Photo Dump Part 2: Mom and Dad visit DC

For federal employees (or contractors), Columbus Day is a wonderful holiday! As I might have been the only person with Columbus Day off, I thought it was a great weekend to have Mom and Dad come visit me in DC!!! It was both their first times to the Capital and we made it a great trip! Mom and Dad were troopers and walked all over this city. We went everywhere from Mt. Vernon to Gettysburg to the Monuments to the Capitol to the Temple and even Baltimore. Whew! What a trip! I absolutely loved having my parents come visit me and I think I even convinced them to come back.

 Mom with Abraham Lincoln at the Gettysburg Visitor Center

 Gettysburg Battlefield, view from Big Round Top

 Baltimore: Mt. Olivet Cemetery

Dad did some family history research before they came so we could locate some of the Didenhover relatives. The Didenhover originally hailed from Baltimore, MD before going west to Oregon and Washington. I don't remember the timeline, but I think we have Didenhover records dating to the 1700's in Baltimore and then the westward expansion occurred later. This picture shows 3 unmarked graves of Didenhovers. We spent a good amount of time trying to locate the graves based on cemetary maps. Luckily with modern technology (iPhone) and logical reasoning, we were able to locate the unmarked graves.

 Outside the Cemetery gates

 After doing family history, we decided to go the Inner Harbor at Baltimore. We enjoyed a gorgeous afternoon, sunny and warm in mid October!

Dad loves boats!!

Next stop was Arlington Cemetery, where we watched the Changing of the Guards. This picture is in the Memorial Amphitheater, which someday I will make a speech from.

 Dad in front of George Washington's tomb at Mt. Vernon, the 1st President's estate

 Washington's back porch overlooking the Potomac River. Gorgeous!!

 Mom and Dad before their Capitol Tour

 Every state provides two statues to the Capitol, one in the Statue Hall and another placed elsewhere in the building. Washington's statues were less than well known, so Mom and Dad got a picture with Brigham Young, representing Utah, of course.

 Birthday dinner with Mom, Dad, Mike, and Mike's mom

 Washington D.C. Temple. We were able to do a temple session together, which was wonderful!

 Dad at the White House

No White House tour this time, so I guess M&D have to come back

 Hope Diamond at the Natural History Museum

 WWII Monument, getting caught in a fierce DC Rainstorm

 Lincoln Memorial

Brea & Dad (two peas in a pod!)

Mom and Dad, I loved the visit!! Please come again soon. I promise it will be worth it!

Photo Dump Part 1: Palmyra and NYC

To my few faithful readers,

In an effort to catch up on my blog, I decided to just do a photo dump. As usual, I am months behind and have gone on several adventures in the past six months that are note worthy. Most of you know the stories, so I'll be brief with words and simply post the important stuff- the pictures. Of course those who know me best, know that verbal brevity has never been my strong suit, so be prepared for some story telling.

I have an unwritten standing goal of going somewhere once a month. I don't really plan it that way, but when I look back I realize that something "fun" occurs minimally monthly. Some people choose to spend time and money on books, cars, clothes, homes, crafts, food, etc. I choose to spend my resources on travels.

In September, a few friends and I decided that to celebrate Labor Day and my friend Steffany's birthday, we should go to Palmyra, NY. None of us had been and Palmyra is the early home of Joseph Smith and where the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was organized. Many marvelous events of the Restoration occurred here and it plays a significant role in Church History. With Palymra only a few hours away, we decided it was well worth the trip. That same weekend, Mike got assigned to attend business meetings (aka Table Tennis tournaments) in New York City, so quickly we decided to pit stop in NYC on the way there. The girls played in the city, while Mike worked.

 On the bus from New Jersey (hotel) into the city. This was our ride each way.

 For Steff's birthday, she really wanted to see this show, "How to Succeed in Business without Really Trying" I think mostly for Daniel Radcliffe, aka Harry Potter. After the show we waited for an hour for a chance to meet him, but alas he never came. Later we learned that he never greets fans after matinees.

 Times Square...need I say more?

If you look really really closely, you can see the Statue of Liberty. We didn't have time to take a ride to Ellis Island, but we watched the boats come in and out for a bit. It was a beautiful day in September!

From NYC, we drove onto Palmrya to stay at the Palmyra Inn. School had begun the week earlier, so I think we might have been their only guests. It was definitely owned by Mormons, since Ensigns were placed in the Lobby and rooms.

 Joseph Smith Farm with the Sacred Grove

This was a particularly special morning as we wondered around the Sacred Grove for at least an hour. The rain was falling slightly and each of us just walked our own path and pondered on what occurred in this sacred wood. I am grateful that a young boy decided to pray; it has changed my life and the world forever.

 Niagara Falls

I'll be home for Christmas...if only in my dreams

In very unlike Brea fashion, I am actually posting in the blog while an event occurs. It's 12:58 am MST (that's 2:58 am eastern time) and I'm sitting in the Denver airport. Why you ask? The answer:  unknown reasons. I left DC today on a delayed flight and missed the connecting flight in Denver, which was the last one to Portland for the evening, so I am stranded at the airport. The obvious conclusion is that the weather is bad, as it's December and snow always disrupts Christmas travel. However, the delay was in DC, where it was almost 60 degrees and raining today. A few flights were delayed at the Reagan Airport because they were diverted to Dulles. Weather? Busy? Felt like it? I don't know why, but I'm pretty sure it wasn't weather. Anyway, a 2 hour delayed departure meant a missed connecting flight. The connecting flight was also delayed, but not enough as I found out it left about 15 min before my plane landed in Denver and left about 10 Portland bound passengers stranded over night. BOO!!!!

So I get 9 lovely hours to spend in the mile high city. At least the snow is pretty...and the wifi is free.

Merry Christmas!

Mein Ravensburg

The long awaited Germany post!

How about I give a very brief overview and skip right to the pictures. So I arrived via train to Germany where my cousin picked me up to drive me to Ravensburg. The train ride was wonderful with the most incredible beautiful scenery of mountains and lakes! This train ride was nothing like the Ukrainian trains on my mission--so much more luxurious!

The point of this trip was 1) to visit Oma and 2) to experience Rutenfest, the annual festival of my mother's hometown Ravensburg. Ravensburg is an old medieval town that still has the original towers and part of the city wall. The town itself is quite charming and everything a German town should be. Rutenfest is a festival honoring the cities history and culture. There were tons of music, parades, events, and food to celebrate. The Fahnfare is the iconic part of Rutenfest with trumpets and flags, which you hear all weekend long. The weekend itself was a blast, but the best part was spending time with Oma and hearing her stories.

Downtown Ravensburg waiting for the Rutenfest opening ceremonies

Watching the parade with Tante Lizzy and Wally

The "Beer Garden"

 My "cousins" Jessica (and baby Gabriella) and Sabrina

Eating some Hungarian food...fried dough with cheese and sour cream- healthy, right?  It tastes good for about 5 minutes before you start feeling sick, but don't worry, I finished the whole thing. I couldn't let the relatives down.

The Fahnfare on our street. They came and played "Mein Ravensburg" the town's song and performed other numbers as well. Groups like this came around the town all weekend. You can actually request a group to come to your neighborhood.

 Tante (Aunt) Lizzy and Uncle Karl-- my great aunt and uncle. I had dinner with them and interviewed them for family history. It was a bit more challenging than it sounds. I speak very little German and they speak less English. Karl was a soldier during WWII and was in Belarus and then was a prisoner of war in Belarus and Kazakstan (yeah, I learned all that talking to them). Because of that he spoke a few words of Russian and somehow we had a trilingual conversation. Miracles happened so I could speak with my relatives. German words and grammar came back to me that I didn't even realize I learned. It was awful German and probably painful to hear, but somehow we communicated. It was a MIRACLE!

 Yes, it's a bit fuzzy, that isn't your eyesight. Oma's caretaker and friend Frau Punko is still learning how to use a camera. :)

Me and Oma! It's hard to get pictures of Oma because she is going blind and you have to tell her where to look and when to smile. She doesn't hear well either, so communicating is a bit tricky. I love my Oma and am soooo blessed to have spent five whole days with her in Germany. She's an amazing woman, so strong. I got some great pics and recordings from her, plus some quality time.

There you go....my rundown of Europe 2011! This trip was challenging with language barriers, family obligations, and more, but I am incredibly grateful I had the opportunity to go. Thanks USAID!

Geneve, Genf, Ginevra, Geneva

The multi-lingual, 3rd highest standard of living, 4th most expensive city, and home to the World Health Organization--Geneva, Switzerland is where I spent a week this summer. At USAID I manage grants, and one of those grants are with the WHO. In efforts to learn more and have the grant process run more smoothly, USAID sent me to Geneva for a week. Sounds so official, doesn't it? In reality, it was a three day meet and greet as I met with directors of the many health programs that our grant supports.

 Statue depicting Smallpox eradication 

(Yes, I am a fan of vaccines)

Geneva is a BEAUTIFUL city! I took a red eye flight from DC and arrived in Switzerland early Sunday morning. I was a little nervous landing in a foreign country and having to figure out currency, taxis, and hotels, but as usual I was just fine. On arrival I was enveloped in pouring rain and a whole lot of French. Luckily, everyone in Switzerland speaks English and about 40% of Geneva residents come from outside of Switzerland, it has a very international flavor. The taxi dropped me off at my hotel where I immediately fell asleep for a few hours (I can't sleep on planes and so jet lag and a night of not sleeping was a perfect combo for a long nap.) I woke up just in time to meet two BYU students in the hotel lobby who were there to show me the way to church. I attended the English branch, which consisted of a lot of diplomatic and business families living in Geneva for various jobs.

After church, I was off by myself to explore the city. My hotel was located minutes from the gorgeous Lake Geneva and I simply walked around and enjoyed the scenery. Monday morning I met up with the same kids and they gave me a very brief and fast paced tour of Old Town Geneva. Of course, only after we stopped at the Best Pastry shop in the city--pastries filled with nutella, hazlenut chocolate, and other deliciousness. Meetings at WHO started late that morning and the rest of my day was running from meeting to meeting.

 The world's longest bench

"The Reformers Wall" A monument built to celebrate the 400th Anniversary of the University of Geneva, which was founded by John Calvin, a leader in the Protestant Reformation

The meetings were less than exciting, but just as a fun side note, if any of you see the movie "Contagion" the front doors and lobby of the WHO are exactly as shown in the movie. I got really excited watching the movie and seeing places where I had actually been. After meetings each day, I had time to explore. With some other work demands that came up, that exploration time was cut a bit short, but in the time I had, I went running around the lake, visited shops, ate lots of chocolate and yummy sandwiches, and just took this gorgeous city in. Geneva really is quite friendly and easy to navigate and I only wish I had a bit more time to see more of the city and explore the culture a bit more.

 The walkway of flags at the United Nations Building

I had three days of meetings and on Thursday I hopped on a train to Germany to visit die Oma and other relatives...Swiss train rides are so magical! Stay tuned for my next post as I transitioned from French speaking, pastry eating, international flair Switzerland to beer and pretzel eating Germany!