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Leady's Lessons Column

A Mother's March

by Kim Leady

Four lists of things to see, a set of Grandparents, one friend, and a two-bedroom hotel suite can make for an interesting trip.

My husband had a two week training session in Washington DC. Since we had done this trip before I decided this trip needed to be different, throw a little spice in the mix, if you will. This is how the set of Grandparents, the boys' best friend, Travis, and the four lists of things to do came into the mix.

Being the analytical, organized person that I am, I, of course, set out to make plans.

The Grandparents were only going to be with us for the first four days, so naturally I started with their requests. They wanted to see whatever their Grandsons wanted to see. However, if there was time, they also wanted to see the Lincoln and Washington Monuments, the Reflection Pool, the White House, and oh yeah, the Smithsonian.

While I started conspiring on how I was going to accomplish this without putting them in the hospital, I smiled at my mother and said, "No problem, but you know the Smithsonian is made up of thirteen museums."

For those who have never had the opportunity to visit our great Nation's Capital, saying there is a lot of walking involved is an understatement.

Next, I interrogated Travis. He obviously had thought about this because he quickly spouted off all the things the Grandparents wanted to see, plus the Arlington Cemetery, the Capital, the Mint, the Air and Space Museum and he wanted not only to see the White House, he wondered if maybe we could tour it also.

No problem.

The next person was my husband. He replied, "I want to see the Air and Space Museum and a lighthouse. And could you take the boys to the Model Battleship Rally taking place outside Baltimore. It's during the week so I'm not going to get to go, but I'm sure the boys will like it and they can check it out for me."

Sure honey, no problem.

I could see this was going to call for what my boys call my DRILL SERGEANT mode - up, fed, and out the door by seven o'clock.

The first three days of the two week march had us riding a trolley with horrible exhaust to ease the walking for the Grandparents and taking in the awesome night vistas of the Lincoln Monument and the other monuments around that area. Oh, and we must not forget the tennis match between the Grandparents and with their Grandsons at the hotel.

This little activity caused the boys to inform their Grandparents of how surprised they were the 'old folks' could walk much less play tennis after spending a day marching under their mother's orders. Don't I have great kids?

Even after their Grandsons' compliment on their stamina, the Grandparents went AWOL one day early due to rain.

In Baltimore at the Battleship Rally, there were more than just BBS being fired through the air. In the car I had three teenage admirals, two maps, and directions being fired at me from all sides with sporadic yelling from my oldest that he wanted to get his hands on the guy who plotted out the city's streets.

Back in DC, our tour of the White House called for a four o'clock reveille in order to stand in line for three hours since we didn't have advance tickets. And much to my surprise, the tour actually went off without hitch. However, I must admit, as we drew closer to the guardhouse security checks, I began having flashbacks. The first time I went through this with my boys, five years ago, we were pulled off to the side by security. They had been interested in the compass and flashlight that were in my backpack, both of which my Cub Scout sons thought we might need while traipsing around DC. Only after they had taken these items apart and had made the boys explain in their excited young voices why they needed those things to keep their mother from getting lost did they let us continue with the tour.

We were now getting close to the end of our march and I was down to the fourth list - my list. You see, not only do I write this column; I also write books and currently am working on a story that takes place in D.C. So, on my list was a spot I needed to check out for a murder scene in my book.
The following morning while researching this spot for the murder scene, a man whose appearance screamed Secret Service, right down to the thing in his ear, showed up and began to follow us. I don't know how he found us or why he thought we were interesting. I mean we were standing in the pouring rain, taking pictures of the surrounding area, and talking about my plot…murder. Perhaps the rumor is true; they do have high power microphones EVERYWHERE.






					Leady's Lessons Column A Mother's March by Kim Leady Four lists of things to see, a set of Grandparents, one friend, and a two-bedroom hotel suite can make for an interesting trip. My husband had a two week training session in Washington DC. Since we had done this trip before I decided this trip needed to be different, throw a little spice in the mix, if you will. This is how the set of Grandparents, the boys' best friend, Travis, and the four lists of things to do came into the mix. Being the analytical, organized person that I am, I, of course, set out to make plans. The Grandparents were only going to be with us for the first four days, so naturally I started with their requests. They wanted to see whatever their Grandsons wanted to see. However, if there was time, they also wanted to see the Lincoln and Washington Monuments, the Reflection Pool, the White House, and oh yeah, the Smithsonian. While I started conspiring on how I was going to accomplish this without putting them in the hospital, I smiled at my mother and said, "No problem, but you know the Smithsonian is made up of thirteen museums." For those who have never had the opportunity to visit our great Nation's Capital, saying there is a lot of walking involved is an understatement. Next, I interrogated Travis. He obviously had thought about this because he quickly spouted off all the things the Grandparents wanted to see, plus the Arlington Cemetery, the Capital, the Mint, the Air and Space Museum and he wanted not only to see the White House, he wondered if maybe we could tour it also. No problem. The next person was my husband. He replied, "I want to see the Air and Space Museum and a lighthouse. And could you take the boys to the Model Battleship Rally taking place outside Baltimore. It's during the week so I'm not going to get to go, but I'm sure the boys will like it and they can check it out for me." Sure honey, no problem. I could see this was going to call for what my boys call my DRILL SERGEANT mode - up, fed, and out the door by seven o'clock. The first three days of the two week march had us riding a trolley with horrible exhaust to ease the walking for the Grandparents and taking in the awesome night vistas of the Lincoln Monument and the other monuments around that area. Oh, and we must not forget the tennis match between the Grandparents and with their Grandsons at the hotel. This little activity caused the boys to inform their Grandparents of how surprised they were the 'old folks' could walk much less play tennis after spending a day marching under their mother's orders. Don't I have great kids? Even after their Grandsons' compliment on their stamina, the Grandparents went AWOL one day early due to rain. In Baltimore at the Battleship Rally, there were more than just BBS being fired through the air. In the car I had three teenage admirals, two maps, and directions being fired at me from all sides with sporadic yelling from my oldest that he wanted to get his hands on the guy who plotted out the city's streets. Back in DC, our tour of the White House called for a four o'clock reveille in order to stand in line for three hours since we didn't have advance tickets. And much to my surprise, the tour actually went off without hitch. However, I must admit, as we drew closer to the guardhouse security checks, I began having flashbacks. The first time I went through this with my boys, five years ago, we were pulled off to the side by security. They had been interested in the compass and flashlight that were in my backpack, both of which my Cub Scout sons thought we might need while traipsing around DC. Only after they had taken these items apart and had made the boys explain in their excited young voices why they needed those things to keep their mother from getting lost did they let us continue with the tour. We were now getting close to the end of our march and I was down to the fourth list - my list. You see, not only do I write this column; I also write books and currently am working on a story that takes place in D.C. So, on my list was a spot I needed to check out for a murder scene in my book. The following morning while researching this spot for the murder scene, a man whose appearance screamed Secret Service, right down to the thing in his ear, showed up and began to follow us. I don't know how he found us or why he thought we were interesting. I mean we were standing in the pouring rain, taking pictures of the surrounding area, and talking about my plot…murder. Perhaps the rumor is true; they do have high power microphones EVERYWHERE.









All content copyright 2008, Kim Leady