Family Reunion 2009 - Celebrating our Nation's Birthday in our Nation's Capitol

4th of July! We started the celebration of our nation's independence by attempting family pictures in our matching patriotic shirts. Matt rated taking pictures together in matching T-Shirts and the Fireworks in D.C. as his favorite activities of the whole reunion.

After the family couldn't stand any more picture taking we got ready for our day in D.C.. We drove down to Forest Glen Metro Station near the D.C. Temple, left the cars and hopped on the Metro.

Joel and Cassandra checking out the Metro Map

Waiting for the Metro

(I was surprised we had the whole station to ourselves -

I thought it would be packed.)

Matt and Jeff were just a little excited about their Metro tickets=)

Joel, Shawnie, Jeff, Tom, Cassandra and Lief on the Metro

Mom and Dad on the Metro

We camped at the base of the Washington Monument with a great view of the Capitol Building. Our first order of business was our picnic lunch brought in the now infamous "Blue Cooler."

After lunch Tom held down the fort while the rest of us split up to explore D.C.

Matt, Cassandra, Tanner, Leif and Jeffrey went to explore the Air and Space Museum

Grammy, Laurelle, Shawnie, Heather and I went and checked out the monuments. Look at all the people!

Once we were done exploring we all returned to our "camp" to hang out and relax before the fireworks. Here are some pictures of our hanging out time:

At 9pm it was finally time for the fireworks! We had front row seats to the most specatular show! Here are some pictures and a video:

(Finale starts at about 1:50)

Overall it was a fantastic day and a fun way to celebrate the 4th with my family. Thanks go to Shawnie and Joel for starting the tradition of the 4th of July Family Reunion. Here's to a great reunion and looking forward to the reunions to come!

Dad said: Aside from spending time with the family which absolutely rates highest. The other highlight for me was after 25 years of endless trips to DC and never being there on the 4th of July, finally seeing the national fireworks display, which was certainly 'over-the-top!'

Mom: The fireworks at the Washington D.C. Mall framed by the George Washington Memorial were just spectacular! I've watched a lot of firework displays over the years but experiencing this one at the capital gave me pause to think of all the sacrifices, blood and ingenuity that our founding fathers made and gave to make this great country what it is, and giving us the freedoms we enjoy. Standing in that place, I felt a spiritual bond, especially knowing that God was the author of it all.

If you can believe it .... we aren't done yet! Stay tuned for more Stewart Family Fun!

Family Reunion 2009 - Crossing the Mason-Dixon Line

After another lazy morning we headed up to Codorus State Park, near Hanover, PA.

Interesting tid-bit of useless knowledge coming: I can't remember if we talked about this at the reunion but Maryland is the northernmost state of "The South". (As in North and South of the Civil War) So by going to PA (pronounced pee-aye for the non-locals) we crossed from "The South" to "The North."

At Codorus we BBQ'd and ate til we dropped. Luckily the beautiful (and not so humid) weather continued so there was plenty of time to hang out, catch up, get some frisbee golf in, as well as hang out at the lake. Here are some pics of the day:

The Lake

Joel and Jeff BBQin'

Brandon, Mom, Andrea, Cassandra

Joel, Shawnie, Tom and Jeff

Tanner attacking Brandon after re-energizing with lunch

Post lunch power nap - Heather, Laurelle, and Brandon

Leif was successful in wrestling his blocks back from Jeff and Brandon

Heather

Heather "taking care" of me while Laurelle uses me as a pillow

Brandon couldn't resist Leif's blocks for long...

Shawnie and Laurelle so desperate for a book they had to share

Matt "Mr. Cool" Stewart

Grammy and Leif

Tanner so excited he got first dibs on the bike for the ride home!

Mom said: "The lake park in Hanover, PA was beautiful and the food was great. It was a beautiful drive to and from the park and I especially enjoyed the wild flowers along the way."

Matt said: Since there was no waterfall to push Andrea under I guess "the best part of the daywas spending time together at the park and talking." (I may have embellished Matt's comments just a bit=)

Don't worry...still more to come!

Family Reunion 2009 - Adventures in Crab Cake Land

Our Stewart Family Reunion officially started on a lazy Thursday morning. Most of us had a late night or extremely early morning start so we enjoyed some time to hang out and catch up with one another while everyone slowly arrived. While we waited for the late arrivals we gorged ourselves on French Toast Casserole while Shawnie "The Card Shark" Cannon kicked our butts in Go Fish.

One of the funniest things that morning was watching Brandon and Jeff find the blocks that Tanner and Leif had left behind. Brandon and Jeff played with them for hours and were reluctant to give them up once Tanner and Leif arrived.=)

Later in the morning we headed to Adventure Park USA near Frederick, MD. Tom and Dad rode their motorcycles out there and enjoyed the scenery and the gorgeous unseasonably cool weather.

We started the annual family competitions with Go-Karting again this year. Shawnie "Speed Racer" Cannon was the obvious victor in the races (or so she wanted us to believe=)). The cars weren't that great so we quickly moved on to Laser Tag. It was a new element to our family competition we started last year. We had a lot of fun - Tom "The Athlete" Heiser as he likes to be called, Joel, Brandon and Jeff were the winners.

After Laser Tag we slowly split up into smaller groups. Mom, Cassandra, Tanner and Leif checked out the teacups, helicopter rides, and the bounce playground.

Tom, Brandon and Jeff all rode the ONE roller coaster there. Joel, Matt and I played bumper boats. Matt said "The best part of the whole day was taking Tanner on the race cars and pushing Andrea under the waterfall on the boat ride." I'm glad I could make Matt's day...he better watch his back next year!=)

Cassandra, Shawn, Heather and Laurelle started mini-golf. Joel, Matt and I followed a little while later after we dried off a little bit, and Tom and Brandon followed not too long after that. Tanner and Jeff checked out all the games in the Arcade while Matt, Brandon, and Jeff mastered the rope walk.

After we wrangled up everyone from Adventure Park we headed over to Olive Grove to let everyone try out a local favorite - Maryland Crab Cakes.

Mom summed the day up by saying "The Adventure Park was a really good choice as it was laid back, not crowded and just right for the little ones as well as the rest of us. The crab cakes at the Olive Grove topped off a great day with the family."

Hold on there's still more to come...

Family Reunion 2009 - Taking a Bite Out of the Big Apple

Matt, Cassandra, Tanner, Leif, Tom and I all went up to NYC before the reunion started. We went to Central Park, the Statue of Liberty, and spent a lot of time riding the subway and eating really good food. Here are some of our favorite NYC things...

Carnegie Deli -

Like Father, Like Son

(A Pickle Fetish with a HUGE Reuben on the side)

After eating all the Carnegie Deli homemade pickles and a few bites of that Reuben we headed over to Central Park. We went to one of the biggest playgrounds in the park with everything you could imagine (even a water park!) With so much to choose from the first and only thing that Tanner "The Climber" Stewart wanted to play on was the huge rock behind the playground=) Matt couldn't help himself either...

Our play time was rudely interrupted by rain. We ran for cover and found ourselves in the subway and decided to take a trip and explore Grand Central Station. Since it had been at least an hour since we last ate we decided we needed a snack to top up our tummies. Good thing our favorite cheesecake restaurant Junior's is there! Matt was on a strawberry kick all day so we tried the Strawberry Shortcake and got Devil's Food Cake for the Chocoholics.

Even with cheesecake the size of his head, Tanner didn't start out too happy but by the end we couldn't get the cheesecake away from him. Here is Tanner's first attempt at Brain Surgery.

After Tanner scarfed down all the cheesecake and the rest of us were able to get a few scraps we all headed uptown to the Manhattan Temple by the Lincoln Center. We took advantage of the bathrooms in the Stake Center (on the upper floors above the temple) and couldn't help but notice how quiet it was inside. After being on the loud and busy streets of NYC all day it was a complete contrast to be in deafening quiet and peaceful feeling of the church. This temple is definitely not the biggest or most interesting building on the outside - but the feeling on the inside is unmatchable and makes you feel right at home no matter where in the world you are.

From the temple we went back to Central Park and explored the Sheep Meadow, the Dairy, the Mall, Bethesda Fountain, and caught part of a benefit concert.

Andrea went back to the hotel with Tanner and Leif for some shut eye - while Matt, Cassandra and Tom went to check out the night life at Times Square.

The next morning we headed for the Statue of Liberty. Tanner was excited to take the boat to Liberty Island. It was pretty hot so we didn't stay long - especially with Frozen Hot Chocolate calling our name from Serendipity!=)

There was a little bit of a wait at Serendipity so we decided to check out Dylan's Candy Store in the mean time - 3 floors of sugary fun! Our food was good as usual, but nothing beat the Frozen Hot Chocolate on such a hot day. On our way out the door who did we run into but Shawnie, Laurelle, Brandon, Heather and Jeff! The whole time we had been in New York we had been trying to meet up - but could never get on the same schedule until we met up serendipitously at Serendipity! It was fun to see familiar unexpected faces that we hadn't seen in so long!

Since we didn't eat until later in the day our batteries were running low until Matt spotted Bloomingdale's. Matt and Tom got their second wind just by seeing the famous store and spent over an hour exploring the 8 story mega store while Cassandra, I and the kids enjoyed testing out the couches.

With the day winding down we headed home. Our guests were greeted to Maryland by one of our infamous torrential summer downpours - followed by an impressive thunder and lightening show.

Matt thought the best part about our NYC trip was taking in the atmosphere. "You can see all of the landmarks in photos but you can’t really understand it until you have been there and heard the noise, breathed the air and turned around to see sky scrapers in every direction. Of course the cheese-cake was good too."

More to come on the rest of the reunion soon...

Playing for Change

     I got an email with a link to this group - Playing for Change.  I think it's a neat idea and a good cause so I thought I'd share.  They are trying to bring the world together and solve some global issues through music - but in a new way.  They get musicians from all over the world to play together - the trick is each musician is playing in their home town.  So this "band" has players singing and playing various instruments all over Italy, Netherlands, Venezuela=), Russia, Spain, Africa, The Congo, Israel, the US (including an Indian Tribe from New Mexico) and more.  The song below starts with one musician singing on the streets of Santa Monica and slowly more players are added until you have a global symphony.

Bill Moyers Journal wrote an article on them - here's an excerpt: 

     ...blues singers in a waterlogged New Orleans, chamber groups in Moscow, a South African choir — to collaborate on songs familiar and new, in the effort to foster a new, greater understanding of our commonality.

     Johnson traveled around the globe and recorded tracks for such classics as "Stand By Me" and Bob Marley's "One World" — creating a new mix in which essentially the performers are all performing together — worlds apart. Often recording with just battery-powered equipment, Johnson found musicians on street corners or in small clubs and they would in turn gather their friends and colleagues — in all, they recorded over 100 musicians from Tibet to Zimbabwe.

     The Playing For Change Foundation provides resources (facilities, supplies, educational programs, etc) to musicians and communities around the world. The foundation is working with South African poet Lesego Rampolokenga to build the Mehlo Arts Center in Johannesburg, South Africa and building and supporting the Ntonga Music School in the South African township of Guguletu. In addition, Playing For Change is working to enhance and rebuild Tibetan refugee centers in Dharamasala, India and Kathmandu, Nepal.

Roomie Reunion

The Prim and Proper Us...

Karen, Becca, and I got together last weekend for a roomie reunion in Charlottesville, VA.  We had so much fun remembering four years worth of antics, pranks, and hanging out.  I think Karen said it best - it was like stepping back in time 10 years.  It's crazy to think that we all went our separate ways 10 years ago after having our lives completely intertwined for those four years (Remember our plan to all live on the same street and have our own little school bus to pick up all our kids that we would home school ourselves?=)).  I owe a lot to my college roommates and friends - it was a pivital time in my life that really helped me to get my life on track and moving in the right direction. 

Some of my favorite college memories (Excuse me while I indulge...) 

Dance parties, driving up to Salt Lake to eat at Spaghetti factory, Playing Remember When, our East Coast Trip, Karen's Quote List, Becca A bleaching her legs, living in Helaman Halls, doing laundry at the Laundromat, getting packages in the mail, staying the night with Karen's aunt and uncle in Bountiful, Becca C interrogating my uncle on the habits of prostitutes in Las Vegas, living in the Brown House, Amanda, Will, trying to get out of FHE, Christmas at the Brown House, Julie's Friday cleaning routine, driving to Salt Lake for nursing clinicals, making lumpia, racing to Springville against Deven, Pizza Hunt answering machine, T-Rex, boys curfew, getting ready Sunday morning and singing "Will He Ever Come?" at the top of our lungs, "Which Rebecca?", Karen's Racy Red Pants - "Go Pants, Do Your Thing," Bon Fires at Nun's Park, "That Thing You Do," football games freshman year, BYU men's volleyball games, painting Julie's apartment, driving Matt up to Ricks, Building fires in the garage, working in the same office park as Becky over the summer, super steals of a deal at Home Express, D.C. on 4th of July, thinking caller ID was the coolest thing freshman year, chasing Becca and Jeff in the car after their reception, BMG, Becky and I getting married within 3 days of each other, Becky and Joe meeting up with Tom and I on our honeymoons in San Diego, Rahul trying to surprise us with tickets home for our first Thanksgiving away from home because he knew how miserable we were - then actually being excited to go back to BYU after Thanksgiving because we finally stopped hiding in our room, "My Parents don't allow bi-sexual sleepovers," "Nice to meet you Grandma," pre-med study group, Tom stealing his aunt's civic so Becky could drive one, riding to Food for Less with Karen on her friend's scooter, not being able to leave our door open freshman year for fear that someone else would come in uninvited and stay forever, that one lazy Saturday morning, getting in line at 6am at the Wilk for edited movie tickets, King's Dominion, Burger King Runs, spying on the kissing tree from our all seeing dorm window, Pizza Pipeline Breadsticks, Becca's bread, dying hair parties, naps everyday freshman year, the two Acuras, Tom's Granny car, visiting my Grandparents in Southern Utah, Los Hermanos (Brisas), Mark's parents house in Midway, meeting everyone's parents over the years and seeing where they get their quirks, Movies 8, Karen coming out to San Fran after freshman year, Becca's GoodWill Super Finds, Shop-Ko, sharing mushroom pizza with Becca, traveling all over BYU on Sundays to get Chicken Cordon Bleu, racing through Provo Canyon, Skipbo Wars, Kate's baking, Mel having us check the mail several times a day for her mission call, our secret mission to deliver a picture frame to Mel at the MTC the day she left for Montana, Mr. Snip-It, seeing Karen at the airport on her way to Argentina, scrapbooking, listening to Conference on the lawn at Temple Square the first time they showed a movie during conference, Becca A always stressing out over everything, Becca A always willing to edit my papers, school always getting in the way of fun time, Becca C always coming in our freshman dorm and pretending to pass out on the bed because of the drama in her life, picnic at the Brown House at the beginning of the school year, weekly baptisms at the Provo Temple, walks with Karen (weren't those the best pancakes?=)), driving to Arizona/ASU with Becky, San Diego, Mel's Farewell, Karen's party in a box for my birthday over the summer, visiting my sister in LA and always stopping in the Vegas buffets on the way, Becky and I starting our teaching/nursing programs at the same time, driving back and forth from Provo to the Bay Area with Becky every fall and summer, Tom coming out to visit us in California, Andrea's shoe parking, Testing Center, Becca A transcribing, Missionary Prep class with Brother Bott, Tetris Wars, Karen's Jesus picture falling off the wall in the middle of her telling a huge whopper of a lie...

I could go on and on we had so much fun - but I think the best times we had were all the times we spent just hanging out and playing around at home (especially when we were supposed to be studying).  Love you guys!!!  

 

The Real Us...

Congratulations if you made it this far through the post!!!  What are some of your favorite college memories?  Or what are some of your favorite memories of Tom or I?

* Lucky Number 7 *

Last week we celebrated our 7th anniversary!!! Since we were both born on the 7th in '77, and knew each other 7 years before we were married - we get excited over any #7 thing.  To celebrate we went to one of our favorite places - New York City.  

     It was a great time of year to go with signs of of spring and new life overtaking all the ravaging effects of winter.  We drove to Staten Island, took the Staten Island Ferry into Manhattan, and headed to Central Park.  We love the diversity of things to do and see there, not to mention all the views of a big city surrounding you while in a quiet park.  As many times as we have gone to Central Park - we always find something new.  It's an amazing place.   

     Later in the day we decided to go to the MET (Metropolitan Museum of Art).  We had never been since we aren't really museum people, but we really enjoyed it (enough to think about going back). It had more than just art - there were great exhibits from all over the world - one of our favorites was a complete tomb and temple brought over from Egypt.

     After the MET we went to Serendipity 3 - probably our favorite restaurant in NYC (although it's so hard to choose a favorite with so many good ones to choose from.)  I always get the Haight-Ashbury - a turkey, avocado, and sprout sandwich on rye topped with muenster cheese and a side of russian dressing.  I LOVE IT!!  Tom usually orders something new every time as there are a million things on the menu to choose from.  And of course no trip to Serendipity is complete without a Frozen Hot Chocolate.  It's our favorite treat!

     After dinner we headed to Times Square to enjoy the lights and bizarre sights that are always there.  Tom had to have a chicken kabob before we left - that's definately his favorite New York thing.

     We debated staying late for a show when we found out that they've made Shrek into a musical, but since we had to go back to work the next day we decided we better head home.  But as always finding something new that we don't have time for on that trip just gives us incentive to go back again soon!

     Below are some of our favorite parts of our NYC trip...

    

     Since 7 is our lucky number, and we reached our 7th anniversary - it's made us stop and think about all the things that we've been through and accomplished in the last 7 years.  

Here's our Top 7 - 

1. Getting married in the San Diego Temple.

2. Graduating, leaving Utah, and moving across country to Maryland.

3. Tom being self-employed as a Financial Planner and Andrea      becoming an RN.

4. Buying our first house.

5. Helping our inner city branch become a ward. 

6. Traveling near and far.  Our favorites so far are Bermuda, Israel,      New York City and San Diego.  

7. Making it this far and looking forward to the next seven...

Cherry Blossom Festival

After living on the east coast for seven years 

we finally decided to go to the 

Cherry Blossom Festival in D.C.  

The Cherry Blossoms were everywhere - 

announcing spring and warmer weather 

are finally here!!!  

From Jefferson Memorial there were 

Cherry Blossoms as far as the eye could see 

surrounding the Washington Monument, 

the White House and the Tidal Basin.

Cherry Blossoms up close and personal.

Although harder to find the Magnolias 

were even more impressive than the Cherry Blossoms.