More items long overdue.

I visited Emily in Washington D.C, during the first week of April. By my very own self. My sister was defending her PhD dissertation for atomic physics (at the University of Maryland). Listening to that defense was not the same as being in a family science lecture. I was mostly clueless, but still very proud of her.

Emily was much more relaxed and a far better tour guide after she finished her bit of work. Anywhere I wanted to go, and anyplace she thought worthwhile, interesting, or beautiful...we packed those items into the days we spent together. I've loved DC since I first went there on a high school field trip. Besides enjoying the beauty of the city, I do believe I feel smarter just for breathing its historic air.

Alexandria...

If I can just copy the Eastern look in my own yard and on my own 1950s house, my Utah life would be complete.

Emily is very happy to be called "Doctor".

My other sister, Jennifer, dropped in from NYC for the occasion.

At an outdoor marketplace, I coveted these purses made out of vintage hardback books. (I thought about making one myself, but I just cannot bring myself to deliberately ruin a book; buying the book-purse after it's already made doesn't seem quite as terrible. Except the price is way out of my purse budget.)

Cherry blossoms over Emily, Andy (her then-boyfriend/now-fiance), and Mandy (her good friend).

We went out to Mount Vernon and enjoyed the grounds (farm, orchards, riverfront), but did not take the house tour, due to the 1 1/2 hour wait. Still, very beautiful.


Emily chased black kids (Andy's joke)...



We ate at the fabulous restaurant at Mount Vernon. Not only was the "colonial" food delicious and reasonably-priced, but the waiter gave us the recipes of our favorite fares. The actual recipes...what restaurant does that?

I couldn't be in DC and not stop by the temple that I frequently attended as a teenager. How many times did a bunch of the young men and young women in our ward pile into leaders' cars before dawn, drive the 6 hours to be here for just a few hours, then turn around and get home late the same night?


Emily kindly drove me 1 1/2 hours north, just to meet up with my old friend, Sue, for dinner. This was one of my favorite things about the trip. Sue and I had just reconnected a few months previously (bless Facebook), and I was thrilled to work some catch-up time into my impromptu trip.

And other sites...


Clicking curbside photos on the way to the airport; I'm still trying to cram all of DC into my brain.

I'm ready to go back. Next time with Matt and the kids, and for at least two weeks. Actually, I just want to move to DC for a whole summer.