September 2014

And now we come to September, full of cooler weather, the start of falling leaves, pumpkins, and, of course... SCHOOL!

The kids headed back to school on September 2.  (They are one of the last in the country, since Virginia has a law requiring the start of school after Labor Day.)  Both of them are at new schools this year--John is a 7th grader at Mark Twain Middle School, and Lyn is a 9th grader at Edison High School (Yes, high school!!!  Ack!!).

First Day of Middle School!

First Day of High School!

All has gone smoothly for Lyn, but John's transition was another story.

When Lyn was at Twain, Margie kept hearing about a program called AVID.  You would see signs about them at school, they were always sponsoring activities, and every time there was a group of kids in charge of something, it seemed to be AVID kids

Margie decided to look into it more and discovered that AVID is a nationwide program designed to help kids take a leadership role in their own lives (AVID stands for "advancement via individual determination").  The specific goal is to get kids to attend college, but along the way they teach key skills such as organization, taking notes, and learning how to learn.  The AVID kids encourage, uplift, and look out for each other, and each is assigned a teacher mentor to help them and guide them throughout the school year.  It sounded like exactly what John needed!

Margie encouraged John to sign up, and he agreed.  Unlike many of the other electives, we were told that they were always looking for people and that it would be no problem getting in.  However, when we got his schedule at the orientation, AVID wasn't on it!

The principal told us to talk the school counselor, and when we did, we were told that AVID candidates were recommended by their 6th grade teachers and go through an interview process to make sure they are right for the program.  Well, we certainly weren't told that--nor were we contacted when we put it on his class selection form last year!

Margie spent the next week writing some heated emails to various people in the school and finally resorting to sitting outside the counselor's office for an hour in order to address the problem face to face.  (What a mother wouldn't do for her child!)  Meanwhile, John was wasting time attending a class he didn't belong in.

By Friday, John was in AVID, with only a minor schedule change.  Whew!

On Thursday during that first week of school, John went to the temple for the first time with the boys in his age group (12 and 13) at church.  This is a very exciting milestone, as it indicates his willingness to live according to very high standards.  Margie couldn't be more thrilled. 

John prepares to go to the temple.

John chats with the other Deacons (boys 12 and 13).

In the temple, our hearts are turned to our ancestors (as we read in in Malachi 4:6, "And he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers."), and this has spurred a renewed interest in our family genealogy.  As it happens, the previous month, Margie's father David had sent her a stick drive chock full of genealogical information about his mother's side of the family, in preparation for her 100th birthday next summer.  It has been really exciting to go through it!

Also during that first week of school, John began meeting with a boy scout merit badge counselor specializing in electronics.  Since he had spent the previous year in electronics club, we figured he would be able to pass this easily.  It wasn't quite as easy as we had initally thought, but after a few meetings, he was able to get signed off on all his requirements.  Yay!

Beginning the second week of school, Lyn started attending early morning Seminary--a religious education program for high school students.  It begins at 6am, and afterwards all the kids head across the street to the high school together.  She is handling the early mornings well!

Also during the second week of school, Lyn auditioned for Anne of Green Gables, which will be the fall drama production this year.  Unfortunately, she did not get in, but she decided to help out with costumes to stay involved.  Lyn is a gifted seamstress, but she hasn't really shown any interest in pursuing it. Margie is secretely hoping that this is just the spark she needs!

Speaking of theater, Dan's next show coming up is Rocky Horror Show, for which he is both designing and building the set.  Though due to the...ahem...very adult themes, Margie is staying far away the production, Dan is very excited about it since he gets to build a science lab, a space ship, and a car (his third!).  This month he has been busy working on the design, as well as attending production meetings and rehearsals.  The actual build won't begin until October.

On September 12-13, the family joined with our church congregation for our first ever ward camp out.  Held not too far away at Prince William Forest Park, the leadership had arranged for everyone to stay in rustic cabins.  We much preferred our tent!  Our tent is large and cozy, and for the most part, we can control what gets in!  Margie said that if she were to do it all over again, she would come the day before and clean out the cabins and the bathrooms.  It was all pretty disgusting. 

We had been worried about getting down there in Friday afternoon traffic, but it turned out to be a breeze, and we ended up being one of the first families to arrive.  After checking in and getting settled in our cabin, we were asked head to the dining hall to help chop vegetables for dinner.  Margie didn't realize that she would end up spending the whole evening in the kitchen! 

After dinner, there was a big campfire and variety show.  John (with Dan's help) had been asked to be in charge of the sound system and did a great job.  It's always nice to be needed.

The next morning, Margie helped a little with breakfast (the job she had actually signed up for), we broke camp, and headed home.  We were all exhausted and looking forward to a hot shower and a long nap!

That evening, Dan, Margie, and John attended the wedding reception/open house for a friend she went to church with ages ago.  John spent the evening playing/watching video games with the other kids, while Margie had fun catching up with old friends.  Dan enjoyed the many yummy desserts!

Lyn, meanwhile, was attending a friend's 15th birthday party--with boys!!  She had a great time.

The following week, Dan and Margie attended back to school nights for both kids and got to meet all their teachers.

First was John's middle school.  Before the formal meetings, AVID sponsored a dinner for the parents.  It was an opportunity for us to learn more about the program and be introduced to the various adult mentors.  We learned that among the things I've already mentioned, AVID kids stay out of trouble (discipline issues disqualify them from the program) and are ambassdors for the school.  They provided dinner, which the kids were instructed to serve us.  It was really cool!  Afterwards, Dan and Margie followed John's schedule and went to each of his classrooms and met his teachers.  Meanwhile, John and all the other AVID kids were stationed throughout the school helping parents find their way to their classrooms--their first demonstration of ambassadorship! 

The next night, Dan and Margie attended the back to school night at the high school.  Since Lyn is only taking 4 classes this semester, it was kind of short.  It was particularly good, however, to meet the band teacher.  Lyn is in Percussion Ensemble, but not in Marching Band, and since this is the height of football season, it's been kind of confusing as to what exactly she is supposed to be doing.  Her teacher assures us that it will all get ironed out.

The following weekend, we had a busy Saturday.  Our church was involved in the National Day of Service and put together over 600 "Power Packs".  These are a weekend supply of food for children who typically only receive food at school.  The organization that distributes them hands out 2000 every single Friday to children in our very own school district.  As you can see, though we worked long and hard, we barely made a dent in the need!

During the service project, John went with his scout leaders to a local swimming pool so that he could (finally) take the BSA swim test.  As you may recall, John is not a strong swimmer, and the test has been holding back his rank advancement.  He passed wth flying colors!  Well, not really.  Actually, he barely passed.  One of his leaders said, "At least he won't drown."  Good news!

That same Saturday, Dan and Margie attended the Capitol Home Show.  It was a great opportunity to check out products and ideas for our upcoming remodel (which starts next month!), as well as meet with some landscape/hardscape people to get estimates for the outside work.

Meanwhile, Lyn attended her very first church dance!

The next week, on Thursday, September, 25, Dan and Margie celebrated their 15th wedding anniversary.  We didn't do much to celebrate the milestone, however, as we're pinching pennies due to the remodel.  Margie made a pumpkin cake with chocolate pudding filling and buttercream frosting--the same as our wedding cake--and Dan brought home a rose.

Other than that, it was life as usual, as Margie attended her first Drama Booster meeting, which was followed by a meeting of parents with kids involved in Anne of Green Gables.  She was also supposed to attend a middle school PTA meeting, but she couldn't fit it all in!

On Friday, Dan, Margie, and Lyn all so Streetcar Named Desire at LTA, while John stayed in the office (we're not going to spend money on a ticket for a show he's not going to be interested in!).

The following day was another busy Saturday.  The AVID kids hosted their first car wash fundraiser.  John was really excited to handle money or sell snacks, but he was disappointed that those jobs were reserved for the adults.  He ended up being of the kids on the street attracting the attention of the cars, as well as taking a turn rinsing.

That afternoon, Margie attended a practice for the annual Primary Children's program.  She was in charge of the snack, and since we have soooo many kids with allergies and other dietary restrictions, it was a challenge to find something they could all eat. She ended up making a trail mix which was a huge hit!

That evening, Lyn and Margie attended the annual General Women's meeting at our church.  It included a light dinner (though it was a good thing we ate beforehand, since there was nothing vegetarian) and a worldwide broadcast from church headquarters in Salt Lake City.  One of the best parts of the evening was the children's choir from Korea.  They were soooo cute!

On Sunday, the Primary Children presented the program and Margie got to just sit back and watch.  It was the first time in 10 years that neither Lyn nor John were participating.  They're all grown up now! Sniff, sniff...

Dan helped strike the Streetcar set in preparation to build Rocky Horror, and that was the end of September!

September 29 was a teacher inservice day (no school), so Margie got up to catch the sunrise on the Potomac.  She was well rewarded!

August 2014

So we got back from Niagara Falls, and there was no rest for the weary.  Our summer was still far from over!

The next day, Margie got up early and joined the Primary Presidency (as well as some additional members of the ward) in a trip to the temple.

That afternoon, the entire family went to an end of the season party, where John received his season trophy and some kind words from his coach.

John and Coach Chris

That night, Lyn attended a birthday party for a friend from church.  It was a "neon" party that was held in a dark gym with fun games.

The next day, after church, we headed over to Deb's house for a farewell Barbeque to celebrate cousin Daria's visit.  Before we left, we all worked as a team to make gluten-free chocolate eclairs especially for Aunt Deb!

Lyn filled them.

John made the chocolate sauce.

 After dinner, we made sure to take lots of pictures of all the Remmers!

The Remmers!

The next day, John started a program called "Jump Start," which is designed to help rising 7th graders transition to middle school.  For the next week, he had a great time learning his way around the school, how to open a locker, and meeting some of his teachers.

Jump Start didn't begin until 9am, so that gave Margie a chance to enjoy one of her favorite pastimes, riding her bike at sunrise.

Sunrise on the Potomac, 8/13/14

And, of course, Dan and Margie celebrate their birthdays in August.  On Dan's birthday (the 13th), the whole family went to see Spamalot at LTA.  It was a great show.  On Friday, we had planned to go to one of our favorite restaurants, but we discovered it was closed (because they are moving), so we went instead to Whole Foods, which we discovered was having a special on vegan Banh Mi, which is a Vietnamese sandwich.  It was soooo good!  (I'm still dreaming about it...)  On her birthday, Margie went by herself to the The Lion King at The Kennedy Center.  The family was kind of ho-hum about seing it when she asked about getting tickets back in the spring, and she didn't want to spend the money if they weren't really enthusiastic.  Instead, she was able to spend the money to get a better seat (first row balcony!) since she was only buying one ticket.  She thoroughly enjoyed it!  Finally, that evening, the whole family went to the wedding reception of the daughter of some friends from church, where Margie ran into an old friend from her single days.  Such a small world--turns out her husband is a good friend of the father of the bride!  On the whole, it was a great birthday week!

The last two weeks of August were delightfully calm.  We had been running around so much all summer, that it was nice to just spend some time at home doing our own thing.  Margie got to ride her bike with the sunrise each day, and each morning she and the kids had a little brunch.

On the 22nd, John went on a little campout with his scout troop, while Dan, Margie and Lyn went to a birthday party for a friend from theatre.  If John had been home, we would have left Lyn with him, but we didn't feel comfortable having her by herself late at night.  We were really impressed that she was able to hold her own with a group of adult strangers!

The last week in August, things started ramping up for school.

On Sunday, August 24, we attended an information night for Seminary, which is the religious education program for high schoolers.  Lyn will be going to the church every morning at 6am during the school year to study, before heading over to school.  Luckily for her, the church and the school are right across the street from each other!

The next morning, Lyn rode the high school bus for the first time to go to Freshman Orientation, where she got her schedule (Drama, Percussion Ensemble, PE, History, and Math this semester; Latin, Percussion Ensemble, PE, Science, and English next semester), a map and a t-shirt, and learned about the school.

On Tuesday, we attended a middle school party thrown by a friend of ours each year to give the 8th graders a chance to pass on their wisdom to the rising 7th graders.

On Wednesday, John and Margie dropped by the middle school to pick up his schedule and find his locker.  Unfortunately, his schedule wasn't right, so we also had to drop by to see the counselor and fill out a schedule change.  That became a huge deal the first week of school, but I'll write about that in the Semptember update.

On Thursday, John had his orientation, where he had a chance to find all his classrooms and meet some of his teachers.  There was also an event at the high school, where Margie signed up for the PTSA (no longer just the parent-teacher association, the students are old enough to get involved as well) and attended a parent information session, and Lyn picked up her PE uniform, as well as information about the drama club.

On Saturday, we attended a church potluck, held at a local park.  We attempted to make a cake from Margie's most recent Food Network Magazine, but it didn't quite work.

Well, it only moderately looked like the picture, but it tasted good!

And that's it for August.  We had a great summer!

Niagara Falls

Another exciting thing we did this summer was make a trip up to Niagara Falls.

Sometime last year, Dan and Margie attended a sales presentation and had received as a thank you gift a free 2-night stay at any Great Wolf Lodge resort and waterpark for a family of four.  Lyn looked at the list and declared that she wanted to go to the one in Niagara Falls, Canada, so we planned to make a trip during the following summer.

However, when Margie went to make the reservations, she discovered that 1) she needed to do so 60 days in advance, and 2) she needed to provide three alternate dates.  Well, spring break was just around the corner, and we only had one week to choose from, so we decided to go in the summer instead.  "Besides," Margie said, "I suspect it will still be a little cold in Canada in the spring."

Time went on, and Margie kept thinking she needed to make those reservations, but she didn't.  Finally, when it was close to 60 days out, she picked up the gift certificate, only to discover it had expired!  Ack!

Well, Dan and Margie had a long talk, and since we were all already looking forward to Niagara Falls (we can go to a water park anywhere), we decided to make a trip up there on the cheap.

It is only a six hour drive from here to there, but we decided to make an extended trip out of it, so we left the afternoon of Monday, August 4 and drove a couple hours to Altoona, Pennsylvania, where we camped at Prince Gallitzin State Park. We stayed in site #73, and it was perfect.  Our tent opened up to the lake and woods (with hiking trail), we had a water pump one site over, we were just a few steps from the bathrooms and shower, and we were just across from the playground.  It was lovely!

We built a campfire for the first time, and that was a little challenging.  Margie did not bring any matches, but rather a flint and rod that she had gotten for emergencies.  We were able to make it spark, but not enough to light the paper we had put under the logs in the fire pit.  Luckily, one of our camping neighbors saw our difficulties and brought us a piece of burning wood.  Yay!


Lyn and Margie prepared foil packet dinners (and dessert!) the night before.  It was yummy!

All was well until bedtime, when some other neighbors completely disregarded quiet hours!  They were so loud that Margie had to call the ranger on them. :(

The next morning, we had pancakes and fruit for breakfast.  Since we almost always get campsites with electricity, Margie had had the brilliant idea to bring her electric skillet.  It worked great!

After breakfast, we went on a little 1.3 mile hike around the lake.  At one point, we came across a tree that had fallen into the water, and Margie felt her life would not be complete if she didn't climb out onto it.  Then Lyn decided she felt the same way.  And, of course, John did, too.  Dan stayed behind and took pictures.


This was much scarier than it looks!

Made it!

Lyn didn't want to venture out quite as far.

Yeah, John felt the same way.

By the time we got back, it had warmed up, and Margie decided to take a swim in the lake.  Afterwards, we packed up and headed to Farmington, New York, which is just outside Rochester.  It was about an hour and a half from Niagara, but the price of the motel was definitely right, and we didn't mind the drive.

After we got settled in, we headed into town for dinner.  Dan had found this really cool place called Dog Town.  It's a gourmet hot dog joint that caters to vegetarians.  It was fantastic!

The next morning after breakfast we started our trek to Niagara.  We started with Cave of the Winds.  We picked up our sandals, then headed down the elevator, where we received our ponchos.

 

We had to take pictures before, because we knew we would be too wet to do it after!

It was AMAZING!!  You climb a staircase right into the edge of the falls (Bridal Veil)!  Lyn said it was like being in the middle of a storm, and she couldn't wipe the smile off her face!  At one point Margie looked at John and said, "Where are your glasses?"  They had fallen off somewhere along the way!  We thought they were lost for good--another victim of the falls--but luckily Dan found them on one of the platforms below.  Woo hoo!!

After that we walked up to a little bridge/observation platform, where we could look over the edge and see where we had been.

See those yellow specks?  That was us, just a few minutes earlier.

 

From the platform overlooking the American Falls.  The greenish tower in the background is where we're headed next!

From there we walked across the pedestrian bridge to the other side of American Falls.  Over there is another observation tower that allowed us to see both American Falls and Horseshoe Falls (in Canada).  The tower houses an elevator that took us down to where we would board our boat--Maid of the Mist!

This famous boat ride was ABSOLUTELY AMAZING!!! Lyn thought she loved Cave of the Winds, but this turned out to be her favorite.  Such a close view of the Falls (including Horseshoe!)! So much wind and water! It was FANTASTIC.  Even Dan and John--not boat or water people at all--seemed to enjoy it.

Passing by American Falls.  Too much water at Horseshoe to get any pictures.

After that, we hiked up a little cliff to get a view of American Falls from the other side.

So the artistic sillouette of Dan didn't quite turn out the way I'd hoped, but I love how this picture captures the power of the water.

John wanted me to take this picture, because he thought it was funny.  I agreed!  What's the opposite of enter?

We were all hot and thirsty, so we got some lemonade and ice cream (not together!), before we hopped on a trolley that would take us to the Discovery Center, a little museum about the natural and manmade history of the Falls.

Next we headed to the IMAX theatre, where we watched a movie about the history of the falls, including the daredevils who had gone over in barrels and walked tightropes, and Roger Woodward, who had fallen when he was 7 years old and survived.

At that was it!  Time to head out and find some dinner.

The whole trip, we had meticulously avoided toll roads, but leaving Niagara Falls, we accidentally ended up on one and found ourselves on Grand Island.  What a happy mistake!  Thanks to the magic of the iPhone, we stubbled upon what may be one of the coolest restaurants of all time, Comic Book Cafe.  There was comic book memorabilia EVERYWHERE. Margie wished her brother could have seen it!

Spiderman welcomes you from the roof of the Comic Book Cafe.

John and Batman.

Unfortunately, due to the lighting, the camera just couldn't capture how cool the decor of this restaurant was.  You'll just have to trust us!

The next day, we spent some time visiting a couple Church history sites.  Joseph Smith, the man, who we believe restored the Church of Jesus Christ in the our time (i.e., "the latter-days"), lived in upstate New York at the time, very close to where we were staying.

We started with the Grandin building in downtown Palmyra, where the very first copies of the Book of Mormon had been printed.  There we received a tour of the new (well, 1998--new since Margie had been there 20 years ago!) visitors center, including a detailed lesson specifically for the kids about how the printing press and book binding process worked back then.  When John mentioned something about going back in time, the missionary who was our tour guide asked if we had ever heard of Doctor Who!! We had fun chatting with her about doctors and companions and daleks.

From there we went to the Joseph Smith Farm Welcome Center, which included the Smith family log house (which they built when they first arrived from Vermont), the Smith family frame house (which they built later), Brigham Young's barn (which had been brought in to replace the orginal Smith family barn, which is no longer standing), and the Sacred Grove (where Joseph Smith received his first vision).

It was great to see all these things, especially all the places Joseph hid the plates when the mobs came and tried to take them away from him.  Unfortunately, this stop took much longer than expected, so we had to head south before seeing any more of the sites.

We stopped at a grocery store to pick up some lunch and then stopped at a little park along the Finger Lakes to eat it.

Our lunch spot.

We stayed the night at Cowans Gap State Park, which we thought was going to be another lovely lakeside spot like Prince Gallitzin had been.  Unfortunately, it was set up more for RVs, so there was only gravel to put our tent on.  No thank you!  And while we were close to the entrance to the water and hiking path, we were across the lake from the swimming area.  We hunted down the ranger and found a better spot, putting our tent in a little clearing in a grove of trees.  It was very nice, but we didn't have a view of the water, which Margie always looks for.  Dinner that night was some prepared food that Margie cooked in the electric skillet.  Again, what a great idea to bring it!

That night, our neighbors quieted down and we had a great night's sleep.  Whew!

The next morning, we went on a hike around the lake.  It was lovely, but we were ready to come home.

Cowans Gap

Unfortunately, the trip home was a big frustrating.  As long has Margie has been a vegetarian (around 20 years now!), she has wanted to stop for a meal in Hagerstown, Maryland.  This town is the headquarters of the Seventh-Day Adventist Church, which promotes vegetarianism, so there is a well-known cafe and market there.  We had planned to go there for lunch, and Margie and Lyn were really looking forward to it.  Sadly, we got there 15 minutes after they had closed.  :(

Forced to find another place for lunch, we selected Red Robin.  John recently discovered a love of rootbeer (I guess he takes after his dad!), and the bottomless rootbeer floats made his day!

After that, we made our way back to our house, our beds, and our normal lives.

But it was a great adventure!

July 2014

As I mentioned in my June update, shortly before the end of school, we learned about a FREE, 5-week summer camp offered through the county school system for rising 7th and 8th graders.  Value in Prevention (VIP) camp included half a day of sports (John chose mixed sports, with indoor games such as Capture the Flag, Freeze Tag, and others) and a half day of mini-classes such as technology, arts & crafts and, John's favorite, cooking.  It also included a field trip once a week.  Two of the trips were to water parks, and since John is not a strong swimmer, he chose not to go.  He also chose to take the third week of camp off so he could have some free time.  Remember, he had just gotten back from a week of scout camp, followed by VIP camp, which was then going to be followed by a week of traveling (more on that in the August update).  He needed the break!  By missing the middle week, he also missed a trip to the Maryland Science Center.  We'll have to go there on our own another time.

He did enjoy one field trip to Medieval Times, however.  You'll remember that we had gone there during Spring Break last year and it had inspired him to write an epic poem.  He loved it so much that he is brainstorming ideas to turn bringing groups there into a business.

Lyn also attended camp, but just for a week.  Every year our church runs a sleepaway camp for all the girls 12 and older.  This year, amazingly, it was held at Pocohontas State Park--where Dan and Margie had been for Bike Virginia.  The theme was "Go For the Gold," and all of the activites were centered around increasing their spiritual stength and endurance.  Lyn had a great time!  She's a little nervous about next year, though, since one of the fourth year activities is a 10 mile hike!

Last month, Dan's sister Deb celebrated her 50th birthday with a big party.  For her present, Lyn and Margie treated her to a girls day out.  We started with pedicures, had some lunch, and then ended by seeing the movie, Maleficent.  The movie was fantastic, and we had all had a great time!

During John's week off of VIP camp, he celebrated his 1/2 birthday.  We like to celebrate in the summer, rather than on his real birthday in January, because it is always so crazy around the holiday season (and frankly, Mom is tired!).  He and some boys from church got together to play laser tag and eat pizza.  Instead of a birthday cake, he decided to have colossol donuts.  Not only are they his favorite, but since he was in charge of his budget this year, it was a great money saver.

John continued to run track, even though the Junior Olympics was over.  On July 19 he participated in his last track meet of the season.  It was held in Newport News, several hours away, and the coach had recommended we all get hotel rooms.  Well, the Remmers Family are now campers extraordinaire!  We found a great little campground nearby to stay the night.  Our spot was right near a little pond, and THE FROGS WERE SO LOUD!!!  It was part funny, part amazing, and part annoying.  LOL

Anyway, John did an OK job at the meet.  He beat his seeded time in all three races, but did not set any personal records. 

Last track meet of the year.  John is off and running!

We headed home and, as luck would have it, found ourselves in Williamsburg at dinner time.  We got to take the kids to Food for Thought, the restaurant Dan and Margie had been so impressed with on there trip earlier in the summer.

The day after we got back, Dan's cousin, Karen Pida had an art reception at the Reston Community Center.  Only Dan and Lyn went, because Margie and John had another commitment, but they had fun catching up with relatives they hadn't seen in awhile and admiring Karen's beach-themed art work.

Meanwhile, John and Margie attended a district-wide fireside, put on by the missionaries in our area.  John's piano teacher had asked us to expose him to as many different kinds of music as possible, and Margie thought this concert would be the perfect thing. Unfortunately, it wasn't as music-focused as she had expected.  Still, it was very uplifting, and we were glad we went.

The following weekend, Lyn attended a babysitting certification class held by the Red Cross.  Now that she is 14, she is really excited to start babysitting for real--and for money.  This is especially important, since her birthday meant the end of her allowance.  She's now old enough to make her own money if she wants it!

It's official!  Lyn's ready to babysit!

Did I say birthday?  14????  Yep, it's true.  Lyn turned 14 at the end of this month.  What a delightful young woman she's turning into!  She wanted to have two different parties--one for her family, and one for her friends.

Her family party was held on her actual birthday.  Awhile back, Dan's brother Tom and his family had visited, and their Dad took everyone out to dinner at one of their favorite restaurants, Cafesano, in Reston.  Lyn was intrigued by their desserts--baklava and cannoli--and resolved to have some for her birthday.  We had originally planned to have the party there, but then we realized that Aunt Debbie (Dan's sister) wouldn't be able to eat either of those desserts, since they both contain gluten. We decided instead to get the desserts to go and pick up some ice cream and strawberries to go with it.  Since Reston is quite far from where we live, Dan's Dad and his wife graciously offered to host.  We were delighted to also include cousin Daria, who was visiting from Germany!

The next day (technically August, but I'll include it here), Lyn hosted her "friend party".  This was the first party where Margie was not involved at all--a little scary!  Lyn didn't have any games or activities planned--just food.  She even made her own cake! The house was filled with a gaggle of giggling girls for a few hours and everyone had a great time.

Lyn made a grasshopper cake (chocolate and mint) all by herself!

A Capitol Fourth

Another exciting thing we got to participate in this summer was A Capitol Fourth--the big annual concert and fireworks display held on the west lawn.

When Margie was growing up, the Fourth of July was her favorite holiday of the year.  Everyone would go down to the lake, and we'd have a picnic with Lion's Club chicken (the best ever) and Mom's yummy potato salad.  Margie and her brother John would get to pick one piece of candy from the concession stand, and Margie would always pick a watermelon flavored Jolly Rancher (back in the days when you got one big slab, rather than the little pocket sized ones you get today).  We always brought our swimming suit, hoping to go swimming in the lake, but it was never hot enough that early in the summer.

When it got dark, we'd watch the fireworks put on by the Lion's Club (up close and reflected in the water--there was nothing like it!).  Then we'd go home, have hot chocolate, and light sparklers on the back porch.  It was a great time and a great tradition, and it was always the one day of the year Margie got homesick when she moved away.

Fast forward many, many years, and when Margie first moved to Virginia, she thought it would be fun to participate in the celebrations around town.  After all, it's our Nation's Capitol!  This should be the best show in the country!  But she soon learned that July 4th in Virginia is nothing like Oregon.  Rather than being cool (and maybe even a little chilly), it was hot and sticky and gross!  After a few years, she gave up celebrating Independence Day and preferred to stay indoors in the air conditioning.  It always made her a little sad that her children did not grow up with a wonderful tradition like she had on this important day.

Well, this year we were fortunate enough to participate in something that hopefully made a lasting impression on the kids.  We actually got to be in the show!  Here's how it went down.

As usual, we had nothing planned for the Fourth, so when a theatre friend posted on Facebook that they were looking for a few extras to roll out a giant flag at the concert (in celebration of the 125th anniversary of The Star Spangled Banner), Margie readily volunteered.  She started to ask if, in return, the whole family could get reserved seats at the concert, when the thought occurred to her--  Heck, the kids are pretty old now. Why can't we all do it?  She asked, and they said YES!

The morning of July 3, before heading out on her daily bike ride, Margie went into the city to pick up everyone's credentials--a lanyard and badge we were required to wear, a parking pass, and instructions. It seemed impossible to find a parking space anywhere close to the event trailer, when she realized--"Hey, I have my bike on the back of my car!" So she parked a few blocks away and rode in.  Easy peasy.

That afternoon, we all drove into the city for rehearsal.  Luckily, since Margie had been there in the morning, we knew pretty much where to go.  Except it wasn't quite clear where the parking lot was.  We had left early enough, though, that our getting slightly lost didn't make us late.

From our parking spot, we had to walk a couple of blocks to get to the event trailer.  And it was hot.  And sticky.  And yucky.  But we persevered in the name of adventure!

The entire area was sectioned off with crowd control tape, and there were police officers everywhere.  At one point Margie stopped to ask a policeman how to get from here to there.  He said, "This area is not open to the public."  She said, "But I need to get to the event trailer."  He said, more sternly, "This area is not open to the public."  Margie waved her badge and said, "But I'm not public!!" At that point Dan gently pointed her in a different direction and said, "Just keep walking. We'll find another way."  Good thing Dan is always around to calm her down!  LOL

Eventually we made it to where we needed to be--flashing our badges as necessary to get through the tape.  We, along with several other volunteers, waited outside the trailer in the heat for our coordinator, Lamont. The minute he walked outside and saw us he said, "Oh, this won't do.  We need to get you someplace more comfortable."  And that was the beginning of our royal treatment!  We were so impressed with how well we were treated and looked out for by all the staff over the next two days.  It was amazing!!!

Lamont led us to the Food Tent, which was the only shaded area big enough for all of us (they were hoping for 30--I think they had 18 that first day).  Lunch was still set out, and at first we thought it wasn't for us, but Lamont told us to eat, drink, and make ourselves comfortable.  They would call us for rehearsal when they were ready.

Dan chilling out in the Food Tent.

Eventually they led us to where we would be doing the unrolling--on a large landing on the steps of the Capitol.  We were introduced to a guy from Kivett Productions, which are exclusively in the business of renting giant flags.  Who knew?!  Anyway, he trained us on how to unroll it, how to hold it, and how to fold it back up--being very careful not to touch the ground.

After our training, Lamont announced that, unfortunately, the kids would not be able to participate (our were not the only ones there).  They simply were not strong enough to keep the flag from falling down.  The kids were disappointed, but agreed that it was a tough job.  After the actual performance, Dan and Margie realized that yes, the kids definitely could not have done it.  We had to hold that thing for a really long time!!  But more on that in a minute.

Anyway, the plan was, after we practiced a couple times and learned the technique, to do it officially during the dress rehearsal later that night.

One of the other volunteers took this picture of her friend (in the middle) while we were practicing, and Margie asked if she could have a copy, too.  Margie is on the right in the white hat.

Unfortunately, the weather turned and it started to rain.  At first, they had us wait out the storm in the U.S. Botanical Gardens--an actual building that would keep us safer from the lightning than the tents (the wind was blowing the rain sideways into the tents anyway).  The lightning passed, but the rain did not.  They were able to carry on with the dress rehearsal, but not our part, since they did not want to get the flag wet.

Before we got sent home, however, we got to eat dinner, and it was amazing.  All you can eat, restaurant quality food, with lots and lots of vegetarian options.  Quite a difference from the mediocre food and service that Dan and Margie had endured at Bike Virginia! 

The next day, we headed into the District for the real deal.  This time, we knew exactly where we were going, and when we got to the VIP gate, the security officer gave us "the nod" and let us in even before the VIP guests.  It was pretty exciting!

We headed to the event tent, and this time, while we were waiting for Lamont, the staff offered us ice cream.  Again we were amazed at how well we were treated!

Lamont handed out the matching T-shirts we would be wearing for the performance (we were also supposed to wear caps, but there was objection, since we would be holding the flag during the National Anthem), and we again headed to the Food Tent.  There we learned that the performance had been changed due to the camera angles.  We would not be unrolling it on camera, we would not be angling it as we had practiced, and the flag would be facing a different direction than it was during rehearsal.  Also, because the flag was so heavy, and they had taken out several kids, there were not enough people to hold it, so they asked for volunteers from the audience to help out.  Margie was slightly miffed that the family had put so much time and effort into the performance, and the audience volunteers just had to show up, but then she remembered that THEY had be receiving the royal, VIP treatment for two days, and the audience volunteers didn't!

Anyway, we ate another fabulous, amazing, restaurant quality meal, and then the kids went to sit in the concert viewing area with our renter, Braxton, and his girlfriend, Dani.  One of the benefits of performing was we got VIP seating with an actual chair for the concert, along with members of Congress and other special guests (including OUR guests!).  Then Dan and Margie headed up to the steps of the Capitol to await the performance!

Waiting for the concert to begin!

This would probably be a good place to mention that the weather was AMAZING.  I doubt if there has been another Virginia 4th of July like it.  Not too hot, and zero humidity!!!

Anyway, we unfurled the flag as the concert began, holding it taut through all the opening announcements and the entire National Anthem.  It was about 8 minutes total, and it HURT!  Our hands were sore and cramped by the time we were done.  From where Margie was standing, she had a direct view of the JumboTron, and she was able to see that our hard work was on TV for about a millisecond!!!  Argh!!  All that work for practically nothing.  I guess that's TV for you!  When we got home, we watched it on TV, and we were able to pause it at just the right moment to get his picture:

The final presentation.

Not too much fame, but it was totally worth it!!!  We had a super great time.

When we were done, Margie and Dan joined the kids in the VIP seating area for the concert, including Frankie Vallie, Patti LaBelle, Philip Phillips, and more.

We took a snapshot to prove how close were were to the stage!

Then, of course, came the fireworks.  We were not as close as thought we would be, as they were fired from the Washington Monument, but it was still a great show, with great music.  The kids, and John especially, LOVED them.  It occurred to Margie that these were perhaps the first fireworks display they had every really seen, and she again felt that pang of guilt for having abandoned celebrating all those years ago.

Well, at least now the kids have some great memories.  Perhaps we will have a chance to make more before they leave home.

Happy Fourth!

BONUS:

Margie used to blast this song on the stereo and sing at the top of her lungs every year on the 4th of July, replacing Hannibal, Mooooo-ssouri with Lake Oswegooooo--Oregon!  The holiday is just not the same without it.  :o)

Dan and Margie's Big Trip

Well, summer is almost over and school is right around the corner, so I better get working on my backlog of updates!  First up, all about Dan and Margie's big trip...

To start with a little background, you may remember that ever since she turned 40, Margie has gone on some big adventure every year around her birthday.  It started with a triathlon and has since grown to include shaving her head, completing a century (100 mile) bike ride, and more.  For years, she has wanted to participate in Bike Virginia, which is a multi-day biking and camping tour held in a different location in the state each year.

This year, Margie finally convinced Dan to join her.

Also, Margie's dad and his wife visited this past fall, and while they were here they spent a weekend at the Marl Inn, a quaint bed and breakfast in Yorktown.  They loved it so much that for Christmas, they gifted Dan and Margie a 2-night stay there.

As it happens, this year's Bike Virginia was held just about an hour away from Yorktown, so we decided to combine the two and go on a little get away vacation, part rustic and part luxury.

Bike Virginia started Friday, June 20, which was the last day of school, so we figured we would just send the kids off to relatives for a few days and that would be that.

There was only one problem:  SNOW.

It snowed so much this year that the school board added three days to the end of the calendar, which meant that the kids had to stay home.  With our vacation already bought and paid for, however, we had no choice but to rally the troops for help in keeping an eye on them and making sure the kids got where they needed to be.

We sent an email to all of our local friends and relatives, and from the responses we received we put together a plan.  They aren't kidding when they say, "It takes a village to rase a child"!

So below are the details of our adventure--both Dan and Margie's on the road, and John and Lyn's here at home.  Enjoy!

Friday, June 20

The kids left for school, and Margie had an early morning appointment, so we couldn't leave until the early afternoon.  Lyn was scheduled to go over to a friend's house for a sleepover birthday party after school, but she wasn't allowed to bring a backpack or any personal items to school (even though there were three days left of school, they had cleaned out the lockers and didn't need any books).  So on our way out of town, we dropped off Lyn's gear and the birthday present at her friend's house.

It turned out it was a good thing we did that, because it put us on the other side of town, causing us to take a different route down south than we had planned.  The original route was wall-to-wall traffic, so by going this other way, we were able to avoid most of that.

It took us about three hours, and we arrived at Pocahontas State Park in Chesterfield, Virginia, parked, attended the required orientation, and checked in.  There was a transport vehicle to haul our gear to the campsite, and we hopped on our bikes to ride into the park.  Only there was a problem.  Margie's rear hub was frozen!! This meant that the chain immediately fell off as soon as she stopped pedaling (I know it seems like the solution would be to just keep pedaling, but you quickly find out that it is impossible to do when you need to slow down.)

One of the other bikers saw her situation and said there was a mechanic in vendor row, just inside the park, so Margie walked her bike over there, while Dan went on ahead and set up camp.  The thought crossed our minds that this was going to be a very short bike trip!

Luckily, the mechanic knew exactly what was wrong and fixed it right up.  Whew!

Once we were all settled in, we headed over to the food tent.  Dinner was good, but more expensive than it was worth. We called it a night, sweaty and tired.  It was so hot and humid, and we wondered whether we'd sleep.

Meanwhile back at home, Lyn went to her party, and John came home, got himself some dinner, and went to bed.  It's hard to believe he's grown up enough to do this!  Luckily, he wasn't all alone in the house.  We had two adult renters in the house at the time, and they were able to keep an eye on him, and, most importantly, make sure he turned off the stove!

Saturday, June 21

After a rough night of pouring rain, Dan and Margie hit the road under cloudy skies at about 7:15am. I don't know if it was the lack of sleep, the lasagne they fed us the night before, or the extraordinarily thick humidity, but it was the hardest 34 miles Margie had ever ridden--and this was someone who had successfully completed a 100 mile ride!!!  Both of us were nearly done in. Still, it was a lovely ride through the rolling hills (perhaps another reason it was so hard?), with just a light sprinkle of rain, and clear skies by the time we made it back to camp. After lunch (much better than dinner had been), we headed to the pool, where we spent the afternoon relaxing and cooling off. Then it was back to camp for dinner (another disappointment) and a relaxing evening. It was a hard day, but we had a great time!

Our little piece of tent city.

Meanwhile, back at home, John's piano teacher was scheduled to come in the morning to work with him.  Unfortunately, he overslept and didn't hear her when she knocked.  Argh!  We felt terrible that she had driven all that way, early on a Saturday, for nothing.

Lyn went yard saling with her friend on the way back to the house, and that evening, Katie Fewkes, a friend of Margie's from church brought the kids dinner, and then at some point they got themselves to bed.

 Sunday, June 22

For Dan and Margie, Saturday night was much better without the rain. We broke camp around 8am,  undertook the somewhat arduous task of transporting everything back to our car, and then they hit the road! We stopped in Williamburg at a lovely little restaurant for brunch (called Victoria's--if you're ever in the area, we highly recommend it!), then made their way to the B&B in Yorktown. After a much needed shower (clean bodies!), and an equally needed nap (clean sheets!), we headed to the grocery store. After a delicious, homemade dinner, we walked down to the riverfront. Who knew they had sandy beaches there? It was absolutely delightful.

Heading down to the waterfront.

By the angle of light, Margie predicted it was going to be a beautiful place to catch the sunrise, so she resolved to do so before she left.

Meanwhile, back at home, one of our renters, La'Vonne, (made sure they were up and) brought the kids to and from church.  That evening, more friends of ours from church, the Rosenberg's, came to pick up the kids and take them to a party for a mutual friend who was moving away.  They also picked up John's camping gear, as he was leaving for boy scout camp (Camp Rodney) early the next morning, and they agreed to let him stay at their house that night.

After the party, our neighbor, Tran, brought Lyn home, and she managed to get herself to bed.

Monday, June 23

Monday morning, Dan and Margie started the day with a leisurely bike ride through the battlefields of Yorktown. It was lovely! Then Dan made us some brunch back at the B&B. Afterwards, we drove out to Jamestown to ride the ferry. Margie was thrilled to get actually get Dan on a boat!  It was so beautiful. 

Dan actually got on a boat!

After a short nap, we headed to Williamsburg for dinner at Food For Thought, one of the top rated vegetarian-friendly restaurants in all of Virginia.  The food, service and atmosphere were amazing. When we got back, Margie turned in early so she could catch the sunrise before heading home.

Meanwhile, John, having stayed the night at the Rosenberg's, left early in the morning for Boy Scout camp, and Lyn got herself to and from school.  That evening a friend of ours from the theater, Jennifer Lyman, took Lyn out for a girls night out.  They went to a mediterranean place for dinner and then saw the movie, Belle.  Lyn had a great time!

Tuesday, June 24

On our last day, Margie got up pre-dawn (sans hubby, who is not a morning person) to catch the sunrise on the river. It was worth it!! 

Can I spend every morning here?

She waded in the sandy beach, biked around the park and parts of historic Yorktown that we hadn't seen. It was a glorious way to end our time there. She got back to the B&B to clean up, eat, and pack up. On the way out of town, we stopped at Duck Donuts, which we had heard so much about.

We had a tough time taking this selfie and getting us, the donuts, and the sign!

We were somewhat disappointed, though, as we thought it was going to be more like the famed Voodoo Donuts in Portland.

Meanwhile, Lyn again got herself to and from school, and, later, Dan and Margie arrived safely back at home.

What an awesome trip!

June 2014

Time flies when you're having fun!  We are having a great summer, jam packed with lots of fun activities.  It's past time to get some updates written!

The month of June started with Margie spending a week at Finance Park.  Kind of like a life-size game of Life, you may remember that Lyn went there for a field trip back in March.  Margie joined her as a parent volunteer and discovered that it is her favorite place to be in all the world.  She immediately signed up as a permanent volunteer and was assigned a week of working with another county middle school.  She loved loved loved loved it! 

John wrapped up electronics club with an end of the year party, during which everyone was supposed to unveil the projects they had been working on all month.  Unfortunately, John's imagination exceeded his skill level, and he wasn't able to complete the game he had in mind.  Bummer!

John also participated in the biggest track meet of the season--the Junior Olympics tryouts.  While he did extremely well and set two personal records, including shaving a full TEN SECONDS off his previous time in the 200m dash, he was not fast enough to make it to the next round.  His team mates did very well, though, and two of them have made it all the way to the finals to be held in Dallas next week!

Margie seems to have turned into the queen of ticket sales and spent another week at Lyn's school, this time selling tickets to Tiger Night.  This is an evening of fun, games and food just for the students--no parents allowed!  Lyn had a great time.

Margie loved Finance Park so much that she practically begged for additional volunteer opportunities and found out about another program called "JA in a Day."  Finance Park is sponsored by an organization called Junior Achievement--a non-profit dedicated to teaching children work-readiness, entrepreneurship, and financial literacy.  Typically, teachers use the Junior Achievement curriculum (offered K -12) and have a volunteer in their classroom over the course of several weeks.  Sometimes, however, they prefer to knock it all out in one day--hence, "JA in a Day."  Anyway, there was a school in need of someone to come in, and Margie jumped at the chance.  She spent an entire day with a group of first graders (quite a bit different than the 8th graders she had been working with at Finance Park!), and it was a blast! They were soooo cute, and they just loved Margie so much.  They told her they wanted her to stay forever.

The family also had an opportunity to help serve at the opening night party for Plaza Suite at LTA.  We have done this several times in the past.  Margie started it, then Dan said he wanted to help, then Lyn said she wanted to help, and now we've roped in John as well.  It is a great opportunity to serve, and this last time we received lots of comments about how great it was to see a whole family working together.  Go Remmers!

Speaking of Plaza Suite, I mentioned last month that Dan had been asked to build the signature headboard.  He ended up hand painting the elaborate details, and it turned out beautifully.  I wish we would have thought to get a picture.  It truly was exquisite.  He did such a good job, though, that now he's worried people are going to start asking him to paint more!

Also in June, Dan and Margie went on their little bike trip vacation.  They had a great time, but the details deserve their own post, so we'll cover that separately.

While they were gone, John headed off to a week of overnight Boy Scout Camp.  Usually the troop goes to Goshen, but this year it was full, so they went Camp Rodney instead, which is near Baltimore.  John had a great time learning swimming, archery, rifle shooting, and digital technology.  He said that camp is really fun the first two days, kind boring the second two days, and finally, you just really want to go home.  LOL!  Unfortunately, he slashed his foot on the last day, so he wasn't able to complete his swim test, but thanks to the lessons, he feels confident that he'll be able to do it.  His scout leader is arranging another time to do this, which is really important for John to be able to continue to advance in rank.

The last night, Camp Rodney has a family night, where they serve a big meal, do a little program, and give the scouts an opportunity to show their families what they have been doing and where they have been living all week.  John's campsite had a beautiful view of the Chesapeake Bay, but holy cow--there were so many spiders!!  Good thing boys are hardy!

Also in June, Dan's sister Debbie turned the big 5-0!!  (Or, as Dan pointed out, 32 in hexadecimal.) She and her husband hosted a big party, and we got to meet their friends and neighbors.  Plus, what a shock(!), we received a surprise visit from sister-in-law Jen, who just happened to be visiting from Seattle for a conference in DC.  It was a fun time, but this means it's Dan's turn next year.  Mark your calendars now!

A couple other random things that happened in June: 

1) Earlier in the year, Margie bought half a share in a community supported agriculture program, and now she is enjoying the bounty of farm fresh fruits and vegetables. 

2)  The kids enjoyed their last day of school.  Due to all the snow earlier in the year, the school year was extended three days.  Because camp was already scheduled and paid for, John had to miss his last days, which was particularly sad because he had to miss his 6th grade promotion ceremony.  While Dan and Margie were on vacation, Lyn managed to get herself to school, which included the end of the year awards ceremony.  She received special recognition for getting all A's all year long. Go Lyn!  One crazy thing that happened was that due to the snow schedule, the last day of school was only TWO HOURS long.  Such a waste of tax payer money, but they had to do it due to regulations regarding the number of days the kids are required to be in school.  Her classes were only 10 minutes each that day, and they spent most of the time talking and getting yearbooks signed.  Sheesh

3)  Shortly before the end of school, we found out about a FREE, school-sponsored day camp available for rising 7th and 8th graders.  We had to scurry and change our plans to allow John to attend, but he started on June 30 and has been having a great time.  I'll write more about it in the July update.

And that's it for June.  Hope you are having a great summer as well!