Happy Memorial Day from DC!

After two years it was wonderful to have the chance to return to DC for the weekend.  I am grateful for the amazing opportunity I had to live and learn and grow in this place!  I LOVE DC!  It still feels like home in many ways.  I got to celebrate the wedding of a great friend, explore my old neighborhood, catch up with friends and co-workers, and enjoy the sights of town - I didn't feel like a tourist, but it was wonderful to be there and not be worrying about the stress of work.  :)

I loved being there on Memorial Day.  It's a great place to celebrate and remember those who have gone before.  A few of the highlights:
* catching up with a sweet roommate for a couple of hours, which included a trip to the Air Force Memorial, Iwo Jima Memorial, and Arlington Cemetery (all before 11:00 am....I'm inspired by the life and example of my DC roommates)
* the perfect weather all weekend!
* catching up with graduate school friends, mission friends (and a Pot Belly's sandwich and Rita's Italian Ice)
* walking around downtown - Archives, Chinatown, jazz in the garden
* two very nice dinners to celebrate Sarah and Brian's wedding
* a session at the DC Temple
* a BEAUTIFUL wedding!  (Yay, Sarah and Brian!)
* Church, wonderful talks, great lessons, and a chance to catch up serendipitously with more friends
* a walk around Crystal City
* Memorial Day concert at the Capitol with friends (I realize I have a lot more friends in DC than SLC)
* an AWESOME twenty-mile marathon training run/walk along the Mt Vernon Trail, all the DC monuments, the Mall, and Arlington Cemetery!!! (highlight!)
* a Memorial Day BBQ with friends
* a chance to visit my old office and catch up with some old co-workers
* a walk through the National Portrait Gallery (my favorite DC museum)
* riding the Metro to the "neighborhood airport"
* watching planes take off and land as a huge thunderstorm pulls into DC right over the Washington Monument, Jefferson Memorial and Post Office building
* a couple of very miraculous flight connections in Charlotte (remind me next time I'm booking a flight that direct flights are for sure worth any extra cost!)

It was the perfect weekend!!  I was inspired by friends, the importance of marriage, and the memorials of DC.  I've decided I need to find a way to visit more often!  I love DC...and the friends and memories and inspiration I find being there!  (Again, I forgot to take some obvious pictures, like pictures with my wonderful hostesses and friends, Lindsay and Jarilyn, 1100 New York Ave, Anna, Melissa, Mandy, Marlene, Lindi's treehouse room, sweet people stopping to thank veterans all across the Mall, Boy Scouts handing our roses at Arlington Cemetery for visitors to put on the graves, the DC thunderstorm coming in as I'm leaving, more pictures of the wedding, etc....but here are a few highlights...)

 

Remember

What a beautiful and timely Sunday School lesson yesterday from Deuteronomy....about REMEMBERING!  Remembering our covenants, remembering God, remembering His goodness and blessings, remembering His commandments, remembering to build our foundation on Christ, remembering the lessons and testimonies of the prophets and people that have come before, remembering our ancestors and their sacrifices and faith, remembering the purpose of our existence and the goal to return to our Heavenly Father.

The Israelites have been wondering in the wilderness for many years and before entering the promised land there is much that they still need to learn.  I think it's interesting to consider how many times in the scriptures we are pointed back to the story of Moses and the Israelites and their wanderings in the wilderness and what they were to learn from these experiences.

I think the goal is to get the important things in our hearts, so that we are distracted, tempted, or deceived by other things that would make us forget these significant parts of our life.  The Jews wore phylacteries and fringes on their heads, clothes, and arms that contained scriptures helping them to always remember the Lord and His word.  We have things that remind us of Him - we might build memorials, hang pictures, or keep a journal to help us remember and honor the things that are important to us.  Most importantly we have the sacrament every week to remind us of Him.  As we always remember Him we are promised to have His spirit to be with us.

I have thought a lot this year about remembering.  It is hard to watch someone that you love forget significant events and even basic functions.  Alheizmer's is an extreme condition of forgetfulness, but it makes me reflect even more on the importance of remembering our blessings.  It was such a blessing today and this weekend to spend Memorial Day running around (literally) and seeing so many of the memorials of Washington, DC, reflecting on those who have gone before and preserved freedom.

Even more important than the freedom we enjoy today and the memorials built for people and events that have blessed us here in the last several hundred years, I am even more grateful for our Heavenly Father's eternal love and plan.  He does not forsake us or forget us (see Joshua 1:5, Isaiah 49:16)!  We are reminded of His love and His Son's love for us every week as we partake of the sacrament and promise to always remember Him.  Remembering Him brings the greatest hope, the promise of the Spirit, and clear purpose and direction.

May - The Month of Weddings (and Travel)

May.  It was a month of travel and weddings!  :)  It was wonderful!  I'm grateful for the chance to be together and celebrate the importance and joy of love and marriage and family!!

First in Portland (May 2) with Josh and Kirsten.....yep, that's my baby brother and his cute wife!  It was the perfect day and a beautiful ceremony.  It was neat to learn and think about the importance of eternal marriage, giving all to each other, and patterning our lives and homes after the temple, making them separate from the world, just as the Portland Temple with green tile at the bottom seems to hover above the earth.  It was so neat to all be there together (again + Kirsten) in Portland!  :)

Then last weekend in DC with Sarah and Brian (May 24)!  It couldn't have been a more beautiful day!  I love this temple and it was so neat to be there to celebrate with such a sweet friend!  What a happy day!

Things I Learned in DC....

In honor of flag day (and because I finally finished this post) I'm catching up a little bit and celebrating DC.  :)  It's been quite the year so far--much different than I expected in many ways, but I'm grateful for experiences and opportunities to learn and grow.  Here's a little bit about the unfolding of the last four months.
  
It was a hard decision, but I decided to quit my job in DC and move back to Salt Lake to work in an office I had already worked in before.  I'm still learning the reasons I'm here.  It didn't make complete sense, but everyday I feel more and more that it's exactly right.  I'm grateful for the the opportunity to live purposefully.  That's the goal every day.  Remember who I am and act accordingly!  :)  

I am grateful for the time and experiences and opportunities I had in DC.  I know I needed to be there.  It was wonderful!  I learned so much that will shape my life going forward:

• An appreciation for history and monuments to commemorate important events, people and principles
• An appreciation for the complexity of the federal government and specifically the Department of Education
• The importance of good leaders and leadership
• The importance of integrity, genuineness, humility
• The importance of proactively working to make things happen and get things done
• The reality of good people everywhere!
• The importance and goodness of exercise!
• The joy of reading and learning!
• A greater confidence in what you can learn from job interviews
• The importance of good mentors
• The excitement of new things going on everyday
• The opportunity to be involved in service in the community
• An appreciation for a different kind of beauty--trees, rivers, cherry blossoms, diversity, civic involvement
• The importance of standing up for what you believe in and letting your voice be heard
• The importance and blessing of visiting teaching--companions, visiting teachees, visiting teachers, devoted Relief Society sisters
• The importance and blessing of temple attendance
• A greater appreciation for art and museums
• The importance of good friends
• A love for the East Coast and the many adventures and opportunities for travel and learning
• The confidence that I can drive across the country and back and many places in between
• A greater confidence in my ability to work with people at all levels
• The importance of a strong personal testimony not based on anything social
• The reality that we can make a difference for good
• The importance of choosing to be happy, regardless of circumstances
• The importance of gratitude
• The importance of space and memories
• A greater appreciation for family
• The importance of being yourself 
• The importance of remembering who you are and where you're from

Now I'm back in a similar, but slightly different, routine in Salt Lake.  I'm grateful for the time and experiences I was able to have outside of Utah.  I feel very blessed.  I know I needed them and I'm grateful for the new opportunities here and am looking forward to the next adventures!  :)  


I heard a sweet story recently of a father mourning the loss of a child at an early age, but responding he was grateful for the time he had to know and be with this child.  Isn't that an example of the way to live and be happy?  Living with gratitude and faith to move forward as the Lord leads.  Making this list has helped me remember the great blessings of my experiences of the past couple of years and the importance of moving forward in faith!  :)

2011 in Review

It was a good year! This was my full-year in DC/Virginia. I learned a lot and had some neat opportunities to grow and explore this year. Here are some of the highlights of 2011:

Family

I gained two new adorable nephews this year, Mason and Noah. :) I got to be at Matt and Megan's graduation, see Mike and Cari's new house and welcome Josh home from his mission!

Travel

I began the year with a weekend trip to New York City! I made another trip up to Palmyra in the summer and a weekend trip to Boston in the fall. I traveled out to Utah twice and spent two wonderful weeks in Hawaii with the whole family!

I also traveled for work a little bit this year. I made two trips to Chicago and a spent a week in Portland, as well as becoming very familiar with the Department of Education building across town. :)

Work

Speaking of work, I learned a LOT about the federal government and challenges managers and supervisors face. I worked with and learned to influence others at several levels. I learned about the importance of good communication and planning, understanding different personality and working styles, being open to learning and improving, working with lots of ambiguity, and the importance of exploring my passions, talents, and career goals.

Service

There are always so many interesting things going on in this neighborhood. :) I decided I wanted volunteer at a different service project each month. Some of my favorites:

• Japanese Cherry Blossom Street Festival (March)
• Community and Neighborhood clean-up (April)
• Passport DC -- Embassy Open Houses: Saudi Arabian Embassy (May)
• Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure volunteer (June)
• 9/11 Day of Service (September)
• ushering at Ford's Theater (December)
• Family Search Indexing (any time)
• translating for Helping in the Vineyard (any time)

Temples

I love the temple. I did really well with my goal of going every week. I think I only missed a week or two. :) I also love visiting new temples. This year I attended three new temples:

• Chicago
• Portland
• Palmyra

Learning

• It's important to be pro-active and involved and stand up for what's right.
• It's more important to love and have charity for all.
• There is great joy in service and relationships and friends.
• Life is about being humble and open, and learning and growing.
• Happiness is setting priorities and finding the right balance in life.
• It's important to know who you are. I find that some of the best places to learn and remember who I am is at the temple, at church, in the scriptures, through prayer and with family.
• DC is a wonderful place to explore at Christmas and throughout the year! :)
• Goals are important.
• I love to read. I accomplished my goal to read 50 books this year and look forward to more learning next year.
• Exercise is a great way to relieve stress and important to my happiness.

It was a good year...and I'm looking forward to an even better 2012! :)

Christmas this Year

I am very grateful for the Christmas miracles and blessings. It was a different kind of Christmas this year, but I enjoyed the magic and reason for the season. :)

Here are some of the highlights:

• Festival of Lights at the Washington DC Temple (and concerts and nativities)
• Handel's Messiah at the National Cathedral
• Capitol Christmas Tree
• U.S. Botanical Gardens
• Christmas Carol at Ford's Theater
• Christmas Tree at the Library of Congress
• Arlington Cemetery wreaths
• National Christmas Tree (and state trees)
• Alexandria Christmas Tree and Boat Parade

Some other important highlights, not-pictured:

• "hangouts" with family and the reindeer :)
• Target salespeople bringing bikes out on Christmas Eve
• several really wonderful church musical Christmas programs
• watching people drop off presents and food to the homeless downtown
• busy airports
• Christmas parties
• ebelskivers
• secret Santa projects
• First Presidency Christmas Devotional and the beautiful new Bible Videos
• "Wise Men Still Seek Him" Mormon Message

Merry Christmas, Everyone! May we keep Christmas with us this year and remember to "seek this Jesus whom the prophets and apostles have written (Ether 12:41)."