Catch up

I have to catch you all up on what we have been up to lately. We really have been able to do some fun little things recently. The first is being able to go to Monticello (the residence of Thomas Jefferson). It was pretty neat. It is located in the middle of nowhere, but the drive was absolutely beautiful. I would dare to compare it to driving through the tuscan valleys of Italy. They are both just the most beautiful landscapes. I think I like Monticello more than Mt. Vernon. There was such a peaceful laid-back vibe about it that was very pleasing....part of that could have been the fact that there weren't quite as many tourists. I think we were there the beginning of November, so the weather was great and the leaves were starting to turn. It was a great day. It reminded me (again) how fortunate we are to live in this country at this time. MOST of us don't have to worry about our husbands/brothers/fathers going to fight a war while we try to get by in a developing nation. Our families are not being torn apart. We can vote and work and be happy. what a great gift.







For thanksgiving, we had a few couples from the ward that we wanted to get to know better, so I cooked a turkey! Not only did I cook the turkey, I cooked green bean casserole, Joanne's potato rolls, yams, gravy, home made mac and cheese (not the kraft kind) and a pumpkin cake. It was delicioso! I wish I had thought to take pictures, but we were so hungry, we didn't think of it.

After Thanksgiving, I had a chance to tour the Senate building dowtown and the US capitol building. I did remember to take pictures of this.



This is lady Liberty. I can't remember the whole story behind her but it is cool. (My brain has not returned) I am sure you can look it up online. What is interesting about her is that every thing about her is symbolic. From the position of her sword, to where it is placed, to the crown on her head, to her posture. Really interesting. We also toured the capitol building and I have a million pictures of this but I will only post a few. the inside of the Capitol Building is reminiscent of old European churches and the artist, , was Italian and used fresco as his medium. It is quite impressive.


This is the ceiling in the walkway between the Senate building and the Capitol Building.


It was a ton of fun. Collin and I also had a chance to go to "Christmas at the White House" where they let you tour parts of the white house and the decorations. It was really neat




Now for one of the proudest moments of my life...I was watching "Semi Home-made" with Sandra Lee on the food network and she had this fantastic idea. She made a centerpiece out of some candles and wrapping paper. This may not be anything special to anyone who crafts on regular basis, but this seemed so easy and DO-ABLE that I had to try it. I made this centerpiece for our Christmas party. I am still beaming of pride. It looked much better in real life than in this photo.



The weekend before Christmas, we had this crazy idea to go to New York and see the Christmas tree at Rockefeller Center and the windows and the Statue of Liberty. Here are some pictures.







Josiah looked like Ralphie's brother and we had to take a picture of him in his little snow suit. If you didn't notice, it was FREEZING!




On Christmas morning, Josiah let us know how he felt about his gifts:



I apologize for not sending Christmas cards, I just never got around to it. Maybe next year. I think I say that every year.