Tag Archives: cluster meeting

White House Tour 2011

This year instead of snow, we had rain on our White House tour day.  But, it was still a great day to get a peak inside this fantastic building. In addition to the usual sights, we were able to see one of the rooms set up for a Super Bowl Party. I thought the choice of colors (a lot of pink) seemed a bit off for the Super Bowl. Maybe they just wanted to be careful not to take sides.

Since no photos are allowed inside, here are a few nice ones from outside. Not everyone from our group is pictured. This is as many as I could gather together for a group photo, standing in the cold and rain waiting outside. Special thanks to the office of Senator Ben Cardin, for assisting with our tour request and to my son, RJ for photography assistance.

Click on any of the pictures, to see it full size in our Cluster Photobucket Album.

http://gi90.photobucket.com/groups/k241/HRK5K1A3T2/WhiteHouse4.jpg

Outdoor Ice Skating

We had a wonderful time at the cluster meeting on Sunday! More than 20 au pairs from our cluster (and a few more friends) tried out ice skating at this new skating rink in downtown Silver Spring.  The facility was beautiful, well-maintained and the people working there provided excellent, courteous service. I would recommend it to anyone who wants to try out ice skating outdoors.  Silver Spring Ice Skating at Veteran’s Plaza 

Here are a few photos:

          

  

Naval Academy Football Game

 On Saturday, November 13 we joined an au pair cluster from Virginia for a Naval Academy Football game against Central Michigan.  For most of the au pairs, it was their first America football game.  I think many of them felt like I did… It was great in the beginning with the midshipmen marching on the field, the band performing and the jet flyover.  It was exciting at the end, because the game went down to the final seconds and almost went into overtime. The middle however, went on a bit long for my liking.  But, that’s football for you.

Here are a few pictures.  You can find even more in our cluster photobucket album.

                 

It was a close game and went down to the last few seconds, but Navy won by 1 point!

  

Beautiful Day at the Pumpkin Patch!

I want to thank all the au pairs and host families who joined me for our Annual Pumpkin Patch Cluster Meeting at Queen Anne Farm.  We had beautiful weather and lots of pumpkins to choose from.

Update: The group photo was published in the Bowie Blade Newspaper on 10/21/2010.  Pick up your copy at the Bowie Library, Community Center or a newspaper box.

Here are some photos…

Maryland Renaissance Festival

It was hard to explain exactly what the au pairs should expect at the Maryland Renaissance Festival.  It is an event that you have to experience to truly understand. A bunch of au pairs, host families and friends did just that on Sunday.  It was a cloudy day with rain in the forecast.  We brought our umbrellas and took a chance.  It turned out to be a very nice day.

renn fest group

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Thank you Liz for sharing her great photos with me.  I have some more to add later.

If you missed our visit to the Renaissance Festival, I encourage you to check it out.  It runs weekends through October 24.  Visit their website for more information.

Annual Au Pair Awards Brunch

On Saturday, May 22, we held our Annual Au Pair Awards Brunch cluster meeting.  Each au pair in attendance received an award from her host family.  Stephanie from Germany received the Cluster Au Pair of the Year Award.  For pictures of everyone receiving their individual awards, visit our Cluster Photobucket Album.

Our Cluster Au Pair of the Year -Stephanie

APIA MD/DC/VA Area Amazing Race Competition

Here are some pictures of our team participating in the APIA Amazing Race on April 18, 2010.  It was a long, tough competition.  Many teams quit the race without finishing.  Our cluster did an excellent job, had great team spirit and finished the race with what we believe are all the correct answers.

Thank you Elodie for the pictures!