... wondering why the floors were shaking.

First thought: "Wow, I must be really dizzy because it feels like the floors are moving."

Second thought: "That must have been a really huge truck passing by.  Do they make 24-wheel trucks now?  Good grief." 

Third thought: "That is some serious construction going on next door.  Are they building a new sears tower?"  

Fourth thought (and the only reasonable thought of the bunch): "Hey stupid (speaking to myself), find the nearest doorframe to stand under.  Excuse me, I'm looking for a doorframe, preferably one that won't crumble on top of me."

Yep, DC experienced an earthquake.  A pretty big one, at least for DC.  5.9 magnitude.  

http://news.blogs.cnn.com/2011/08/23/quake-hits-near-washington-d-c/

... traveling with the fam in Pisa

Once upon a time, there was a little Italian town that didn't get any attention because its brothers and sisters were much bigger and much prettier.  Little Pisa had to watch as it's siblings got all of the praise.  Its older sister, Roma, got the Pope and the "Da Vinci Code."  

Its older brother, Pompeii, got volcanos.  

Its younger brother, Sicily, got a fancy clock and the mafia.  

Pisa had nothing to brag about.  But all of that changed when one day, Blake and Rachel realized that they could help poor little Pisa.  They realized that Pisa needed something that the other siblings lacked, something that even defied the very laws of physics.  Blake and Rachel knew exactly what to do - they spent the whole day pushing on Pisa's otherwise ordinary tower.  They pushed and they pushed (don't be confused by the smiles on their faces - it was hard work).  

They even enlisted the help of strangers, like the weird guy in the white t-shirt standing behind Rachel who didn't quite understand where he was supposed to push.  After a long day of strenuous work, Pisa finally had something to brag about - a leaning tower.  

Shortly thereafter, people started to travel from all around the world, even Washington D.C., to see the leaning tower of Pisa.  

... traveling with the fam in Rome

My parents hired drivers to take our whole family around Rome, which was fantastic because we were able to see the entire city in about 8 hours.  The first stop was the famous square below... 

The second stop was at a church that I had never been to before - it houses this incredible Michelangelo sculpture.  The figure in the middle is Michelangelo himself, who apparently was ripped.  Did they have muscle milk back then?  

The church also displays the chains that bound Paul.  

The next stop was the set from "The Gladiator."  I'm pretty sure the real colosseum is somewhere in Hollywood.    

Then we drove by the parliamentary building.  

Next, we hung out in the Pantheon for a bit.  

We cooled off by taking a bath in the Trevi fountain.  

I spy the Spanish Steps.  

Then our brilliant drivers figured out the exact right moment to drop us off at the Vatican and St. Peter's so that we could avoid the long lines that at times, seem to wrap around the entire city.  This is a cool staircase within the museum.  

It's always shocking to see how large St. Peter's is... 

Michelangelo's Pieta is one of the most beautiful sculptures in the world.  

The architecture in St. Peter's isn't too shabby either - very similar to mormon chapels.  

Rachel's happy place - eating ice cream with some nuns.  

Our last stop was on the top of one of the 7 hills of Rome.  

The whole Rushforth gang (minus Andrew and Harry, who were too young to make it on this journey).