That Chinese Tourist I Told You About.....

I have this knack...  I can be minding my own business, making waffles in a hotel lobby; and sure enough a confrontation strikes!  I get this from my Grandma.

It's like that one time, The Hubs and I were being nostalgic and hit up one of our favorite restaurants, back in my home town.....

There is no way I could have forecasted my encounter with an employee of the same corporation as my brother, in a WINE ISLE!  no less.........  It's like kismet!  This is where you visualize The Hubs shaking his head and wiping his brow as he reminisces the event........ 

This is also where I strike up a completely random conversation that involves my suggestion of good wine, and my brother......

And then I totally go home with a business card from this dude and a recommendation for my brother...

Because if I am awesome!............

So should be my siblings!

But that has nothing to do with my morning, on this fateful day.......

Instead, I am in Virginia, at our hotel.  And I am just doing my own thing, making waffles and hoping like heck my kids don't wreck the hotel lobby........

Out of nowhere, some lady asks me about the origin of American waffles......

Well.....  I have a funny story, and she has a very limited understanding of the English language.....

So, my funny story was lost.

My kids all sat in the lobby starring at me as if I totally lost my marbles.  And I stood there making hotel waffles and chatting up a complete stranger.

The woman I am conversing with, well, all she got out of the conversation is I know someone from Taiwan....

This is where I should shout out to that dude!  And his new wife!  And his future baby!

Hot Dang! 

You are having a baby!

Ok....

I am good now.

Long story short.  I made 4 waffles and a friend.  My kids and The Hubs all stood there starring at me as if I had lost my mind......

I think it is probably a good idea that I don't mention the Russian Family I befriended in the bathroom at the Smithsonian Museum of Air and Space..... 

That story requires space travel and possibly a tardis.....  :)

I Got All Comfortable And Was Ready To Fall Asleep.....

And then my brain turned on, and now here I am. 

I guess I should blog, or something.

This Summer, The Hubs and I decided we would take our offspring on a road trip to our Nation's Capital! 

So, at the end of July, we loaded up the Swagger Wagon, and headed on up (errr North).  With stops along the way.  There were cool parks, national and state parks, and lots and lots of historic sites...  And these places called "Sheetz" that are like gas stations and fast food restaurants in one....  Being a Texan, I was intrigued.  They were almost as cool as Bucky's, but not quite.

I didn't learn this until recently, but Texans have a reputation for their affinity of gas station convenience stores.  Which, I actually get, but then again, I regularly drive clear across Texas.  But, there is more on that later.  I need to get back to the main idea.

Our kids are seasoned pros at road trips now, and when they talk about long drives, it's like they are old men talking about how they walked 15 miles to school in the snow, uphill with the wind gusting against them.  Barefoot. 

Alex in particular is really good at channeling his inner cranky old man.

 On to Washington!  Sort of, we stopped a lot.

The Hubs is a big history buff, and so that means we stop a lot to check out our heritage over the centuries.  We have visited many battle fields in our near decade out here in the Deep South.  Both Revolutionary, and Civil War battles have infiltrated our vacations for many years.  On this particular trip, we encountered the Carolina Mountain Men at Kings Mountain; which were a pivotal part of the success of the Revolutionary War.  They basically got pissed off and then "handled it", so to speak.

This stop was followed up with an attempt at checking out the Appomattox Court House.  I saw a court house in Appomattox County, but it wasn't the right one.  I guess the one The Hubs talked so much about, is no longer standing.  So, instead, we toured the museum where Ike and Warren took turns pretending to shoot each other with a replica cannon.

To finish off our first day on vacation, we checked into our hotel where The Hubs didn't get upgraded, since there was a crowd of Chinese tourists and a High School Softball team that also decided they wanted to stay at our hotel as well.  But I will save my story of how I made friends with a random Chinese tour guide for tomorrow......  :)

I have to say, I really like living on the East Coast.  Having grown up in West Texas, and I have strong appreciation for frequently change of scenery, all the small towns and little stops along the way, and the fact that it's not 6 hours of flat dry desert between gas stations.  Ah, see, I told you there would be more.

I also like it when The Hubs is able to travel with us.  This allows me the opportunity to channel my inner infant and snuggle into my seat, while dozing off and drooling onto my window.....  Because that is what other drivers look forward to witnessing, as we pass each other!

And now, that you have a lovely visual of my sorry drooling snoring self.....  Good night!