USNA Reunion Weekend (and the girls' room)

Happy Labor Day!

(What exactly is Labor Day anyway?  Click here to find out, like I had to.)

We had a great Friday and Saturday in Annapolis.  We left the house around 10:30 a.m. on Friday and arrived on the Yard in time to watch noon meal formation.  We ate lunch at Drydock Restaurant, then shopped at the mid store.  It was seriously hot outside on Friday, so we spent about two hours in the mid store, killing time and soaking up the free air conditioning.

Of course, I didn't even snap a picture until after we left the mid store and were standing outside, deciding what to do next:

The word you're searching for is "scenic."

Sydney fashioned this hair ornament out of a ribbon and wanted me to photograph it.  Lorelei doesn't appear impressed:

What we thought we were going to do next isn't what we ended up doing.  Our original plan was to attend the 4 p.m. parade, but it was so hot, and the parade field was far enough away that we opted not to go.  I talked to my friend Samantha the next day (who attended the parade with her boys, ages 6 and 4), and she reminded me that 4 p.m. is when the midshipmen start marching from Bancroft Hall to the parade field.  Which takes nearly an hour.  So, needless to say, it was a smart decision for us not to watch the poor, hot midshipmen (who were much hotter than the spectators) march on a shadeless, 2,000-degree parade field.  We stopped at fountain (the girls asked if they could swim it next time, if we brought their bathing suits), and went shopping at the Visitors' Center instead.

We left the Yard at 4 p.m., and instead of heading home in Friday rush-hour traffic, we went to the Annapolis Mall (more free air conditioning!).  The first thing we saw when we walked in was this ridiculous car, which the girls just had to ride.

$1 for 45 seconds of fun.

There was a great kids' play area, and then we walked the length of the mall to the food court for dinner.  After dinner, some frozen yogurt, and a walk through the Pottery Barn Kids store, we headed home.  It was about 7 p.m. by this time, so we had a traffic-less ride home.

The next morning we left the house just after 9 a.m. for the football game, dressed head-to-toe in Navy garb:

We snapped some pictures with Navy cheerleaders, and then entered the stadium:

The USNA Class of 2005 10-year reunion tent (which, by the way, was why we were spending the weekend in Annapolis in the first place) was our first stop (and our last, although we didn't know this at the time).  The event was shaded (because of the tent), and catered, including an open bar (I drank my weight in bottled water).  There were also kids' tables set up, with coloring pages, crayons, and bubbles.  Also, kid-friendly food (although Ford couldn't get enough of the crab dip from the adult food tables).

Saturday at the game wasn't as hot as Friday on the Yard, but it was still hot.  And since the game started at noon, there wasn't a single shaded seat in the entire stadium.  We didn't have actual seats (we purchased lawn tickets), so we never even ventured from the tent (we could still see and hear the game from the tent though).  The girls literally colored and ate cookies for three straight hours, and Bubby was happy to accompany Chet throughout the tent as he visited with classmates he hadn't seen in years.  I mostly hung out with the girls.  The event was strange for me, because while I recognized most of the people there, I knew hardly any of them well enough to strike up conversation.  I'm sure Chet will feel the same way at my 10-year reunion next year.

We left the game after half time, around 2:30 p.m.  Surprisingly, the kids didn't fall asleep on the way home.  We swung through Harris Teeter for some fully-cooked baby back ribs that we later heated up for dinner, and spent the rest of the day/evening at home, relaxing and soaking in our (not free) air conditioning.

Backtracking a little bit, to Friday at the mid store.  We told the girls they could choose one item, whatever they wanted.  They chose the first item they saw the moment we walked in the store, and not even two hours of wandering around and looking at absolutely everything changed their minds.  What did they choose?  Coordinating Vera Bradley blankets:

Because there's nothing more enticing than shopping for fleece blankets when it's 2,000 degrees outside.  (Secretly, I was pleased with their decision though.)

Since I took the time to photograph their beds, I went ahead and took pictures of the rest of their room, since I'm pretty sure I haven't shared any pictures of it since we moved here 18 months ago:

Lorelei's Bed

Sydney's Bed

Panning left from Lorelei's bed, toward the door to the room:

Panning right from Sydney's bed:

I can't figure out what to do with the girls' names on the wall.  This is the second configuration I've tried, and I don't love it (just like I didn't love the first configuration).

My new technique for keeping the junk at bay/hidden in their rooms (these slide under the beds; each girl has her own):

Still panning right around the room:

We had to remove the girls' closet door in order to fit the bookshelf in the room:

In case you're wondering how their room is so clean, here's the secret: when you're photographing a room, simply make a pile of everything you don't want in the picture, and move that pile from place to place as you photograph different parts of the room.

I hope you've enjoyed your weekend/Labor Day!