No I will not share the beach with 35,000 other people!

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Yesterday was probably one of the most fun days Jerry and I have had living here. Not that living here isn't fun in itself, but we chose to get out of town a little bit. We were like all the other DC residents who escape from the rat race for the weekend and headed west. Of course, our goals tend to be quite different.

First we went geocaching in an old park. Yes, Kelli, I blame you for this addiction, because when you mentioned it and I had no idea what you were talking about, I had to research it. At which point I bought a pretty yellow GPS and went at it. And just so no one else has to go researching it, geocaching is like a high tech scavenger hunt. You get a set of coordinates, grab your GPS, and go. There are all types of things that can be hidden in all types of locations. Yes, even in busy Crystal City there are little hidden containers. We went tromping through this park, through some trees, and there was our find for the day!

We then went mini-golfing at this amazing place over by Herndon. I've never seen such an amazing mini-golf course in my life. And yes, I got my butt kicked, and I almost beat some little children over the head with my putter. I understand this is a place for kids as well as those young at heart, but is it really too much to ask that you don't let your kids run wild? There is a line between kids getting loud and excited about a day outside playing mini-golf, and letting your kids scream, jump all over the scenery, and wander out into the middle of the green when someone else is playing on it. I have to say the people in front of us were fantastic, and their kids were so sweet! Yes, they were jumpy and loud and excited, just normal kids should be (seriously, though, their kids were fun to watch, especially when the little girl got a hole in one). But the people behind us had I believe three boys, and when these boys pulled their hyperactive and destructive antics their parents just laughed! UGH! It's one thing to let your kids have fun. It's quite another to let your kids ruin everyone else's. *gets off her soapbox*

(Sidenote: I very rarely run across kids like this, and when I do, it makes me very angry. My sister and I weren't raised like that. And I know it's possible to raise nice kids. Case in point, my friend Tami. Seriously, girl, we dragged, what, five kids through an amusement park and had nothing but a blast with them!)

We stopped for dinner at Bennigan's on the way home, and I ate myself silly. Their creme brulee cheesecake is the bomb. Mix that with my mudslide, and I'm lucky I could waddle out the door. We went home, vegged, watched Army Wives (he watches it, actually, while I'm at the computer). Eventually went in to see why he was yelling, "We are not the Latvian Army!!!" at the TV screen. Anyone else noticed how their military husbands are quick to pick up on uniform errors? Went to the gym. Went to bed.

You know how good my husband is? My allergies went bonkers last night, to the point where I was dizzy and fuzzy. He put me to bed, came in to check on me a few times, and when I woke up this morning, the blinds were closed so the sun wouldn't wake me up. I'm a lucky girl.

Tonight we get to go to Hellmart. Yes, I'm actually excited. You try living without one! Yes, the cashiers are awful, but it's nice to have a touch of familiarity. We'd just go to the PX, but they didn't really have what I needed last time. I need to buy picnic supplies and a beach blanket. The blanket is so we can watch the fireworks in Charleston on the 4th. Mind you, we won't be on the beach, since I read how many people came last year. No, my very smart ass did a little digging and found that they are having an event at the SC Aquarium the night of the fourth with a live band, drinks, a cookout, tours of the aquarium, and most importantly, a beautiful deck where you can lay down a blanket and watch the very same fireworks that those people are crowded on the beach to see. And it won't be crowded, since it's a reservations only event with limited tickets. *sigh*

Today's lesson: Don't follow the crowd. Instead, be content with the fact that you did your homework and can now look at all the crazies trying to find a parking space and a teeny square on the beach for their blankets and laugh.

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