.C. fireworks from their high-rise window. Here is our daughter, Emily, with our nephew, Nathan. Cousins and friends - the best!

This is a great picture of Hannah, myself, and Jean. It really shows how much fun we were having and much we like just being together.

And I just love this picture, with Emily and her dad (Scott) on the streets of Old Town Alexandria. It is so charming and picturesque, and don't they look adorable?

More phots and special moments to follow!