Chasing squirrels

/blows dust off keyboard/ Hi! Anybody still with me? It's been a busy few weeks, and I'm finally getting a chance to slow down and try to gather my thoughts. The girls have been busy too, and we've been all over the place.

June 8-10th we went with our girl scout troop to the 100th anniversary singalong in Washington DC, along with about 250,000 other Girl Scouts!! It was a great time! Not only getting to meet other girls from around the country, but this was the first time I've been to DC since about the 5th grade. We went to the Marine Memorial. I had no idea how BIG this was. Seeing the iconic photograph brought to life was amazing. (I've cribbed some pics from my friend's FB, shhhh! My camera died about time we got started good, so I have few pics of my own from the weekend)

We also went to Arlington Cemetery, and I got to witness something I've been wanting to see for years, the guards at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. The ceremony and respect given to this unknown young man, so many years later, gave me chill bumps. Here I am, wanting to make my mark on the world, wanting to DO something to change the world for the better, and seeing something like this makes me realize that I may never know if or what I've done that made the world a better place. This soldier, who died in France during WWI, is "known but to God", and lies interred here, along with soldiers from WWII, Korea, and Vietnam, to symbolize the sacrifice made by so many. We know nothing about any of these men, other than they died in service to their country. So remember, do all you can do, and someone will be better for it. It may not even be in your lifetime.

Also that weekend, our tour bus driver took us out to Reagan International Airport. No, he wasn't trying to ship us off, although after two full days with 40+ girl scouts and their moms, he probably wanted to. There is a  cool little park at the end of one of the runways, right on the river. People were out there grilling, picnicking, playing with their dogs, and enjoying watching the planes take off right over their heads. It was a lot of fun, and a nice break from the crowded streets of DC!

And speaking of Watching Airplanes, last Friday night I finally got to see my favorite favorite singer in the world in concert again, Gary Allan. I first saw him in concert back in 2002, and have enjoyed every album he's put out. After ten years of gently hinting nagging my husband, he surprised me with four tickets. Originally it was supposed to be me, him, and our two youngest kids going. I wasn't too thrilled about taking the 9 year old ("it's hot, I'm hungry, I'm thirsty, I'm tired, can we go, it's loud), so eventually it turned into a birthday celebration for my oldest daughter, Kacey, my best friend K, (whose birthdays are both in June, just a day apart), my middle daughter C, and myself. We stopped on the way for supper at Mama Possum's. I kid you not, see for yourself. Not too bad! We opted for burgers. I'm sure they were beef. Pretty sure.

Then the concert. AWESOME! One of things that makes me such a fan of Gary Allan is the fact that he doesn't try to "put on a show". You've been to concerts where everything is choreographed to death, costume changes, skits, it's all so busy. Gary Allan doesn't do that. He comes out with his band and sings! He's not out there trying to impress by dancing around, acting goofy, anything like that. He just does what he loves, and sounds great doing it. (No, I didn't take this pic, I wish we had been that close!)



So, just kinda chasing squirrels around today, nothing too majorly profound. I guess my thought to leave you with today is just this: Be yourself, do what you do best, and give it all you have. You will make an impact on someone. You don't have to know who or how. It's enough that you did it.