Washington DC

On Monday we traveled to Phonix so that we could catch an early Tuesday morning flight to Washington DC and attend ‘Back to DC’ with Teenpact.

Since we arrived early, we had the pleasure of spending time with dear friends, and we thoroughly enjoyed their hospitality and friendship.

Teenpact kept us busy for the reminder of our stay in Washington DC. The boys had a private tour of the Capitol, walked through the Supreme Court and attended a lecture in the courtroom where oral arguments are delivered, visited the National Archives, walked the monuments at night, and participated in worship outside the Lincoln Memorial. In addition, we heard several influential speakers, and for the second time this year, the boys heard President Trump speak. This time, they sat three rows from him, as opposed to at the Jamboree where he was ‘one pixel in my photo, Mom’ as Noah put it. They also had the opportunity to participate in mock debates and listening to lectures on leadership, resume writing, and media influence.

The event was attended by about 75 students, and they played Ultimate Frisbee on the National Mall, spent time in worship as a large group, and in small group discussions.

And, we walked, and we walked, and we walked – one day we managed to walk almost 12 miles.

A fun, energizing, and educational visit to our nation’s capital.

 

Lab Assistants

Bob purchased a robot for use in his classroom. Lukas and Noah eagerly accepted the challenge and opportunity to be his lab assistants. 

 

Birthday Celebration

Lukas lamented that once again, he was heading out of town right after opening his gifts. This year, he is heading to Washington DC. The packages were beckoning him, so after church, he had the opportunity to open his presents. 

He desired roasted chicken and oven potatoes along with a salad for dinner, and rather than a cake he wanted apple pie with ice cream. Noah helped make the pie and improvised the candles on the ‘cake’ since birthday candles never made it onto the shopping list. 

blow hard!

Lukas is 16!

It is hard to believe that the little guy we brought home to our house in Whidbey Island is already 16 years old. He has brought us much joy, much laughter, and filled our house with electronics.

Taste Test

Someone told us that Mama Burgers was better than Five Guys. This was a claim we felt must be verified so on Sunday evening we tried out this local hamburger place. The consensus was that Mama Burger’s menu was more diverse and that the sweet potato fries were tasty.  However, the burgers at Five Guys are better.

We did not taste the shakes, so we will have to come back another time and Five Guys has nothing on the view....

Another Design Idea

Here is another one of Noah’s designs – this one created out of Lego and probably not quite as useful as the iPhone stand. It is a spinner for the Fidget Spinner! Not sure there is a market for this one. 

iPhone Stand

Noah designed a handy stand for his iPhone. He created it in a CAD program and then sent it off to the University’s 3D printing facility. Bob kindly picked it up on his way home. Maybe there is a business opportunity in this…

Fall Colors Exploration

Fall is here! This means that the deciduous trees are changing. On Sunday afternoon, we headed out to see fall colors. We were only a scant 15 miles north of town, and as we looked out north, we could see the north rim of the Grand Canyon! The aspen trees had begun to shift from bright green to warm yellow, although I suspect another week would provide an even more colorful canvas.

We had not planned to do a hike, and it was getting late, so we only explored the lower part of the path up the mountain.  Our bodies have adjusted to our new environment and handled this 8,000+ altitude without any problem. I guess we are ready to hike Humphrey’s Peak soon.

North Rim in the background

we stopped every few feet to take pictures