200!

Happy 200th Post! This probably would have come a lot sooner if I had stayed up on my blogging last year... Oh well. Speaking of not staying up on blogging, I have just updated the blog for the last few weeks so feel free to check it out! If you don't, you'll miss out on reading about run things like our trip to Nauvoo so you should probably do it :) Here's hoping for 200 more!

In other news...GO USA! Love me some Olympics!

The Dark Knight Rises and a Pioneer Day Party

I'll be honest, "The Dark Knight" freaked me out. I won't let Devin own it. I'm just not sure that I want it in my house, especially once we have kids. So I was a little wary about seeing "The Dark Knight Rises" But I did think it had the potential to be more hopeful than it's predecessor. Plus Devin really wanted to see it. Throw in the chance to see our good friends Emma and Pete, who we haven't seen since St. Patrick's Day, and we went to the theatre. Well we stopped and ate at Portillo's first and then did a little window-shopping -- ladies at Babies R Us and gentlemen at Sports Authority and Best Buy.

I am happy to report that the movie was not as freaky as "The Dark Knight" and that we were safe. Honestly, there was a part of me that was nervous in the back of my mind after what happened to those poor people in Colorado just days before.

After the movie we came back home, picked up our homemade lemon cream pie, bought some whipped cream to top it, and headed to a Church party.

July 24th is Pioneer Day in our Church (and the State of Utah) and we celebrate our pioneer ancestors and their hardwork and sacrifice to build up our country and our religion. Since the 24th was on a Tuesday, our congregation celebrated by having a party the Saturday before. Everyone either brought a pie or a side, and we ate and talked and played pioneer games. Sometimes it's nice to socialize :)

28 Weeks 7.24.12

Friends!

One of my old college roommates came for a visit! MacKenzie graced with her presence from Tuesday to Thursday of this week and it was so great to see her! We didn't do a whole lot besides talk and hang out, but it was great anyway. We did watch "Bride and Prejudice" for old times sake, and I actually cooked some food (a rarity since being pregnant). And our last morning, she took me out for breakfast! What a good friend :) I had chocolate chip pancakes with fudge sauce, whipped cream, and fresh strawberries on top. Aw yeah!

We're not sure where the road will take MacKenzie in the next little while (or us, in the long run), but I'm glad to say that we are still good friends.

27 Weeks 7.17.12

Seeing Family in the Midwest

Devin and I do not have any family in the area. In fact, our closest family is a 19 hr drive away. So when we get the chance to see family, it's a happy thing.

Because they were in Wisconsin for her family's reunion, we were able to see my brother Clark and his wife Tricia. We did have to drive a little ways to get there, but it was nice to see them for the first time in almost 2 years. We only saw them for a couple of hours (Devin's crazy school schedule and the drive being factors), long enough to eat dinner and chat, but family is family!

Nauvoo: The City Beautiful

After Boards, we decided to take a mini-vacation down to Nauvoo, IL. For those who don't know, Nauvoo was a city founded by early members of the LDS Church. It's located on the banks of the Mississippi River, on the border with Iowa, down toward Missouri. Originally it was swamp land, but we drained it and built a beautiful city there. At one point it was bigger than Chicago! However, persecution has always followed our Church, and after Joseph Smith was murdered in 1844, the "Mormons" were driven out of yet another state by mobs and violence.

Today, Nauvoo has only about 1100 residents. Despite this, there are many historical sites that have remained intact or have been rebuilt in the last century and it is a popular place to visit for those of our faith. This has become especially true since the Nauvoo Temple was rebuilt and dedicated in 2002.

Well we figure this is probably the closest we will ever live to Nauvoo (about 5 hours), so we should take advantage of it.

Thursday morning, we left home and headed southwest. Our long drive included strange back-roads and alleys, and following probably the slowest vehicle in existence for about 1 mile. But finally, at about 3pm, we pulled into our hotel in Keokuk, IA.

We spent the next 8 hours seeing the visitor's center, listening to a bagpipe band, touring old Church buildings, getting overheated (100 degree weather, gross humidity, and pregnancy do not mix), eating some good food at the Nauvoo Hotel, and seeing the Nauvoo Pageant. I also saw a couple of memorials mentioning one of my ancestors! All of which were awesome!

The next day, we drove out to Carthage, IL, to see where Joseph Smith and his brother Hyrum were martyred. Despite having to wait for some huge groups to go ahead of us (ironically, the group was from the area of Michigan I was born in), and this really pompous guy with a camera, it was a very special experience. We then drove back into Nauvoo to spend the rest of our day.

We visited the Joseph Smith family sites, which are owned by the Community of Christ (formerly the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) and bought a few souvenirs, namely: root-beer, licorice, and a little red brick that has Nauvoo stamped into it.

Following this we hit up some of the sites we missed the day before including the Seventies Hall where we looked up some of our ancestors; and the trail of hope, where the saints lined up their wagons to take them across the frozen Mississippi River (this ended in a Pioneer Memorial where we found more of our ancestors names).

As it started to rain, we headed to town for some lunch, before going to the Temple. (Just so you know, there are seriously like 5 places to eat in all of Nauvoo and they are not open for all meals.)

Last but certainly not least, we were able to go to the Nauvoo Temple. It was a very special experience, as it is a very special building. They tried to rebuild it as close to the original (which was destroyed by arson), while updating it for modern safety requirements. Inside are many things that are very special historical antiques for those of our Faith. It's very beautiful and very sacred inside.

Our last stop on our way out of town was a bakery. We picked up a couple of turnovers (cherry for me, blueberry for Devin), and a vanilla soft-serve cone for me. One long drive later, and we were home and being greeted by our lonely kitty.

It was a nice little trip and we're glad we went! Hope you enjoy the pictures!

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Boards

Devin has survived Boards!

In Podiatry School, you take first part of the Board exams between your 2nd and 3rd year. It's a huge standardized test to make sure you've learned things and that you'll be a good doctor. It's pass/fail, and it also costs about $900. Eep! If you don't pass, you can take it again; but you must eventually pass it to graduate, get a residency, and of course become a podiatrist.

Starting months earlier, Devin spent much time reviewing. They give them the week and a half before off for more studying, and that's pretty much all Devin's been doing. Seriously, things I've talked to him about during that time period he doesn't even remember, or only remembers that it was talked about, not what was said.

To celebrate, we ate dinner at the Cheesecake Factory and got cheesecake (of course). I got a tasty chicken sandwich and Devin got gumbo. He got the Hersey's cheesecake and I got the anniversary cheesecake. So good!

We won't know for a month or so whether or not he passed,  but it's over! (We're assuming he passed and won't have to re-take it in October. This would be bad since it would be another $900 and happen around the due date of our little one.) We'll let you know when we know!

26 weeks 7.10.12

Same day, wearing "the shirt"

Three Cheers for the Red, White, and Blue!

Happy Independence Day! Well, belated anyway. I hope you all had a great time celebrating our Nation's birthday and our freedom. I am very patriotic person and always love this time if year (except the shafty heat).

Devin and I didn't do anything too exciting, but I thought I would update everyone anyway, as it was a holiday.

We grilled up some hamburgers, and had them with chips, corn-on-the-cob, grapes, and grape Fanta (carbonation burns when you rarely drink pop!). It was shafty hot, so we hung around the house the rest of the day. I did actually get dressed in red, white, and blue instead of just staying in my pjs; so I consider that a success.

That night we finally watched "The Return of the King" (we've been working on watching the whole extended trilogy for months) and watched most of Six Flags' fireworks show from the comfort of our back porch. That was pretty much it! It was a very laid-back kind of day, but it was nice. Devin got a break from studying (mostly) and we didn't have to go anywhere or do anything. Really, that's what freedom is in some ways.

Hope your 4th was as enjoyable as our lazy day was!

Devin being impertinent and taking a picture of the wall I pose against

25 weeks 7.3.12

Kairi showing you that it's too hot to do anything 7.4.12