My name is Kami...

and I have white trash(WT) tendencies... There, I said it, I'm slightly WT! I became acutely aware of my wt ways during our trip into the Virginia "country." The day started with a great little hike through Sky Meadows State Park. It was beautiful and the weather was absolutely perfect!



Notice the wt bra straps that seemed to find their way into every pic from the hike..







And if that weren't enough, the real hard-core evidence came on our drive home through Manassas. After searching high and low for a Super Wal-Mart (nothing says wt like wally-world), guess what we found in the parking lot of the K-Mart across the street?!? THE RING OF FIRE! Seriously, who wouldn't be excited to see that! Had it been the Zipper (only the coolest ride at the Box Elder County Fair, I probably would have wet my pants!) Hope and Di said they've never seen me that excited...and I don't remember the last time I was that excited :) The $20 we spent to get into the carnival, ride 2 rides and walk out was totally worth it.

Gladys Knight sans the Pips

Wow! Words don't really do justice to Sister Knight, her awesome voice and her amazing choir. Our LDS stake had the opportunity to hear Gladys Knight and the Saints United Voices choir perform at a fireside. The music was inspiring, the testimonies of Gladys and her husband were empowering, but what struck me the most, was the diversity of the audience! It was a spiritual feast for African Americans, Caucasians, Polynesians, Asians, as well as people of diverse faiths including Latter-Day Saints, Baptists, Buddhists, etc.



Thanks to the VIP tickets from our boss, Hope, Diana and I were perfectly placed front and center! It was so different than a normal LDS meeting...we were standing and clapping and dancing to the music. The somewhat reserved Mormons had a hard time getting used to the whole concept of clapping in the chapel. But, by the end of the performance, everyone was standing, holding hands, and dancing together!



It's amazing to see the good that comes when someone uses their talents and gifts from God to their full potential. Gladys and the SUV brought together a group of people that otherwise probably wouldn't have celebrated their faith or love for Christ together! I'm inspired to dig up some of those talents I've buried...

Gilmore Girls, Chick-fil-a, and shopping...

Hope and I spent Saturday doing what we do best...shopping! We're the perfect pair...both our childhoods were spent getting up early (10-11 or so:)) and heading to the mall with our female family members to shop 'til we dropped or 'til the stores kicked us out! It's great...everyone needs a shopping partner like Hope!

This particular Saturday we thought we'd kick it up a notch and invite another friend along for our shopping extravaganza...



You might recognize her from Gilmore Girls, Evan Almighty, or as the speed dial girlfriend from Seinfeld. Well, she's delightful and as soon as she spotted Hope and I* in Anthropologie she wanted to hang with us...we were feeling generous so of course we let her tag along! She wants us to be in her next movie, but with our hectic schedules we had to decline...next time Lauren :)


Lauren took this pic, but cut herself out...she's just so modest!


*Okay, so maybe when we spotted Lauren in Anthropologie, we might have freaked out a bit! Hope offered to pay me to talk to her, but I didn't dare for fear of being intrusive! We kept staring (from behind the racks-we do have some manners). Looking back, I'd totally go say hi...it's gotta be better than looking like stalkers/nerds behind clothing racks! How creepy are we?!? It was the highlight of our day...with lunch at Chick-Fil-A coming in a close second! :)

Popcorn Popping...

Welcome to the National Cherry Blossom Festival! Words can't describe how beautiful the District looks right now...all I can say is "Thank you Japan for the cherry blossoms!"









Imagine hundreds of people on the National Mall flying kites...it's magical! Pirate ships, turtles, human legs, and just about anything that could fly was floating through the DC skies! Watching little kids, big kids, families and friends all enjoy the windy weather was impressive! Kites filled the sky, from the Capitol all the way down to the Washington Monument and on towards the Lincoln Memorial...doesn't get much more American than this!! They have show kites, and huge kite flying contests too. Let's go fly a kite...up to the highest height!


There are some duties a girlfriend should take seriously...making sure your boyfriends crack isn't hanging out is definitely one of them! Seriously, there were children in the vicinity!







The Tidal Basin was crowded...but the blossoms were worth it!


Sometimes being height challenged is a good thing...


Wayne's motto: Stop and smell the rose..err cherry blossoms!

Spring Break...

When I graduated, nobody mentioned the "real world" doesn't include spring break...which totally stinks! So I decided to take myself on my own little "spring break" trip back to UT. I flew in just in time for the wedding of my last single girlfriend from high school (thanks for the late night/early morn pick-up dad)! Karly and Greg's wedding was beautiful...they're the cutest couple! The sealing was spectacular (so I hear), the breakfast was delish, and the reception was crowded with lots of familiar faces and good friends! I love when love works...congrats Karly and Greg!
The rest of my "spring break" was spent with the family...

School lunch with my favorite second grader! I don't think I've had a meal that balanced since...elementary school! Grandma and I got to meet all of Kalli's friends, see her cute classroom, and play on the big toy! (Oh, the memories on those monkey bars-they've been there since I was in elementary school! Can you say OLD!?!)

And who wouldn't want to re-live the high school days a bit...good ole' BRHS Junior Prom!

The rest of the week was spent visiting old friends, meeting and getting reacquainted with all of their new babes, visiting family, watching baseball games, eating and shopping! Ahh...the good life!

Eggs, eggs and more eggs! We dyed them...


We hunted them....


And the grand finale...we chucked 'em down the hill!


Welcome to the 25th Annual Capener Family Picnic and Egg Toss! Intense...I know, Capener's don't mess around when it comes to their egg toss! We hike up our mountain armed with dozens of easter eggs (and I mean DOZENS, at least 20) and then, it's bombs away! The boys have contests to see who can throw the farthest (which I'm pretty sure Cade won...woot woot for the youngest bro!), target practice (Uncle Ken seems to be a fav) and then gather all the uncracked eggs and throw 'em again! Don't ask us why we do it...we really don't know! But, its tradition, it makes us happy and its an excuse to get together!

The addition of new Capener's brings new traditions! Meet my sis-in-law Morgan. She likes to mix things up! Boiled eggs? Nah! Dyed eggs? No way! She and Jas (big fans of multi-tasking) dyed their raw eggs right as we tossed! She keeps us crackin' up!

And these are the blessed folks that keep us going! Thanks Grandma and Grandpa Capener for all the traditions that make us unique! We love you!

Small and Simple Things...

If I hadn't been laughing so hard at myself this morning, I'd probably be crying. It was just one of those mornings! I ran out to catch the bus and as I was navigating the little incline out of my complex to the street corner, I lost my footing in the mud and slid...and by slid, I mean feet over head fallin'! My headband flew off-the force was that great! Of course, I chose to wear a skirt today, and not just any skirt, but a flowy skirt that flew over my head as I landed on my butt/back. Think Marilyn Monroe...minus the sex appeal. It was definitely one of my more graceful moments (I'd like to thank my mother now, for inheriting her gracefulness). Even with such a lovely morning, I found some small and simple things to be grateful for...

~My tights are sturdy...my ankle may have a large run up it, but my tights don't.
~Only half the neighborhood and 2 school buses were waiting at the light this morning.
~None of my usual bus friends/ward members (that I know of) witnessed the show.
~Just one of my creepy neighbors was quick enough to snap a pic of my skirt above my head...I'm sensing some internet fame coming my way!
~Only half my skirt, the arm of my coat, and the bottom of my purse have any mud/dirt remnants.
~I noticed my cute red headband in the dirt before crossing the road.
~I remembered to pack my lunch (leftover stir fry) and a coke.
~I was able to get the rice kernels and broccoli out of my purse before my fav bag took on too much of a teriyaki scent (my cheap container cracked during the fall-they don't make tupperware like they used to!).
~I found my contact before it had completely dried out. (After picking myself up and getting on the bus, of course my contact popped out of my eye!)

So all in all, this morning wasn't too bad. It really could have been worse...

View from the Top...

Maybe it was the 300-stair climb, or the bone chilling wind and rain, but I'm pretty sure it was the amazing views from the top that took my breathe away!









I felt pretty lucky to get on top of the Capitol Dome-it requires a personal tour from someone who really is "on top" (a Senator or Representative). I tagged along with Congressman Bishop (thanks to Wayne and Shule) on a jaunt up the Capitol Dome (~180 feet). Mother Nature wasn't really cooperating. It was icy and rainy and cold, but so worth it!





Seeing the "Apotheosis of George Washington" up close and personal made me realize how impressive our Capitol really is! I can't believe HOW HIGH Brumidi was as he painted and HOW LARGE that painting really is...just crazy!

On a side note, Congressman Bishop showed us the prayer room just off from the Rotunda. The room was peaceful and had the most beautiful stained-glass window with George Washington kneeling in prayer and the words to a prayer on it. Separation of church and state? No matter what some may say, this nation is what it is because of the grace of God!