magnolias and dogwoods

well, we're home. a week and a half ago i was looking forward to the trip, knowing it would probably go by too fast and wondering what wonderful things we would see and do. i was so happy and excited for this trip, but i knew it would end too quickly and it did. i was right though, we did do lots of wonderful things and had a fun, fun time together. i wished you all could have been with us. i want to write down all the things we did that i can remember because then i can look back and enjoy the memory over and over. these are the things i remember and the order in which we did them. the other's of you who were there can correct me if i'm wrong:

tuesday: flew to reagan national airport and took shuttle to howard johnson's which was a big disappointment. shelley described it on her blog but didn't do justice either to the badness of the place or to the irritating attitude of the manager. he really did say to us "be glad you have a room." and it gave me much satisfaction on wednesday morning to tell him we were leaving. but back to tuesday. we went down to the metro station which was a fair distance on foot, perhaps a mile or a little less. while we were walking we scoped out other potential places we might like to stay and saw a couple that looked promising. we bought fair cards for the metro and shelley showed us how to use them. leslie mastered this skill plus the whole concept of the metro quickly, i was still confused on the last day we were there although i was able to stick my fair card in the slot and grab it when it popped back out. dennis and i just followed the others around and got on and off when they did. this strategy worked well and the metro door only partially chewed on my arm once. we walked down to the capitol and saw a motorcade. shelley or sara described it on her blog i believe. we came back to union station and ate there, then rode the metro a little further and walked back to the motel. on the way we stopped at three motels or hotels to find different and better accomodations. we settled on the quality inn which was (a) neither under construction nor renovation (b) on the better side of the street (c) not too far from the howard johnsons as we had to drag our bags from one place to the other (d) had a much nicer and more accomodating receptionist and (e) actually cost a little less money. we told them we would check in in the morning.

wednesday: happily checked out of the howard johnsons and, luggage in tow, braved the bustling traffic on new york avenue sans stop light or pedestrian lane. we got across after only a short wait for a break in traffic and no person or piece of luggage was lost in the process. headed back down to the metro station and went to union station for a little breakfast and then on to the library of congress for a tour which shelley's senator had kindly arranged. this was at eight thirty in the morning so we got moving fairly early to accomplish all we had to and still be on time. leslie put pics of the library on her post. it was surely a beautiful building and very interesting to tour. while waiting for the tour (we were actually early) the temperature was a little nippy. some of us had brought jackets and some (leslie) had not but dennis had fortuitously packed his down pillow in his back pack (not sure why) and leslie was able to put her arms inside the case and cushion her head at the same time. sadly, dennis, in one of the many searches we went through, lost the pillow case which was one of my nice ones. i would have objected to his bringing it had i known what he was packing. lucky for leslie i didn't. after the library of congress we went to the botanic gardens. dennis wanted to go the the museum of natural history but we overruled him and went to the gardens first then on a tour of the capitol and then saw some other important places: the IIww, vietnam and korean war memorials interspersed with the washington and lincoln monument. we did all of this on foot mind you and were pretty pooped by the end of wednesday. we were happy to get back to the motel and order chinese food to be delivered.

thursday: we went to the air and space museum which made dennis feel a little better. coincidentally, what sounded like every fourth, fifth and sixth grade class in washington dc, maryland and virginia had the same idea for a field trip. they have a mcdonald's right in the museum and it was so noisy we could carry on little conversation at lunch without bellowing. afterwards we headed for the national gallery of art which i would have enjoyed immensely had i not been overcome with exhaustion. i wandered through some of the rooms in a kind of daze but there were couches in every room and i sat on one and couldn't get up. luckily this room was full of boticellis and so i feasted my eyes on those. after a while we went to the holocaust museum and saw a little of it but soon it was time to close so we went back to union station and i ate japanese food. quite tasty.

friday: we rented a van and drove out to arlington. we had planned to go to the smithsonions that dennis had been waiting to see, but our plans changed when we found we had to rent the van on friday or not at all so once again dennis had to be patient about the itinerary. he bore it well with just a couple of nasty asides only i could hear. at arlington we saw the eternal flame on kennedy's grave, the tomb of the unknown soldier, the changing of the guard and the whole extensive cemetery. once again, it was beautiful and moving. then we headed out to mount vernon and on the way ate at a nice little place on the potomac. the food was delicious and we ate outside so we could enjoy the view. sara ordered lobster bisque which we all agreed was heavenly. mount vernon was very fun and interesting with extensive grounds to be walked through and enjoyed. we learned more about washington's teeth among other things. we stopped and visited with becca (cox) kelly since she lives nearby and then headed back to dc. it was dark but we stopped and saw the jefferson monument and the iwojema memorial which was much bigger than i thought it would be. we ate very late at a wendy's on new york avenue.

saturday: we slept in and only got going in time to make it out to the temple by one thirty. josh had very wisely opted to equip the van with gps or i don't know how we'd have found things as quickly as we did. i'm not saying we didn't have some problems, but we eventually found what we needed to find which i'm not sure would have happened if we hadn't had this device. the wedding was lovely, the temple so wonderful and seeing anne adele and her family was the highlight of the whole trip. we took seth with us after the wedding and went out to cracker barrel for dinner and then shopped at walmart. the reception was in becky's home ward church in frederick, virginia and was lots of fun with more good food. becky's dad and a partner have a catering business. the partner did all the food for the reception. rachel caught the bouquet. on the way back to dc we had a chance to see the temple all lit up from the beltway which is a sight we had heard much about. it lived up to all the hype.

sunday: while at the temple we had noticed an lds chapel adjacently located. we came back out there sunday morning and went to sacrament meeting before driving to gettysburg for the day. shelley has posted about that. the auto tour was exactly what i wanted. we could take as much or as little time as we chose and spend time where we wanted. shelley had read a book about this terrible three day battle and filled us in on some of the details. we walked through the cemetery there and i thought once again of the brilliance of abraham lincoln . i have been reminded several times this trip of his genius for saying things the way they need to be said clearly, concisely and gracefully, not to mention his service and sacrifice.

monday: back on foot and by metro we finally went to the museum of natural history and the national history museum. they were both bursting with interesting sights but i have to admit i was reaching saturation point by this time. i wandered around behind the others and tried not to get lost. since it was memorial day there was a big parade down constitution avenue which just happens to be where these museums are located. we saw and heard many bands and lots of military honoraries. oh and we went, last of all, to the archives and saw the important documents there. then went out to eat at olive garden.

tuesday: i was runing out of oomph. we went down town and shopped for souvenirs for a while and then we just had enough time to go out to the national cathedral. we drove there via embassy row and tried to recognize some of the flags. the cathedral was magnificent inside and out, the architecture impressive. then we walked through the charming bishop's garden. i haven't mentioned the exquisite flowers and beautiful trees with which we have been surrounded, so let me just say the magnolias are huge, glossy and smell like some heady combination of rose, lemon and other magical stuff and the dogwoods drift across the landscape like snow. the balmy weather was wonderful for my skin and hair. so, the bishop's garden was full of quiet and unexpected and tidy and informal and delightful spots; i loved it. we went into yet another gift shop and then to the airport. the flight home didn't seem long at all. soon we were being greeted by stacy and morgan, transported to stacy's for a birthday barbecue (it was shelley's birthday) and then dennis and i said goodbye and drove home. what a fun and exhausting week we've had. we're glad to be home.

dc trip

dear fam,
the computer is being very slow about things this morning (monday), so i will write but not put up any pics which i don't have any way. i can only manage so many things and a camera is not one of them. josh and i travel light, but everyone else has taken plenty of pictures. when i made this decision i forgot that it would then mean i would end up being in the photos with no excuse not to be. so i am being reminded frequently in the photos these guys take of how far my belly protudes out in front. i'm embarassed and making a vow to do something about it.
but, that is probably not what you want to hear about any more than you want to hear about our snoring and believe me there is more than my own snoring to be heard. i came in to shelley and sara's room this morning and josh was sawing logs at nine o clock and he had ear plugs in, josh had ear plugs in so what does that tell you?
i have loved all the things we've seen and done; the whole trip has been wonderful as you can tell by the other blogs. today we're going to the smithsonian which much to dennis' distress we have left to last. he has been wanting to show us the dinosaur and the great big elephant and the whale since we got here. if we were to go home without doing this i would literally (and you know dennis so you know this is true) never hear the end of it.
oh and here's a little report on my health status. i am proud to report that old and flabby as i am, i have not had any foot problems or a sunburn. yay for me. love you all, liz

googling

here are the roses and elderberries after tenny and i got through with them

this is how big my peas are

here is the yellow delicious apple tree after we severely cropped it and below is the crab apple tree in full bloom. it smells divine and as you walk by you can hear a million bees having a feast.

many years ago i heard, in a relief society lesson, a story about a spinster who lived with one of her siblings because she had no way of supporting herself. i assume this woman lived long enough ago that as an unmarried woman she had very few options and so lived off the charity of her family. the story was told, i believe, either by a niece or nephew because he or she called the lady "aunt". the storyteller, maybe i will assume she was a niece for ease of syntax, said her aunt, in spite of living what may have appeared to be a depressing life, was always happy; her nephews and nieces, whom she helped raise, loved and admired her for her cheerful and positive character. this particular niece asked her aunt once how she remained so happy even though she had no husband, children or home of her own. the aunt told her (and this is the point of the story) that she had tried during her adult life to do six things every day that she felt gave her purpose and self-respect. here is as much of the list as i can remember:

everyday:

1. get some physical exercise

2. get some mental exercise

3. do something for some one else

4. do something for yourself

5. do something you don't want to do that needs to be done

6.

i can't remember what the sixth thing was. i have thought and thought but i can't remember at all. i thought i could maybe google it and find the list. you wouldn't believe the lists of things i found. 10 things to do to make yourself happy, 6 things to do to make your man happy, 6 things to do if you're not happy with your belly, 6 self indulgent things to do, 14 things to do to be happy on earth day...and on and on and on. maybe if i could remember this woman's name i could find the list, but i don't even remember that. have any of you ever heard of this person and her list? or maybe somebody has an idea of what the sixth thing could be that if done every day could help make you happy.

so while i was in a googling mood i looked for the words to the 7 brides for 7 brothers song "spring, spring, spring". i did finally find it, but in the process discovered other interesting stuff, like for instance did you know that there is a musical of the scarlet pimpernel? i didn't. i don't know if i like the idea of that either.

other things going on: tenny and i did yardwork on saturday. we pruned some fruit trees, lopped off the elderberries to 2 feet, pruned the roses and dug up an ash tree and a peach root stock tree that were both trying to grow in the garden. i was pretty wiped out on sunday from all the physical exertion on saturday and i'm still a little stiff today, but it was good for me and good for the yard. i need to do more of it. and, as usual, i got things totally backwards on my post so it "don't make no sense". how could expect anything else?

p.s. thanks to tenny for getting my playlist back playing and for putting the new song on for me.