Mom and Dad Henshaw in town, Richmond 10k, General Conference…and foofy pillows
Date night at the CVC: Monday Clint attended KA’s Naval War College class at the Capitol Visitors Center, where we watched The Battle of Algiers. We’ll admit it was the first foreign-made, black and white, subtitle-enhanced 1960 French war film made for a private film festival we have ever watched, but it wasn’t too bad.
Cute Pillows: KA made a trip to the craft store and Costco this week, and purchased the Satterthwaite’s first Easter decorations, plus some fashionable (ie foofy) pillows.
Having lived in a bachelor pad for the past several years, this was something unique for Clint. He found occasion to remember what Dan Ricks said when explaining why he didn’t put up a fight to stop his wife Lindsay from painting the kitchen yellow. “When I proposed to Lindsay, I knew that meant I was going to live in a doll house.”
Clint: just smile and embrace it.
Busy week(end): Being the types that sit down with our calendars before the start of every week, we’re no strangers to an event-packed week. It took us for surprise then, when we managed to fit a full week of events into a single weekend.
With that in mind, below is a special edition of
THE WEEKEND READOUT. . .
Lessons learned-- BW Parkway edition: On Thursday Clint went to pick up Mom and Dad Henshaw from the Baltimore Airport, and left just after 4pm in order to arrive at 5:15pm when they landed. Clint finally rolled in at 6:08pm. Lessons learned?
-The Baltimore Washington Parkway is a bad idea any day after 3:30pm.
-Clint is stubborn, and needs to call his guests, have them take the train, and turn the car around when it’s 5pm and he still hasn’t made it out of DC.
-Nothing makes a bad night in traffic better than coming home to a home-cooked meal from KA.
Riding to Richmond: On Friday after work we met up with MJ to drive down to Richmond (Midlothian to be precise) to run a 10k and visit Grandpa Henshaw. Riding with MJ meant that one other guest came in the car with us: her trusty ukulele. While we love hearing the uke (as much as MJ loves hearing about our wedding), we were glad that MJ’s Corolla is an “authorized” vehicle, and that we didn’t get stuck in the 4 hour traffic-jam on the 95 South.
Eye of the Tiger: After a good night’s rest at Uncle Glen and Aunt Patty’s (turns out the double bed brings us closer than the king), we left at a very early 6:30am to look for a parking spot in Richmond and prepare for the race. Couple insights there:
As much as we want to be, we’re not (yet) morning people
The Witt family knows their running. Clint got to feeling a little claustrophobic among all the running trophies and medals. . .
We got to sleep in a double bed, which was great—but certainly smaller than the king size we’re accustomed to. Suffice it to say, Clint’s claims of “KA, look--this double bed was plenty big for both of us last night” fell on unconvinced ears.
After a chilly start near VCU’s campus in Richmond, everyone finished the race in what proved to be great running weather (~45 degrees). Dad Henshaw smoked his personal best by over a minute; KA finished close behind him; and Clint managed to break the 40 minute mark, barely beating Uncle Glen’s time.
It should be noted that cousin Ryan finished in 35:58. Just when Clint thought he was fast. . .
We thank thee, O God: We took in Conference whatever way we could. We’d like to thank the people at Apple and Verizon for allowing us to sustain the prophet while in the HOV lane passing Fredericksburg, VA. We loved hearing the messages and feeling the spirit of this unique event. What a blessing to know God loves us and sends us counsel here and now!
Costco games: We stopped by Costco to stock up on some items.
If we’re already purchasing four-packs of toothpaste now, heaven only knows what we’ll be buying when we have a full family in tow. . .
Priesthood and girl’s fun: Saturday night was where we separated the boys from the girls. . literally.
The girls managed to combine Cold Stone ice cream with the Disney movie Tangled, while the boys listened to the bretheren’s counsel during the Priesthood Session. Clint beamed when President Monson admonished the single men to work on getting married. Thank you, President Monson. . . check.
Cherry blossoms: Sunday morning found us in northwest DC in the Kenwood neighborhood. Many years ago, members of that community decided to plant over 1,200 Yoshino cherry trees along their roads. That has created a breathtaking scene of white and pink blossoms for a few weeks every year. We enjoyed walking around with Mom, Dad, and MJ, and tried with relative success to capture the beauty of it in pictures.
THE REST OF THE WORLD
Government shutdown: The budget battles over 2011 funding continues, with a Friday deadline for a compromise bill. If nothing is passed, all federal employees cease working, save those considered essential, such as national security personnel, certain transportation officials, etc.
Uprisings in Africa: While UN-supported rebel forces try to win the war in Libya, bloodshed continues in the Ivory Coast, a former French colony. The democratically-defeated president refuses to step down, raising concerns that more blood will be shed before the people’s choice for president is seated.
Let the races begin: President Obama officially kicked off his 2012 campaign with the release of a video early this morning. This comes while Republican presidential hopefuls jostle behind the scenes for positioning, eager to prove they have better solutions to our country’s problems and that the president is leading us down the wrong path.
JUST FOR FUN
Pictures: You can check out a slideshow of the race by clicking here. You can peruse Google images of the Kenwood neighborhood by clicking here.
Per last week: KA just missed winning the family Final Four pool, as UConn’s win over Kentucky sealed MJ’s victory.
Like mother, like daughter: If anyone was wondering, just as Clint is his father’s son, so is KA her mother’s daughter. Clint was pretty sure “Is this the fastest way to get there?” and “Why are we waiting?” were spoken by both KA and Susan--sometimes simultaneously.
End of the day, Clint knows he’s a lucky man, and adores (almost;) every one of those traits!
Better Homes and Gardens—virtual edition: We plugged into Skype to talk with Del and Cheryl (Clint’s parents) again this week, but with a twist: Cheryl had sent us a package with supplies to grow wheat grass at home, and we needed her supervision to set it up right. What does that mean? Stay tuned as we track the progress of our first plant! (mind you, Cheryl’s maiden name is Gardiner. . . so Clint should have some green thumb in him). KA is all over it, and sprayed the grass already this morning.
Everyone wants to know: If the government shuts down, will KA get off work?
I love reading your blog! Clint is such a creative writer!
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