I've joined the club

I have always found it annoying when people talk for long amounts of time about how cute their nieces and nephews are. Like other kids aren't just as cute, fun, and smart? You know when someone reaches for the pictures in their wallet that you're in for the long haul. However, today I am joining the club to brag about my cute niece!

The last ten days I have spent in Boston and Washington DC with my sister and her family. My brother in law, Scott, has just started a job in the foreign service so I went out to help them move and watch my niece Kate while they get settled and put a bid in for where they are sent in the world. I loved reading with Kate (especially Fancy Nancy books), having tea parties, swimming, bike riding, going to the park, drawing, doing puzzles, etc. She is definitely an artist in the making.



Amidst the moving, we did find time to go to Mount Vernon, the home of George Washington. Here it is in all it's glory.

A pic with my sis in front of the river. Jennie is expecting another girl in a few weeks so this may not be the end of hearing about my cute nieces!

My cousin Graham gave my Aunt, Uncle, their family, and myself a tour of the capitol building where he is working this summer. Loved having a connection so that we could avoid the long lines!

A funny side note. Every state gets to choose two people they would like to put statues of in the capitol that represent their state. Utah chose Brigham Young and Filo T. Farnsworth. Yeah, that's what I thought too. Who is Filo? Apparently he had something to do with the invention of the TV. I had to snap a photo in front of Brigham Young as he is my grandfather four generations back.

The last night we all went down to Alexandria, VA for a walk along the shore and a yummy dinner. The pizza was a favorite of Kate's.


Missing my cute niece already. This is a tribute to my incredible sister Jennie who is adventurous, funny, intelligent, talented, and the best sister. I have always looked up to you!

Are we having fun yet?

I have often found myself saying recently, "That would make a great blog post" or "That picture is definitely going on the blog." Maybe it's an effort to stay up with my peers who live to blog and go through the day looking for something interesting to blog about. Since writing is not my forte, my blog posts usually consist of a string of pictures trying to show the latest happening in the best light possible. Maybe my blog has become a bit of a travel/picture log. (Sorry but my style is not going to change until after this post.) Maybe I have fooled you on the blog that everything I do is rip-roaringly fun. Although these pictures might suggest otherwise, the honest to goodness truth is that these next events were not quite as fun as they look. Thank heavens for my witty sister Kristen who kept the family entertained. Let me explain. A few weeks ago we had the annual Anderson Family Reunion. Eighty-two of the eighty-seven family members came to Salt Lake City for the event. Unlike most people, I really love family reunions. This one was no exception. However, on the 24th of July we went to fulfill one of my lifelong dreams of seeing the Days of '47 parade in Salt Lake. Here's the fam with Grammy and Grandpa.



The first hour or so we waited in anticipation to see something cool. Sadly, the most exciting thing that came by was this crazy clown.



Later in the day we went to the Bees' baseball game with all the cousins. On account of the opposing team being sick, we watched a high school/college All-Star game instead. Not quite as cool. We entertained ourselves by making bee jokes and trying to spot the most enthusiastic fans (which were few and far between).





Our true feelings of the game.



The rest of the reunion was great however with picnics, sports games, programs, and lots of chatting with the fam. Not to brag, but the Anderson family is the best!

After the reunion, my family went up Lambs' Canyon to my Grandparent's cabin for a few days. Activities included jet skiing on the Jordanelle reservoir, hiking, tennnis, the new Harry Potter movie, and doing a little fix up at the cabin.