a perfect day for a picnic

Today we were fortunate to have Elizabeth, Katherine and Matthew Mackey attend church with us. Following we all made a wardrobe switch and headed off for adventure. Our first stop was Fairfax Hospital to see the historic location where Matthew Mackey was born. We then drove in and met Kimball for an incredible picnic at the Iwo Jima Memorial... followed by a heroic effort of races and general fun. I am proud to say that Kimball and I won the wheel barrow race and I must say, he gets extra points for not complaining when partners were chosen and he ended up with the old aunt! We returned home and ate caramel drizzled apples with whipped cream and toasted peacans and played games. A memorable time to realize again what a blessing family association is. We missed Jay who had taken an early flight to Arizona for a week of work.

memorials at night

Jay and I had the pleasure of meeting Elizabeth, her boyfriend Kimball, Katherine and Matthew Mackey in DC for the late night tour of the memorials. We never tire of the inspiring beauty of this place. A highlight was the intense pear and almond chocolate bar on the steps of the Lincoln.

visit to historic Waterford

A friend encouraged me to visit a wonderful craft festival in Waterford and we had a lovely day of touring historic homes, looking at beautiful things and eating good food... a winning combination!

Look who's cooking tonight!

Matthew is earning his cooking merit badge!

Megan's homecoming dance

Megan looked beautiful tonight for Oakton's Homecoming Dance.

Emily's spa night...

Tonight Emily created a spa in our home... Dad was her first customer!

Trip to Utah

This past week I had the privilege to travel to Utah and see many people that I love.

What a joy to see my adult children functioning happily in their college world!

We had a wonderful gathering at Melanie's home (unfortunately I forgot to take pictures). Greg reported on his mission experience and made his mama proud. We ate the best pizzas in the world.

Monday Dad and I went on an outing to the ranch. It was a sacred experience to share memories of that beautiful place together. We stopped by Hires for a rootbeer freeze.

I went to lunch with 3 of my sisters... we missed martha! What a thrill to see Merry's school and the difference she is making in the lives of so many children and educators... way to go Miss Merry! Aren't sisters wonderful!

In Provo we shopped til we dropped, but I left feeling grateful to leave Greg and Jessie a bit more settled and having seen where they live. I loved staying at Jessie's apartment and meeting her delightful roommates.

It is tough to have your heart spread out across the country.

Family is the great blessing of my life... to be sandwiched in between two great generations and so many to love and admire.