Christmas in Alexandria

This last week has begun to feel more and more like Christmas should. The weather dipped into the 30's (that was the high on most days) and we brought the decorations out of storage. We attended our first holiday party of the year on Thursday night at the firm of Quinn Gillespsie and Associates. One of the associates happens to be a good friend and I've had the opportunity to work with many of the people there over the years. We had a great time and enjoyed catching up with people over mini hotdogs and hamburgers. The National Christmas tree was also lit that night but it was too cold for us to walk down and see it. Friday night we went to a movie and afterwards decorated our tree. It didn't take long to find the right one since it's only 2 feet tall and was in our attic. Maybe next year we'll try the real thing (doubt it). So, 15 mins later we had it unpacked, decorated, and set on one of our end tables. We left the music on a little longer just to get through the rest of the playlist we had going. All in all, we had a good time and we are now ready for Santa to visit (look for our placemark on Google Earth).

Caribbean vacation

November 27-29, 2006
Somehow I got lucky, or maybe I'm just living right (patience has it's virtues), because i was able to accompany Allison's uncle Chris and his son, CJ, to St. Thomas, USVI, for three days. CJ moved down there to work for 6 months as a crew member of a parasailling business, and asked for someone to go with him as he moved down there and got things set up. It just so happened that my good friends, Dave and Lynlee Boyd, had just moved down there this last summer as Dave was stationed there by the FBI. It also just worked out that CJ would be living in the same part of the island as the Boyds. Being the good cousin-in-law that I am, I went down there to make sure they could meet - and also to help CJ get settled. Everything seemed to work out perfectly. We got to spend some time with the Boyd's (they live 1.5 miles from eachother). We got CJ settled in and supplied. Uncle Chris and I even had time to take the ferry to St. John and spend the morning before heading back to the continent (local terminology for those of us in the states). I can't wait to take Allison back.

Thanksgiving in Dixie

November 21-26, 2006
This year we spent our first Thanksgiving together with some of my family in Alabama. My dad surprised my Mom and sister, Jen, by flying her in early for the holiday. Jen's husband, Darin, and her almost two year old son, Gavin, came the same day we arrived. We flew into Atlanta, rented a car, and drove into town. The weather was beautiful during the day and cooled off at night. We had some great games of pictionary, a family favorite and holiday must-play-game, that saw match-ups of couples and then men v. women. Al and I got a little lucky and won the couples game and a couple days later I happened to champion the men to victory as well. I'm sure there will be a rematch sometime soon. As for now, the men hold a two match winning streak.


Thanksgiving was amazing. We ejoyed great food and shared a lot of stories. Lil Gavin was the center of everyone's attention as he was into everything. We also got to spend Friday with Grandma Brown and Carpie, my mom's sister, in Atlanta. Everyone had a nice visit and Grandma looked really well.

Saturday saw the long awaited golf match between Tyler and his arch foe, Dad. Darin participated in the action but was never really in contention for the coveted prize, the Golden Putter, but still enjoyed the round. Dad played well, even pulling one stroke ahead on the first nine, but he couldn't stop the train from coming down the tracks and gave up that stroke, plus a few extra, as he lost the match AND the putter. I had to get it specially wrapped at the airport to bring it home. Allison just rolled her eyes.

Mid-Term Elections . . . ouch.

November 3-8, 2006
The mid-term elections are never really that big of a deal because not much ever happens. Except this time. As a faithful appointee I saved up annual leave, signed with the RNC to be deployed, and left my new wife for 5 days to go support the cause. It's kind of a fun time because it can be exciting to see where you get sent. I wanted to go somewhere I had not spent much time before but I also wanted to be with people I knew and enjoyed being around. A friend of mine who helped me find a role during the 2004 convention in NYC introduced me to a great group of people. Much of this group ended up going to Wisconsin a couple months later. After that we became part of what was to be called Team Lampkin. We ended up staying in touch the last couple of years and when the chance to go to Ohio with Team Lampkin came along, I couldn't say no. We were sent to Columbus to help the state wide and local candidates turn back the Democrat tide. It turned out to be a tsunami. I can't say the GOTV/72hr program was all that great this time but, regardless, we got spanked pretty bad. Not only in Ohio, but nation-wide. I feel bad for my brethren on the Hill who are now looking for work, but it's not like there won't be another big election in two years where everything could change again. I was just glad to come home to my lovely bride.