Spring in Review

Ok, so we thought we would be getting back on track, but that obviously did not happen. Sorry for not posting in so long... I can't say to much has changed since last we blogged. Our DC visitor rate increased with the slightly warmer weather this spring. We had two sets of visitors during the Cherry Blossom Festival, as well as a few other random visits from old friends (check out some of Ian & Sara's great night shots of DC). We got to see see the cherry blossoms in all their glory during the National Kite Festival, and we saw thousands of kites, though the pictures couldn't capture it well. This one was our favorite:

There were also THOUSANDS of people, the National Mall was possibly the most crowded that we've seen it.

We also actually went INSIDE of (rather than just driving by and saying, "Yeah, maybe we should visit that sometime") a few DC sites that we had not visited since moving here, like the Holocaust Museum, U.S. Capitol, Smithsonian Castle, Old Post Office Pavilion, and National Museum of the American Indian. We also saw the Stephen Colbert painting, temporarily displayed in the National Portrait Gallery (next to the bathrooms, of course). All good stops, and some better than others. And, we went to our favorite local restaurant almost every time someone visited, so maybe we didn't get the best variety in food! Thanks again to our parents, Frances, Nick, Tom, and Gayle for visiting with us.

Stephanie also ran her first race with her sister (the "Minnie Marathon" 15K) at Disney World and had loads fun with that (lots of pictures here). We heard that Disney World races bring out lots of dedicated fans... it's true - we saw many people in various Minnie, Mickey, and Tinkerbell outfits or just wearing mouse-ears. During that same weekend, we cheered on another friend who ran her first 5K, and also visited another friend's wedding. Definitely a hectic weekend. Later that month, we went to a DC United game and had another trip to Florida for Steph's dad's birthday.

On the work front, things are still very busy and getting interesting! Matt is very excited about working on new aerospace-related projects, and Stephanie is pursuing her LEED professional accreditation (Leadership in Environmental and Energy Design, issued by the U.S. Green Building Council). Unfortunately, this involves lots of studying for a very detailed exam. Stephanie also visited Spokane, Washington and Fairchild Air Force Base for work, and during the evenings, she spent a lot of time exploring the charming downtown, jogging along the riverfront trails, and seeing some cool sites (pics here - unfortunately, she forgot to take pics of the Spokane Falls)... All in all, some busy times for both us. Again, sorry we haven't posted in so long. With summer here, we hope to do more sightseeing and plan to post those pics!