A Top Secret Interview

A friend from church is going through the security clearance process. If you have ever lived in the DC area, you have undoubtedly been witness to this procedure. An investigator will come to your home and ask you lots of questions about the "candidate" to help determine his/her loyalty and trustworthiness.

One of the questions was, "What does he do in his free time?"

I couldn't help it, but a wry grin escaped onto my face. My first thought, which I did not say, was, "You don't know many Mormons, do you?"

Free time? I think I once read about that in a magazine...?

I quickly regrouped, however. I said, "He does whatever his wife tells him to do."

That won me a supressed laugh, and we moved on to the rest of the interview.

DC Cherry Blossoms

Where does a month go?


These are a few weeks old, but I thought I'd post some of the pictures from our recent trip to see the cherry blossoms in DC. We went on Tuesday, April 3. The blossoms were forecast to "peak" between Wednesday and Sunday. The weather forecast, however, prompted us to go one day early.

It was 80 degrees, and the walkways around the Tidal Basin were packed. We still got some good pictures, though. And lots of comments from people about "are all of these your kids" and that type of thing.

Also, the FDR memorial is pretty neat, it's right along the Tidal Basin walkway. This year we made the full loop--usually we go only part way, give the kids a snack, take some pictures, and turn around.

Parking was insane. My usual ploy to park in a secret undisclosed location has apparently become a national phenomenon. Let's just say I had to phone into Incrivel's office for some last minute Chloe-esque GoogleMaps advice.

The next day, the highs were in the low 40's. It was very windy, and it rained, and I'm sure most of the blossoms were blown away. The weather for the last two weeks has been unseasonably cold, with highs rarely above 50.

This weekend they are finally predicting warmer weather, just in time for me to leave for a week on business. Pay no attention to my unmowed lawn!