Spring Break 2010

This past April I had off a week for spring break. Ayla and I had a very busy week we spent lots of time out having fun. On Tuesday of that week we decided to drive up to DC and visit the National Zoo with my friend Ann Lusher, who is also a teacher. It just so happened that the day that we chose to go to the zoo it was 97 degrees, in April! We still had a very good time. It takes awhile to get to DC not because it is that far, it's not, it's the darn traffic. The traffic on the 95 really is ridiculous. We lucked out that day and got there in a little over an hour. Not too bad at all. We saw as many animals as we could. Mommy and Ayla were both very tired and hot after a couple of hours, so we didn't see everything. When we first got there I was waiting in line to use the restroom and one of my students walked by. I looked at him and said "Oh hi Patrick." Now I am a pretty fun teacher and usually most of my students like me. So I was rather shocked and yes I admit a little hurt when he looked at me as if he was going to throw up and said, "Oh I wasn't planning on seeing you here." That's what he said. I had to kind of laugh because what did he think that I found out he was going to the zoo and decided to go the same day and then was following him around. His sister who apparently has alot more common sense was waiting in line in front of me and turned around and said, "I'm sure you really wanted to see him here today too, huh Mrs. Walde." We did have a very good time though, and it was fun driving through DC with Ann because she grew up in the area so knows her way around very well and pointed things out to me that I would have missed. DC really is such a beautiful city we are lucky to have the Nation's Capital so close. Across from the zoo is a very rich area of the city where we parked and despite the heat and the hills it was fun walking through that part of the city and seeing the big, old, beautiful, houses. It's the part of the city that is in that film with Nicole Kidman where everyone starts to get taken over by aliens. I think it's called Invasion. Anyway, I've seen the movie and it was cool walking through that part of the city because I recognized some of it from that movie and I believe a few other movies.

This is the first picture I took that day right after we got to the zoo, you can see Ayla's little cheeks are already getting red from the heat. It really was ridiculously hot for April.

This is the panda, he is definitely the main attraction at the zoo. I lived here when he was born and it was big news. I believe that he is 3 and the zoo has him until he is 4 at which point he will be sent to another zoo to mate with a female panda. Anyway, we were lucky because people were waiting around for awhile to see him and because it was so hot he didn't want to come out of his little house. We had only walked up a few minutes before when he walked out. Here are a couple pictures of him.

He really is very cute. He looks just like a life size version of a stuffed animal.

Baby and Mama elephant playing in the water.

A cute little meerkat.

The second busiest attraction at the zoo had to be the monkey house. We spent awhile in there looking at the gorrilla's and the chimpanzees. There were signs with pictures of the different primates and their names and ages and how long they had been at the zoo. There was one gorrilla there that was as old as me and had lived at the zoo for twenty years. That made me sad for him in a way. Anyway, I took quite a few pictures many of them were funny but they didn't turn out because of the glare from the glass on their enclosures.

On the way home we drove right past some of the monuments, so while we were sitting in traffic I tried to snap a couple of pics to post later. I have been up to DC just to do the touristy things a couple of times so I have been inside many of the monuments. Not the Washington Monument, but most of the others. Here is the Washington Monument.

The Lincoln Memorial

We also drove right past the Pentagon and saw the part that has been rebuilt since 9/11, but I couldn't get a picture because we were moving too fast.

A couple of days later we decided to visit George Washington's birthplace which is in Westmoreland County, VA. Less than an hour from us. It's a replica of the house that he was born in and they have animals there and an old fashioned sawmill and bakery. The sawmill and bakery happened to not be in operation the day that we went but there were some animals out and it's a very pretty place. There are trails and it's on the Potomac river so you can walk along these trails by the water and it's very pretty. We went with Ann again. She really is great to go places with because she knows so much more about the area than I do, having lived either in Maryland or VA her whole life. We walked around and toured the inside of the house where they have replica's of the furniture, etc.. that they would have used back in the day. We also walked along the trails and then had lunch in a little shelter that they had there. We also ran into an old student. Both Ann and I recognized him, but neither of us were sure who had taught him, or what his name is. That happens after years and years and over one hundred kids every year. You recognize past students but can't remember very much about them. Because Ann and I both teach seventh grade English we, along with a third teacher, do many combined activities so we get to at least recognize all of the students. Anyway this is why we weren't sure who taught him. I just thought that it was funny that I kept running into students everywhere that week.



Here's a picture of Ann with Ayla. Ann was one of the first people to ever see Ayla she came to the hospital the day after Ayla was born.

This is an outline of the foundation of the actual house where George Washington was born. You can't really tell here but it was a very small house. However I bet it was pretty spacious for that time period.

This is the replica of the house with some of the working buildings behind it.

Replica of what the kitchen would have looked like.

I'm not sure what the yellow caution tape was all about.

A replica of the type of bed they would have had at that time.

An old fashioned loom.

Some of the animals they had there. These are pigs.

A couple shots of Ayla and Mommy.

After Ayla and I having so much fun together that week, Lucas was a little jealous and he wanted to get in on the action. So that Friday April 9, he took off work and we all went to Massanutten waterpark. We had some coupons for a reduced admission and it seemed like a good time to use them. It's a huge indoor, outdoor waterpark. 75% of it is inside and then they also have a small outdoor portion. Because it was in the 90's that whole week they could have had the outdoor portion open, but because it was only April they didn't. But the indoor part is plenty. There are six HUGE waterslides. A large lazy river. A family pool where you just hang out and swim. A little kid splash pad area with a mini waterslide and jumping swings in the water. A middle sized kid area where there are three middle sized waterslides, and water guns, and spouts, and fountains, and a huge bucket that dumps hundreds of gallons of water on you as you try to run out of the way. There are also two huge hot tubs. Oh, and I almost forgot there is this thing called a wave rider where you get either a body board or a wake board and try to ride the waves as they crash into you. All of this was on the inside! We tried everything except the wave rider. If I was younger, thinner, and more in shape I might have. But after watching several people wipe out and several get these massive wedgies, which was funny, I decided that I would look like a complete fool if I was to try it. We had a fantastic day, so much fun. And I did not run into any students, past or present.

Here is a picture we took from the second floor overlooking the waterpark. Mommy and Ayla in the family pool.

Ayla pointing at Daddy who was taking the picture.

More Ayla and Mommy.

I was trying to get her comfortable enough in the water that I could let go of her. It didn't happen, at least not that day. Maybe someday. She's still pretty little.

Daddy and Ayla on the lazy river. Lucas and I would do things together as a family and then we would switch off with Ayla for a little while so that the one not watching Ayla could go down the waterslides.

She spotted me on the bridge above them.

My beautiful girl!

Daddy and Ayla

Ayla going down the mini waterslide. By the end of the day she was doing it over and over again by herself.

Daddy and Ayla in the little kids area.

We all had a great time that day. You can tell by Ayla's face she was loving it!

I truly love spending time with my husband and my little girl and I made the most of my time off for spring break. We had a great week together and had so much fun!