Camp Springs, Maryland

New view out our front window

Okay, so on to the new place.  It's an 18 minute Metro ride (Branch-Green Line) from where we were in the district. So it's definitely more of being in the suburbs than in the city.  It's WAY more quiet.  Where we were in the city, someone could have a normal voiced conversation on the street and we could hear them perfectly on the 8th floor.  Kind of creepy.  Plus, the police and fire station were right down the street so lights and sirens just became background atmosphere.  I do however miss the 7 AM church bells that rang every morning serving as a lovely alarm if we weren't up already.

For Tom, the indoor pool at the clubhouse was a major selling point.  It's brand new however, has been under repair since we got here so haven't been able to use it yet.  I am bummed that there isn't an outdoor pool but may have to take advantage of the one at Andrews AFB which is right down the street.

 Great work out room…..

Small business area….

 Gathering area in clubhouse….with kitchen and pool table.  TV'a all over the place!

 Outdoor play area and basketball hoop as well.

 And inside our apartment……living and dining area  (apparently didn't get photo of dining area which is on other side of this room)

Nice kitchen with washer/dryer behind door.  Awesome!  At other place I had to walk down the hall 

 Master bed and bath…..

Office area which is in the guest room….(picture me sitting there right now!)

…...which is across the hall from the 2nd bath!

 The other great thing is lots of closet space which Tom has equipped with shelving to hold LOTS of our junk. It's starting to feel a little more like home now that I have the Christmas stuff up and music in the background.  About a 7 minute walk to the Metro which is right up the street.  I'll have to do a neighborhood show and tell some other time.

Christmas at National Harbor with Alexis

 So we have been warned of this huge storm coming in so we weren't quite sure what to expect.  Monday morning was icy when I ran Tom to the Metro around 6 AM and things were still icy when I walked over to the Metro to meet Alexis.  We snapped some photos on the short walk back.

 She brought me the beautiful "JOY" ornament hand made by her mom in Singapore. So pretty!

 I gave her a stocking full of homemade goodies and a snowflake ornament made from salt from the Great Salt Lake in Utah.  She was so excited to see the new apartment and to see how American families decorate for the holiday.  We took the short drive to National Harbor and did a quick drive around the new outlet stores that just opened then parked and walked around the Harbor area.

 We had lunch at Pier House (fish & chips with catfish and sweet potato fries-yum!) then walked over to the Gaylord convention center to look around.  The sun actually came out for a bit but as we headed back it got grayer and grayer out.

 After I dropped Alexis at home I drove through Rock Creek Park which I just think is gorgeous.  Snapped some pix of the bridges along the way……..

 That storm does look pretty ugly…….

Headed over to Tom's office to pick him up and snapped a pix of the scaffolding continuing to come down off the Washington Monument.

Kick Off Weekend to Holiday Festivities

Teri, Tom and Zimo

 Saturday night was the Chi Alpha party at Georgetown with our international student friends.  Took some buttermilk cookies and seven layer dip along with gallons of leftover punch from Tom's retirement shindig.  The Leavey building where most the events are held is not near any parking so we had to haul everything across the very cold campus in a laundry cart and with me balancing a tray in each arm.  Unfortunately I had the seven layer dip up against me so had a bunch of bean dip on the breast of my jacket.  Yeah, attractive.  Anyway, once we arrived we had a good time.

Qianlei Li and Kristin

 It's interesting because the activities at these gatherings always seem a bit juvenile but the students always seem to have a great time.  There was a table set up for cookie decorating, a snowflake cut out table, a Jenga game on one table and a Spoons game going on another.  Costumes for pix in once corner and lots of yummy finger foods and goodies.

 As these students are not Christian we have to be careful according to the university's guidelines to not push the religion.  Even though Chi Alpha is a christian organization and they sponsor the International Friends program (and the students KNOW they're a Christian org.) so we're really just supposed to be open to questions if they have them.  But tonight's program was very Christ oriented as leaders shared the story of the nativity and we sang some hymns.

 After we also sang some secular Christmas holiday songs including the 12 days of Christmas with Tom and Zimo in the "9 Ladies Dancing" group.  In fact there were NO ladies in that group. Nor dancers, really.

 There were other games that were fun and that the student's thought were hilarious so everyone had a good time.

Sunday we got up early for church and heard this awesome sermon.  Just what I needed to hear.  And then we stopped at Tom's office so he could do a few things before heading over to World Market in Pentagon City.  Saw this fun ice skating rink and these beautiful ice sculptures before heading home to a warm apartment, good food, naps and football.  Great day.

Jessica Comes To Visit

Yippee!  So Jessica arrived Saturday night just in time for dinner and to settle in.  She wanted to see the new Hunger Games movie while she was in town but Tom hadn't seen the first one and it had been a good while for me (Alabama book group outing) so we found it on Netflix and cozied up for a movie night.

Nice lower lip Teri….cold sore won that battle

 Got up Sunday morning and went to church then headed out for site-seeing.  We ventured over to Eastern Market and decided matching hats would be cool.  Dorky maybe, but ultimately cool.

We then decided that rather than walking we'd do a quick drive by of the sites for photos.  Jessica had been here before back when Tom was living here after 9/11 so it wasn't like she hadn't seen these places…so off we went.

 After hitting the highlights we went and parked at our old place so we could show Jess then walked down to the waterfront for lunch.  Opted for a yummy seafood sampler with crab cakes, oysters, calamari, seaweed salad, cucumbers, dumplings and egg rolls!  Next, we headed into Alexandria to catch the Hunger Games movie 2.  We all liked it and it lent itself to great discussions.  Pretty rare that that happens anymore!

We stopped at Burlington's on the way home to get Jess a coat and when we came out the car wouldn't start.  While we waited for our Allstate car service to arrive Tom asked the security guy for a jump so we cancelled the service and that got us home.

Next morning.  Dead car.  So I called the service again who sent a tow truck to haul the car to Pep Boy's then spent the morning trying to arrange a rental for us to take to NJ for the rest of the week.

 Tom metro'd into town for a doc appt. while we hung out at the apartment.  Jessica's legs were bothering her so she rested up.  We met Tom in town later and did a little more site seeing then headed home for dinner and to prep for the big game.  Jessica had wanted to see an NFL game while she was in town as she's killin' it on her fantasy football league.  Both her quarterbacks (RG3 and Kaepernick) happened to be playing at FedEx field so we decided that would be a nice pre-Christmas gift.

 So, let me just say this.  When you buy tickets from ebay and they say "obstructed view"…believe them.  Honestly, worst seats ever!  See the top of that bottom bowl?  Well that goes back quite a ways tucked under there.  That's where we were…at the very back but in the end zone.  Yes, being tucked in there probably kept up from the wind but once the ball was in the air, we couldn't see it.  Awesome.

Jessica only got this photo because she and Tom went and walked around the stadium. They said it was a whole different experience out there.  Who knew?  So yeah, 50 minute Metro trip and a nearly mile walk to the stadium….keeping in mind that because it was Monday Night Football on tv the thing didn't even start until 8:40 pm our time…..and then that whole trip back again.  We were done.  Tired.  Not home until 1 AM.  Glad Jess was a good sport about it and glad that's off my Bucket List.

Tuesday morning we got up and headed to NYC (again) to take more things to Taylor and to pick him up to go to NJ with us.  Hauled stuff up to his room then hit the road.  Full day on the road with a huge storm brewing but fortunately other than some rain we were good.

Jess wanted subs for dinner so we stopped here to grab dinner.  Right down the street from Tom's mom's house (Jess lived with her for a while) and doesn't it just scream "Jersey"?

Marcie, Celina and Jess

 Jess went to visit her friends later that night.  She worked with Marcie at a Photo shop when she lived in NJ and Celina was just little.  Jess babysat her and spent a lot of time at their house.  Celina found Jess on Facebook and was so excited to see her!  We got to see them both when they came to Marie's house and Celina hung out with us while Marcie worked.  Tom took them all into Atlantic City to visit Marcie at work at the Revel Casino while Marie and I stayed home and enjoyed the quiet.

Domino night

Atlantic City

Stopped by so Jess could see her cousin Denny and his son Sean that she's never met before!

                   Yummy turkey for Thanksgiving.  Whole meal was wonderful!  Thanks Marie

 Friday morning we dropped Taylor off here to catch a bus back to NYC then hit the road to have Jess at the Baltimore/Washington airport by 10:30.  Busy but fun week.