A 4th of July Surprise


Every time Anna, Theresa, and Joe visit Ohio, they can count on Uncle Rod to say the same thing: "I'm going to come out your way for a visit soon." Theresa is always quick to remind Uncle Rod that in the 11 years since she left Ohio, he has only come to visit twice: for Theresa and Joe's wedding and after Anna was born (both trips involved coming with Grandma and Grandpa). You can imagine the shock and awe that Theresa was in when Uncle Rod called and announced that he and his girlfriend Courtney were coming out for July 4th weekend.
Uncle Rod at an art museum
While this event in itself was unprecedented, there was more. Rod called two weeks in advance AND took a day off work (Rod usually only plans hours in advance at best and is only known to take days off work to attend the Mopar Nationals). The entire family is stunned by this development, which can only be attributable to the good influence of Courtney.
Theresa remained disbelieving until July 2 when Rod showed up on her doorstep. Thus began a busy July 4th weekend. Rod and Courtney could not have picked a nicer July 4th weekend to visit as the weather was an unprecedented 80 degrees (normally it is 100 degrees with 90 percent humidity). Theresa took Rod and Courtney sightseeing on July 3. In another amazing turn of events, Theresa witnessed Rod spend 1 1/2 hours at the National Gallery of Art with no complaints (there were not even any car pictures on display). Joe and Anna hit the neighborhood swimming pool. That evening, Uncle Rod took Anna to the playground, which she was quite excited about.

July 4th arrived and the family headed to Fairfax for the 4th of July parade. This is always a big event with many people staking out their seats the night before. The parad itself lasted for 1 hour and 45 minutes with practically every fire engine in Fairfax County somewhere in the parade. The highlight for Anna was the Thomas the Train balloon. The highlight for Mom is always the Librarian Book Cart Drill team (you have to see it to appreciate it - they really do have a routine with book carts). The crowd favorite was the shriners with the little cars along with the guys picking up behind the horses. The parade is followed by an Old Fashion Fireman Day, complete with all the local fire departments competing against each other, and spraying the crowd in the process. We headed back to the house so Anna could take a nap and Joe took Rod and Courtney to the festival in Vienna, complete with a carshow (Rod needed to get back to his people after a day at the art museum). After a cookout with Aiden, Sue and Zaki, Rod & Courtney headed downtown for the fireworks on the Mall. Sue and Zaki went home and Joe and Theresa headed to Fairfax with Anna to watch the fireworks. This turned out to be a mistake as Anna started crying as soon as the first firework went off, resulting in a quick exit by Joe and Theresa.

Anna & Aiden on July 4th

The final day of the weekend included more sightseeing by Rod and Courtney, who hit the Tourmobile to maximize their time. That evening they were joined by Theresa's friends Rose & Mike and their daughter Robin who were visiting from Delaware. Robin and Anna are the same age and had a great time playing, especially with Uncle Rod who chased them and played hide and seek (it was quite a sight to see Uncle Rod hiding in Anna's Dora tent).

Rod and Courtney returned to Ohio on Monday.
Robin, Rose, Theresa & Anna

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