Bees, Philadelphia and DC

'Immersion' at the Guggenheim, NYC

2 weeks ago I spent thirty relaxing minutes staring at bees on a frame. At first there were just bees buzzing around the screen, then a head surged from the bottom of the picture, until finally a head covered with bees. This was the basis of the 'Immersion' exhibit by Mark Thompson at the famous Guggenheim museum in NYC.

This all came about when my mom and her dear friend Janie decided to make a trip out east to see this exhibit (since Janie's brother is the artist!) along with visiting Ben and I in Philly and then down to DC to see my sister Kata.

We were blessed with their 5 day visit here in this historic city. It was a fun weekend of sightseeing, good food and fun in Philly. We spent a day in NYC and then our last day together we went down to see Kata and her new stomping grounds in DC.

Here are a few pics from our time together. Thanks for the visit!


Kata and Toni at Rockefeller Center, NYC


Ben giving Janie and Mom a tour of Old City Philadelphia


Toni, Mom and Janie at Independence Hall


A day at Mount Vernon in Virginia

Ben's Birthday Party

This weekend we celebrated Ben's birthday with some close friends. Here are a few pics of the fun we had.


Spinning Ben for 'Pin the Tale on the Donkey'


Ben laughing at Jefta's misspelling of the German words for Happy Birthday!


The 'Birthday Prince' with his crown

A Day at the Zoo

The first warm day of the year is always exciting. It's kind of like Christmas when you were 6. So to celebrate a simple blessing like warmth we spent the afternoon at America's oldest animal farm: The Philadelphia Zoo. Toni's favorite was the red Panda, but Ben's partial to the big cats.

Kata also made it up for a night this weekend. Now that she lives in DC we are looking forward to seeing her a lot more!

R & R in Minnesota

This past week I was able to head home to Minnesota for a little R and R. It was nice to spend time with my parents and close friends.

Here are a few pictures from the week.

College Roommates at Becky's Baby Shower


At Cafe Latte with my Mom and In-Laws


To Dinner with High School Friends and our Moms


Celebrating Grandma's 85th Birthday in Rochester


Dinner & Games at Home with my Parents and Judson

The Super Bowl and Indulgences

The guys excited about a play

Since we all know that the Super Bowl is the year's biggest pagan holiday to consumerism (just barely beating out Post Thanksgiving Black Friday), we thought we would give in and worship the gods of Pepsi, Bud Light, Dove Soap, and grotesquely chiseled men in tights.

Here are a few pics of the party we threw.






Coffee and a Super Bowl cake after the game

Friday in DC

Lunch in Georgetown

Ben & I spent an evening in DC last week. It looks like my sister Kata will be living there for a few months while working at the Children's Hospital so we went down to check out her new digs in NW DC. Then we headed south to the so called National Harbor to have dinner with Ben's brother and wife. We were a bit shocked by the sculpture "The Awakening", a five-piece, cast aluminum sculpture more than 70 feet in length and approximately 15 feet at its highest point.

On the docks at the National Harbor


"The Awakening"

Pizza, Games and Dinosaurs

Over the long Martin Luther King weekend our friends Silas and Laura visited us to renew our infamous Rook card game rivalry, mutually complain about the poor life decisions Silas and Ben choose when they pursued graduate studies, and check out Greenwich Village and the dinosaurs in NYC.

Thanks for the visit!

Making our Favorite Margherita Pizza at Home


In the Dinosaur room at The American Museum of Natural History


The typical roof shot with everyone who visits us :)