Cherry Blossom Festival

Hordes of people have descended on the Capitol City for the Cherry Blossoms!

I spent today in DC shopping with my step-sister Emily and Spencer at Eastern Market--and then we drove through the huge crowds who had come to see the Cherry Blossoms.

A Day at the Beach

This is Chincoteague Island. It's located just off the coast of Virginia--just south of Ocean City, Maryland.

Morning Gratitude

It's morning. I love mornings. I'm tired because I didn't go to bed as early as I should have, but I feel fine. I'm doing laundry because the washer is finally fixed.

The world outside is covered with wet from the rain last night. And just outside my window, the trees are finally starting to blossom.

It's so quiet right now. Everyone has gone to work, and I'll be getting dressed and heading off soon enough, but right now--I can just be.

I'm really grateful right now for everything in my life. There are some problems that I can handle, but I have a lot of blessings.

I am overwhelmed with worry for my friend Crystal. She's suffering from Lupus and she's pregnant. Please remember her in your prayers. She deserves all the blessings in the world.

Today I'm going to work on my audiiton for the Kennedy Center, workout at the gym, and go to dinner with my step-sister Emily who is in town working on a movie with Russell Crowe and Rachel McAdams. And then tomorrow, Spencer and I are headed to an island off the coast that has wild horses. When he brought up the suggestion of going to the ocean yesterday, I immediately began to cry. I can't describe how much I love the ocean. I'll try to put it into words after I get back. But in the meantime, just the thought of it makes me weep!

So, yeah--that's life today. It's good. And I really like it.

Easter Weekend

Sherando Lake. The trees this weekend weren't blossomed yet, but this picture kind of captures the beauty of the place.
the Jefferson Memorial
Sufjan Stevens--check him out if you haven't yet.
This is a pic of the Blackfriars Playhouse.

Spencer and I went to Staunton this weekend. It was heaven. I didn't take a single picture. But here's a brief list of activities we did and some pictures to go with it.

1. We saw Volpone at the Blackfriars with my friend Aja from Iowa.
2. Ate gourmet food at Zynadoa's afterwards.
3. Visited Sherando Lake.
4. Stayed with Lesley and Robert. (thanks for being wonderful hosts!)
5. Ate fancy cheeses and proscuitto!
6. Visited the Jefferson Memorial at night-(after driving back into DC of course--not to confuse anyone.)
7. Went to church and oggled all of the cute little kids in their matching easter outfits.
8. Listened to Sufjan Stevens and Portishead, (among others) on the drive to and from.

We left Friday at 3pm after a heinous workout and we got back into the city Sunday night at around 10:30pm, which is the perfect time to visit the monuments!

I fell asleep praying last night. It was uncomfortable to wake up on my knees 2 hours later, but hopefully I adequately articulated in my sleeping devotion how grateful I was for everything in my life.

I learned so many wonderful things about the resurrection this weekend by just being out in nature. My senses were completely overwhelmed. The earth was beautiful to see. The music was beautiful to listen to. Spencer wears this cologne that is to die for, so my nose was in heaven. Then we ate this cherry cheese and fancy gouda--and it was heaven in my mouth!! And my heart was bursting with love for Robert and Lesley. And of course for Spencer--my hot and smelly friend!

The four of us did the bunny hop with the Easter bunny that was dressed up outside the hallmark store on Saturday.

That was a riot.

And Lesley gave me a sack of stuff I'd left with her and in it was a letter from my brother Jack. He died about 5 years ago. The letter was a wonderful letter he'd written to me 11 years ago. It was such a beautiful reminder of my unending gratitude to my Savior for the blessings of the atonement and resurrection.

Happy Easter everyone!