Happy July 4th!

Another fun year of parade, farm, friends, rockets, donuts, Grant Walsh fireworks, and memories! We can't wait to meet our new cousin and we were hoping Whitney might have that baby at the farm!

July 4th at the Farm

So much fun at the farm! The highlight was Uncle Jerry accidentally smashing the birthday cake against the wall as he brought it out to the kitchen from the office while we all sang. We still ate it!

Mission Trip: Ranger in Austin

Recap by Ranger, "I got on a bus and we drove about 4 hours to get to a small church in Austin, Texas where we stayed. That night we figured out our mission trip groups and where we were serving. I was in a group with a volunteer named Devon as the leader. We served in an old people home called New Hope all week. Some things we did was help decorate for 4th of July, talked with the residents during meals, setup and ran activities for the residents, and helped keep the gardens they have in shape."

It sounds like they had a great trip! They stayed at Twin Lakes Fellowship Church in Cedar Park, TX and they had a fun evening on Tuesday at Austin's Park which Ranger said was really fun. Sounds like the group got along pretty well and I enjoyed seeing some videos of their Lip Sync Battle where Ranger and some other boys "sang" Parked By The Lake by Dean Summerwind. 

I was especially proud of JR because he had to leave for the trip on Sunday around noon right after we got back late Saturday night from our East Coast trip. He did this quick turnaround with a positive attitude. Thanks for serving others JR! We love you.

Day 9: One final full day and heading home

The kids did a great job getting ready to go on Saturday. We made it just in time to wait in a LONG time into the White House for an 11:30 tour. It was our first hot day, but the kids did really help, and it helped that a nice lady in line behind us shared her chocolate chip cookies. It is still pretty amazing that they open the white house up to the public. We had to go through 3 different security checkpoints and it did feel organized, but still, it is the White House! We walked through a long, greenhouse style hallway that was part of gardens designed by Jackie Kennedy. We saw multiple parlor-style rooms with color themes - the green room, blue room, and red room. We also saw the dining room and then walked out the front steps. 

As we were leaving, there was a lot of commotion and secret service starting to block off streets. We waited on the street outside the White House for about 20 minutes and got to see the President leave the White House in his Presidential Motorcade. It was like a parade! So many motorcycles, vans, suburbans, etc. We even saw the President wave! We told the kids Dad organized that just for them.

After the White House, we drove to Mount Vernon. I loved getting to show the kids all the different little houses and places that it took to run a big plantation back then. Kitchens, blacksmith, laundry, sewing room, guest quarters, stables, etc. It is very well run, probably because it is privately owned by the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association. They bought the property in 1853, I believe from some of George Washington's nephews. 

We went straight to the airport for an evening flight and Big John picked us up at the airport. Travel went smoothly and we were all glad to get home and have a buffer day to regroup before work and regular life started again on Monday.

Another epic Walsh adventure complete!

Day 8: I am fading + Capitol Tour

I didn't start out strong on Friday and it didn't get all that much better throughout the day. Grant had gotten us tickets to the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum which is the only current Smithsonian museum that requires tickets. I know it is an awesome museum, but I woke up with a headache and wasn't feeling good overall. I got up and helped with breakfast and then dropped off Grant and the kids right in front of the museum. While I think they liked the curbside service, I know they wished I would have come with them. I do not regret my decision. I went back to the hotel, took a long shower, rested for a bit, and had some more coffee. I needed a break. The kids teased me when I picked them back up and said, "This was the BEST morning EVER!!!"

I went and picked them back up in front of the museum and we drove a super short distance and then parked for our Capitol Tour. Grant had worked with our senator, Beth Van Duyne, to arrange a personal tour with one of her interns. It was actually the interns' first tour of the summer! She was super nice and Grant shared a lot of facts with her from his time interning at the Capitol in Dick Army's office. 

After the Capitol, we tried to make it to the final shuttle at 4pm at Arlington National Cemetery to the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. We missed the shuttle by about 3 minutes. Grant did the walk, but the kids and I only walked a short way, browsed the museum, and then headed back to the hotel. Grant was disappointed that we didn't make the walk to the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. At the hotel, I took the boys to swim and there was a young man teaching all the boys at the pool how to do different jumps and splashes and the boys loved it. I read my book and the boys swam for about 3 hours. 

We walked to dinner at a local crepe place and then crashed for the night. Check-out day tomorrow!