Happy Memorial Day!

I decided that my first Memorial Day weekend living near DC, I needed to stick around town for the local experience. I am so glad that I did. During my tour last week of the Capitol (pictures and story to come), our tour guide told us about the concert at the Capitol on Sunday and the dress rehearsal the night before. We borrowed Tim's friends hog for the weekend, rode it downtown Saturday evening and parked it front and center (so many benefits to riding a motorcycle). We got there with enough sunlight to throw the Frisbee around and then parked ourselves on the lawn to enjoy the tribute (as they worked out the AV, timing and lighting kinks). Colin Powell was a little whiter than I remembered him and Brad Paisley just stood there making goofy faces for about 5 minutes (they were just stand-ins). It would've been fun to try to watch the real deal.

Earlier in the day, we rode downtown and took a walk down Thunder Alley. If you don't know what Thunder Alley is, you are missing out! There is this amazing sub culture here in America. Tim bought a black leather vest and some patches to go with the ones he picked up while in Iraq and we're planning on sewing them on all pretty like in time for next Memorial Day weekend. You'll see why in a second.

I'd like to thank Mr. Obama for providing all of us with free bottled water. He really will save us all! Well, from thirst anyway.
Today, after my first Sunday as a pending member of a family ward (don't worry, sacrament meeting was even louder than I expected, but relief society was so fantastic that it made up for it), we took that hog down the Pentagon parking lot and took our place in line for Rolling Thunder. This is us sitting under the freeway overpass--waiting for our parking lot's turn to start rallying


Yes, all those blobs are bikes and bikers. There were two other parking lots that were full of bikers as well. I think the procession lasted somewhere around 4 hours. That's what I call a pa-rade.


Coming over Memorial Bridge with Abe's backside (the Lincoln Memorial) in the background.

This view was pretty inspiring... It was so fun to be a part of something bigger than ourselves. There were SO many bikes and bikers and biker chicks. It really made me want to learn how to ride (which btw, I totally failed on my goal to learn while I was 30). I definitely have a little red neck in me.

And the weekend isn't even over yet!

Grieving the Loss

In graduate school, we talked a lot about life cycle changes, like births, deaths, divorce, marriage, kids leaving the nest, etc. and how to help individuals and families navigate them. During one discussion, the idea was brought up that people transition more smoothly when there is a celebration connected with the change and I think that is true. I am a big fan of celebrations in general and so the idea of turning such pivotal changes into a party is right up my alley.

Today marks a pretty pivotal moment in my life. A life cycle change that once was a rarity is now a growing phenomenon in my religious culture.

I am "aging out" of the singles ward.

A Tribute to Mothers

My ward today gave a tribute to mothers that was nearly as moving as primary kids singing I often go walking in meadows of clover and there were very few mothers in the congregation. There is something about being away from home that inspires the tenderness of feeling.

I love my mom's expression in this photo. How hard she worked as a young mother (younger than me and with three kids) to make Christmas a wonderful day. She made every gift she could by hand, and I am sure, scrimped and saved to come up with the ones that she couldn't--like the Book of Mormon scripture picture book and the plastic high chair and of course the Baby Beans. How much I regret my ingratitude as a youth.





I am blessed with an angel mother. I know she mourns the model she gave for marriage, but I hope she rejoices in the model she gave for motherhood.

Furniture for Sale

It's been a long time coming...this getting rid of the furniture that I've used for the last seven to ten years. It has stayed in my mom's basement, hopeful of a time when I would retrieve it. But alas, the time has come for me to relieve my denial. It is not worth the effort nor cash it would take to get it to DC, so I have finally this stuff posted on craigslist and ksl...I would much rather see this go to the homes of loved ones or friends of friends.

Why is it so hard for me to get rid of stuff? Every piece holds memories of the deal that I got when I bought it, or the trouble of painting/sanding/repainting/putting it together, or the contents it housed for so many years.