This Year's Holiday Travel

Earlier this month, all five of us went to the airport and got on two separate planes. Gunnar and I flew to Salt Lake City to visit my parents while Damon & the girls flew to Virginia. Damon's brother dances in the Richmond Ballet, so they went to see him in "The Nutcracker." Justin plans to retire after this season, so this was a last-chance opportunity for Adah and Maggie to see their uncle dance.

Gunnar and I lolled about my parents' condo, enjoying my dad's cooking and my mom's dish washing--along with their company. The highlight of my trip was attending the Christmas concert of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir and Orchestra at Temple Square. The guest artists were singer Natalie Cole and historian David McCullough. I am a huge McCullough fan and we were surprised to learn that there was a book signing after the concert. My parents and I rushed through the post-concert and Temple Square holiday crowds and lined up to buy books and meet this great American historian and author. It was a thrill.

Meanwhile, the rest of the family enjoyed a jam-packed time touring Richmond and Washington, D.C. Damon's parents were also there from California, which only added to the fun of the Richmond Science Museum, ice skating, monuments, and the Smithsonian.

Maggie and Adah backstage with Uncle Justin (as the Spanish Dancer) after the performance

Damon and the girls outside the Washington, D.C. Temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

Justin, Adah, and Maggie outside the halls of the Supreme Court

Maggie, Justin, Joanna (Damon's mom), and Adah stroll along with the Capitol Building behind them.

Adah and Maggie look over the Mall from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial.