Springing forward...

March 9-10th I had a fantastic reunion in D.C. with my travel buddies Erica and Jordan and guest-of-honor, baby Lily! We perused Anthropologie at Georgetown, dined on Italian food, saw the First Lady dress exhibit at the American History Museum, and reminisced about Thai beaches, Himalayan treks, and all the colorful characters we met along the way!

Lily must have been tired at this point.

 On St Patty's Day, I was lucky enough to walk the Tidal Basin under a canopy of cherry blossoms.  Beautiful! 

 Earlier that morning I jogged around Burke Lake wearing my usual workout clothes + a pair of shockingly green tights.  It seemed that fellow runners and cyclists appreciated my holiday spirit... I heard cheery shouts of "Love the green!" and "Top o'the mornin' Irish girl!"--as they left me in the dust.

March 23-25th I spent a magical weekend in NYC and discovered the Cloisters, an extension of the Met Museum consisting of a medieval villa, gardens, artifacts and the famous Unicorn Tapestries, all set in a quiet corner of Fort Tryon Park.  Other highlights from the weekend included War Horse at the Lincoln Center, Vietnamese food, Italian food, Levain's cookies, strolls through Central Park, and blossoms everywhere. 



April 14th I went to a Nationals game with my favorite people.  $5 seats, Strasburg bobbleheads, free parking, Thai food in Del Ray--an idyllic day.  

And after eating no hamburgers for three months, I rediscovered the perfect burger... 

In May I went to heaven on earth, a.k.a Santa Barbara, for a wedding that felt like a family reunion. So many beloved friends! 

The Smiths, Los Angeles Temple 5/11/12

with BFF's Cubbie & Juliet

Mom visited and made all of our lives better. One of the many ways that she did this was by baking Hot Cross Buns for Easter. 

And, the BIG event of the season... baby Jack was born April 1st!  I'm pretty gung-ho about being an aunt.  Love that little guy!



Meet Jack Dalton.



Florida Fun

There has been a great deal of fun since my last long-ago post.  With so much to cover, I nonetheless feel it my happy duty as my mother's daughter to dedicate one entire entry to Disneyworld! 

My first trip to Florida!  Pure magic.  How could it not be, exploring Tom Sawyer's Island with these glorious people: 

Screaming with terrified glee on my favorite ride of all time - the Tower of Terror

Discovering the beauty and the slower pace of the Animal Kingdom theme park (where Dad and I finally went on safari)!

Having a spooky time at the Haunted Mansion, another all-time favorite

Chilling with Captain Dad Sparrow:

Smiling in a happy stupor after the all-you-can-eat German buffet at Epcot:

Have I mentioned yet that Mom and Dad are so much fun?

Not to mention Sarah

And to cap it all off, here's the view from our hotel room in the Animal Kingdom Lodge.  At dawn and dusk, we saw giraffes, zebras, and ostriches. 

Other highlights included eating dinner inside the Cinderella Castle (where we met the Disney princesses, and Dad recommended that Belle read World War Z); eating German food at Epcot; eating Moroccan food at Epcot; listening to the barbershop quartet croon away in Main Street USA; experiencing the amount of water that hits you when you sit in the front of the raft on Splash Mountain; and being giddy with Mom at our early entry into the Magic Kingdom (think Peter Pan ride twice in 10 minutes).

Of all the fun places in the world I plan on returning to, Disneyworld is top.  The perfect place to go in February!

National Treasure

On September 13, 2011, I attended a lecture by David McCullough.  I was awestruck before the lecture even began.  I stepped through metal detectors and into a quiet marble hall - the U.S. Capitol Visitors Center, after hours.  There is something magical about historical places at night.

Congressmen and their staff, CEOs, and lucky randoms like me were treated to Mr. McCullough's insights on the Constitution, education in America, and lessons from history.  As anyone who has read his books can attest, Mr. McCullough is brilliant!  As he spoke, I could picture the entire contents of the Library of Congress neatly tucked inside his brain, from which he could pluck out a historical letter or cite a law at a moment's notice.  When senators posed questions to him he answered with confidence and wisdom.  He seemed a rare mixture of scholar, author, patriot, and... grandpa.  In my eyes, a national treasure.

Being a bookworm, I sat up straighter when the subject turned to reading.  Mr. McCullough stressed that parents have a greater responsibility than schoolteachers to teach the importance of reading.

"What books do you take to heart?  What books do you take heart from?"

His questions resounded with me.  It's true that I love vampire romances and could devour Louis L'Amour whole.  (And there's nothing wrong with that).  But what books have I taken to heart in the last year?  Certainly Mr. McCullough's own masterpiece, John Adams.  Others read in 2011 that still linger with me: A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, The Yearling, The Road, The Elegance of the Hedgehog, Cold Mountain, The March, The Old Testament (the latter lingers longest since it is a work in progress). 

I have never been known for good recall, so I will never have anything close to the Library of Congress tucked into my brain.  But some stories you just can't shake.  They leave an imprint and become more than just the words of strangers.  I know what it means to take  masterpieces to heart, and take heart from them. 

Mr. McCullough just puts it so perfectly. 

Clip from his September 12th lecture at the National Archives.
http://fora.tv/2011/09/13/David_McCullough_The_Constitutional_Convention_of_1787#fullprogram