Sharpsburg/Antietam

While traveling through Maryland, we took a few hours to tour the battlegrounds of the "bloodiest day of the Civil War". More men were killed or wounded here on September 17, 1882 than on any other single day of the Civil War.

Clara Barton, eventual founder of the Red Cross, tended to the wounded during and after the battle.

During the battle, the Texas brigade bridged a threatening gap in the Confederate line and suffered a casualty rate of 82.3 percent. This was the largest percentage of loss by an infantry regiment, north or south, during the war.

The Sunken Road (Bloody Lane) was the sight of much of the mid-day phase of the battle. Over 5,000 casualties occurred during nearly 4 hours of fighting.

The Lower Bridge (Burnside Bridge) was a key factor in McClellan's failure at Antietam. A few hundred Georgia riflemen, and a few from South Carolina, held off the Union troops for most of the day.

Almost Christmas!

My mom's trip to DC went well. With reports of possible severe "wintry mix" storms, we were a little worried that things would be a mess, but other than the freezing temperatures and some very strong winds, things were pretty good. :D

We did have to make sure to bundle up before heading out to take in some of the Christmas sights. The picture above was taken in front of the US Botanic Gardens. They have a great holiday train display. We were impressed.

We walked over to see the Capital Christmas tree and then to Union Station for their display.... a Norwegian Christmas tree (?).

I'm pretty sure Mom got her fill of cold weather for the season.

It's hard to believe that this year will be the first year I've spent a Christmas outside of Texas! There have been some Christmases where it has been 80 degrees outside. Not this year.

This year, Robby and I will be going to Shepherdstown, WV to spend a few days at the Bavarian Inn. We're hoping for some snow. I'm excited about eating some authentic German cuisine and getting my sweet husband to join me. It's not his favorite. Every time I mention it, he mumbles something about it smelling like an old wet foot. Mmmmm... yummy. He says he's going to give it a shot this time-- his willingness to try is good enough for me. :D

I pray you and your families enjoy a wonder Christmas this year and create many great memories to recount in the years to come.

... I wonder if Robby will fondly recall this Christmas every time he catches a whiff of an old gym shoe? Oh well....

Merry Christmas everybody!!!

PSA

Fat Dog continues to be a web search favorite. About the only people, outside of my friends and family, that see this blog are folks from across the country that are looking for the fattest dog in the world. Now that my sweet dog Baxter has passed on, his memory is kept alive through the the net.

I thought I would put up a picture of sweet Baxter from his younger, more slim, puppy days. It gives a little insight into just how he ended up weighing as much as did. Unfortunately, like so many others these days, Bax was a computer junkie. It started as an occasional dabble on the purebred sites, but soon led to an all-out gaming and facebook addiction. It was all so easy. Let this serve as a warning to those of you who are spending too much time in front of a computer screen. You can learn a lot from a beagle.

I'm just sayin....

(the beginning)

The More You Know

Christmas Tree Time Again

It's the Holiday Season! This past week we were blessed with a visit from Robby's mom, Iris. My mom arrives in town on Friday. This year, instead of making the cross country drive to Texas and back via South Carolina, we decided to have the mommas come to DC instead. :D

There was a beautiful blanket of snow on Friday. It quickly melted away and we were able to enjoy a nice visit. We went to the Living Christmas Tree at our church (Robby and I didn't sing in the program this year), and then we went to the National Christmas Tree with our friends Leslie and Blake to get in our obligatory "tourist" stop. It was a beautiful night.

(Iris, Blake, and Leslie)

Mail Call!!

Actually, this post is going to be more about all the wonderful things I have to be thankful for this year, but, I didn't have any really cool Turkey Day photos, so, I thought I would just put up a picture of me and "The Gunny" (R. Lee Ermey) at this year's AUSA Conference.

So, now to the Thanksgiving stuff! Much has happened since this time last year. There have been births... My nephew Logan, born last November, and my niece Angelina, born this August. There have deaths... My grandmother Edith, and Robby's nephew Daniel, and, most recently, our beloved beagle Baxter. There have been illnesses... My father is still holding on in the ICU. What a fighter!

Through all of these events, I think Robby and I have set a new record ourselves in doctors and dentist visits. God has been so good to take care of us through it all. He's given us each other, he's given us a wonderful church home and family, and he's given us great jobs to help pay for all these visits. (Hooray!! I am now able to work predominantly from home! NO COMMUTE!!!)

As for Thanksgiving day, we decided to forgo any more travel and stay here in Virginia. We made the rounds, visiting friends and enjoying the beautiful colors of the changing leaves. It was a good day.

I couldn't help but think of how different the holidays are now from what I remember as a child. With both of my grandparents passed on now, we will no longer gather at their home for Thanksgiving, Christmas, Easter, Birthdays, and every other holiday where folks get together. Now that both of my brothers are married and have kids of their own, new traditions are beginning. Living so far from them all adds additional challenges for us too.

I'm sure this next year will be filled with its own set of "adventures". I'm also certain that the Lord will bring us through those as well and will continue to draw us closer to each other and closer to Him. I have the best husband in all the world and God has shown his amazing mercy in giving me a man who is FAR better than I deserve.

I am so thankful for every trial, every blessing, of this past year. God has shown Himself faithful as always. As the new year approaches, I can already feel that familiar excitement/fear of standing on the precipice of something new and wonderful about to happen.

As my good friend Shanda will remember from our skiing trips of old... standing by as I foolishly gunned it down the mountain at way too fast a speed, no fear of the possible harm that could befall me, no cognizance of the moguls or my lack of skiing skills, there's sill really only one thing for me to say at times like these....

"YEEEEEHAW!!!!!!!"

Just For Fun

Oh my goodness. It has been WAY too long since my last post! Things have been as crazy as usual around here and don't appear to be getting any less so. Soooo, I'll just fill you all in on what's up with the Wagoner's these days.

After three trips to Texas in a little over a month, two funerals, several big projects at work and a pretty bad cold... Robby and I finally decided to take a trip that didn't involve us visiting a hospital or a cemetery. We were also a little weary of air travel (I suspect all the flying didn't help my cold any) so we drove to Myrtle Beach.

It was beautiful. The weather was great! No crowds, so we were able to stay right on the beach-- no problem. Saturday morning, we were surprised to find the beach covered in .....

Horses!!!

Apparently, we walked in on a "Beach Ride" to raise money for the American Heart Association. What an awesome sight.

We enjoyed our relaxing weekend and are looking forward to the upcoming holidays.

Heroes

It has been a sad month for Robby and I. It's never easy when those close to you are sick or hurt. For the past few weeks we've been traveling to see my father in the hospital. His condition is steadily worsening, yet he continues to fight on and amaze his doctors. Nearly two years ago, we gathered by his bedside in much the same way. The doctors were sure he wouldn't make it.

Expecting to hear bad news about my father, we were stunned to receive a telephone call two weeks ago with bad news of a different kind. Barry, Robby's nephew, called us from his hospital bed, shaken up, but ok. His patrol had been hit by an IED. Barry's cousin, Daniel, who was also serving in Iraq, called his younger cousin a few days later to give him encouragement.

Daniel died on Friday-- killed by an IED.

Daniel leaves behind a wife, a young daughter, many grieving family members, friends, and a grateful nation.

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2007/9/18/20357/8391

http://iraq.pigstye.net/article.php/TerryDWagoner

We leave tomorrow to travel to South Carolina for Daniel's Funeral. Our hearts are hurting, but we are comforted by the knowledge that Daniel is a Christian and is with Christ in heaven now. He died to protect us and we are thankful for his sacrifice.

It is hard to see our young men go. It's hard to see an old vet go too.

These men are heroes. And saints.

Labor Day Weekend

What a BEAUTIFUL holiday weekend. Blue skies, sunshine, cool breezes-- the weather was perfect.

To make it all even better, my best friend from law school, Lisa, came to visit. We decided to get ourselves outdoors and see some of the DC sights.

We had a great time visiting and talking about the many things that have changed so drastically since we met that very first day of school.

Back then, we never could have guessed our lives would be as they are today. Who would have put either of us in any state but Texas??? And yet, here I am in Virginia, and she's in Alabama.

When we first met, I was as lost as a "ball in high grass", yet, somehow, Lisa didn't judge me nor did she give up on me.

Today, we are strong Christian sisters and our love of Christ has made us even better friends. We've both been through a lot in the past ten years and our friendship has helped us get through the toughest of those times.

It was a wonderful weekend. I'm so thankful to have been able to spend this time with my good friend. Once again, it is a precious reminder of what eternity will be like... only better-- perfect conditions and surrounded by saints.

Sweet Seats!

Check out the awesome seats we had for the Nat's game Thursday night.

Right behind home plate ... and some guy workin' his celebrity "I once dated Paris" shades.

We truly felt like VIP's. Free food. Free parking. What a night!

And to make things even better... my niece, Carly, and her boyfriend were in town and able to enjoy the game with us. Hooray!

Afternoon ponderings

So I'm sitting here staring out the window again. It's hard not to. From this desk, I can see (among other things) the Capital, the Washington Monument, the Jefferson Memorial, Reagan National Airport, the under-construction Gaylord National convention center, the Naval Research center, Georgetown, and the Washington Navy Yards (where Robby works). It's pretty cool. I can see two different states (Virginia and Maryland) and a district (DC) without leaving my chair.

They tell me that on 9/11 the offices here "shook", and that it looked as though the airport were on fire (the Pentagon is just beyond it from here). There are other stories about how people have seen German subs floating around outside this window too. The submariners were out of the hatch, laughing and taking pictures with the Capital in the background-- acting as though they had "captured" it. I might be able to add that to my list of strange tourist sightings... if I ever get the chance.

I haven't seen any submarines yet, but the sailboats were out "racing" on the Potomac again today. So pretty.

I wonder... If I had as much free time and money as these people.... would I be sailing too?

That's just another one of those questions might tell me something about myself if I took the time to dissect it, but that ultimately wouldn't make much of a practical difference in my life. Chances are, I'll never have to worry about having too much money and free time. Like it is with most other people--those two things seem to be on opposite ends of the see-saw--when one is up, the other is down.

I've discovered that these sailing folks are playing on a whole different playground than the rest of us.

I took a few photos of my view from this office, but, the images seriously fell short of the reality. It's really a shame to post them, it just wouldn't do justice to the subject. It's kind of like how my tales of the beauty and splendor out the office window are SO much better than the reality of sitting behind this desk and dealing with minutiae all day.

But hey, this view even makes the minutiae more interesting. :D

Evening Parade

Once again, we headed to the Marine Barracks at 8th and I for the historic Evening Parade. What a great tradition. Everything about the night is "different" than what you'll see other places and that's because it is.... the same. It is the same basic format that it has been for the past 50 years.

The hour and fifteen minute program features "The President's Own" United States Marine Band, "The Commandant's Own" The United States Marine Drum and Bugle Corps, the Marine Corps Color Guard, the Marine Corps Silent Drill Platoon, Ceremonial Marchers, and Sgt. Chesty XII, the official mascot of Marine Barracks Washington.

The mere fact that they do not pass out from the summer heat while wearing those heavy uniforms is impressive. Add to that the fact that they are all friendly-- even humorous -- while wearing those hot heavy uniforms and you know you're witnessing discipline at its pinnacle.
Well, and then you watch the silent drill team and that puts it over the top.

Being a spectator at the program requires discipline as well. It's hot and the wait can be a long one. With no backs on the bleachers and crowded conditions, it's not the most comfortable time you'll have in your life. But, by the time taps is played at the end of the evening, you will have forgotten all about that and will be very glad you came.

We took our new(ish) video camera, hoping to get at least a few good moments. Remember, it's a night time event so it's really dark. I still haven't pulled any stills, but I'm working on it. I'll get those up when I get the editing software figured out. Until then, you can visit the website for more info and to see a few photos here.

What I did on my summer vacation...

The picture above is from Hallie Joy's going away party. She's off to New Haven and taking the QC to new levels of greatness. Good luck Hallie!

Sweet Freedom was an amazing (almost) two months of revitalizing adventure, rest, and fun. Overall, I've lost 12 pounds and I've regained a little bit of that ole sparkle. What a blessing!

Highlights from Sweet Freedom include the trips to Florida and South Carolina, baseball games, bike rides in DC, VBC, dinners with friends, and lots and lots of quality time with my sweet hubbin'.

Tomorrow I start my new job in Old Town. It should be a lot of fun and the office has the nicest view I think I've ever seen. Maybe I'll get some pictures and post them soon.

Until then, I leave you with the latest sighting of the (not so) elusive, yet extremely menacing, green Sweet Freedom friend....

VBS!

What a great time we had this week in Vacation Bible School!

We made lots of crafts. We played outside on the playground.

We also learned a bunch of new songs in music class and made a lot of new friends too!

But best of all.... we learned about Jesus!

When Pests Attack

Even more rustic were the old barns near Robby's mom's house. I had a field day walking around these old dilapidated relics, spotting deer tracks, and making the cows curious. The old trucks and tractors reminded me of my grandpa's farm.

And his old hunting dogs.

A walk down to the old pond made me want to grab a fishing pole and spend the rest of the day catching a few whoppers.

Instead, I managed to catch about a dozen or so chigger bites. It was horrible. Itch! And this brought to mind another distant memory of my days at Grandpa's... the pungent smell of Campho Phenique. Ugh!

I guess that's the price one pays for interloping on land that nature seems intent upon taking back. It seems so odd that less than a mile from this place stands the typical generic shopping centers -- Target, Wal-mart, Starbucks, you name it, it's there. Of course all of these stores have been built in the past few years. Before, it was all farm land. And before that.... chigger territory, I can only presume.

I wasn't the only one feeling nostalgic about this place. As we drive past the Panera, Robby remembers the place where he got his first job (working on a farm) as a kid. It's hard for me to imagine it-- all I see is concrete, asphalt, and free wi-fi.

The land I was walking is currently "owned" by Mr. Alexander; a sweet man who has simply gotten too old to take proper care of all these old buildings. I imagine this place will become a shopping mall or a new housing division when he passes. He keeps signs up to keep people from hunting and from tresspassing, but they still do. Don't misunderstand, I was given permission to snoop around, but, while back by the pond, I spotted an intruder!

Hunting Island

In addition to those polished and charming cities on the water, we also visited more rustic places, like Hunting Island. About an hour from Charleston and a stones throw from Parris Island, this island takes a different step back into the history of South Carolina. The lands here are protected from development and the largest threat to the loggerhead turtles here seems to be the steady ocean creep that is slowly reclaiming the beaches.

The main attraction on this island is the lighthouse.

We enjoyed our time here, and were especially intrigued by the large amounts of driftwood. As the ocean creeps closer and closer to the lighthouse, the native palm trees in its path are swallowed by the waters and shaped over time by the sands and tides.

This was once a popular layover for sailors and pirates.
It's not hard to imagine Blackbeard and his crew hiding out and counting their treasures here as they waited for their next mark to make their way toward the rich port city of Charleston.

Tree bones