Thanksgiving Highlights

Peace to all from Kamryn the ice skater

Family photo in front of the Reston Town Center Christmas Tree

The Big Tree Lighting Ceremony

Time for some skating

Kaylin getting the hang of it

Another graceful Steelers Fan

Kodie letting it fly

Deep contemplative thought

My brother-in-law Nick and I surveying the scene at the Punt, Pass, and Kick competition

Pumpkin the Cat and Jake the Dog watching traffic

Ricky and I in the nation's capital

Another misty day on the east coast

Heading out for a Sunday walk

Coming out of retirement for the Punt, Pass, and Kick Competition-- Somehow we won the corporate competition and took home the trophy for Rite-Aid Corp.

We had a nice holiday weekend hosting one of my former players from Trinity, attending Thanksgiving dinner at my in-laws, and visiting our friends Darryl and Alex in Virginia. Ricky Robinson arrived for his visit on Monday evening. I picked him up at Reagan Int'l Airport in Washington D.C. and we then spent the night with our friends in Reston, Virginia. Ricky played football for me for 3 straight seasons and during that time we developed a very special bond. I have always rooted for the underdog in life and Ricky certainly fits that description. Those who know Ricky are familiar with the various struggles he endured while growing up in the inner cities of Detroit and Chicago. We are very proud of all that he has accomplished, and the caring person that he has become.
Ricky enjoyed our time in Washington last year during our Trinity football trip, so I decided to take him into the city on Tuesday to spend some time at the Smithsonian. We ended up spending about 2 hours at the Museuem of Natural History. The highlight was getting to see the original Stars and Stripes flag that Francis Scott Key viewed at Fort McHenry during the War of 1812. This flag would serve as the inspiration for Key to write the "Star Spangled Banner."
After returning to Havre de Grace, we visited some of the local sites around our place including the Chesapeake Bay and boardwalk area. On Thanksgiving Day, we watched the annual Detroit Lions loss and then sat down for a wonderful dinner with Estalita's family. Ricky then left early Friday morning for the long bus ride back to North Dakota.
On Friday, we drove back down to the Washington D.C. area and spent the day with Darryl and Alex. Darryl and I have been friends for more than 25 years, although we have rarely lived in the same state or country during much of that time. I have known Darryl's wife Alex for about 20 years and they are very special friends to us. They are probably the most giving and kind hearted people I know. While visiting them, we walked over to the Reston Town Center and browsed around the quaint shops. We took the kids ice skating and watched the lighting of the Town Christsmas Tree. Santa and Mrs. Claus made an appearance on a horse drawn carriage as Christmas carols and excitement filled the air. Our first holiday back in Maryland proved to be a very special time for the whole family.

Lights out.