flight of my life

I believe that last Saturday night will be one of the unforgettable nights of my life. Each year as a "thank you" to wives of the pilots the squadron will hold a spouses flight. We have dinner and then get to go up in the helicopter for a short flight. In Wyoming we flew through the mountains and over a couple small lakes. This year, however, I got to fly over Washington DC at night. It was mesmerizing! We first flew over Bolling AFB and did a emergency landing to help one of the other helo's who's radio was not working right. We landed in the middle of a soccer field; way cool! After that we crossed the Potomac and flew over Ronald Reagan International. I think that we technically crossed the state line into Virginia but I can't be sure. We flew around the pentagon and saw the 9/11 memorial. Our flight engineer must have done the tour a few times because he was excellent. We learned the reason behind how the benches in the memorial were laid out. Who the first person killed in the pentagon attack was. We then flew up the into the Tidal Basin and we saw the Jefferson and Roosevelt monuments. The fountains in the Roosevelt monument from the air were beautiful! We flew to the side of the Mall. WE couldn't fly over the capital because it is a restricted area. We did get to fly about eight blocks away and had a pretty good view. We saw the national cathedral which is a stunning sight. I can't put into words the awesome experience this was. Unfortunately, for most people you can't get quite as close as you might like because most of that area is restricted it would be a little difficult. I guess that is one of the perks of the military. The only thing I didn't get to see that I really wanted to was the DC temple. It is supposed to be a great sight! I was unable to take any pictures because it was dark and we were going a little too fast so I thought I would add a couple of generic photos of DC at night.

oops!

Ooops, I forgot the good part

The girls "helping" to feed cousin Marshall

Nathan and the girls outside the home of Patty Bartlet Sessions, one of Nathans Ancestors

The Nauvoo temple at night! Isn't it Gorgeous!

Leake and Hacking kids at Liberty Jail in Missouri

Me and the Girls in front of the avenue of Flags at Mount Rushmore

Half of an update

It is 11:30p.m and so this will be really quick update.
We had a great time visiting friends and family as well as seeing some cool new sites along the way. House hunting started off a little slowly but we have found a house, Yeah! It is about 2 miles away from the Chesapeake Bay in a little community. I realize that to alot of my friends out west your thinking how can anything by D.C be little but I promise it is. The little town we will be living in doesn't even have a wal-mart. We have already taken advantage of the plethera of learning attractions that this area provides. Note to anyone that wants to come out this way, Take the metro to the Mall(that is what they call the strip that houses all of big attractions. Parking is nearly impossible and don't go on Labor day! The weather has been great! The trees are turning all red and yelow and orange(aren't you all jealous). It is beautiful! Mara does think there are too many trees. Homeschooling out of hotel rooms has been an adventure. Just yesterday the girls and I went to the National Colonial Farm and locked ourselves out of the car. It took 5 different locksmiths not showing up and 4 hours to get the car unlocked meanwhile we met three of the sweetest people and finally got back to the hotel at 11:00 p.m. The dark in a park all alone with your three little girls in the middle of Maryland is a little scary!Anyway I said this was going to be short Ha Ha!Here are a few pics of the things we have been doing. Enjoy and love to all

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memories of Grandma

My maternal grandmother passed away Sunday after a long fight with Lupus(no clue if I spelled it right). My Grandma Wamsley was a beautiful woman who never went anywhere without her candy apple red lipstick. Even when she has been hospitalized,which has been a lot, that is one of the first things she ever wants from home. That and a good cup of coffee, which she drinks several cups every morning of. And which when I a little girl, and we would visit once every three years for one month, I would race to wake up in the morning to make her coffee.
Grandma taught me the best place to hide a gun(in the bra) where no one would suspect and I swear you couldn't tell that she hid a little pistol. She taught my brothers and sisters the best places to find old green glass, and arrow heads, and all the wonders of camping in the high uintah mountains. She was never so happy as when she was in the mountains with nothing more than a radio and a very occasional visitor.
My grandma was an incredibly loyal friend. She loved poetry and wrote many poems. Quite a few on whatever she could find at the time inspiration struck. My favorite on is called a "card for any day." She took me to get my ears pierced whether my mo wanted her to or not.
She and I have very different personalities and often ran out of things to talk about but she was my link to a stable world outside of the military as a child. Grandma was strict and didn't accept excuses. I miss her already.
I know that she is happier now and she is with my grandpa whom I never knew. And in one year her work will be done in the temple to seal all of us together as a family. Until then, Grandma, goodbye.

MaraLenae Baptism Invite

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PIctures

Here are some pictures from Easter Vacation in Vernal