*Disclaimer*

Sorry I just realized that the post below this is the longest post known to man.....I don't think even my mom will have the patience to read that, but have fun scanning through the pictures.

Snapshots and soundbites

So as I've started blogging, I've started reading a lot more blogs, and I am impressed with their wittiness and depth. And then I look at mine and they tend to be just a photo journal of what I did and where I went. I've always been the kind of girl that prefers to reads the op-eds first and then will skim the headlines for stories that interest me. So I'm a little ashamed that I haven't produced more posts of substance. And now, after stating my good intentions, this post is just going to be a debrief of my last few weeks accompanied by some choice pictures. Substance will come soon....I'm just might take me a few weeks to think of something clever enough that I won't be afraid to post it.

Our trip to Palmyra was quick, 36 hours to be exact, but that doesn't mean it was uneventful. However, I was appalled at some of the commercialization that went on to suck all the money out of the mormon tourists, that just reminds me of one of my biggest pet peeves. When church becomes more a cultural part of your life than a spiritual (and I'll admit I've been guilty of this from time to time myself). However, the gift shops sold shirts that said things like "Mormon girls, worth the wait" and "99% Nephi 1% Laman, I will go and do, but I'll complain the whole time" those things just make me sick. So being surrounded by that I was becoming very cynical right before we went to the sacred grove. I told my friends I did not want to go into the sacred grove with this kindof attitude because it would ruin previous experiences I'd had there. So Jeanette, Grayden, me and Staci sat on this bench with the sacred grove behind us and the Palmyra temple in front of us and talked about how we gained our testimonies of the prophet Joseph Smith. It was a great conversation and made my trip to the sacred grove much more meaningful.

I love this man. He parked next to our car at "Pageant" (we were politely informed that you do not refer to Hill Cumorah as "the pageant" it is simply pageant) and told me that even though he's not Mormon, these Mormons sure know how to put on a good show. And every year he rides his bike out to watch it, and this may or may not be what it looks like, the beginnings of a torrid cross country romance.

Here we are meeting the cast. They really had a tent set up so you could go and meet the stars prior to pageant. Really awesome. It's actually pretty intense. I didn't realize you had to apply to be in pageant and a lot of people are rejected, not only that but you apply and goes through this selective process only to live three weeks in tents rehearsing in upstate New York. Wow, What a perfect family vacation.....
On Sunday after church we stopped at Glen Watkins state park to do some "hiking". It was East Coast style hiking with paved trails, guard rails, thousands of people. Regardless of that it was beautiful and I just feel like this picture needs to be a family Christmas card or something. Pictured is Lincoln, Matt, Holli, Staci, Jeanette, Joe and then me and Grayden in the front.
Hollie is quite the aspiring photographer. This is one of the bridges and 17 waterfalls at Glen Watkins.

Sarah is an amusement park girl. She absolutely loves them. The really ironic part is that she hates rollercoasters, obviously my feelings are a little different. I think this picture says it all.

At the end of Sarah's birthday party we had a countdown until her real birthday (which was actually Sunday) when we threw confetti, lit sparklers, and blew noisemakers. The picture was beautiful, the neighbors however were not so appreciative.

Scotty (as in Des's husband) was in town last weekend. It was fun to see him and he requested that we eat at Marrakesh, it's a Morroccan restaurant that feeds you seven courses, requires that you eat with your hands, has a belly dancer as entertainment, and best of all here is our waiter such an adorable man and pouring us delicious mint tea.

This is me at work. Sortof. I know you can't see me, but I was there. One of my favorite day's at work recently, they put most of our bus on a building and drove us next to the capital where we had a celebration for the new minimum wage law that went into effect on July 23. The day wasn't too hot and muggy, but they had ice cream and Popsicles and I sat on the grass and stretched while I listened to Nancy Pelosi, Harry Reid, and Ted Kennedy speak along with our President and other union leaders. Really hilarious, quite a day.

And even us type A uptight east coasters get crazy from time to time. It has been a dream of mine for a long time to create a jell-o slip and slide. So with the birthday of my friend Matt Fischer I knew it was the perfect opportunity. If there is anyone in DC who would appreciate this kind of crazy behavior it's him. The party was a hit and here we are slipping and sliding down our jello runway.

Earlier this week I had the chance to go to an amazing concert. It was Guster and Pete Yorn at Wolf Trap. Wolf Trap is an outdoor concert venue that is actually a national park. It's beautiful and only twenty minutes from home. We had seats at the front of the lawn and laid our our blankets, had a picnic and listened to Pete's soothing voice and the bongo drums and happy music that Guster makes that I so love. This was an usher and this is what I'm going to do when I'm old. Volunteer for these types of events. He told us he's been waiting all year to hear Guster because "all the other bands, like Earth, Wind and Fire just make noise and all sound the same" he was totally tapping his toes and shaking a little to the music.