Easter dinner & Cherry Blossom Japanese Festival/Fireworks!

 Spring is a really fun time in DC. Temps begin to warm... blossoms bloom... and there's always a lot going on!

I had a wonderful Easter. Such a wonderful time at church and then in the afternoon with friends. I didn't get many pictures of it, but I did get the before-meal picture of how nice Joni made it for us! We had treats on our plates! And, after a yummy meal we then went on an Easter egg hunt. It was AWESOME!

 Then, this weekend was fabulous as well! It was General Conference weekend and I really look forward to hearing the messages shared from our church leaders and prophets. They're always such great reminders of the many blessings we've been given and a renewal of energy to go forth in doing our best work!

So, Saturday was filled with conference, but in the evening, when all the guys are at the priesthood session, girls go out and play :) Fortunately, this was the same night of the Cherry Blossom Festival and Fireworks on the Potomac! We had a group of about ten awesome sisters with us and luckily found AWESOME parking down on the waterfront.

We got there just in time for these Japanese drummers to perform. I watched in awe of their strength and how much they "felt" the music and its meaning. I think that's a sign of the true performer. The members of this group studied the history and background of their ancestors and the pieces they performed. They wanted to share this knowledge with others and I loved that! It was so crowded, but it was well worth the time spent standing to see it!

 It's hard to see their feet in these pictures, but they're wearing slipper/sock flip flops!

 This picture also doesn't do their performance justice, 

but they're straddling that drum and pounding hard and fast!

 I looked around at the view as the sunset over the Potomac. 

It was so pretty. But, as I looked to my left I saw the 

American Flag blowing in the wind...

 I then looked to my right and saw the Japanese Flag blowing

 I felt an overwhelming sense of pride for my country, but also a respect for Japan. For it's people, culture, and history. I also was grateful that even though our countries have had its differences over the years, we have now come together and can stand side-by-side in harmony.

There were some crew boats out on the water... awesome!

 Then, out of the blue, these Japanese Fish boats started swimming around. They were only two or three feet above water and about 5 feet long or so. Kind of scary looking, but I really wanted to ride in one! I could not figure out what their purpose was and even googled it to try and find the answer. No LUCK! Open to the imagination!

 Then the highlight - the fireworks!!

 So pretty!

 I love how they light up the sky!

 But, the best part of all is that I was there with friends... Mer and Athelia were there too... just not in the picture! I am so grateful for my friends and for their support! But, really for the fact that they just bring JOY to my life!