The Birthday Present

We celebrated Ben’s Birthday today in fine fashion.  Once we were able to rouse him out of bed, he came downstairs and opened his presents.  The big surprise was the Razor MX500 Dirt Bike that we bought him.  We lured him in by wrapping a full face helmet and hiding the dirt bike in the utility portion of the basement.  After opening the helmet, we let him put 2 + 2 together and then encouraged him to go downstairs and take a look.  I think he was in disbelief!  

After a few photo ops in the basement, we bundled up and brought the dirt bike outside into the frigid, windy cold.  Ben took a practice lap around the yard and then barrelled around the neighborhood cul de sacs at 18 mph, up and down hills with the greatest of ease.  For an electric motor, the thing has a lot of get up and go!  Ben loved the ride.  You can check out the surprise and the smooth ride by clicking PLAY NOW on the video below.  If you listen closely, you can clearly hear a few “woo-hoo’s” from Ben as he zips around.  It was very windy out, so I apologize in advance for the sound of the wind buffeting. 

After about 30 minutes in the cold, we opted to run into DC and catch an NHL game between the Washington Capitals and the Florida Panthers.  The Panthers beat up on the Caps, winning the game handily 4-1.  We had a great time, even though we were in the “cheap” seats….with my military discount, we paid just $14 a ticket.  We had a perfect view of the entire rink.  As long as you are not prone to nose bleeds at altitude, you would do ok! 

We are now back home and getting ready for dinner.  Unfortunately, I have to fly to San Diego tomorrow, so the weekend will be cut short.  We are also supposed to have a “wintry mix” tomorrow, so we will see if my flight holds schedule.  It should, as we aren’t supposed to get too much precipitation.