Books!

Labor day continued...

After we went to Manassas battlefield, we made our way over to a used bookstore in the city of Manassas. Can I just say that it was awesome?!  Most of the soft covered books were $6 or less and for the most part they were in pretty good condition.  And did I mention that this was a huge store and that there were tons of cds and dvds too?!  It was pretty much awesome! 

So I bought 8 books and 3 cds for a grand total of $11.61. 

Which of the books does not go with the others? :)  

Kara highly recommended the Ann Rinaldi books to me and since they were so cheap, I decided to get a bunch of them.  I wanted to get more books in general but I decided to restrain myself.  But I believe another trip is in store in the next couple of months :)

And just so you know, I recommend Firehouse Subs to anyone who has never gone.  It's good food and they have over 120 flavors of soda. No kidding. 

Overall it was a lovely day in the beautiful town of Manassas!

Battle of Manassas!

 Happy Labor Day!  This morning I worked for a few hours. Then I went to Manassas with my roommate, Kara. This was my first time taking the tour of the Manassas Battlefield.  (Yes I know I live so close and it's sad that this is my first time, but hey now I've done it :)

 Look at those muscles on Stonewall /Greek God/Superhero Jackson.  Did he really look like that?! I don't think so. We had a good laugh about this one :)

 A cannon (and there was a whole line of cannons) showing where the Confederates would have been lined up for part of the 1st battle of Manassas.

 The Henry House! There was an old lady, Judith Henry, that lived in this house when the first battle of Manassas began and she refused to leave.  The confederates took over the house and the lady was killed by a Union bullet intended for a confederate soldier. 

 I can't believe I didn't take a picture of the outside of the house that this carving is in.  But it is in the Stone House, which was a field hospital for Union soldiers and later became a tavern.  The house was open to tour and we learned that some of the flooring was original. And two Union soldiers carved their names on the floor and on the baseboard.

Charles E. Brehm carved this one.

 Eugene P. Geer carved this one. Both were Union soldiers who were in the hospital almost exactly 150 years ago today. They walked on the exact same floors that we walked on today. Crazy.

The confederates took over the hospital and Brehm and Geer became POWs for a couple of days, then there was an exchange of prisoners and they went to a hospital with their units.  Brehm survived the war. Geer died about a month after he was returned to his unit. He was only 17 years old.

 The famous bridge that was demolished during the first battle of Manassas.  Then it was used by the Union army in the second battle of Manassas by placing wooden planks over the rubble so they could cross then destroyed it again so that the Confederates couldn't cross. (Obviously this is not either of those bridges, but it is the location of those bridges.) (I hope I am getting my facts straight about all of this stuff).

 Isn't the bridge beautiful?!

 A memorial in a cemetery for Confederate soldiers, who died at both of the battles at Manassas.

We also went to the Brawner Farm, where the second battle of Manassas began (and one of Kara's ancestors fought).  It was cool!

The battlefield at Manassas is beautiful! We only did a highlight tour but now that I know where it is and how cool it is and what else there is to do there, I will go back :)  We did more after the battlefield, but that will have to wait for another post...

P.S. I am really tired right now, so if this does not make any sense, that is why :)

After running...

I am sweaty.  To say the least ;).  

For those of my friends who don't sweat (and yes I do know a couple of people who don't sweat (or at least not very much)), I more than make up for it. See scary pictures below of me right after I went running this evening.

That is all.

I Have a New Nephew!

 I have pretty much told the whole world this now, but I have a new nephew! His name is Jack and he was born 4 days ago.  He was 8 lbs 13 oz and he is a cutie pie!

 I got to meet him for the first time yesterday and he is so small and cute!

 Matt taking a little nap with his son :) 

 

Lincoln, Jack, and I.  Thanks Matt and Karey for letting me hang out with you all yesterday afternoon! It was a lovely day!

Small and Simple Things!

Today at work, one of my coworkers got really excited about something small and seemingly insignificant. I don't even remember what it was, but she apologized for getting so excited about it (because she was kind of loud about it.)  I told her no need to apologize it's sometimes the small and simple things that bring us the greatest joys in life.

Then I got to thinking about that and how true it is. Or how true it should be.  If we were to notice the small things in life that make life just a little easier or better, then a lot of our life we would be happy.  Not to say that we won't have bad days or hard times, but just that little things can make us happy.

Then after that, I thought about some of the seemingly insignificant things that happen in my life that bring me just a little joy.  When someone shows me a new shortcut on the keyboard at work, I get really excited.  Using chopsticks makes me happy.  Rolly and twirly chairs is a source of fun for me. Hitting most lights green on the way to or from anywhere makes me happy.  Rootbeer floats pretty much rock.  Payday is an awesome day.  Brushing my teeth makes my teeth feel good. Sending a card to someone through snail mail is fun.  A good conversation with a family member or friend is awesome.  Finishing a race makes me happy.  Reading an awesome book is enlightening. Driving with the windows rolled down and a favorite song playing is awesome.

And all of this reminded me of Alma 37:6 "Now ye may suppose that this is foolishness in me; but behold I say unto you, that by small and simple things are great things brought to pass; and small means in many instances doth confound the wise."

My little different interpretation of the scripture, But behold I say unto you, that by small and simple things can great happiness come to pass; and small things in many instances doth bring the most joy.

It truly is the small and simple things in the Gospel that can bring the most joy too, praying at least twice a day, studying the scriptures daily, going to church, serving others, magnifying our calling no matter what it is, attending the temple as often as we can.  I know these are the Sunday school answers but they are vital.  As we strive to live these seemingly small and simple principles, we will be happier. Life will still be hard and we will struggle, but we will have peace in our hearts and find joy in the small things.

What are some of the seemingly small and simple things that make you happy or giddy or joyous?!

P.S. I have a new nephew.  YAY!  He was born August 23 at 11:25 pm.  He weighed 8 lbs 13 oz.  I've seen pictures of him and he is adorable!

P.P.S Here's a link to Lara's blog which also reminded me of this topic.   http://wawasmusings.blogspot.com/2012/08/fleeting-summer-moments.html

The Underground World!

On Saturday, one of my supervisors (Heather) and I drove the 90 miles or so to Luray Caverns, in Luray Virginia.  It was a cool place!  If you've never been there, it's worth it to go.

 At the entrance to the building to get into the caverns. 

Thanks to Heather for many of the following pictures! 

 The fish scales. The wet and slimy ones mean they are still growing.  

 Look how cool it looks!  It's so otherworldly!

A cool looking column!

 Heather!

 An almost see-through stalactite.

 This was at the lowest point of the caverns which I believe was 16 stories below the ground.  I got lightheaded so far under the ground.

It kind of looks alienish. 

Oooohhhhhh!

Awesomeness!

I loved this part of the caves.  It looks like there are stalactites and stalagmites. Right?!  Of course right, but actually there are only stalactites and the ones on the bottom are a reflection of the stalactites from the water! I was seriously fascinated by this and had to look at it from different angles to realize it was very shallow but clear and still water and the ones below were just reflection.  It was awesome!

Another picture of the reflection. 

I thought this looked like an ear and decided to take a picture of it.

I believe the rest of the pictures are taken by me except the full body picture of me. 

The draperies.  They are very thin and look like draperies, hence the name. 

This is a stalactite that fell down thousands of years ago. Water that used to fill the cave prevented the stalactite from shattering into millions of pieces when it fell. 

I really liked these columns. 

The stalacpipe organ.  They searched 3.5 acres of the cave to make notes from the stalactites. They found 37 notes. Although no one was actually at the organ, they had an automatic song play for us and it was pretty awesome! 

One of the notes from the organ.

The Wishing Well!  Here you could throw coins (or dollar bills, in the case of some people) into the water and make a wish. They clean the coins out once a year (the bills more frequently) and then donate the money to various charities.   The sign has the names of the charities they donate to.

  They get about 2 feet of coins out each year. (This picture is from Heather.)

A self portrait :)

Part of the walk in the caves was a little narrower and lower.

From the beginning of the cave to the end, we walked a 1-1/4 mile.

Fried eggs.  

Me again.

A random memorial of those who died during World War 1, World War 2, the Korean War and the Vietnam War from Page County. 

I really liked the caves! It is so beautiful and otherworldly in the underground!  

 We did more after the caves, but that will have to wait for another post...

Random Post of Pictures of My Hair :)

 My hair after I let it air dry. 

My hair after I straighten it. 

 

 My hair when I curl it.

 Here's a poem I found online that pretty much sums up my feelings about my hair. 

The hair is frizzy
It will not stay straight
And nyther have
I means to fix it
Give me a straightener
That will last all day
And both my hair
And I will play

I laid my hopes
Upon my hair
Thinking it was
A trusty friend
But first it curled
And then it fuzzed
And my straight hair
Came to an end

Oh hair is soft
When freshly washed
Soft as a cloud
Up in the sky
But then it dries
And drives me nuts
And so my hair
Will ne're be straight!

Written by Mariah and Cheree

http://www.geocities.ws/mremmers814/frizzyhairsong.html