Goodbye!

I honestly have no time to run a blog while I've got work, updating my facebook and the family website, spending time with my loved ones and planning a wedding so I think I'm going to shut this blog down. It used to be enjoyable for me but honestly now it's just another task on my to do list and so this will be my last post. If you really want to know how I'm doing....call me once in a while and I'll tell you. :)

Bye!

I'm Engaged

With so many people asking me for the story of my engagement I'm all out of minutes on my cell phone so the rest of you get the story here.

Cory and I met in Kindergarten when we were 6 years old. He became best friends with my twin brother when he was 7 or 8 and I became "Nick's sister" to him. When we hit 6th grade (12 years old) we became friends. We played together at recess and had class together. Through Junior High and High School we stayed best friends and grew to rely on each other for relationship advice, laughter and growing experiences. Cory was always the friend I took for granted and he was always the friend who's shoulder I cried on after a break up or a hard day. Cory did they same thing with me. He would come to me for advice on girls and come to me for comfort after a messy break up or when he needed to relax.


Cory left on his mission to Taiwan and I continued to date other boys. When he came home I noticed the change that had taken place in him and fell head over heels in love with him. He unfortunately had already decided not to date any of his old High School friends so we resumed out friendship and I went away to Washington DC. After a some soul searching and a self transformation I came home to Cory who was still on the dating scene.

He would go on a date on Monday, hang out with me on Tuesday and Wednesday to "recover" from the disappointing dates and then go out again on Thursday. This happened for about 2 months before Cory realized that out of any person he knew he wanted to date me the most.

About 2 weeks ago we started to date and realized that it was SO much fun. We would go to Nickelcade, BBQs and have game night. It only took about 4 days for him to be in love with me as much as I already loved him. About a week ago we prayed to know what we should do and both of us got the green light from the Lord to get married. About 4 or 5 days ago he asked my mom and my twin permission to marry me and then yesterday he proposed.

I've never been so happy, so stressed and so in love before in my life. I'll be posting updates here on wedding plans and key events so stay tuned. :)

Unexpected and without ceremony...

...that is how so many worthwhile things come to us in this life. Not to say that hard work and dedication in school, work and family don't bring great satisfaction.

I think so often we have this picture in our minds of how our lives will work out and what is best for us but almost always what we have in mind for ourselves is not what the Lord has in mind for us. School, work and family. Have they always gone exactly has you have envisioned? Have things perfectly fallen into the parameters of your "plan" or have you had the rug pulled out from under you time and again as I have.

The Lord has a wonderful way of spinning things about. Teaching us that his ways are not our ways and that ultimately he has our best interest at heart. Just when you think you have a good "plan" for your life he comes in and, in all his mercy, shows you that he knows a better way. A way that will provide more happiness than we ever thought possible.

Often these moments of teaching are just that: a moment. One single moment where the light clicks on and we suddenly realize what we truly want and what we need to do to get it. Sometimes their are events that lead up to the moment. They can come in the space of just a few hours or weeks. It's amazing to me what a difference 4 days can make in a persons life. When that moment comes don't let it slip away. Grab on to it even though you may be afraid. Even though you are unsure of the turns the path may take. Focus on what is directly ahead and never let go of the Lord's hand.

I have recently (and many times before) been hit by that happiness which comes when we are looking the other way and this post is motivated by the fact that I'm still light headed and suffering from post situational disbelief. :) I honestly can't think of a single thing I might have done to deserve this kind of happiness but that is just the picture of the Lord' mercy and love for us. We rarely deserve the blessings he sets upon us and yet he continually gives.

Most importantly, for those who feel without hope, don't forget that those moments of stunning beauty and overwhelming happiness are right around the corner but like anything worth having they will come unexpectedly and without ceremony...as long as we have the faith to receive them and the courage to act on them.

Breakfast

On Saturday Callie, Mom and I went up AF canyon to eat breakfast and watch the sunrise. I'll let the pictures do the talking here. After breakfast we drove the Alpine Loop to see the fall colors and enjoy the mountain air.

Yes, we built a snowman.

Etsy Shop

This is the official announcement of my sister's Etsy shop! If you don't know, Etsy is the greatest site where you can buy and sell things that are handmade. But I'm warning you, once you start looking it can be addicting! She has a couple of skirts, a dress, and a few bags up right now. There is a button on the side bar that will take you to the shop so you can browse. So cute and all handmade by my sister Larissa Kindred. Check it out!

National Talk Like a Pirate Day

This past Saturday was National Talk Like a Pirate Day! Aren't you sad you missed out?

Yes, I spent the day dressed and talking like a pirate! Scurvy dog!!! My family decided to go to the zoo and check out all of the new baby animals. There are several new arrivals. Baby snow leopard, tiger cubs, an elephant and giraffe calf, baby meerkats, and a baby crocodile. It was pretty crowded because this was the first weekend that the new baby elephant was out for the public to view.

The new baby was rolling around in the mud and still learning how to use it's trunk to get food from it's mother. He was a little unsteady on his feet still and unsure what do do when his trunk got in the way of his feet.

We hit the zoo in the late afternoon and it didn't take long for me to realize that wearing pirate boots was a bad idea when you have several hours of walking around to do...
My favorite animals by far are the spider monkeys. They were absolutely in love with Rosie's necklace and so spent the whole time we were there right up against the windows.

When we stopped for a snack break the Colobus monkeys started to yelp and scream for no apparent reason. It was really cool to hear and a bit freaky.

All of the animals were out and pretty active which is unusual for mid-summer. If you want to see the animals do crazy things go to the zoo in the dead of winter right around feeding time. The zoo is practically empty and so the animals drop any reservations.

After the zoo we went to eat at one of my favorite places, Village Inn. Pumpkin pie isn't only for Thanksgiving, folks!

So next year...don't forget to talk like a pirate!

Pooh Sticks and thoughtful spots...

I'm speaking of course of American Fork Canyon. My family always buys a year round pass so we can picnic in the warm seasons and sled in the cold and on Saturday we had a picnic.

I grew up in American Fork and spent every summer up at Mutual Dell with the girls from the ward or my family. It's the perfect place for ultimate frisbee, water fights, and campfire songs. I grew up on the songs of John Denver, the Muppets and the Beatles. Those were my campfire songs.

In the fall the canyon is perfectly cool and the leaves are just starting to turn. On Saturday we went up at about 5pm and ate dinner. After dinner we played a game called, "See who can stand to be in the water the longest without getting hypothermia". I think I won. :) We built a fire to thaw our feet and made smores. We even had a contest to see who could melt their marshmellow into the weirdest shape. I can't tell who won...

After the fire went out and before the sun was completely gone we packed up our stuff and stopped for one game of Pooh sticks. For those of you not familiar with Pooh sticks: everyone takes a stick and throws it on one side of a bridge and who's ever stick comes out the other side first is the winner. It's from the short film "A Day for Eeyor" and my brother has even gone as far as playing Pooh logs in which he was the only participant because everyone else lacked the strength to join in.

Before heading home we drove around the rest of the loop. No one talked. I had my iPod in hand and spent the half hour marveling at God's paint brush and feeling the cold canyon air. I love the fall and I especially love the fall in Utah. These days don't last though so be sure you get out and enjoy them before they slip away.

Yesterday was of course Labor Day and the national BBQ day. We congregated at my sister Amanda's house and enjoyed Aloha Burgers, potato salad, horse shoes, badminton, and smore cupcakes. We rounded out the night with a game of Mad Gab and I being it's been so long since I last played I was surprised at how well my team did. I've said it a million times and I'll say it again: I love my family! There is nothing more fun than being around my family. Even if we just sit around and chat, it still turns into a party. Unfortunately at this party I didn't take any pictures.

My favorite time of year, my favorite people on Earth, and delicious food. Does life get any better?

What I miss...

I've been thinking a lot about my recent trip and what a good experience it turned out to be and I've made a list of some things I'll miss now that I'm in Utah and what things I was glad to get away from. Also thrown in are some things about Utah I missed while I was on the east coast.

First of all just to get the negative out of the way: Ticks. You all knew I was going to say it! Blood sucking, disease carrying monsters who made it impossible to play in the back yard. I am so not missing them and my heart goes out to Linsay who is stuck with them for the next year.

Humidity: I guess it's not that bad if you've grown up with it but I haven't and I felt that it would have been greatly beneficial for me to grow a set of gills while walking around the city.

As for things I'll miss: East coast storms. Nothing like the wimpy rain we get in the desert. When they have a storm they don't mess around and it only takes 3 seconds to go from dry to drowning.

Rita's Italian Ice: They make home made custard and mix it with the Italian ice. Amazing! I've heard the passion fruit flavor is the best but they didn't have that flavor when I went. Only open for three months during the summer, Rita's is the hotspot in Maryland and is the perfect way to cool off.

Farmer's market: In DC every Friday they have a huge farmer's market right by the Department of Commerce. People sell pretzels, honey, fruits and veggies, ice cream and home made bread. We do have some fun farmer's markets here in Utah but they're nothing compared to DC.

Public Transportation: I know we have that in Utah as well but everyone knows the the bigger the city the better the mass transit system is. I loved being able to hop on the Prince George station rail and go anywhere. They have trains that run EVERYWHERE and it is so easy (and cheap) to see all of DC by metro.

Salamanders and Toads: Although I sometimes got grossed out by the creatures running around our yard I miss having tiny lizards and toads come out every time it rains. Plus toads and salamanders eat bugs to they are pretty much my best buds.

Tonks: My sister's crazy cat! She sat on my lap the second I sat down and always tried to sleep with me. I taught her some naughty habits while I lived there. Habits like, it's okay to sleep under the covers and that it's okay to sleep up by people's faces. :)

Last but not least: I miss very much my nephew, Ethan. His parents too. He used to tackle me every morning to wake me up and I don't think I know a sillier kid. I left just before his 2nd birthday and was so sorry to miss it. He used to hide in the entertainment center, make a hammock out of my legs and a blanket, and yell at me when I stole food off of his tray. They are coming to visit in December and I can't wait to see the little guy again.

As for things I missed about Utah: Mountains. How can you tell which direction you're going without mountains?

Roxberry: Rita's may be nice but if you want the best fruit smoothie the US has to offer then hit Roxberry. How can you pay $4 for a small watered down Jamba Juice when there are delights like Roxberry to be had. If you haven't tried it yet then repent of your ways and get to it.

Movies that don't cost you your first born child: Movies were $12 in MD. Ouch! The 7 weeks I was there I only saw one movie and it was a matinee which was only $8.

Dry air: you saw what I wrote about humidity. I love the dry, cool Utah fall weather.

Friends: Although it was fun to make new friends there is something special about the peeps I already have. Maybe it's just because they have shared so much more life experiences with me or the fact that I've known most of them for 10+ years. I was glad to come home and sit at the party pad again with me peeps.

Family: I miss Ethan like crazy but I do have family a plenty still here in Utah to keep me busy. Nieces and nephews. Early morning exercise and late night discussions. Callie has taken up Ethan's post as wake up caller and tackles me in the mornings.

I loved DC. I did what I went there to do and now I'm happy to be home. There's no place like it.

Arizona

Well, Maryland is over now and I'm off to continue my pursuit of that flighty temptress, Adventure! My nephew Isaac was born just a few months ago so I made a pit stop in Arizona to hang out with my favorite people in the whole world. My family.

I admit that traveling 5 hours on a plane with a 2 year old isn't the most fun I've had but he did pretty good. As long as we have nice neighbors and Winnie the Pooh he is fairly happy. Once we got to Arizona the first thing I noticed, of course, was the lack of humidity! Glorious, dry western air. There is nothing better even though I'm a little worried about my gills closing up because of under use.

Our first night there we went to visit my brother at work and all of the girls got sushi (except for me). After dinner we all took turns passing baby Isaac around and oooooing over his fat little cheeks. I always forget how small babies start out. I'm used to Ethan.

There is nothing I love more than a good sleepover and so I thoroughly enjoyed listening to the patter of little feet that were suppose to be in bed running up and down the halls and the giggling of 4 year old voices. Dress up and talking late into the night...by the adults and children.

The next day was blessing day and so there was a rush of food preparation and house cleaning. I admit I mostly "supervised" and watched my favorite show: Good Eats. Alton Brown, being supreme in all things cooking, I decided if I watched his show for several hours I could lend my new found knowledge to those doing all of the work. Unfortunately by the time I gleaned all I could from the mad food scientist the work was all done. Oops!

After Isaac was blessed we had a mini birthday party for Ethan who just turned two. He blew out the candles on his cake and we sang loudly for him. I don't think he quite realized what was going on but everyone seemed to be paying him special attention so I didn't hear any complaints from him. Once the kids were in bed the Killer Bunnies commenced. One of my all time favorite games (outdone only by Harry Potter Clue) in a morbid and twisted sort of way. We stayed up until about midnight slaughtering each others bunnies with kitchen whisks, lawn darts and hedge clippers. (We also took a short break to dress me up as a potato head.)

On Sunday we went to church and got packed up to go home. We set out on Monday at about 6:30am and were okay until about the Hoover Dam. Rose has decided that she does NOT like to be in the car...I tried to drown out the crying with my trusty iPod and only had to listen to the sorrow in between songs. She eventually fell asleep and slept all the way until St. George. We stopped there to see Amanda's in-laws and let the kids run loose for a bit. We only stayed for an hour and then the journey continued with Rose crying and laughing in 30 second intervals. It took a total of 15 hours in the car to get home and I was more than happy to be home. Home to the mountains and Utah in the fall. My favorite time of year in this valley.

Now to get back into the real world. Find a job. Find a place to live. Finish training for my marathon. It was wonderful to have a break from the world. Such an amazing opportunity for me to take a step out of myself and evaluate what it is I want from life and where I need to go in order to get it. Drama is always less serious when you are removed from the thick of things. I have a clear direction now and when I have a path it makes getting back into regular life sweeter. On to the next adventure!

Asian Art

Today Linsay, Ethan and I went to the Arthur M. Sackler Asian Art Museum. Maybe it's because I'm half Japanese or maybe it's because I think that Asian art is so much more interesting than European art but either way I had an amazing time. They have collected pieces of art from Korea, Thailand, Japan, China, India, and Russia. I think the Russian weaponry was my favorite part of the exhibit.

They have a blue room with gold peacocks painted on the walls that I could have stayed all day in. The Peacock Room carries all of the rare blue and white china that the Smithsonian has collected. The picture on the right (below) is a hanging sculpture that runs down the center of the museum. On the bottom floor, where the sculture base is, there is a fountain and doors that lead in to the Museaum of African Art.

Ethan spent the whole time watching Winnie the Pooh on my iPod (I carry it everywhere just in case he gets bored) and yelling so he could hear his voice echo off the walls. Luckily he kept the yelling down to a minimum. After the museum we went to a set of gardens next to the building and let Ethan play in the water fountains and chase birds for a bit as his reward for putting up with us and all of the boring paintings.

There are still so many things to see before I go home so I'll probably go downtown 1 or 2 more times before I head to Arizona.

Berry Picking

It took us an hour and a half to get there but it was totally worth it. The large farm in Virginia where you pick your own berries was so much fun! David, Linsay, Ethan and I met up with Heather and James (friends of David and Linsay) and their kids and as soon as the kids were out of the car the berrymania started.

Although it was blazing hot the kids immediately began to run through the bushes pulling off anything low enough for them to reach. We had to explain to them that red blackberries are not ripe and shouldn't be picked so only to grab the black ones. Also, raspberries should be red not white. :) They were so adorable running around the shore trying to swat at bugs and sneaking berries out of the buckets. I first noticed something strange about 30 minutes into the trip. No matter how many berries I put into the bucket, it always stayed empty. The red stain around Ethan's mouth was all the evidence I needed. We explained to him that we were only there to pick berries and we could eat them later and after that he only snitched a few. I always new when he had gotten a berry because he would shout out his favorite word. "YUMMO!" Ethan followed along behind holding the bucket for the adults to put the berries in saying, "Bee!" everytime we passed a flower. They have mutant bees the size of quarters swarming the bushes but of course they're just after pollin so we left each other alone.

We spent several hours in the sun picking berries and making sure the kids didn't fall in the water or get stung by bees. I've never been to such a beautiful farm before and although it would be desperately hard work I've always wanted to live on a farm. Being among the berry bushes just set that idea into cement. After we were exhausted from chasing around and the heat we ended up with about 2 lbs of raspberries and the same amount of blackberries. I slept in the car almost the whole way home.

Now I have homemade jam and ice cream to look forward to before I head home to Utah.

Victory!!!

I just wanted everyone to know I did it! I caught the toad all by myself!!! We kept him only long enough for Ethan to see him and for us to take a picture and then we let him go.

Six Flags

We spent the whole day at Six Flags. We hit the roller coasters first which turned out to be a good thing because all of the crowds stayed in the water park during the day because of the heat. We ran as fast as we could to the biggest roller coaster in the park but got sidetracked because Ethan saw the train.

After a painfully slow train ride (Ethan liked it) we jumped onto the Ride of Steel. The Superman drop. :) 200 foot drop and speeds that reach 75mph. (pictured on the left) I've never been on a ride like that. I love roller coasters but that was insane. I could barely walk when we got off. We hit The Joker next which was low key but still a lot of fun and then we took Ethan over to the kiddy area where there were rides a plenty for two year olds.

He went on a Roadrunner ride which turned into the highlight of the trip. It's a small roller coaster and has no big drops or high speeds but the look of terror on his face was hilarious as the ride started. (pictured on the right you can see David and the top of Ethan's little head. The third seat back) David kept his hand on Ethan the whole ride to make him feel more secure but he had never experienced anything like that before. At the end Ethan said, "Whoa!" When David asked if he liked it he answered yes but when David asked if he wanted to do it again he said no. :)

Around 3pm we headed over to the water park to cool off. (pictured below is Ethan playing in the water and my legs in the background) I spent the next few hours catching Ethan at the bottom of the water slide and watching him splash water in his face. I loved just sitting in the water and doing nothing after so much running around. Just to end the day on a good note David and I ran over to the last big roller coaster in the park called the Mind Eraser. It's one where your feet dangle and the wind gets knocked out of you because you'er going around in such tight circles.

Because everyone was at the water park the longest we waited for any ride was about 10 minutes. Now that we're home (Just in time too. Rain.) we're making homemaid funnel cakes and reminising about the strangled look on our faces during the Superman ride.

Toads, toddlers, and botanic gardens

That's right! We have toads here in our Maryland yard! I went to take the recycling to the curb and almost stepped on a toad. I ran inside and grabbed Lins so she could see the creepy little guy. Linsay and I snapped a picture but by the time we decided to catch one they had disappeared. We searched through the bushes with flashlights and sticks but came up dry. I'm going to go out searching every night until I find one...just not in the backyard. I'm still too afraid of getting a tick. I only want to keep it long enough to show Ethan and then I can set it free. :)

The Botanic Garden
This morning we headed out for the Botanic Gardens and having only looked at a rough map got very lost. We ended up near the water front and had to walk about a mile and a half to get back towards the capitol. By the time we got to the gardens it was the heat of the day and things started to drag. I was the one who decided that the gardens would be fun because I thought Ethan would like running around and seeing all of the flowers.

Unfortunately Ethan hated it because he couldn't pick any of the flowers, play in the water, or keep the sunscreen out of his eyes. The heat and humidity eventually got to be unbearable so we headed home. Just in time too. It has been poring rain all day and it's expected to continue until late tomorrow. I love east coast weather. They don't mess around with rain storms here with droplets the size of golf balls and thunder that shakes the roof.

I'll keep you updated on the toad hunt and post pictures when I catch one.

Other Maryland delights: Our neighborhood ice cream man plays Christmas music and drives super fast down the streets. Ethan thinks deer are called "little guys" (For the full story see teammabey.blogspot.com). Fireflies are totally gross in the daylight. Metro stations make it impossible for people with strollers to get around.

Purpose and Meaning

Want to find purpose and meaning in your life? Follow my advice: It doesn't matter what you believe as long as you believe it.

Sidewalk chalk, sad sheep, and single's ward

Summer is here! Fireworks, corn on the cob, and swimming pools. Ethan loves to play in the water and tries his best to splash me but usually ends up just throwing the water in his face. Some gardening has started and the misquitos are out.

About a week and a half ago Linsay and I took Ethan outside to use his sidewalk chalk. While Ethan scribbled I promply decided that grown ups need play time too and took to drawing a sheep. Linsay immediately joined in and drew a lightning bolt. I asked if the bolt was in honor of the approaching Harry Potter film. She replied,"No. Your sheep is about to be struck."

She thought she was hilarious. I finished my sheep with a sad face because I figured being hit by lightning probably wasn't very fun.

Ethan was so cute with his corn on the cob. I'm afraid that I've been spoiled with Utah corn from the Harward Farms stands and I wasn't terribly impressed with the farmer's market corn here in DC. The only corn I've tasted that is better than the Harward Farms was in Kirksville, Missouri when Larissa and Jeff lived there. Still DC corn is better than no corn at all. For what is summer without butter on your chin and a nibblet wedged between your front teeth?

I've heard several complaints about how dry the heat is this summer in DC but I love it. I can handle the dry heat. It's the combination if humidity and heat that drags me down but so far while I've been here I've only had one day that was particularly sticky.

Summer is always fun but I can't wait to come home to Utah in the fall.







Something I've noticed about my east coast ward is they seem to be much friendlier than Utah wards. My first week in church was at my sister's family ward and by the time the block was over about a dozen people had introduced themselves and tracked us down to say hello. In my single's ward I shook hands with just about everyone in the ward (about 50 people), had an invite to go to the beach on Saturday with a group of girls, asked to played volleyball on Monday and had 3 guys ask for my phone number by the time the "linger longer" was over. I definitely love this area of DC and the ward that goes with it. I guess there are perks to being the freshest meat in the market. :)

Curse the Lybians!

How could our world have become so obsessed with making money?

Everywhere I go I hear people talking about how they can make the most amount of money possible with the least amount of work on their part. People are obsessed with getting rich quick and no one seems to realize that you can be perfectly happy without piles of money to roll around in and that the rewards are sweeter to reap when you know that you worked you butt off and deserve them.

Money. I know that, thanks to the Lybians (they invented the concept of money), we can't do without it. I understand that people have to survive. We buy food, gas, health care, clothing, houses, cars, cell phones, education, and the occasional vacation. Undoubtedly life would be a struggle without enough money to get by but then I know of so many people who have nothing and still find happiness in families and friends.

I'm not saying that I wouldn't mind not working for the rest of my life because I had just come into a lot of money but honestly I believe that if you want something then you work your butt off and sacrifice and that is when the rewards come. I think it is a good thing to have to work hard in order to get to the pay off. Honestly, I think that people have forgotten how to work hard or perhaps their parents never taught them a good work ethic in the first place.

And honestly everyone with half a brain knows that while money may bring more comfort to your life, it doesn't bring happiness. The things that bring true happiness take work. Family, true friends, purpose. None of those things can be bought. My money role model is the father of a close friend of mine. Mr. Ashby has extensive education and could have qualified for any pharmacy in the U.S. but what does he do? He sells guitars and DJs at dances. It is enough money to support his family and his missionary but more importantly it is a job he loves, works hard at and gives him plenty of time with his family.

Look at all of the movie and rock stars. Do you honestly think they are happy? Some are. But not because of the money. Because they have families to come home to. They walk off the set and have people who can't wait for them to come home. Some just think they are happy and I feel sorry for them. Because if their supply of money was ever interrupted they would have a sad awakening. They would realize how very alone they really are. They would see that all of their "friends" that are now gone were only there for the money. And that wife that was stunningly beautiful has left for someone else who still had a bundle in the bank.

Family. Friends. Purpose. Find the true and loyal ones and hold on to those people. That is happiness. Let me say it again: Money will not make you happy. Why focus all of your energy on schemes that rarely work and won't bring you joy?

I've been incredibly blessed to have an amazing family and close friends who care about me and wonder how I'm doing. That's what it's about. Get out of the world, people and into a home. Stop putting forth the minimum amount of effort and try working. 

Maryland Mayhem

Well, it's been a while since I've made a blog post because we didn't have internet here in MD until now so let me catch you up on what's been going on here.

I've visited the National Zoo and thought the Panda bears were sooooo cute. My favorite. Ethan had a great time in the bird house and then we had to leave for Ethan's nap so we didn't see the big cats or the monkeys. Next time.

The 4th of July celebrations started with a parade full of liberal ideals and even a float that said, "Arrest Bush!" (pictured below). We had a BBQ with David's family and then headed downtown to see the fireworks. Ethan hasn't stopped speaking of fireworks since then. We sat right in front of the Washington Monument and had an amazing view of the show.

Today we went to the Aquarium. My favorite part was the dolphin show and the shark exhibit.

Other than that life had been fairly calm. The house is almost set up and we even bought paint to cover up the florescent blue shutters. I'm starting to get a feel for the streets and the metro and now that I'm all settled in I shall begin my explore of the city. Not much to blog about today but stay tuned for the amazing explorer journal of Elyse the Magnificent as she ventures forth into the great capitol of the U.S.

The cruise and the move

Wow! It's been a long time since I've blogged but I honestly haven't had time. These past 3 weeks have been crazy! First of all my family went on a cruise to celebrate David's graduation from medical school. Congrats, Dave!

The first day we went to Disney World's Magic Kingdom. It opened at 8am so Linsay and I set our alarms and got into the park right as it opened. Those who wanted to sleep in (Callie, Wendy and David) met up with us at about 10:30am. We did all the classic rides: Splash Mountain, Haunted Mansion, and of course Pirates of the Caribbean but Space Mountain was closed until winter. Sad.

The second day David's family met up with us and we all went to Epcot. I must admit I loved Magic Kingdom more than Epcot. It was just okay as far as things to do. I think it's great if you like shopping all day long. I don't.

On Saturday the 13th we boarded the Carnival Glory and got all settled into our cabins. Callie, Wendy and I shared a cabin on the inside of the ship and Linsay and David had a balcony cabin right across the hall. Mary, Brent (David's parents), Lauren (David's cousin), and Cassie (David's sister) we all in rooms next to us as well.

Sunday was a full day at sea so I spent most of my time on deck looking at the ocean. I absolutely love the feeling of solitude you get when you can't see anything on all sides except water. I unfortunately fell asleep on deck and got sunburned to death. I had blisters all over my shoulders and legs. Ewwww...

On Monday we docked at Grand Turk. The whole island was hit by a hurricane not to long ago so the only thing to do there is play on the beach. It was a short day as well. We only docked from 8am to 2pm.

On Tuesday we hit Jamaica which was by far my favorite place to go. We hiked up (not up to... up) a waterfall, went ocean kayaking, and rode a chair lift up to Mystic Mountain.

Wednesday was Grand Cayman Island. We swam with stingrays and snorkelled a bit on a reef and then spent the rest of the day shopping. And of course, we hit the Hard Rock Cafe.

The last two days were at sea. I spent a lot of time on Linsay and Dave's balcony watching the water. A pod of dolphins swam next to the boat for a while and one night we had some lightning. That was the best part of the whole trip. When the lightning touches the water it lights up everything below the surface. It was night so I could see everything in the water hundreds of feet down. Amazing!

The last day in Florida we debarked and went to the Kennedy Space Center. That was pretty scha-weet and I bought myself a Star Trek t-shirt. It was so hot and humid but I guess it's good practice for Maryland.

Total count for the cruise:
Number of Churro's eaten: 2
Number of soft serve ice cream cones eaten: 7
Number of boys who flirted outrageously with me: 5

Which brings me to the move.

Linsay and I left on Monday the 22nd at about 7am and headed to Maryland. We took our time getting here and so only went as far as Omaha, NE our first day. The second day we went as far as South Bend, Indiana where my sister lives. We slept there and then spent the whole next day hanging out with Larissa and Beck. We went to the beach on Lake Michigan and then shopped the outlets. Beck took so time before he warmed up to me and Linsay but by the end of the second day we were BFFs. Thanks, Lars for letting us stay!

Yesterday we made it to our new home: Hyattsville, Maryland. It's not too humid yet but it's only June. I can't wait for July and August. We are still getting settled and we have a lot of work ahead of us. My room is totally set up but pretty much the whole rest of the house is in boxes. I'm excited to get to know the new area and see all of the museums and monuments. We are about 20 driving minutes away from downtown Washington DC so I have plenty of things to do. I love this area and my new home. Below are some more pictures from the past few weeks.