Pandemic Week 101: Valentine's Day & the Army Museum

Happy Valentine's Day
The title of the post may be a bit misleading as we did not spend Valentine's Day at the army museum (although Joe may have considered that a very romantic gift).  The week began with Valentine's Day and ended with the army museum.  Maybe I should begin again.

Monday was Valentine's Day.  Joe treated Theresa & Anna to some beautiful flowers and cards.  Joe received some chocolate covered peanuts (his favorite) and a card.  Note there are no pictures of the peanuts as they were placed in a secure location.  Theresa made some heart cookies to share with the neighbors and the few people in the office.  Anna must have celebrated with her friends based on the number of candy wrappers Theresa found in her bedroom on Monday night.  It was not quite the same as exchanging valentines in elementary school, but it was a good reason to wear red.

Anna's big success for the week was making millionaire shortbread, complete with homemade caramel.  This was part of a school project in which she made the chemistry link to the caramel.  The best part was taking the treats to school (always helpful to have food when you do a school project).  

Anna's School Project
The grand finale of the week was a visit to the new National Museum of the U.S. Army located in Fort Belvoir, Virginia.  The museum opened a year ago and is really well done.  Visitors definitely gain an appreciation for the history and the contributions to science and engineering that the army made.  Like most Sunday outings with her parents, Anna was less than thrilled (we do think she secretly found some things interesting).  It was a nice outing for a winter day and good to get out as the Omicron variant subsides.  Perhaps it was fitting to visit the museum at a time when we are watching the happenings in the Ukraine.  We are keeping our fingers crossed that there will not be a need to expand an exhibit to incorporate a Ukraine section.

In other news of the week, Grandma & Grandpa celebrated their 49th wedding anniversary on February 17. Thanks to a winter storm, they limited their celebration to take-out from the local Mexican restaurant (that was definitely not in Paulding when they got married 49 years ago).  

Next week kicks off with another holiday - President's Day.  Anna and Theresa will enjoy a day off and 60- degree weather to honor the Presidents.  Happy President's Day!

The Army Museum

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