Panthers Training Camp

Maggie and I decided to go to the Panthers training camp since it is more than likely the last summer we will be in NC. We got to see all the big name players like Steve Smith, Greg Olsen, Jeremy Shockey, Cam Newton, Jonathan Stewart, and DeAngelo Williams. The Jimmy Clausen picture was the first pass of the scrimmage and it went for a long touchdown.

Penne's 1st Birthday With Us

On Wednesday, August 10th we celebrated having Penne for one year. So technically we don't know her birthday and it is more like an anniversary, but we are going to count it as her birthday. Brian and I went to PetSmart and got her presents. I think our eyes were bigger than our brains because we bought her the biggest rawhide bone and the colossal rope ball. We gave the rawhide bone to her on Tuesday since it was her birthday eve (Brian's idea) and then we gave the colossal rope ball the morning of her birthday. We took videos of her reaction to each toy and to say the least it was lackluster therefore we aren't posting them on here. She only licked the bone and then didn't touch it for a couple of days. When she did start chewing on it hard core yesterday she became obsessive. She chewed on it non-stop for 4 hours and the fur on her face and paws became really hard and turned white. I know we get upset if she doesn't chew on it and we get upset if she chews on it too much. As parents we just can't be pleased. Her reaction to the rope ball was better. Initially she didn't want anything to do with it but when Brian went after it she had to have it. Basically, if Brian goes after any toy she wants it. But overall, I think she had a good birthday and she was spoiled rotten. I just hope she knows how much we love her and how much we love having her in our lives!
Oh and we decided to take a family picture every year on her birthday so it is below. We had to find creative ways to get Penne to look at the camera. We were sitting on the couch and the camera was on her crate. So Brian came up with the idea to throw a tennis ball into the crate so that she would look in that direction. And it worked!

Washington D.C. Trip Day 1 Part 1

Brian and I went to Washington D.C. this past weekend and we had so many pictures that we had to split it into three posts. We had such a great time the whole weekend despite the hot weather! This post has the Washington Monument, World War II Memorial, Korean War Veterans Memorial, Lincoln Memorial, and the Vietnam Veteran's Memorial.

Washington D.C. Trip Day 1 Part 2

This post includes Franklin D. Roosevelt Memorial, Jefferson Memorial, the White House, National Archives, National Gallery of Art, National Capitol, and Smithsonian Institution building.

 

Washington D.C. Trip Day 2

This post includes the Arlington National Cemetery and the Iwo Jima Memorial (U.S. Marine Corps Memorial).

 

Washington National Game

I'm on a mission to see every sporting venue by the time I die. The main venues I am trying to accomplish are NFL and MLB. Maggie and I decided to goto Washington D.C. for a weekend and it just so happened that the Washington Nationals were playing at home. This Washington National game is number 3 for me in MLB. The game was the Nationals vs the Mets. The Mets won 8 to 5. Something funny happened as we left the metro walking to the ballpark. Of course there are always scalpers at these kind of games, either wanting or trying to sell tickets. As soon as we came out of the metro they were yelling the usual, but then a police car came up the road and they did an immediate turn around and tried to discretely sell tickets by covering there mouths. It was kind of funny because it was such a quick change from them that you don't see very often. Our seats were awesome! They were 3 rows back from the field behide the firstbase. I caught a foul ball from Danny Espinosa the National's second baseman. I was somehow able to catch it with someone in front and behind me going for it as well. We also got to see the famous Presidential Run. The National's mascots are Washington, Lincoln, Teddy Roosevelt, and Jefferson. In each game, they run around the field to see who wins. This time it was Jefferson by a slight margin. See the picture below.

Penne missing Brian

Here is a video that Maggie took when I came home after three months being away from Penne. She was so excited to see me, she didn't even let me open the door. Penne is a little like this when we leave for a couple hours, but it's only for a couple of seconds.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NaOxvZYgtbI

Brian's 24th Birthday

Brian and I were both able to come home to London over 4th of July weekend which was great. Before this I had decided to surprise Brian during the holiday weekend by celebrating his 24th birthday (he is so old). Some close friends, Staci Sparkman and Vickie Jackson have been making amazing cakes and I asked them to make one for Brian. I gave them numerous ideas and they decided to go with his favorite building "The Gherkin" in London, England. He calls it "his building", so I was very excited when they wanted to try this big endeavor. The cake turned out to be amazing and it tasted so good! Thanks again guys for doing this, it meant a lot. Again, Happy Birthday Brian!

Outer Banks

My mom decided to come down and visit me for a week after her work was finished. We decided to go to the beach and North Carolina is known for the Outer Banks. So that is where we went. We stayed in Kill Devil Hills and our hotel was within walking distance to the beach. It was perfect weather, warm water and beautiful beaches. We brought Penne along and to our knowledge this was the first time she has been to the beach. She didn't exactly love it and refused multiple times to go near the water. This doesn't surprise me considering the way she runs away when I try to give her a bath. On the second day, we went down the coast to Cape Hatteras. Mom and I both climbed all 267 steps to the top. It was rough climbing up but the views were well worth it. On the drive back up we also saw Bode Lighthouse. Overall, it was a great trip! Thanks Mom for going with us.