Post-Election

Election day brings a lot of emotions for me.  First, I love election day, regardless of candidates or parties.  I look forward to election day, especially when we vote for a President.  I love the ability that I have to vote, in fact I believe it's a responsibility (some may disagree, but I am entitled to my opinion).  Yesterday I waited in line for three hours to vote.  Half of these hours were outside in the freezing cold shade.  But I didn't care, because voting is a privilege that many women around the world do not have, and I have it.  I take pride in the fact that I get to vote for the candidates I think will best serve my community and country.  My opinions may be different from my husband, family members, and friends, but it doesn't matter.  I took the time to read up on the issues and study the candidates.  I am not going to state exactly how I felt about the outcome of the election yesterday.  I was encouraged with the results of some elections, I feel hope for Utah.  Other races broke my heart.  I had so much faith and hope and the outcome was different than I wanted.  I think that America is going to survive one way or the other.  I believe in a balance of power and truly believe that the country will not spiral into some kind of hellish world because of one person's decisions.  Voting is our right and our freedom.  The results of yesterday's election was the choice of millions of America.  Now, we should all put our pride aside and work together.  Make positive change happen for our country.  I don't know how to do this, I don't have the answer; but I pray with my entire heart that President Obama will serve our country well.

On a side note, I read this article in the Deseret News this morning, it's my favorite post-election article so far.

Read and enjoy.

http://www.deseretnews.com/article/865566168/I-voted-for-freedom-today-in-Ohio-2-and-so-did-everyone-else-across-the-country-who-voted.html

And remember that we all voted for freedom yesterday and our vote does count.

Camping

Don't worry, our fire was perfect
 by the end of the night.

We went camping a couple of weeks ago with Ali and Alex to Shenandoah National Park.  It was so fun and I should have taken more pictures, but I didn't.  We hiked, camped, went to the apple festival, ate the most delicious tin foil dinners (the secret is red cabbage) and had the perfect campfire, thanks to everyone but me, while eating smores.  It was the perfect way to celebrate fall.

Our tent.  It's so cute, right?

New York

I went to New York last weekend with some of the Henriod girls and I loved every second.  I am so lucky my in-laws are the best.  I am hoping that Mitch will get a job in New York, so I can fulfill my life long dream of living in New York.  

While in New York we:

Went to the Tenement Museum

Ate at Clinton Street Bakery

Walked the High Line

Ate at Dount Plant

Ate at Gramarcy Tavern, a Henriod favorite

Saw Porgy and Bess

Went on a Circle Line Tour, totally enjoyable

Went running

Ate Levain Cookies

Saw Newsies

Late night Shake Shack run

Spent more time than I ever would want to in Time Square

Ate a Gotham Bar & Grill, best beet salad

Went shopping

Saw Once

Met Steve Kazee

Ate Churros from La Churreria

Saw the filming of Smash

Fishs Eddy

and took the train home

It was the perfect New York trip. 

Clinton Street Bakery, delicious blueberry pancakes.

Donut Plant.  Amazing.

I want to be a Newsie.

Levain Bakery, the cookies are amazing.

Statue of Liberty with Abby.

Steve Kazee, lead singer from Once.  I was so excited to meet him.  

Lindsay, Abby, Shelley and me.

Happy Birthday Mitch!

We finished celebrating Mitch's birthday this past week, here's how...

Homemade Strawberry Ice Cream.  First of the season.

Trifle,  Mitch's favorite dessert.

Happy Birthday Mitch.  I love him so much.

Mitch turned 29 on Wednesday, we are getting so old!  We celebrated by eating at Pupatella, it's just as delicious as Punch in the Twin Cities, and ended the night with Trifle.  I love Mitch so much and I can't imagine my life without him.

 Our weekend update:

DC Temple.
(We don't know the people in the picture, just happened to be standing there.)

Baby Sam and Shelley.
We are going to be so sad when Shelley leaves this week.
We are obsessed with Baby Sam.

Weekend project #1.
I finally recovered our chairs with the help of Shelley and Abby.
Can you tell which one is new?

Project #2.  Still working on hanging up pictures 13 months after we moved in.

Besides projects and holding babies, we had a sleepover with Abby, Jason, and Shelley - I felt like I was 10 and loved it, ate a lot of food, and got caught in an awesome/terrible/typical DC rain shower.  We are really good at eating, we went to eat brunch at the Carlyle in Shirlington and I took Abby and Shelley to the Dairy Godmother in Del Ray.  It was a fabulous weekend.

Happy Monday. 

Weekend Update

Our weekend was quick and fabulous.  

Here is our life in photos.

Cafe Rio Burrito.  Delicious.

Air & Space Museum with Mitch's Parents.

Baby Sam.  I am obsessed with him.  

Miss Mary Kate.

Day 1 of Mitch's Birthday week.  Dinner at Founding Farmers.

Day 2 of Mitch's Birthday week.  "True" Homemade shortcake, according to Shelley.

Watching mission videos.  Love this video of Jenna.

Mission happiness.  Remember how I gained 30 pounds on my mission?  Totally worth it.

5:30 am

I always wonder how it all happens so fast?  Every season, every year, every week.  Time passes without me noticing.  All the sudden the summer is ending and it's time for school to start, for Mitch to be home (thank goodness), for leaves to change, for it to be cool enough to eat butternut squash soup.    Yesterday I woke up at 5:30 am to run with Beth.  I stepped outside and even though it was still a billion degrees, oh the humidity, it was dark and the sun was rising.  The city is perfectly quiet in the mornings.  There are no tourists, just other runners, bikers, and walkers starting their day.  I don't know their thoughts, but I know for me running is my solace.  It's the time when I clear my head, wake up my body, and find the time to contemplate all the little details of my life.  Running is completely selfish for me.  Yesterday morning, the first sign of fall showed itself to me.  The sky was splattered with pink, the sun was just rising, bikers had their lights on along the Mount Vernon trail, and I was so thankful to be running.

Last night as I was riding my bike home past Iwo Jima, along Arlington Cemetery, towards the Memorial Bridge with a perfect picture of the backside of the Lincoln Memorial, and along the edge of the Pentagon Memorial I was again granted the privilege of another sky painted beautifully with splashes of pink and I was overcome with gratitude.  I have finally fallen back in love with DC.  I had to stop, get off my bike, and take it all in.  The weather, the river, the sky, and the lay of the land.  I had to make a memory, that will last, of my summer.

 

Happy Weekend.

Hike to Lake Mary

I finally uploaded some picture from Utah.  

I love this one of my Mom and me hiking in Big Cottonwood.