Katja's visit part 1

Katja was a German exchange student who stayed with us for six weeks for those of you who haven't heard about her yet. Well, in this first picture we're in Knoxville with Katja and Kristy.

From left to right:  Abby, Katja, Kristy, Tessa.  We're walking downtown Knoxville.

Katja's first volleyball game with the Lady Warriors!  Go Lady Warriors!!!!!

Making Spätzle (a German noodle.)  It was extremely cool!

We went to Washington, DC for the rally.  It was really cool hearing Glen Beck and Sarah Palin!

This was as close as we could get to the Lincoln Memorial.  It was a dum idea to try and get that close.  Trust me!

Isn't Katja pretty?

I love this picture of Katja and the Washington Monument and the Reflecting Pool!

Okay now this is a VERY interesting story!  My brother had an army friend who was in the hospital in DC and we were going to visit him.  So, we got on a bus and asked a bunch of poeple if they knew which stop we had to get off at.  Let's just say they weren't very helpful.  One said this and the other said that and so on ans so forth.  Finally the hospital's name came over the speakers and we thought "Yes!" and we got off.  You want to know what?  WE GOT OFF AT THE GATE THAT WAS CLOSED ON WEEKENDS!  So we start lugging our chairs up the hill to find another gate.  Well, this guy in a 1980 something Mercedes and asks if we were at the rally.  We say yes and tell him we're trying to find the open gate.  So, he said that we'd never make it and to climb in.  And, of course, we all pile in.  My dad jumped in the front and the rest of us climbed in the back.  Okay, imagine playing twister with four people in the back of a car with a bunch of chairs.  That's what it looked like.  I'm on my mom's lap, legs everywhere.  Katja's squeezed against us and Mike, my brother climbs in.  HE CAN'T CLOSE THE DOOR!  Then this guy decides he's going to give us a tour too!  Finally we get to the gate and the guard asks for the parents IDs and mom tries to reach her backback which was under me, two chairs, and who knows how many legs!  The guard looks in, looks at the ID, looks back in and says: "What you trying to do?  Play Twister in the back seat?"  Needless to say, I'm still laughing about it!

Then after we visited we walked out and walked up to two police men and this black guy.  We told them all about getting picked up by this random guy and they laughed thinking it was a joke and we asked them where the metro station was.  After talking for a bit he offered to take us to the metro in his new white van that he transported the veterans in.  He informed us that we could only use it if this was "Official Government Business."  We told him it was official government business (with our fingers crossed) and we drove on.  He was SO funny!  We got two rides in one day.  One in the lapse of luxury and the other--not so much!  LOL  This would only happen to MY family!  :)

For this trip we stayed at my Uncle Mike and Aunt Mary's house (right) and hung out with my Aunt Pat (left.)

I love this picture of the Washington Monument.  So pretty reflecting in the reflecting pool!