Floors.

Ben had two weeks of leave before heading back to work here in NC. So we took full advantage and went to work on replacing the floors in our main living areas. So we ripped out the nasty carpets...



And started putting in some pretty laminate floors.

Finished up with some trim and touch-ups, and this is the finished product.

It has been some hard work, but it looks so nice now. And, as hard flooring goes, this was pretty easy. So yeah, we're pretty proud. :)

lighthouses.

Last weekend my hubby and I visited a few lighthouses in Virginia. We first saw the Assateague Lighthouse. There were tons of kids on a field trip, so we didn't stick around to climb it. But it sure was pretty!

Later, we stopped by the Old and New Cape Henry Lighthouses. We got to actually climb the old one!

I do love the lighthouses!

Home.

Hooray! We've finally made it back to North Carolina. And we're hoping to stay here for a good long while. We actually got home on Friday night, after some fun lighthouse sightseeing down the coast of Virginia.

Assateague Lighthouse

Old Cape Henry Lighthouse - The first lighthouse authorized by the First United States Congress. Errected in 1791, it lighted the entrance of the Chesapeake Bay until 1881 and was replaced by the New Cape Henry Lighthouse.

New Cape Henry Lighthouse

On Monday, we headed to Onslow Beach, about 2 hours from our house. Unfortunately, it was stormy and cold, so we came home early. But, on the bright side, Ben found a bunch of shark teeth! :)

We're so happy to be home and settling in a bit. And, since Ben has 2 weeks of leave, we're taking on a home-reno project. We're replacing the carpets in our main living areas with a hardwood look-alike laminate. Pictures to come!

Lots of Sightseeing!

Last weekend, Ben got his first days off for over three weeks, so we took advantage of what was probably one of our last chance at sightseeing in this region. We started by climbing a lighthouse at Cape May, New Jersey.

Ben looking confident at the top of the lighthouse.

Me holding on for dear life. It was so high!

Next we hit the Philadelphia area for a few last-minute stops. We started at Valley Forge, then ran up the rocky stairs at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, and finished at our favorite spot of Philly Cheesesteak, Blarney South.

The arch at Valley Forge.

Who'd have imagined an Irish pub would serve up the best Philly Cheesesteak? So tasty!

Our next stop was DC. We went to the Jefferson Monument, which had just the most amazing views!

On our walk to the National Mall, we passed this little treasure. It's a monument to WWI and WWII service members from Washington DC. It is just such a beautiful structure. See me in the middle?

The art museum was amazing! I took so many pictures, my battery died. My favorite was Monet. Ben really liked the old christian art and icons.

Oh! And we spent an afternoon in Annapolis, Maryland. At first we just went to see the state capitol building, which is beautiful. But we found some great shopping and a harbor on the Chesapeake Bay. It was so much fun walking around, popping into shops and just enjoying the warm, sunny day!

Ben is working nights now (7pm-7am), which is pretty tricky in a hotel room. But I think we're making it work. With the new schedule, Ben gets this weekend off! We'll see if we can squeeze in one last sightseeing trip. I'm hoping for one last day in NYC. We head home to NC on May 15th and we're definitely looking forward to being back in our house. 14 days to go! :)

Vacation with the Phelps - Beach & DC

On Sunday we hit Rehoboth Beach, Delaware to soak up some sun and dip our toes in the icy water.

Ashton in the hole.

Landon in the hole.

We went to this all-you-can-eat crab place called Old Mill Crab House in Salisbury, MD. It is seriously the best place ever. I've been there twice now and can't wait to go back for some more tasty snow crab. Mmm...

Tuesday was our last sightseeing day in Washington DC. We got started a bit late, but were so glad that Ben could come along!

We saw the DC temple first.

And we took a close-up look at the White House. It is so pretty!

Ben & Landon (and Paula), heading back to the car.

We are so glad that the Phelps could make this trip! It was so much fun sightseeing with everyone and seeing so many new things. Already looking forward to seeing Paula, Ashton & Landon again this summer! Love you guys!

Vacation with the Phelps - DC!

The sightseeing continued in Washington DC last Friday and Saturday. We were very fortunate to have Ben with us for both days!

We had some lunch before going to the Bureau of Engraving and Printing, or the 'Money Factory', as Ashton calls it.

One million dollars in $10s. Jealous?

The Vietnam Veterans Memorial.

The DC metro, on the way back to Dover, Friday night.

Saturday was the big day for the National Cherry Blossom Festival in DC. So we got there early to wait in line to get on the metro. It was COLD!

Ashton is way into bats right now, so he was thrilled to see the bats at the Museum of Natural History.

Scary!

Waiting in line for the National Archives. We were so lucky... didn't have to wait very long at all to see the Declaration of Independence, the Bill of Rights, the Constitution, and the Magna Carta. It was amazing!

Silly Ben.

Vacation with the Phelps - Philadelphia.

Last Thursday we saw Philadelphia with the Phelps. It is so fun sightseeing with different people! I got to see so many new things that Ben & I missed on our first trip.

We started at Benjamin Franklin's grave.

The Liberty Bell and Independence Hall.

Landon was snoozing at Independence Hall, but popped open his eyes for the picture!

Paula smooching me at the Rocky Museum. Mwahh!

So you know how Rocky ran up the stairs of the Philly museum to get in shape? I can never remember what that museum is actually called, so I call it the Rocky Museum. And of course we ran up the stairs and took pictures next to the Rocky statue.

Sunny, Me, Ashton, Paula, Landon, Jay, and Kemp. Oh, and Rocky!

Vacation with the Phelps - NYC.

Yay! This has been such a fun week! Ben's sister (Paula), bro-in-law (Jay), and their 2 adorable boys (Ashton & Landon) came out this way from Texas for a sightseeing vacation before Jay deploys for a year. We started their trip with a day in NYC last Tuesday. Unfortunately, Ben had to work that day.

First we saw the Statue of Liberty!

Me and Ashton on the ferry to the Statue of Liberty! Thumbs up!

Ashton let me borrow his Liberty Crown. I thought it was flattering.

Had to get a shot with 'Lady Liberty' at TGI Fridays. Ha ha!

The bull on Wall Street.

Wednesday, we drove to the Baltimore airport and picked up Jay's parents, who were with us for the rest of the trip. It was nice to see them again. At the airport, Uncle Ben put little Landon in the carry-on box. Turns out, he'd make a very good carry-on. :)

More to come...