Just got back from a great trip to Montana/Idaho/Wyoming to see Yellowstone and friends in West Yellowstone.  I had a great time!  The Carters gave great performances and did a great job with the First Annual Yellowgrass Festival.  I hope to see many more to come.

I’d been to Yellowstone National Park once before, but just sort of went through and saw Old Faithful, so to be able to spend a couple of days to see lots of stuff was great!

I’m pretty sure photos will be featured here over the next few days!  Here is today’s and if you want to see more check out my flickr!  I love the moon in this shot!

As if you didn’t just have enough.

Sometimes you travel and you can’t wait to get home to the comfort of your own bed and surroundings.

I just got back from Washington DC and when I got home I didn’t feel that way at all.  I loved it there so much that I would have been happy staying another week.  I saw almost everything I wanted to see on a first trip to the city, though there is so much more to see.  Here is a quick recap of my trip.

Day One
We took a red-eye and arrived around 7am the following day so we had a full day to play.  We went to my friend’s family’s house and then went out for breakfast, went back home so her sister-in-law could teach a voice lesson and then we went into the city to the Smithsonian; American History and Air and Space.

Day Two
I was on my own because my friend was home helping get ready for the wedding reception and running errands and the likes.  I purchased a trolley that went around the city and to everywhere you’d like to see.  I highly recommend them if you’re ever visiting; Old Town Trolley Tours.  They have tons of stops and you can get on and off as much as you like.  The guides are knowledgeable, funny and personable so you’ll have a great time!

On this day I saw: The US Capitol, the Supreme Court building, the Library of Congress, US Botanic Garden, Ulysses S. Grant Memorial, Lincoln Memorial, Vietnam Memorial, Korean War Memorial, Ford’s Theater, various other building and the Spy Museum gift shop.

US Capitol

Library of Congress

Vietnam Wall

Day Three
My friend and I had this day all to ourselves.  It was my first experience driving in DC and I didn’t really enjoy it.  Too many round-abouts and you never know if you should be in the inside, the outside or not in it at all.  That and the fact that Jeeves (my GPS) kept messin’ with my head, I don’t think we ever went to the same place the same way twice.  UGH!

First on the agenda was the National Cathedral.  There were services going on and it was lovely.  The place is beautiful and reminds me a little of Westminster Abbey.  In the 80′s when towers were being erected there was a contest for children to design gargoyles for the towers.  Darth Vader made the cut, you can find him on the cathedral.

Then we had a little lunch and hopped on the Trolley Tour (buy a day get the second free!!) and headed out to Arlington for the changing of the guards.  It was so moving and I’ll admit I cried.  After the changing of the guards we were lucky enough to catch the lowering of the flag, as well.

Then we had a fresh seafood dinner on the warf with a friend and then to the Thomas Jefferson Memorial.

Day Four
I had this day all to myself with nothing planned.  Damn Al Sharpton and Glen Beck had rallies so it was SO crowded everywhere I tried to go.  I ended up just wandering around, taking pictures, wandering and watching people.  I wanted to get some pictures of the Smithsonian Castle which is beautiful and I tried to go to the Spy Museum but it was too crowded so I headed out to Foggy Bottom and checked out George Washington University.  Lovely.

Gnome had a Dream

It’s been a crazy week, so much going on so I’m a little behind on my blogging, sorry.

I’ve been meaning to post this picture for a while.  Notice the score and rank.  Thank you, thank you very much!

Describe a significant event that brought you closer to, or further away, from your religious devotions.

“The most important things are the hardest to say. They are the things you get ashamed of, because words diminish them — words shrink things that seemed limitless when they were in your head to no more than living size when they’re brought out. But it’s more than that, isn’t it? The most important things lie too close to wherever your secret heart is buried, like landmarks to a treasure your enemies would love to steal away. And you may make revelations that cost you dearly only to have people look at you in a funny way, not understanding what you’ve said at all, or why you thought it was so important that you almost cried while you were saying it. That’s the worst, I think. When the secret stays locked within not for want of a teller but for want of an understanding ear.”
— Stephen King

My religious devotions are very personal and this knowledge does not come from one significant event but rather a lot of small events and learning and understanding.  Many of my events might seem insignificant to the casual reader, but they really were limitless in my head, heart and mind.

Having been sick with a kidney disease all of my life I have seen evidence of God’s knowledge of me personally.  Answers to prayer have come in some of the darkest hours and in some of the most unexpected times and ways.

When I was 17 I had major surgery to remove a quarter size stone from my right kidney.  It had been there since I was around 6 years old and the doctor explained that the stone had so badly damaged the kidney that the kidney itself would also need to be removed.  That is frightening enough but to think that I would have to live on one kidney that would continue to make stones the rest of my life was overwhelming.

The day of the surgery a special blessing of heath and healing was offered.  In that prayer it was blessed that the surgeons would be led and guided to know what best to do for my body.

After surgery my doctor came out to talk to my family; he showed them the stone and said, “The right kidney is badly damaged but we felt impressed to leave it in in hopes it will regain function.”  It was a direct answer to a specific prayer and I know that at that moment, God knew what I needed and prompted the doctors to leave that kidney in.

I went and visited my good friends in Ventura Friday.  Jesse wanted her picture taken on the beach in her ballerina costume.  It was a lot of fun!