A Full Day in D.C.

We had a full day.  This morning we drove to the nearest Metro station, parked the car, and took the subway into D.C.  We got off near the Capital One Arena and walked to Ford's Theater.  We had a 10:00 am tour of the theater and apartment across the street where Abraham Lincoln was shot and died.  It was a very interesting tour.  We didn't know that they used the theater for live shows.  They are currently performing "A Christmas Carol", but ticket prices started at $196.00 so that wasn't going to happen.  We ate lunch at a Shake Shack nearby, and then we went to the Bible Museum where we met up with Ryan and Cooper.  We spent several hours going through those exhibits.  We really enjoyed the Bible Stories experience.  Then we had dinner at Chick Filet before going into the Arena to watch the Capitals play the Buffalo Sabres in a hockey game.  Cooper and Beckham like to go in early to stand by the glass as the players warm up.  Beckham had made a poster and was able to get a puck signed by the team captain, Ovechkin, who handed it to him.  Beckham showed us the puck and was pretty excited about it.  Then he met a girl in a wheelchair, and he let her have the puck.  We thought that was great.  The game was close and the Capitals were down 3-2 with only three minutes left.  Jeffrey and I left the game to beat the crowd to the Metro, and I was sure the game was over, but then the Capitals scored with only a minute left, and the game went into overtime.  Then, with only 10 seconds left, the Capitals scored again and won the game.  I couldn't believe we missed the best part of the game, and Jeffrey was upset.  Cooper had found a seat down by the glass in hopes of getting a stick.  If the Capitals win a game some of the players will hand their game sticks out to fans.  After the Capitals won, Cooper was in position and was able to get a stick from one of the players.  That was awesome, and then Cooper gave his stick to Beckham, which was very cool of him.  Ryan, Megan, Wendy, Cooper, and Beckham drove home, and they passed Jeffrey and I as we were driving home from the Metro station.  We had a great day.

Shenandoah Mountains and Luray Caverns

We woke up to an overcast and rainy day.  We relaxed for a little bit in the morning and then we joined Megan and Beckham in her car to drive to Luray Caverns.  Ryan and Cooper took the other car.  The road took us over the Shenandoah Mountains, and it was a good thing that Jeffrey and I had taken Dramamine, because that is one winding road!  There were still some fall colors in the mountains, but it was hard to enjoy them when I was trying to focus on not getting sick.  It rained the whole way.  We arrived at Luray Caverns just as they opened, so we were among the first to get tickets and go inside.  We followed a paved trail through the various caves, and we were very impressed.  One of my favorite spots was the reflecting pool called Dream Lake where the water below the stalactites was so calm that it created a perfect mirror image of the ceiling.  Other amazing features included Giant's Hall with Pluto's Ghost, Saracen's Tent, and the Great Stalacpipe Organ.  We stayed for a couple of hours, and we also walked through the Car and Carriage Museum next door.  We drove home, and Megan took a less winding road which helped me and Jeffrey.  That was a great experience.

A Quick Utah Visit

We spent the day today driving to Utah for a visit with Tyler and Jaylen and to see the new baby.  We left about 9:00 a.m. and arrived in American Fork about 11:45 a.m.  We stopped to fuel up, run to Target, and grab some lunch that Tyler had ordered from Zaxby's chicken.  We finally made it to Tyler and Jaylen's home about 12:30 p.m.  Caz, Ashley, and Camden were already there.  Wendy sat on the couch to hold Murphy while the rest of us grabbed a bite to eat.  Murphy looked very healthy and content.  Although the pictures I took show him fussing a little, he was actually very calm.  Baylor is going to make a great big sister.  I took a turn holding Murphy while we watched home videos of Jeffrey's first days at the hospital to his first birthday.  Tyler has been converting the old home movies to digital format and posting them on his Plex server, which has made it nice for viewing them.  We had to order a replacement video camera to access these old videos, but it was worth it.  We stayed for about three hours before making the trip back home.  We made Jeffrey drive us from American Fork, and he did alright.  He was almost going to let me take over, but he was determined to cover the entire distance, even after it got completely dark at 6:00 p.m.

Welcome Murphy Scott Ray!

Jaylen gave birth to a healthy baby boy about 1:00 o'clock this afternoon.  He is a handsome little guy with chubby cheeks.  We are so happy for their family, and we look forward to seeing them in person this weekend.  Wendy and I took Jeffrey to register to vote, and then we voted.  I couldn't resist taking a picture of him.  Where did those 18 years go?  It's amazing to think that we now have six grandchildren at different stages of life.  We now have from youngest to oldest:  Murphy, Camden, Baylor, Beckham, Cooper, and Kaleb.  Kevin, Kay, and Kaleb spent the day today at Disneyland, and it sounds like they had a fun and full day.