Washington DC with my Mom

I had a business conference in Washington DC March 14 - 16 so like tradition in the past, I asked my mom to see if she wanted to join me (after I asked Mike if he wanted to - of course - but he didn't want to). And she did want to join me! So we flew out early on a red-eye flight to Baltimore (since that's where the cheapest airfare went to from Salt Lake City), and then rented a car and drove down to Fredericksburg, Virginia to sight see and visit one of my dear London buddies (from my study abroad to London in Fall 2000), Natalie.

The red-eye flight was pretty taxing on both of us, but mom mostly. I slept a little; she didn't sleep really at all. So when we arrived at our first sightseeing destination in Fredericksburg, a Civil War battle field, we took a nap in our rental car at the back of the parking lot. :) And then we checked into our hotel in downtown Fredericksburg and walked around their quaint downtown area until mid-afternoon, after which we came back to our hotel to take another nap. Then we met up with Natalie for dinner that night and had a wonderful time gabbing, reminiscing, and catching up.

Cute little, original house on the Civil War battlefield. 

Our yummy lunch place: FOODE

Pretty church with pretty flowers in downtown Fredericksburg

Me and Natalie! 

On Sunday, Mom and I left Fredericksburg to go to Mount Vernon where we just barely beat the rain - we had a tour of the house, visited the grounds, and while we sat in the restaurant for lunch it started to pour! Then back to Baltimore to drop off the rental car and catch our shuttle into Washington DC. Our shuttle driver was a maniac!! He would zip in out of traffic, give us all whiplash as he changed lanes, cut off semis who would rightfully honk at us. Ugh. I'm glad we made it to our hotel alive. 

Mom and I at Mount Vernon

Cute little lambs at Mount Vernon

My business conference was pretty good and interesting - it was all about all the employment law changes and predicted changes. Mom walked around the neighborhood while I was in my conference and she even went into a nearby art museum too!

In the evenings, we went to dinner at Legals Seafood one night and then met up with a dear friend of mine, Camille and her boyfriend. Camille picked us up at our hotel and then we went to dinner, visited the Pentagon Memorial, and then went to a park that was right below where the airplanes take off from the Reagan airport to feel the thrill and rumble of those planes overhead!

Mom and I with Camille at the Pentagon Memorial Park

Wednesday morning, before our flight left that afternoon, Mom and I walked down to the "Mall" and went to the Museum of American History. Last time, we were in DC, it had been closed but had a few of its more popular exhibits in another museum. So I wanted to try out the whole museum now that it was open since I loved the few exhibits I saw last time. Well . . . I have to say it was a bit of a disappointment. It was not quite what I was hoping for. Oh well. After that we caught our much more pleasantly timed flight back to Salt Lake - although I got quite sick on the plane (light-headed, feeling nauseous and hot . . . lovely morning sickness . . .).

Winter "Ski" Trip to Victor, Idaho

The first weekend in March, Mike and I and several of our friends escaped to Victor, Idaho for some winter fun. We rented a quite nice cabin and filled up our car with all our snow playing gear: skis, cross-country skis, snowshoes, crampons, gear to try snow biking, etc. Dave rode with us in our car and we were the first to arrive. Steve and Tessa came. So did Lane and Carol-Lyn, and then Katie and Lloyd joined us the next day. 

Dave and Mike and I played Jenga in the cabin the night we arrived

On our first full day there, Mike and I and Steve and Tessa went snow biking on the trails at Grand Targhee. I got wiped out pretty quickly after two hours of that! But we had fun. And then Mike was going to ski at Grand Targhee in the afternoon with Lane, Dave and Carol-Lyn. I really wanted to go but I was torn since I was pretty tired from snow biking in the morning. In fact, I was so torn over it that I cried in trying to make my decision! I figured out pretty quickly that my crying was a sign of just how tired I was and that I probably shouldn't go skiing. But it was killing me to be a Grand Targhee and not go skiing! Oh well, so I found a beach chair in the warm sun and read my book for a bit until I could get a ride back to the cabin with Steve and Tessa.

Snow biking at Grand Targhee

A new way for me to enjoy the slopes of Grand Targhee, much to my chagrin

Carol-Lyn and Mike skiing at Grand Targhee with the Tetons in the background

Our second day, I got up early to take Mike, Dave, and Lane to the trail head of the peak they wanted to climb: Table Top Mountain. It was pretty funny seeing all three of them pile onto a single snowmobile to traverse the first four miles that was on a road. And then I went back to the cabin to take it easy until early afternoon when I came back to the trail head to cross-country ski the same road they snowmobiled until I saw them coming back.

Dave, Lane, and Mike headed out to hike Table Top Mountain

Mike near the top of Table Top Mountain

On Sunday, we went to sacrament in a local ward there in Victor and then headed over the mountain into Jackson, Wyoming to snowshoe in the rain in Grand Teton National Park - although we didn't know it was going to rain on us. The rain was kind of a bummer but it was something to do, although I did get pretty wet.

Snowshoeing in the rain in Grand Teton National Park

Then Monday morning we headed back home. Quick, but fun trip with good friends. And there was only a few times that I felt crummy due to "morning sickness." 

Big News!

Mike and I are in the process of perpetuating our genes into a little human coming in August! We'll have a mini us!!!! That's kinda crazy to think about. I had great intentions to post a cute announcement but the soul-sucking-fatigue of pregnancy has made me lazy...or...er.....focus on just clothing and feeding myself. Early ultrasound courtesy of being of "advanced maternity age." It has it's perks. Ha ha! :)