The Old Folks (and Gareth) Visit DC
The month of June turned out to be one of the most hectic months since I arrived in the US last November. I'd been looking forward to the warmer weather, and a chance to get outside and see more of DC. It was the perfect time for my parents to come visit Shana and I. Gareth also made the trip up from Charleston to make it a party of five!
My Mum and Dad arrived on Friday night, and were understandably exhausted after the long flight from Dublin. But they showed us 'young'ns' up by throwing on their glad-rags at the hotel; and insisted on seeing Bethesda on their first night. On Saturday we all caught the metro downtown for a walk around the Mall. The weather was in the high 80's, so every opportunity was taken to cool off.
Sunday arrived way too fast and it was time for Gareth to catch his flight home. I took my parents to Capitol Hill Baptist for the morning service, stopping at Union Station along the way for coffee and bagels. We then took the long metro ride to meet up with Shana and her parents in Alexandria. The two groups ran into each other on King Street and made the walk all the way down to the marina, in the Old Town part of the city, where we jumped aboard the world famous Alexandria boat cruise! After a quick stop at my office, we arrived just in time for our reservation at the Chart House restaurant. The meal was top-notch and a good time was had by all.
To see more pictures from my Mum and Dad's visit to DC click here.
Written by Warren on Monday, July 18th, 2007. Comment on this journal entry
Hilton Head
My parents left DC on the Tuesday and made their way down to Charleston, to inspect Gareth's new home improvements! Shana and I then caught a flight the following Saturday down to Hilton Head, to meet up with the 'Blayney Clan' once more. Gareth drove down and picked us up at the Island's airport, which was no bigger than a barn! It was great to be by the sea again, and spend a much needed holiday lying on the beach, and sunning ourselves by the pool.
Dad really out-did himself with the apartment he booked for our stay. The view from the balcony overlooked the beach, and made for a great place to chill out. During the evenings we got addicted to playing 'Scattergories', which led to some heated debate regarding the rules. The trip to Hilton Head was fantastic, but I was very sad to say goodbye to my parents again.
To see more pictures from our trip to Hilton Head click here.
Written by Warren on Monday, July 18th, 2007. Comment on this journal entry
Ryan Visits me in DC
My friend Ryan's much anticipated trip to the States finally arrived midway through June, and was only eclipsed in hype and hysteria a month later by David Beckham's arrival! He stayed for a little over 2 weeks, but the lack of air conditioning in my room made it seem like much longer! I wasn't able to take much time off work, so during the day he made his own way around the monuments, museums, and galleries in DC; and by the end of his visit he was a veteran of the metro. During the evenings he met up with Shana and I for a bite to eat, and a chance to catch up and reminisce on the good ole days.
At the weekends we had more time to spend with each other, and managed to fit in a trip to Baltimore, a Nationals baseball game, and even a spot of kayaking on the Potomac River. It was great to see Ryan again, and have one of my closet friends stay for a few weeks; and if the legion of broken-hearted little girls he left behind was anything to go by - I'd say he had a good time too!
To see more pictures from Ryan's trip to DC, and other recent photos click here.
Written by Warren on Monday, July 18th, 2007. Comment on this journal entry
