Week .5 and 1: Settling in

Tuesday, June 1, 2010 (6 year anniversary since I left Chile and returned home from my full-time mission):
Dad replaced my vehicle's registration sticker.
Drove to Little Rock, Arkansas.
Stayed at the Legacy Hotel; it was built over a century ago.

Wed., June 2, 2010:
Drove through Memphis and Nashville, TN.
Stopped at the LDS temples (on my bucket list). Mom said, "They're like postage stamps they're so small!" And our friend Nancy Harris pointed out the Texas sized buzzard on Moroni's trumpet. Oh we so took a picture!
Had dinner with some of our favorite people in the world: Chanda, Shaleen, and the Harris's.












Thurs., June 3, 2010:
Passed more 18 wheelers than I've ever seen in my entire life.
Drove through a thunderstorm just outside of the DC area. Google maps took us along a scenic tour to get into town. We drove on the Constitution Route. I have no idea what that is, but it sounds important. :) We passed beautifully manicured farms from the 1700s.

Fri., June 4, 2010:
Drove to Easton, PA.
Had dinner with my Mom's cousins, Bill Cody and Dan Quigley.
Visited St. Joseph's cemetery, finally discovered the meaning of "headstone", and drove down Canal Street--the street where our ancestors' bar used to be. Yep, that's right. I come from a family of saloon keepers. :) I'm Irish, you know.












Sat., June 5, 2010:
Visited the house where my maternal grandfather was born and raised in Easton, PA. Dan Quigley, my mom's cousin, lives in the house. It's been in our family since 1911. I found my way into the basement. There's a room that used to store coal back in the day. An oil tank now sits in the room. And check out the really antiquated typewriter I also found in the basement. All I have to say is there is NO WAY I could have written my thesis had I only had access to a typewriter.
My mom showed me around St. Joseph's cemetery where many of our ancestors are buried. It was really moving to see how much my mom knows about our ancestors.
Attended mass with mom, Dan, and June at St. Joseph's (now Our Lady of Mercy) where my grandfather attended church when he was growing up.
Visited St. Bernard's church in Phillipsburg, NJ, where my great-great grandfather was married on April 28, 1868.






















Sun., June 6, 2010:
Attended church right on the Potomac. I was sitting in Sunday School and looked out the window. What did I see? Not popcorn popping on the apricot tree, although that would make for an awesome story. Rather, the POTOMAC!!
Birthday party to celebrate Uncle Joe's birthday.

Mon., June 7, 2010:
Dinner with Aunt Adrian, Uncle Joe, and company.

Tues., June 8, 2010:
Institute.

Wed., June 9, 2010:
Attended the DC temple for the first time. My parents were married there 32 years ago. Very moving and powerful experience. If you haven't drive around the beltway at night to see the DC temple, it's a MUST SEE! It seems like an optical illusion: the temple takes up the entire skyline.

Thurs., June 10, 2010:
Enjoyed freshly baked beets and sweet potatoes with my roommate. YUM!

Fri., June 11, 2010:
Watched an outdoor movie in Rosslyn Park in Arlington, VA with two amazing girls--both of whom are pursuing or have completed MAs in TESL! How is it that the first people I meet here in DC are ESL/EFL teachers?!?! Seriously!

Sat., June 12, 2010:
So there are LDS listservs here in the DC area where people post different events, activities, and things for sale. It's kind of like a Mormon Craigslist. I saw a post that there was a group of LDS singles getting together to watch the USA v. England World Cup game outside at the Dupont Circle park in DC. I showed up and there was just one other person there. Gregg. But we had a jolly good time. Turns out Gregg is a graduate student fellow at the Heritage Foundation!! I (quite literally) choked on the water I was drinking when he told me. We made friends with some die-hard USA soccer fans: Tanner (holding the flag) and Patrick (in his revolutionary war attire).

Made friends with our neighbors from El Salvador. And enjoyed watching the lightning bugs. They are EVERYWHERE! So beautiful!















Sun., June 13, 2010:
Attended a musical fireside put on by the Bells at Mount Vernon and The Mormon Choir of Washington.
Joined the world of blogging.