Gathered Throughout the World

Hello from Baltimore! We came up here today to watch General Conference with Nicole and her family! It's been a party. 

Usually the party has been out in Utah (2012, and almost exactly 5 years ago in 2018!) but we're glad we finally made it back east to visit their home! General conference started after we were in to our drive, so we listened to 45 minutes of it in the car, then finished listening at her house. 

Nicole had a feast ready for lunch. She has a beautiful home! Much better place to listen than in our little hotel room (with our cranky neighbor in the suite next door, who rebuked me for the noise and constant door closing last night, ...and again this morning!). It's fun that we're staying in Centreville for the next few days, cause that's where we used to live! We drove by the old townhome. It was raining so we didn't get out. (Plus it'd be weird for whoever lives there, if they were home, to have strangers come take a picture of their house and leave.) So we took a photo from the car. We can pretend we're spies. Wes was little like Katharine when he lived out here. 

We got out at the school, and then sent this pic to Joseph and Mel, so they could see their old elementary school. Joseph went to 1st grade here and Mel to all day kindergarten.

Then we drove in to DC. We thought we'd go to one museum real quick before we headed to Nicole's. We found a place to park that was very close to the Air and Space Museum, got the app to pay for parking, got out in the rain, stood in line long enough to hear that there were no more tickets available (they are released to the public at 8:30 am every morning) and then decided to leave. It was an hour and 15 min drive to Nicole's. The kids were excited when they broke out the legos for play as they listened.

I hardly saw Owen at all today - he was in the Lego zone (except when he'd pop over to ask for a chocolate coin). Wes made a ship for Peter.

Peter became very attached to a "blue ninja" Nya minifigure, ...which I'm sure I'll eventually get for him when we get back, if he remembers, cause I'm a pushover. (Lego set 70600). Katharine played under the table. 

She loved it!

Nicole got this cute picture of K. We all thought she looked like a little Christmas elf.

She's a busy body. After spending the day with her Thursday while we were at Busch Gardens, Corey put it aptly - "She's always trying to jump ship..." 

Sophi taking notes.

I took a few notes. A few of my favorite messages: first session was Larry Cook, but I can't remember why I loved it cause I was driving and thus couldn't write anything down, but that's one of the first ones I'm going to relisten to. I loved The kids did a descent job listening. I think they listened better here than they ever have at home. And no one felt comfortable enough to let themselves doze off during the talks, so that was good. The sessions are all 2 hours later than in Utah, with the time zone difference, so it was 12-2, 4-6, and there is one more starting in a few minutes at 8. The kids have been playing Apples to Apples for the past 30 minutes and it's so fun hearing them talk and laugh!

I've heard my kids say several times to themselves or to a kid close to them "This is so much fun!"

Ok, the last session of conference is about to start!

Later - We're back at Centreville. I thought I'd stay up for a sec and finish this post while Sophi stays up to write in her journal. Last photo of the day, as we all listened to Conference. I felt a bit sentimental when at the opening of the sessions they say "gathered with Saints throughout the world..." cause that is us! Gathered together here as friends in Nicole's home, gathered virtually with our families and neighbords back in Utah and with friends in Chile and Brazil... I love the feeling of family and community the gospel brings! Zion happening right here!

It was a wonderful day. I loved it and I'm crossing my fingers that we might have time to go up again tomorrow. We love the Freeman's! I hope everyone has a friend they are totally comfortable with, like I do with Nicole. As Corey said on Wednesday (after dinner in Richmond) she and I are "Cut from the same cloth...." -ha! It was so great being with them today.