Pyramids of Giza, with our traveling group
Sarah, Brian and a Sphinx that has his nose
Sphinx and the pyramids of Giza
This is one of Sarah's favorite pictures...
This is one of Brian's favorites....Brian and I have really enjoyed all the travel that we have been able to do. But somehow traveling to Egypt was different. Really different. "Traveling" itself was easy. We traveled in the tourist areas and had Mohammad with us at all times. We always knew where and when we were going, and someone figured out the logistics.
Interesting (and total side note) by Egyptian law, because we were Americans, we were required to have an armed guard (to include semi-automatic weapons) with us at all times. It didn't feel necessary, but it's kind of like getting a free drink while out at the bar: thanks, and why not?!
ANYWAY - Hieroglyphics. They were AMAZING. And everywhere. Once the wall/column was constructed, they would cover it with a plaster, and either "stamp" or carve in the hieroglyphs.
This is documentation of what offerings were made to the god each day. A temple may have been to honor numerous gods, but it was all about keeping them happy. 
This is a cartouche:
According to Wikipedia, "a cartouche is an oblong enclosure with a horizontal line at one end, indicating that the text enclosed is a royal name." Because the figures inside are facing the left, you would know to read this from the left to the right. I don't remember exactly who this is for, but the circle represents the sun, pronounced "Ra" and I think it represents Ramses.
Now this one? Not a clue. Brian took the picture and then included it in the post, but it doesn't mean anything particular to me. I can tell you, the symbol in the center is the key of life representing eternity. The bugs? They look cool, though... 
Now this one is from Karnak Temple. This is the first spread sheet. Okay, not really, but it looked like it to me. Back to documenting offerings. The symbols across the top were offerings, down the left are days, and where they intersect is how much. Now that's cool!
First Spread Sheet
We disembarked the live aboard to our next adventure of a floating hotel. We flew to Aswan and our new lodging was a boat on the Nile. Well, it's called a cruise, but it feels like a hotel from the 70's that floats down the Nile.
For three days we cruised down the Nile. We would stop periodically (one to two times a day) to explore temples of the ancient Egyptians. It was very cool to hear the stories of the hieroglyphics, how and why the temples were created, and how they changed over the years.
This was the first temple that we visited. It was in Aswan, and was one built after the Romans invaded Egypt. In general, temples were built by the Pharaohs to show the people that they were favored by the gods. Mohammad (our guide) was an Egyptologist - and he traveled with us, so we learned as we went and he was able to build on the things that he taught us.
Before arriving in Egypt we were expecting to see large life while we were diving. A good example would be schooling hammerhead sharks and manta rays. When we got there the conditions had changed, bumpy instead of nice and calm, so most of the big life was at depth or had moved to different areas of the Red Sea. Bummer, but we were excited to see how beautiful the coral reefs were.
Despite the wild conditions, this is how we would start the day.
Anemone Fish
Anemone FishOver the past few weeks we've been traveling throughout Egypt. We spent the first week SCUBA diving the Red Sea and the second week in Cairo, Aswan, Hurgada, and Luxor. This was an amazing trip for us and over the next few days we'll share some of our memories and pictures.
For now we'll share a picture that we took in Cairo.
We got the opportunity to get a discounted season pass to Busch Gardens this year, which means that we get ample opportunity to ride roller coasters and enjoy some interesting shows too. One of the side benefits is that one can go taste beer at the park for free too.
While we were at the park recently we went in for a tasting with some friends when our taste/brew master made an interesting recommendation. We were tasting the Michelob Porter when he recommended making an ice cream float with it. The beer by itself is pretty nice. It is kind of heavy, but has some coffee and chocolate flavors and aromas. So after our tasting we grabbed a six pack and gave the Porter float a shot...we made it with 1/2 a beer each and a couple scoops of chocolate ice cream.
B: I thought it was interesting, but it benefited from an extra scoop or two of ice cream. End of the day I think I would rather have a rootbeer float, but I might have to give it another chance.
S: Eh, just ok...but would give it another shot with an ice cream that had some fudge in it or was more chocolaty than the one we had.
Colleen and I (Sarah) have been friends forever! We met in 5th grade. We use to pass hours just walking around our neighborhood in Anchorage. Skipped school together (only once!). Played pepper in the street (just volleyball back and forth), swapped stories during college, attended each other's weddings. And now, here we are.
Colleen, Brad (her husband) and Gwen (the 3-year old) moved to Virginia two months ago. They are about an hour away from us, but we are happy to see them when we can. So far - we've been able to hang out quite a bit!
Here we all are enjoying lunch at the Cheese Shop in Williamsburg:
Busch Garden pictures to come soon...
Berryville? Probably not - but we'll get there in a second...
It was back to Washington DC for Labor Day weekend. Brian and I drove up Saturday morning, and it was great. An easy 2 1/2 hour drive, and we met up with Phil. Yeah for Phil!
Phil lives within walking distance of the Mall, so the three of us wondered through and into the Air and Space Museum. The last time Brian and I were in DC, we saw everything from the outside, so it was fun to check out the inside - and the AC was welcomed because it was HOT!
I made the boys practice looking animated in the pictures - and they got pretty good! The museum was cool - but definitely was cooler in the 80's.
Darn. The museums closed, so we worked our way to dinner via margaritas... Sushi for dinner, which was a totally treat for us! Given all the conversation, our throats were dry, so we had to stop for another beer or two...good times!
Then Sunday morning, it was time for BERRYVILLE! An hour west of DC, Mary's (Phil's lovely girlfriend) family has a house they call the "farm." It is a beautiful restored farmhouse, with a very modern pool area. Mary joined us after work - and Sunday we enjoyed the sun and the laid back feel of the country. Brian and I treated Mary & Phil to herbaltinis - YUM!
We (okay, Mary) made dinner, played games and laughed like crazy.
Then we (okay, I) STILL had Monday off of work, so we enjoyed a good ol' fashioned BBQ with friends, food and fun. And what's a pool party without red keg cups! I guess you are really only as old as you act!
Happy Labor Day!
For two years now, we have lived in Williamsburg, VA. The home of the second oldest university in the country, William & Mary AND Colonial Williamsburg. Colonial Williamsburg (or "CW" as the locals call it) is the historic area of town where every day is sometime between 1774 and 1781. Everyone is dressed in period costumes and you'll get invited to listen to the reading of the Declaration of Independence because most likely, you can't read.
It seems that a few hours is all we can handle, so we take in a few things and then head home to relax and enjoy the modern amenities.
He's actually handling it with style. We will celebrate at the Fat Canary, our favorite restaurant in Williamsburg, and talk about what a 30rd year-old does that a 29 year-old can't.
Don't worry, Brian is still young at heart -
my husband is asking for Rock Band II, Pixar movies and board games.
See...he's quite a few adventures to go before he's over the hill...
photo from Digital Quixote
HAPPY BIRTHDAY, BRIAN!
I went climbing a few weeks ago now and my body still remembers the point of defeat at 1.8 peaks. I had a great time with Nick and my sister that day. On a less important note, I am almost all healed up from my one tired moment on the mountain where the mountain won. Still not sure what happened exactly since I remember standing still and the next moment I was on the ground going for a little ride that ended in a bloody hand. I must have been day dreaming or something, but it reminded me of the times when I used to ski a bunch. My best friend and I would have no problem zipping down the mountain, but once we stopped at the bottom the odds of us (or at least me) falling over greatly increased…
For pictures and another perspective of the great hike of 2008 check out her blog
The next day I went with my Dad for a hike around Mt. Rainier. My body was thankful that this was a much more relaxed hike instead of another crazy climb like the day before. In fact I would be willing to bet that my body might have down right revolted at the thought of doing another crazy climb the next day...
It was great to spend some time with my Dad up on one of the mountains that we used to go to often when I was younger. I had forgotten how pretty it can be hiking around on the trails at Mt. Rainier. But, then again being on the East Coast I had kind of forgotten what a real mountain looks like too. Thankfully I got two solid lessons while I was in town.
For pictures and other details check out his blog
So, if you didn't believe it yet, you really should come and visit Brian and I in Williamsburg - everyone else does!
This weekend Phil and Mary came down from DC to hang out with us, or maybe just use us for the pool. Phil and I have been friends since grade school and Mary's a "friend" of his - we liked her! We made the most of the sun and heat - mimosas by the pool, some played tennis, Brian made curry and we played lots of Mario Kart. We had dinner at the Fat Canary (our favorite) and then beers at Chowning's Tavern, a colonial tavern, so we watching a magician, listened to musicians, and played "Shut the Box" - a dice game.
The four of us had a lot of good conversations - and talked about all sorts of things...food, friends, jobs, politics, the media, and George. Hopefully, we'll get to visit them soon in D.C.
The drive behind our trip was to come and checkout Thomas Jefferson's house at Monticello. Pretty nice place if you ask me, but back his day I bet it was pretty darn warm inside.
Without my navigator I'm not sure we would have made it to the house. However, if I had known the place was retrofitted with AC I would have had no problems finding this place.
May as well make a quick stop at the university that TJ designed (UVA) too.
While we were at the university that he designed we felt that spending a moment with him in the shade would be a nice little break. Thankfully not to long since the shade was scarce and it was hot that day.
And we finished the weekend at lunch with friendsAs you may or may not know, I'm extremely involved with Zeta Tau Alpha. I enjoy all of the time that I dedicate to it - and this past year has been especially special. I was asked to be the General Advisor for Kappa Phi, the Zeta chapter at Christopher Newport University. I threw the girls for a loop with my energetic style, but they soon got use to it and we accomplished a lot together.
I know I was suppose to be their advisor, but week after week leaving the chapter meetings, I knew I was getting just as much advise on life from them; whether they knew it or not.
I never tried to be cool or in the know, and I'm sure not either of those things now...but I'm a little closer. =) Late night phone calls, a retreat in North Carolina, LOTS of email, "mash the potato", Facebook, LOTS of hugs, smiles and thank yous. It was a year that I will always cherish.
AND then we had MORE company! Karissa came to town! We walked around Colonial Williamsburg, enjoyed a bottle of wine in the garden of the Cheese Shop, played Mario Kart (be careful, boys, she holds her own!), and time catching up. 
One of my (Sarah) friends from FOREVER came to town this weekend. Carrie had class in Norfolk, but we convinced her to come in a day early and hang out with us. It was so good to see her! We drug her to a graduation party. Worth noting: the party was sponsored by an official taster at Budweiser. So don't feel TOO bad for her. PLUS we spent time at Virginia Beach - darn good weekend if you ask me!
We can't believe two years have gone by so fast! On May 11, 2008, we heard my name announced as I was awarded my MBA. We had a great day - an MBA brunch, class picture, Mike Tomlin (Steeler's head coach) gave the main commencement speech, and we went out for a fabulous dinner.
My folks joined us in Williamsburg for a few days and it was great to see them. We talked and laughed a lot and were definitely sad to see them head home.
All dressed up to watch the races! We (right) joined Sage and Morgan (left) and Carter and Lisa (below) for homemade mint juleps during the Kentucky Derby. I am starting to understand this sport, but all of this for a TV viewing of one of the fastest sporting events? Either way we found a way to make it fun!
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