Woodbridge, VA (USA)

Mollie and I ate breakfast after she woke up (0900) and then we cleaned up the apartment.  Mollie watched Netflix shows for most of the morning and ate a late lunch.  At some point, Mollie convinced her mother to let us borrow Frosty for the night.  At about 1400, we went to get him and then we spent time with him at my apartment.  I got ready to go down to Woodbridge to watch the CFP Semifinal game and for a New Year’s Eve Party and made sure that Mollie was OK staying at home with the cat.  After I left (1445), she contacted me (text, phone) about strange noises in the apartment above and because the wireless router kept failing (I helped her fix it over the phone).  She made herself dinner without incident.  Meanwhile, I went to the party with Kelly (1730) and checked in on Mollie every hour or so.  Because of the bad cell signal where I was, Mollie used Instagram, Snapchat (Kelly's) and Facebook IM to keep in touch with me.  She seemed to enjoy herself and so did I.  Stayed at the Brew Republic New Year's Eve party until after midnight and then drove home (arrived at 0100) to find that Mollie had just gone to bed.

Alexandria, VA (USA)

I teleworked in the morning while Mollie slept until 0900.  I called Jerome "Buddie" Ford Nature Center to get Mollie signed up as a volunteer (we'd researched this previously but never been able to make it happen).  The call was relatively successful but I wasn't sure if Mollie would actually be allowed.  Mollie read and watched YouTube videos until noon and then we ate lunch.  We cleaned up the apartment afterwards (especially Christmas decorations) and later ran several errands.  At Mollie's request, we drove to Nicky's to pick up their dog, Bear.  We took him on a walk at Huntley Meadows, starting at 1515.  It was fun to hang out with Bear but he proved he had not received much training - he even had trouble with other dogs and got off the leash once.  I was concerned because Nicky had hesitated to let us take him...  When we were done (1630), we dropped off Bear at his house and went shopping.  We were home by 1715 and we ate dinner by candlelight.  We watched movies until bed time (2200).

Great Falls, VA (USA)

Weather wasn't cooperating, but we decided not to stay inside. Instead, we drove to Great Falls National Park for some exercise and nature. Our adventure started on the Virginia side of the Potomac. First, we got a stamp for Mollie's National Park Passport book. We then hiked north to the aqueduct dam (near Riverbend Park). The highlight of the morning was watching several brave kayakers riding the falls (wow!). We took a break from hiking to eat lunch with my friend from work, Ramesh B., and his wife at the Saffron Grill (starting at 1215).  It was a very nice meal and we had some great conversation.  Afterwards, we got gas in Herndon (1355) and headed across the Potomac.  We stopped at Clara Barton's house (closed for renovation) and Glen Echo Park (more passport stamps). We rounded out our day with a visit to the C&O Canal site on the Maryland portion of Great Falls National Park. This allowed us to take a pleasant walk on the boardwalk trail out to a vista that was directly across the Falls from the trail we'd hiked in the morning. We also walked down the C&O until we reached the highly touted Billy Goat Trail. It lived up to the hype, for sure, in rock scrambles and views of the river. We followed the blue blazes until we encountered a nearly vertical climb about halfway around the island. Faced with diminishing sunlight, we took a shortcut through the woods to avoid the climb. We later saw a sign that said "Copperhead Nesting Area" (!). We had completed about half of the trail when we reached the C&O again. Lived through the danger and arrived at our car just as the sun was setting. Back at my apartment, I cooked dinner (baked potatoes and fruit) while we watched movies.  By 2215, we were both tired and went to our rooms to read; sleep soon afterwards.  Another great day outside with Mollie!

Washington, DC (USA)

I teleworked in the morning.  Surprisingly, Mollie was up by 0830 and we ate breakfast together.  Mollie rested for most of the morning but also took all the ornaments off the Christmas Tree.  She also made us lunch (rice with steak and potatoes poured over, apples).  I then teleworked again while Mollie did chores and read for most of the rest of the afternoon.  I went into the city in the late afternoon (1615) and Mollie stayed home.  Met Kelly at 1831 Bar and Lounge at Dupont Center (1645).  More people showed up later: Joe R., Trinka, Stephanie, Jens, Kuldeep, Kim.  We stayed until 1945 and I helped Kelly retrieve her car from the parking garage (2000).  I then took her to Van Dorn, where she caught an Uber home.  I drove home after that.  I had been checking on Mollie all night and when I got home (2130), I found her watching "The Patriot".  I opened up her Christmas gift for me (winter hats with head-lamps for hiking).  Bed time was around 2300.

Front Royal, VA (USA)

Mollie got up earlier so we could go on a day trip.  After breakfast, we headed to Manassas Battlefield so Mollie could get a stamp for her National Park Passport Book.  The temperatures were almost 60 degrees.  After we walked around a bit near the Visitors Center, we drove to Shenandoah National Park, entering at around 1130.  Mollie had actually requested a hike and I was happy to oblige. It was great to be back on the trail after several months recovering from a minor surgical procedure. I chose to connect a section in the Southern District where I'd been before because I knew Mollie would like the distance, the climb and the view. And I was right... We first ate a picnic lunch at a stop along Skyline Drive and then parked at m/m 87.4 (Blackrock Gap) to begin our hike. We had a nice day with a warm sun on our shoulders and a cool breeze coming up from the valley below. Mollie clambered happily on the jagged rocks at the summit (yikes!) and then we headed down again. We logged almost 2.5 miles and then drove along about 40 miles of Skyline Drive before heading back to civilization. Just as we left the park, Mollie spotted a baby bear along the side of US-211 - we were able to see it up really close and took plenty of pictures. We drove to Front Royal (via a drive by of the Smithsonian Zoo Property) and we explored the old part of town.  Ate a good dinner at El Maguey Mexican Bar & Grill in Front Royal (finished at 1700) before driving home. We enjoyed seeing the Manassas Christmas Lights along the side of the highway as we passed them on I-66.  After we reached my apartment, we watched movies ("Emperor's Club" & "Little Women").  Bed was around 2300.  It was a great day outdoors! AT Today = 1.20 miles / Grand Total AT = 824.88 miles

Washington, DC (USA)

I had the day off from work, which meant that Mollie and I could spend some more time together.  When she got up (0930), we ate an early lunch and we packed up snacks for a day in DC.  We arrived at 1115 and parked near Union Station.  We first visited the Smithsonian National Postal Museum.  Mollie designed a stamp and started a new stamp collection there.  At around 1345, we rode the Metro to Gallery Place and toured the Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery for the first time.  We marveled at the Presidential portraits at our second. We also saw some amazing scenic panoramas of mountains and lakes (many that I'd hiked near over the last few years).  By 1530, we took the Metro to Woodley Park and walked to the Smithsonian National Zoo.  We had a light snack that we'd brought and then went to see the four Giant Pandas.  Most of the other animal exhibits were closed but we enjoyed a few exhibits until the Zoo Lights began.  Mollie and I love this event and always make sure to arrive an hour early so we get to see the animals before most of the the exhibits close. The colorful lights were a big highlight, as usual... It was very crowded this year, so we didn't stay late. At 1730, we walked back to Metro and took the Red Line to Union Station.  We then enjoyed another one of our Daddy-Daughter traditions with dinner at Thunder Grill.  We were finished at 1915 and drove home.  We watched movies ("Raiders of the Lost Ark") at my apartment and went to bed at 2230

Mason Neck, VA (USA)

Mollie slept late, so I was able to fill up her stocking and clean up the apartment.  She was up by 1000 (and was surprised by her stocking) and we started opening presents.  We exchanged lots of photos and texts with the my sister and her family.  Mollie also received several phone calls from her mother and her sisters.  We made brunch (scrambled eggs, bacon, bagels) and had a nice time talking.  I later dropped Mollie off at Nicky's (1200) for gift exchange and she returned at 1315.  Mollie told me about the great Christmas gift exchange at her mother's house and she also brought more Christmas Tree ornaments and hung them on our tree.  We watched "The Santa Clause".  Afterwards, we drove to Mason Neck and went on a nature walk at the NWR.  It was pleasant and we had more nice conversation.  We arrived home around 1730 and ate dinner.  We watched various clips and shorts related to Christmas until the quiet was interrupted by four fire trucks in my apartment complex (small fire with sprinkler deployment).  After the excitement was over, we made Christmas calls (1930) to Dad and Beth, my sister and her family and then Bonnie and Kathy.  Mollie cleaned the dishes and we continued relaxing, resting and chatting until about 2130, when we both headed to bed to read and relax. Sleep came soon after that...

Springfield, VA (USA)

Mollie slept late, so I did some shopping for stocking stuffers and Christmas Dinner food.  When I got home, I ate a late breakfast with Mollie and we watched another movie ("Avengers: Civil War").  She next watched "We Bought a Zoo" while I decorated the dinner table and started cooking for Christmas Eve dinner.  My friend, Kelly, had asked if she could bring her kids with us to Mass and Mollie helped me pick one of the Children's Masses in the afternoon.  I invited the kids over for dinner, too.  At 1545, I ran some errands.  Kelly and the kids arrived while I was gone and Mollie entertained them.  We finished cooking when I returned and played a board game ("Clue").  Then we all got dressed up and went to Mass (St. Raymond of Penafort) at 1800.  Afterwards, we returned to the apartment and ate dinner (shrimp fettuccini, broccoli, rolls, pumpkin bars).  We watched the beginning of "Saving Santa" with Kelly and her kids until they left 2030.  Mollie and I finished the movie after cleaning up the dishes.  I was planning to take her to Midnight Mass but we were both too tired (we ended up going to bed at 2200).

Egg Harbor, NJ (USA)

[ate breakfast in the early AM - left while still dark (some light rain) - US-40 to I-95 (Delaware River at 0805) - weather much nicer (warm) - US-301 to US-50 and I-495 - parked at Branch Avenue Metro Station and went into the office (working from 1030 until 1600) - took Green Line back to my car and proceeded towards home - Kelly told me to come down in her direction for dinner with her neighbor so I got some very overpriced gas in Alexandria (1650) and drove to Woodbridge via US-1 (messy traffic) and I-95 (worse) and back roads to Kelly's neighborhood (arriving at 1730) - we went next door and had a really nice time with her friends, Ashley and James (who was in the same squadron as I was - a few years apart) - watched TV with Kelly afterwards and stayed until about 1045 - then drove home and went to bed]

Egg Harbor, NJ (USA)

[left house around 0545 - gas fillup in Alexandria (0600) - drove to Egg Harbor via I-495, US-50 (Bay Bridge at 0645), US-301 to DE-71, DE-72, DE-1 to I-95 - crossed Delaware River and then got on US-40 until reaching the customer site (school buses on the way - grrr...) - met up with Steve C. first and then visited one of my customers (1000-1115) - then Steve drove me to the company holiday party at Blue Heron Pines Country Club in Galloway - I made remarks for my bosses and helped with award presentations - finished around 1345 and then retrieved my car - drove over to see Otto and his team at the Human Factors Lab - got a tour and met more customers and employees - finished up at around 1600 - headed to my hotel and worked for a few more hours - tried to coordinate a meet up with my old client (Sharon) but she cancelled at the last minute - fortunately, the hotel hosted a night with Carluccio's food - it was only supposed to be "samples" but the hostess gave me extra food! - did more work in my room until bed around 2200]

Washington, DC (USA)

[work - drinks with Sean at Scarlet Oak at Navy Yard (finished at 1800)]

Dale City, VA (USA)

[Kelly made us breakfast and we watched a movie - I tried to fix Aidan's bike (no luck) - we went shopping at Target (Christmas gifts) before eating lunch at El Charro in Dale City (finished at 1445) - back at her house, we set up decorations and watched football - I drove home at around 1715, getting gas on the way (1730)]

Woodbridge, VA (USA)

[met Kelly at Sine' Irish Pub (Pentagon Row) for drinks and a light dinner (arrived at 1555) - left around 1900 and drove down to Woodbridge - we watched football and had drinks at Brew Republic until almost closing time (2245) - watched a movie ("Smila's Sense of Snow") at Kelly's house - crashed on her couch for the night]

Arlington, VA (USA)

[work - Holiday Pot Luck (White Elephant Gift Exchange) - crashed Cobec party (Atousa, Nouri, Kathy T.) - took Metro to Clarendon for Young Professionals mixer at Fire Works Pizza (stayed until 2030) - took a long time to get home on Metro]

Arlington, VA (USA)

[work - saw Kelly, Joe and Stephanie at CPK (nice) - Frat House party (from 1800 until about 2100)]

Springfield, VA (USA)

[work in DC - went to ATCA Holiday Open House on King Street (Old Town) at around noon - finished and went shopping at Pauline Books (1345) for Advent Calendar - headed home (via Metro) to finish my day (telework) before the Company Holiday Party at Dave & Busters (Springfield) - drove Colin to Franconia-Springfield Metro - home by 2030]

Chantilly, VA (USA)

[drove to Chantilly (Westfields) for early morning (0630) work - coaching with Kim N. (finished at 0900) - took US-29 through Manassas Battlefield - late breakfast (McDonalds), gas fillup in Gainesville (0930) - drove to Vint Hill to meet with Brian and Allison (1000-1200) - later talked to Tracy - headed back to Alexandria - lunch on the way (Popeye's - 1330) - got Invisalign at Dentist (1400-1500) - headed home for telework for a few hours - got dressed and drove to Huntington Metro Station - dinner with large group (farewell for Dan G.) at Neramitra Thai Cuisine in Crystal City (1800-2145) - home on Metro (loooong delay) - bed]

Nanjemoy, MD (USA)

I made us breakfast and we got ready for our now annual trip to pick up a Christmas Tree from my friend's (Bob T.'s) farm in Maryland.  We left the house at around 1000 and drove to Nanjemoy.  This was the third year we'd visited and Mollie knew exactly how to pick a good tree.  While waiting for our turn, we had some hot chocolate being brewed on a big fire.  The experience was great and we were on our way again by 1245.  We stopped for lunch (KFC) near Indian Head on the way back (1320).  From 1400 until 1600, we decorated the tree and the house, playing music and having fun.  Mollie then got ready for her sleepover at Katie's.  We went to Mass (St. Lawrence) and then I dropped her off at the party (1800).  I went to visit my friend, Bob, and then spent the rest of the evening working on my Christmas cards.

Arlington, VA (USA)

[work - happy hour with Sean, Rachel and Alex (plus his clients) - took my leave round 1710 - took Metro to Crystal City and met Kelly, Jim R., Joey and his sister at Ruths Chris (11th Floor) - just missed Mel D. - stayed very late (past 2230) with Joey and Uber to National Airport - bed very late]

Arlington, VA (USA)

[work - happy hour at Sehkraft Brewing near Clarendon Metro Station - met with Joey and his old contract team - Sabrina there too - finished at 1900]

Woodbridge, VA (USA)

[drove to Kelly's around 1100 - helped her cook food for the brunch (for Joey) - stayed until end of the Redskins game and then drove home]

Woodbridge, VA (USA)

[left my house at 1430, bound for Woodbridge - picked up package for Kelly at Amazon Locker (first time) in Lorton - met Kelly at her house and then went with her (1530) to Brew Republic for happy hour and football - later, her friends arrived and we ate and drank during a live band performance and ugly sweater contest (Emma picked one out for me in advance) - Kelly and I stayed for several hours after, leaving after last call at 2330 - I drove her home and then I returned to Alexandria]

Chantilly, VA (USA)

[drove early to Chantilly (Westfields for computer help and Centerview for team building meeting) - after we were done (1400), I went to Dulles Town Center Walmart for new tires (Explorer) - it took so long that I ended up working at Chick-fil-A (bought drink at 1445) - finished with all Walmart activity at 1845 (whew) - drove home and could really tell the difference with the traction]