I survived

For anyone who has ever been to Germany, you can buy a t-shirt that says "I survived the Autobahn", which is the German highway system - the infamous one without the speed limit -well, of course, there is a speed limit, but we're drifting off subject - quit distracting me!


Anyway, I think I need a "I survived my lunatic family's visit" t-shirt. I don't get how it is that I work out every single day of my life, and yet, when they come to visit, I'm exhausted at the end of every day. I mean, yeah - my brother is a marathoner,

and uber-fit, but still - I'm not a complete couch potato, so what's the deal? I want to know. Not to mention my Mom is practically a fossil, (Can you believe she's 74?! And still adorable. I hope I'm that well preserved at her age) and she keeps up! Someone please explain this to me.

In the meantime, here's the story. My uber-fit brother, my sister-in-law, and my fossilized mom all came to visit this week. They came down in conjunction with the Marine Corps Marathon.

The day before the race, to keep him off his feet as much as possible, all we did was go to Ford's Theater.

And, there may have been a trip to a yarn shop in there somewhere. What can I say - he wanted to preview the course, and while we were trying to drive around, finding all the hills he'd have to run, we came close to Bethesda, MD - home of Knit and Stitch = Bliss - a shop I rarely get to visit since it's so far out of my way. I bought Rowan's Felted Tweed to make this wonderful Fair Isle vest - now all I have to do is learn how to knit fair isle - i figure I'll start with a hat and go from there. So, that was Saturday (they got in Friday night).

Sunday was the race.

And seriously, I think I was more tired than my brother - we raced around trying to get to places to cheer him on. We did get to see lots of gorgeous sites while running around - and with virtually no crowds around (since we were there at the crack-o-dawn - oh yeah - i left that little jewel out, didn't i?).

But, unfortunately, at one point, Doms (Mom's nickname - make sure you remember, not gonna tell you again!) and I got separated from my sister-in-law, and since she was the only one with a race map, that meant we were lost. Well, that and the fact that I'm directionally dsyfunctional. So, Doms and I wandered around lost for - like - ever, before we finally found a metro station, and went to Rossyln, along with the other million people wanting to get to the race finish line. We never got to see him finish, but I did make sure he knew how exhausted I was when I did see him. Silly boy - he didn't think any of this was about him, did he? Truth of it is, yeah - i was tired, but that ended up being a lot more fun than I would have expected.

So, that was Sunday.

Monday, I took a half day off work so I could meet them at the new Smithsonian American History museum. I enjoyed the exhibits - especially the new exhibit for the flag, the one about American's in War, American Presidents, and the transportation exhibit - but there is an awful lot of wasted space in that new set up. Still, I learned a lot - I even learned things the SigO didn't know - impressive, huh?

Tuesday, we all trooped down to Monticello - which is in Charlottesville, VA. And do you know what else is in Charlottesville, VA? The Needle Lady! A really great yarn shop, with a terrific selection. It's possible I bought some yarn there too. I also found a great pattern for a top for my New Year's end of P90X celebration - all I need now is to find some yarn that won't break the bank - the yarn called for in the pattern definitely will. Anyway - back to Monticello - it's a lovely home, but even nicer than the building are the grounds.

The gardens were incredible. The whole day was just one giant watercolor painting - we got really lucky with the fall foliage.

we stopped at this one church on the way there,

and took a zillion pictures

- tons of color, lots of nice photo ops.

Wednesday I had to work all day. The gall. Expecting me to earn my income. But, considering my yarn habit, that income is pretty crucial.

And speaking of yarn...The Doms and I spent Thursday visiting some of my favorite haunts. That, of course, means Wegmans. Not that I love going to Wegmans so much - but, I do have to go a lot - especially on P90X - dieting is such hard work. Then we went to Burke Lake -just so she could see how gorgeous it is in color. Then Merrifield. Then REI - a true favorite. Then Nature's Yarn, and finally, Uniquities. We didn't have time for all my favorite spots, but we did have a stellar day. And now, it's Friday, and they're leaving, and even though I'm exhausted, I already miss them.

Sigh. Texas is so far away!!