Mommy Gossip

Well... my umbrella and carpet bag arrived as expected. I flew off into the sunset and landed--along with my husband and children--in our nation's capitol. [That is shorthand for: We stayed two more days in Pennsylvania, visiting with Brother #3, Ryan, and his wife, Emily, before my amazing sister-in-law packed up my entire family and her three children in her van and drove us all the way to Virginia to visit Brother #4 (Jon) and his wife and daughter, Erika and Ella.] Life as Mary Poppins ended and I was officially off duty and was now on vacation. All I wanted to do was sleep... zzzzzzzzz!

We have been here three days now and it is 12:53 a.m. on Sunday night--my last night in Virginia. I return to Utah tomorrow just in the nick of time to get Chase ready for his first day of school the following morning and Troy out the door on a business trip to Boise. Nothing like life in the fast lane. Connor is so excited to see his friends Davis and Nico he can hardly stand it. He has been dictating copy for their postcards from the backseat of the car all day. He is so excited for them to see a picture of George Washington's dentures. Won't they be thrilled? :)

While we are tired from nearly 3 weeks of traveling, we have loved the secong leg of our trip--so different from Pennsylania, amazingly different and beautiful all the same. Here are some of my favorite memories:

* Visiting the Holocaust Museum and wondering how I will change given the experiences I have had and what I will DO to make a difference.
* Spending the day at Mt. Vernon, especially watching a movie on the Revolutionary War and seeing Chase's reaction when it snowed in the movie theatre (Gotta love those special effects!).
* Adding another book to my top ten list: "The Poisonwood Bible" by Barbara Kingsolver. What an interesting topic to read about at night while reflecting on our nation's values and history during the day.
* Looking at the Capitol from the Lincoln Memorial--What a View!!!
* Discovering that the White House isn't as easy to see from the car as it used to be. How 9/11 has changed things!
* Explaining such a concept to Chase as freedom and being glad I didn't have to broach the subject of genocide with him at such a young age. Wondering when would be the right time to do so!
* Above all--just as with my Pennsylvania experience, getting to spend more time with family (Erika's a terrific cook!).

So, I stay up to avoid the inevitable and yet welcome the flight home all the same. Non-stop isn't too shabby, especially from an airport 15 minutes away and on FF miles.

Signing off from the east coast...