30 years!

Well, I am no longer in my 20's.  Isn't it amazing how time goes by?  It's been a good birthday week.

Wednesday night a group of us went to a restaurant called Carlyle to celebrate Marlene's b-day (the 21st) and my b-day (the 24th).  I ate a delicious salad with salmon, dates, pecans, new potatoes, and cranberries all mixed together.  It had a yummy dressing on it too.

Tia made an amazing cake and had the restaurant hold on to it for us until we finished dinner.  It was awesome, Tia!

Gabe and I took off really yesterday morning to head down to southern Virginia.  Our first stop was Yogaville.  Yes, there really is a place called Yogaville (Satchidananda Ashram) where people go to relax, do yoga, meditate, and eat vegetarian food.  We wandered around their beautiful land and then ate breakfast with them.  We met a guy named Snehan (meaning "friend" in whatever language they use....Sanskrit, I believe), who told us about some of the things they believe.  He said that their way of life isn't a religion (they embrace all religions).  I don't know why, but for some reason I was thinking that I was going to have a feast of biscuits and gravy, eggs, bacon, pancakes, etc., but when we walked into their cafeteria I was reminded that these are yoga people.  They had oatmeal, organic cereals, fruit, plain yoghurt, rice cakes, and rice and soy milk.  Ha!  At least it was healthy. :)

This is where their spiritual guru is buried.  He died six years ago.  Hey Mom, do you like my shirt? :)  That shirt was in the birthday box Mom sent me.  I thought it would be appropriate to reach back to my childhood roots on my 30th birthday.

Overlooking their Lotus Temple

This sign was in the bathroom at the cafeteria.

Our next stop was the LDS Church's Southern Virginia University (SVU) in Buena Vista.  It's very small (I think they have around 1000 students), but very pretty.  It was dedicated in the 1870's.

Gabe sporting the shirt we bought in Yogaville.  It says "Truth is one.  Paths are many."  In and around the lotus flower are the symbols for all the religions of the world.  If you're wondering about the knight, that's the mascot of SVU.

We stopped by Montpelier and almost went to see the home of James Madison, but when I saw the brochure I realized that it's very similar to George Washington's home and property in Mount Vernon and we didn't want to pay (and spend time) to see more of the same stuff.  So we decided to come back up north.

I went over to Tia's apartment when we got back to D.C.  They made some chocolate chip cookie bars and lit some matches (we didn't have any candles) for my birthday.  I'm not sure I deserve the treatment I get at that apartment.  Great friends!

Yesterday I thought about the last 30 years of my life.  I sure have a lot to be grateful for.  I have a wonderful family, fantastic friends, and a good job.  I belong to The Church of Jesus Christ and I serve the God who has blessed me throughout my time on Earth.  Life really is good!