December

Isn't this the time of year where you get to relax by the tree with all its lights? I always dream of such a time, but I think life is just SO much crazier..... Adam has finished with school, but hasn't really slowed down. The calling he received last week was Young Men's President. That has kept him hopping ;) I chuckled and said it was nice to be in the Bishop's office and not have it be me all sorts of nervous ;)

I think everybody should experience just one holiday as a teacher. It is the most wild, crazy experience you will ever have. One moment you are wanting to kill the little creatures and the next they are so dang cute. I'm down to counting the hours until the little rugrats are completely in the very capable hands of their parents ;) Then it's off to enjoy my favorite holiday!

We recently had some great testing results come in, and at this point we are very hopeful in the whole "finally-being-successful-even-if-we-have-to-steal-a-baby" process. We found an amazing doctor, which I feel makes all the difference. Here's to finally making some progress in 2010!

Realistically, we won't be able to get a Christmas card out this year, so I just wanted to express love to you all and say "Merry Christmas"! I feel very grateful for all the amazing family and friends we have been blessed with. You're all just "amazing pieces of wonderfulness" in our lives ;) Merry Christmas!!!!

What the...... ?

I need some feedback from everybody. What is the etiquette of text messages? Aren't the rules that apply to phone calls the same for text messaging? So, don't send 'em super late?!
I seriously couldn't believe what happened last night. I received a text message from a person I had texted earlier in the day (noonish, and I really don't know them all that well) and they texted back at 11 o'clock at night!

*Now as a disclaimer, I believe it is totally okay to text family or close friends that you KNOW are awake

The reason why this really 'ruffled my feathers' was that the night before had been pretty chaotic. The Christmas tree went crashing down at midnight (Adam said he "had a wrestling match with the Christmas tree last night... it won, but the Christmas tree then wet itself all over the carpet in protest!" Everyone's a comedian..... :). Then Adam was up until 6 in the morning finishing up his last assignment for the semester. Problem with the all-nighter (besides we're old and hate doing that anymore ;) Is that he had to be up at 8 to hand it in..... The long term plan was for him to get to bed at some point in the day, but he had such a long to-do list (one of those being, making dough for my class. TOTALLY bailed me out, since I forgot we were making volcanoes), he never made it back to those comfy, wonderful sheets. So I put him to bed at 8 and finished some chores around the house. I headed up to bed at 10 and struggled to unwind... finally drifting off to sleep and BAM! Here comes the text! Woke us both up... As many people know, Adam struggles getting back to sleep.... GRRRRR.... I was NOT happy about that text. Some of this frustration comes after a 2am text I received on Sat! Am I crazy for wanting to strangle the messenger last night? ;)

Life and its schedule

I feel like we have been running around like crazy people these past couple of weeks, but it wouldn't be that interesting to blog about ;) I had a surprise phone call from our Bishop a couple of weeks ago, and as a result I was called to be the 1st counselor in our Relief Society Presidency. That really hopped up the busy factor ;) Adam laughed and thought it was funny, but then he just received a phone call from the Ward Clerk yesterday and will find out tomorrow what he has been targeted for ;) I figured it was pay back!

We were then able to spend our Thanksgiving Holiday down in Carlsbad, New Mexico with Adam's family. Have I ever mentioned how much I LOVE my Mother-in-law? SUPER great lady and I really enjoyed the time we had with her. While there we were able to take a trip into the Carlsbad Caverns National Park and took a million pictures that I will post later. Then it was back to reality and the crazy schedule once again.......

I looked at the calendar today and realized it was only 2 1/2 weeks until we could escape down to Alamo and my family..... I have been a little homesick lately so I'm looking forward to that journey!

I was given the biggest compliment today..... I have a coworker that I chat with a lot about the different trials in life and especially the difficult time we have had in starting our family. She said she was so proud of how unbitter Adam and I were with the whole process these past 3 years, because her daughter had started to get really mean and cynical. How can you not cry from that comment? About 8 months ago, Adam and I decided we would start looking at the blessings that were coming in and not focusing on those that weren't. I also changed my prayers from "Please let me get pregnant" to "Help me deal with the pain..... Help me grow." It has been amazing to feel the comfort and strength we have received the last several months..... By focusing on the blessings, we've really been able to notice the presence of our Heavenly Father. He guides us every day and it's been so great to see the millions of other blessings in our lives..... I feel so loved ;) I've also been able to notice changes within myself and figured I must be headed in the right direction.... Always forward, right?

I have another 2 meetings tonight, so I better take off.... I hope you all had a fabulous Thanksgiving and know that we love you!

Bunco

This past week I was newly introduced to the fabulously addicting game of Bunco. A couple of months ago I had a friend ask if I was interested. I said sure, but didn't know much about it..... So they put me on an alternates list, and I "got the call" on Tuesday. A group of 12 is needed to play the game, so I help out when someone has a scheduling conflict. We meet up, eat dinner, and then play like crazy people for an hour to win these pretty great prizes. What a great idea! Who wouldn't want to get together with the girls once a month and have a grand 'ole time? Right up my alley ;)

Blizzard (And not the good kind from Dairy Queen ;)

Having grown up in Nevada, I have a certain expectation to how my seasons should unfold. To my utter amazement, THIS is what greeted me at the front door yesterday! WHAT?! It's only October!!! With several sighs and many groans, I headed out into the whiteness to earn a couple of dollars.
Speaking of work, I had quite the adventure today. We had barely lined up for morning greeting in the gym, when the other 3rd grade teacher ran up to me and told me one of my students was having a seizure. Talk about adrenaline rush! I tore across the room and saw that my amazing aide had her on her side already to make sure she wouldn't choke on her tongue. So, I took off across the school to have the office call her mom and get her back as soon as possible. The other 3rd grade teacher was amazing and took my class, so I could focus on this sweet, little girl. We then moved her into the office and kept her awake by chatting to her about her Halloween costume. I had to go back to class, but I was relieved when I heard her mom had showed up within a couple of minutes. Whew! What a way to start the day ;) Needless to say, it was a crazy start, but I was really grateful that everyone was okay. It's really great to work with such amazing people too. Another full day of hitting the curve balls that are thrown to you as a teacher ;)

Halloween Happiness

Probably my new FAVORITE cook book out there is a book I found while wandering the wonderful rows of Borders. I stumbled across this little gem and I have been LOVING the recipes! I seriously get excited just thinking about WHEN I can make them ;) So the big decision now is if I should make spiders, swamp fingers, or peanut butter, chocolate dipped eyeballs for our class party......

Jet Skis on Hyrum Lake

Adam helped a friend/classmate of his a TON last semester, so his buddy said we could take his Jet Ski out anytime this summer. Well, this summer flew past and we finally got the chance to take them out this past weekend.

Wow! I had a TON of fun! I had never spent the day on Jet Skis before, and I couldn't stop laughing! It was the best feeling in the world to just lay on the accelerator and literally fly across the water. Adam was pretty helpful, but at one point he was teaching me how to do donuts and I went into it a little fast. The next thing I saw were his legs as he flew off the Jet Ski! (Did I mention it was a ton of fun ;) It was a great Saturday and we decided this was a NEEDED expense when we got older. (Disclaimer: This is a picture I stole from the Internet ;)

Running......

For years I've been sad about the fact that I don't have an exercise buddy near by that could help me stay motivated. Well it hit me all of a sudden that I did. And he even slept in the same bed! ;) So, I thought I was really clever and that this would be the most perfect solution to getting rid of those unwanted pounds.....

Did I ever mention that I HATE running? I absolutely LOVE sports, but the idea of putting my body through pain and then gasping for breath when there is no goal or point scored, is such a let down. ;) So, when that alarm clock goes off in the morning and my sweet husband bounds out of bed ready to go, I kind of want to throw pillows at him (Did I ever mention I'm not really a morning person either? I love staying up late, but it takes forever for my brain to wake up!). Good thing Adam is really patient and laughs off my groggy threats. He helps me get going and out the door a couple of times a week. Maybe he missed his calling in life and should have been a personal trainer...

School days = Sick days.....

Well, we are right back in the thick of things! Adam is constantly busy with his school schedule and his practicum... matter of fact, where is that husband of mine? He has been in trainings until 9:00pm almost every night the past 2 weeks. Bless his heart! He is doing well though and really enjoying his practicum work. He loves the agency and the help it gives to various families.

I am in my 3rd week of school and didn't waste ANY time in getting sick ;) I have NEVER gotten sick so much in my life, until I became a teacher.... those little germ carriers ;) So I am now battling a vicious, vicious cold.

My class is great though and I am enjoying the school year so far. I really do love teaching 3rd grade! They still love their teacher, but I don't have to wipe any noses ;) A great new thing this year is that my students last year get to come back and visit. I have LOVED this!! Last year, I moved schools, so I knew I would never get to see them again (my heart broke). But this year I get to see them every day. They have been stopping in the classroom and keeping me updated on their lives and experiences in 4th grade. I do miss those kids and honestly you can't beat their thoughtfulness. The future is bright with this next generation.

A little late, but still sincere

This blog is quite late, but I did want to recognize my sweetheart's birthday. He turned the big 28 a little while ago and did it with a lot less emotion then I did ;) I admit that I struggled with the concept of being so close to 30, but he didn't even give it a second thought! Maybe it's just 'cause men don't care about these things ;)

On his birthday we were down in Nevada for a family reunion, and the only thing he requested was lunch at Red Robin. He started this tradition when he was about 12 and unconsciously (until this year ;) we had kept up that tradition. We had fallen in love with Red Robin when it became our date-place in Provo, so off to 'Vegas we went with my cousins Amie and Kelly. It was a really great day and super chill. We hadn't been able to hang out with them and chat for quite some time, so it just added to the whole 'fun factor' of the day ;)

He told me he felt "spoiled" from all the gifts and attention from everyone, but I just think he deserved it. He is truly the best guy EVER and I love him to death. I don't know why I was able to find this guy, but the stars aligned in June 2005. He is so selfless and I appreciate his continual help with my callings and classroom. He is my knight ;)

Portland

So last week, Adam was talking with his mom and she mentioned that there would be a family reunion the next week up in Portland...... Yup, you guessed it. We loaded up the car a couple of days later and headed out for a fantastic adventure! ;)

We ADORE the North-West and really anything about it. (Well, the huge amount of rain might not be totally cool;) We drove straight to Eugene,OR and had the opportunity to have fabulous friends that took in a couple of vagabonds for a couple of days. We stayed with our good friends Teressa and Dave, and had SUCH a good time! We went to the beach, snuck in a good 'ole game of dominoes (Dave you're going to be humbled next time! ;), and caught up on all the good stuff in life. Thanks you guys!

The BEST restaurant on the planet!!! I LOVE this place!!! Food straight from their backyard ;) (Adam doesn't like seafood, so he was a champ to let Teressa and I have a treat)






The view from our table















It was pretty windy at the beach, so Adam found another way to entertain himself ;) Didn't I say in a previous post that he will find random ways to entertain himself? Photo proof is now available!







Unfortunately I totally forgot to get pics with Teressa, Dave and their ADORABLE little girl, but I guess that just gives us an excuse to see them again soon ;)


So, on Friday we headed to pick up my Mother-in-law from the airport and start the busy family weekend! We had such a good time touring around Portland and seeing all of the old hangout spots she had (Bev grew up in Portland, so we were able to see some really cool stuff)


At the Rose Gardens once again! I love this place! Dang gorgeous




















Visiting my future house once again ;)
















After the Pittock mansion I got to go to my little heaven on earth... Powell's bookstore! Could life get any better? An ENTIRE city block with 5 stories of wonderful books.... Ahhhhh..... DEFINITELY heaven ;)








Then on Saturday we headed downtown to the Portland Market. I really enjoyed being able to just wander the booths and see all of the handcrafted items. There are some seriously talented people out there!






Adam enjoying the trip














Then we headed over to the reunion and had a grand 'ole time chatting with everybody. It was good to meet some of the cousins I had never met and it was good for Adam to see some of them for the first time in 10 years. Gotta love family get togethers!



Unfortunately all good things must come to an end, so we had to head back home on Sunday. On our way home, Adam wanted to show me this random little spot on the Oregon/Washington border. There was this random guy that had seen Stonehenge in England when he was there for WWII and he decided to build another one in the state of Washington. It's in memory of those soldiers and is COMPLETELY random ;) Adam told me I could scratch this off of my Bucket List and I said it didn't quite count ;)

Bear Lake

I don't know how this paradise has escaped my attention before, but it is honestly a piece of heaven! Adam hadn't even been up there until a month ago and he kept saying "This is huge! I never knew it was so big." My surprise was the sandy beaches..... almost as good as the coast ;) We had planned this expedition a couple of weeks ago with my sister and brother-in-law, Tasha and Justin, and some friends Collin and Michon. It was such a fun day! We were able to just relax and play in the water until we were worn out. Definitely a perfect day ;)



Adam settling in for a wonderful day in the sun ;)





The cutest little swimmer on the lake!


The boys burning all their energy off playing Frisbee in the water.

Wyoming, Part 2

So we were able to have TWO full weeks with family, and enjoy the fairly mild Wyoming weather. The second week started off really great with a girl shopping trip up to Cody, Wyoming. It was really great to just chill with my sisters and mom (and Mylah ;) but getting out of stores quickly is NOT always a talent the Whipple family has ;) I guess it has been cultivated over several generations! We had a great time and I loved our girlie trip.

The next day, My dad, my brother, Adam and I got up bright and early and headed out to fish on Sunshine Lake. It was gorgeous! I had so much fun! (Even if I did get out-fished by my husband ;) I guess I had been too cocky the week before.....

We got rained out for a bit, but headed out on our boat again after only half an hour.














Enjoying the view


















After we enjoyed Sunshine Lake, we met up with my sister Tonya and watched Transformers 2....... was anyone else disappointed in the sexual content? I really liked the story line, but was SERIOUSLY disgusted in how they tried to sell anything inappropriate..... maybe I'm getting old, but it won't be a video I add to my collection.


The next stage in our vacation was heading back up to the mountains! Justin had joined us from Oregon, so we were able to head back up to the mountain for 2 more nights..... seriously my happy place! I love it up there.





The view from our tent. Gorgeous, huh?







One night we were peacefully playing Dominoes and in walks this moose! It walked RIGHT BY our table! If I would have reached out my hand, I could have touched the dang creature ;) All I could think was "Don't move.... please don't charge us. Don't move" ;)











After the excitement with the big ole' moose, the boys decided they needed to have a boat race. Whenever Adam gets bored, he starts pacing around trying to find something to entertain him. This night his creative mind came up with the race of the century! (We're not entirely sure who won..... there were a lot of rocks on the home stretch ;)






The race is on!











This is what happens when you take an adorable 2 year old to the bathrooms in the mountains! Check out all the beads! A random lady thought she was the cutest little thing and gave us a HUGE handful of beads..... go figure. It pays to have an adorable niece ;)





So, then we headed down the mountain on the 4th of July and helped my grandfather with his firework stand. Can I just express my intense love for Wyoming on the 4th of July?! EVERYTHING is legal to set off there! We went crazy for about 2 hours at my uncle's house and the boys LOVED the legal opportunity to light the world on fire ;) It was awesome to laugh until my sides hurt!

I LOVE the 4th of July..... it's really great to think of what this country stands for. I truly appreciate what our military men and women do for us and pray for them always. God bless America.

A couple of days later we headed home and back to reality. It was really special to spend so much time with our grandparents. I love them dearly and appreciate their patience in putting up with us! These moments go by so fast....

Wyoming: Part 1.5

After reading the blog, I (Adam) felt the need to interject and comment about the whole "catching a 'tree fish'" scenario. Yes, I did throw my hook-n-bobber into the tree, but in my defense there are a few factors that my wife failed to mention:

1. The tree was practically in the water (to those of you that were there, go along with it or your Christmas presents are in jeopardy)…
2. I think that my hand was pretty well maimed after taking that hook into my hand, thus throwing off my aim. Also, I noticed that she didn't mention that it was HER fish that I was pulling the hook from--I do have one tough cookie of a wife, but she draws the line at grabbing a slimy fish…
3. I was trying to cast between Shari’s line—being the accommodating husband that I am—and the shoreline (in total maybe a 30 degree area). Given that this was really only my 2nd official time fishing, that tree at 45 degrees wasn’t that bad of a shot…

By all other accounts, Shari’s post is correct and I can now whole-heartedly endorse this blog… Stay tuned for more, including a close encounter of the moose-kind!

Wyoming, Part 1

When we were younger, my family would always take a summer jaunt up to Wyoming. This 18 hour drive became a fond tradition for all of us to visit my mom's parents and family. Over the years, we collected quite the collection of wild fishing and camping stories, and sometimes there would even be some cousins to play with! ;) We always loved the Wyoming Trip and looked forward to it.

Well, the stars aligned this year, and all of my family was able to make it up here to Wyoming (except Tasha's husband Justin will be joining us in a couple of days. He's working in Oregon so he'll come over on a break) During this trip we have been making the most of our time!

On Monday, my dad, Nathan, my Uncle Wade, Adam, and I went Golfing. So, I must be getting better, because I beat them ;) Yup, you read that right! We had a ton of fun, but I think the mosquitoes got the better of us. They wouldn't leave us alone! We always joke that is Wyoming's state bird ;)

Tuesday we headed up camping and had quite the trial getting out of town. One car had troubles with the battery and then the truck had problems with the alternator! But we finally got up to the campsite and promptly started playing dominoes ;) I'm not sure when that tradition started, but we play dominoes everytime we hit those Big Horn mountains. We finished just in time, because it started to rain while we were cleaning up.
The next morning was a little damp, but my dad fixed a killer breakfast and we set out for the lake to go fishing. Because my brother was the last one to join us in our family, I was usually the child that went fishing with my dad growing up. I have several fond memories of us and our several fishing trips. We got into quite a few scraps and loved every minute of it ;)
My husband on the other hand, is quite new to this whole fishing experience! Adam decided he was going to do all of the rigging and everything by himself and wanted to fulfill the "teach a man to fish" parable. Well, after he cut himself on a hook when a fish was flopping around and then he caught this tree, he was done. He threw in the towel. Left his hook and bobber up in the tree and started his crossword puzzle! In his defense, it was wicked cold and not a lot of action was happening in the water ;)

Soon after that we had to leave, because the rain was coming down hard and the fog was rolling in.

So we headed down the mountain and got up early the next morning for a cool hometown parade the town was having for it's "Lovell Days". There have been some really cool events all week, which were concluded with a spectacular firework show on the lake last night. I loved it! We were able relax by the lake and enjoy the beautiful surroundings..... such a great week. Full of more wonderful memories.

The Bucket List

So I've been adding to this list for awhile (and I will continue to do so). Some of the things I have been able to cross off my list and so I will give them an honorable mention ;) Adam has agreed to cross at least one of these off my list every year or every other year...... we'll see how things go ;) Some will be easier than others and I DO (hopefully) have several years to do all of these ;)

To Do: (In no particular order)

1. Tour the Parthenon in Greece (For that matter, MUCH of Greece ;)

2. Ski in the Alps

3. Walk in Stonehenge

4. Go to a taping of the Price is Right

5. Walk in the Garden of Gethsemane and visit the Tomb

6. View the Grand Canyon (Yes, I know it's ridiculous that I have not seen that yet when I grew up within hours of the place ;)

7. Tour a real Pirate ship.

8. Go sky diving (but the closest I will probably get is one of those vertical wind tunnels. I HATE heights!! ;)

9. View the blue, blue waters of the Caribbean

10. Ride in a Hot Air Balloon (Reference #8 and realize I will be doing this clinging to Adam ;)

11. Walk on, and hopefully camp on the Great Wall of China.

12. View and tour the Pyramids

13. Participate in a marathon

14. Adopt a child (And NOT because all the weird stars are doing it right now ;)

15. Paint a real landscape picture.



Been able to do: (These have all been on my list for awhile)

1. Married my best friend ;)

2. Touched an iceberg

3. Toured the real Disneyland Castle in Spain!

4. Been to the location of the "Birth of the Renaissance"

5. Been through the Nauvoo Temple

6. Gone rock climbing

7. Gone white water rafting

8. Toured a village from an ancient civilization (Nothing makes you feel younger ;)

9. Been in 4 states at once

10. Enjoyed the cramped quarters of a Submarine ;)

11. Got kicked off a train in France/Monaco (Well, that might not have been on my original list, but I did feel like a rebel ;)


Quite a list to get done, but it will be fun checking them off one-by-one ;)

10 years

Where does the time go? I don't feel like a teenager anymore, but I swear it has not been 10 years since we all graced the halls of Pahranagat Valley High School! Well, even if it seems crazy, we DID have our 10 year reunion this past weekend, and I had a really good time just chatting with everyone (I had been up until 3 in the morning the night before..... I hope I wasn't too delirious... I had helped my mom with Grad-night and I think I might have been a little punch drunk at the reunion ;) We were able to just relax and catch up a bit. Some of my classmates I hadn't seen since graduation, so it was pretty weird seeing them married with children! It was a great BBQ and I was very grateful every one took the time to put everything together and join the chaos ;)


It really does seem like the time has flown, but I have been grateful for the several experiences and blessings I have had the opportunity to go through in the past 10 years..... I don't know what my Heavenly Father has ever seen in me, but I truly feel grateful for the time he has spent on shaping me and trying to make me a better person. He truly loves each of us and I appreciate his constant guidance..... Where would we be without him?

Up!

Adam and I decided for our date this week to go and watch the new Pixar movie UP. I definitly have to give it 2 thumbs up! I was hesitant, because Wall E was just "okay". I wasn't sure how they could make a movie about a man and a million balloons floating around, but I have to tell ya, it made me double over, full-belly laugh more than once! It starts out with a couple of tear jerking moments, and then I couldn't help but join in with the little kids behind us and laugh my head off. Over all, I think ya'll will like it.

Not much....

Things have been fairly normal these past couple of weeks, but A LOT has been going on. Adam FINALLY finished his first year of his Master's Program and I couldn't be more proud. He got a 4.0 both semesters! So I'm hoping those brains will pass on to the next generation ;)

With Adam finishing his semester, it also means we have lived up here in Logan for a year. I can't believe how FAST this past year has gone! Have we REALLY been up here that long? Nah....

I have been getting my class through our end-of-year-testing.....those couple of words wrap up a CHUNK of emotions! As a teacher, these tests can be VERY frustrating! You know you have gone through all of this 3rd grade information a ZILLION times, and yet you just pray that they retain some of it ;) All of the testing is now done electronically, so I got some of the preliminary scores back within 24 hours. They did really well, but then they were a great class. I'm pretty proud of 'em.

This weekend, my mother-in-law Bev is coming into town, so we should have another action packed weekend ;) I really enjoy these weekends we have to visit with family and just relax... There's NOTHING better in life

Albuquerque

Well, we hadn't traveled in a couple of weeks, so we decided we needed to get away for awhile. ;) Albuquerque sounded like a fabulous destination, so that was the lucky town! Really, Adam's dad lives down there, and we hadn't been able to visit him for awhile. Easter Break was ideal, so we headed off.

On our way down, we really wanted to stop in at Mesa Verde. We had vistited once about 4 years ago and I had wanted to stop in again. I LOVE this place! It is one of the most beautiful places on earth and I can't help but be in awe at the structures that have survived since about 300 AD


Adam enjoying his time by the Long House village











We were able to spend a couple of hours in Mesa Verde, before we headed on down to Albuquerque. While we were there, we were able to relax and enjoy our time with Adam's dad. We went golfing and generally just had a good time.(Golfing was DANG hilarious and there is a VERY good reason why I DO NOT have pictures of that! I now have a huge admiration for Tiger Woods and his talent ;)

We had to leave Sunday morning, so that was our Easter Sunday..... driving for 12 hours. It was a doosie of a drive, but I did convince Adam to stop in at Four Corners. I'm not entirely sure why I really wanted to head there, but it was pretty cool to be in four states at once! ;)

It was so nice to have some time off to tour around and visit family. It was a needed break and I'm glad everything went so smoothly. Now to get through my class's end of year testing.....

The 28th B-day

Well, it's bound to happen to all of us..... yes, we all start to get old! :) I entered the day with some hesitancy, because I wasn't quite sure how my mental state would be when I realized that I was WAY too close to the big 30. But the day was a lot of fun! Adam went out of his way to make sure I wasn't too traumatized. ;)

The students were really great that day, AND it was only a half day of school so I was able to go home at 12:30! (PLUS, it was the beginning of Spring Break, so a full week off..... Heaven....)

That night Adam had put together a WONDERFUL dinner that we got to share with Tasha, Justin, and Mylah, and some great friends Colin and Michon. I had told Adam that I WAS NOT doing dished on my birthday, so I thought we would be going out for dinner. But he put together the most wonderful Garlic Sirloin and did EVERYTHING that day. He had made my cupcakes (I wanted those instead of a cake) had the dinner set to go, and I truly didn't have to wash one dish.... man I love this kid!

So to follow my dream dinner, we played my favorite game, which is Dominoes. I love that game! It was a ton of fun, and I appreciated the patience of friends and family while we played this long game! (I even think they let me win.... there is no way I could have beat everyone by 200 points! ;)

Then the guys wanted to bust out the Wii and have some fun with Rock Band. It ended the night with a bang, and helped me enter this 28th year... I look back on some of my crazy adventures, and I can only be grateful for the wonderful experiences and people I have come to know and love. Thank you for your friendship and love! I can't believe the blessings that keep coming....

Beautiful Nauvoo

"The Beautiful" is the translation for the Hebrew word Nauvoo, which is a small town on the edge of Iowa and Illinois. Now this little town of 1,000 people might not seem like a highly anticipated vacation destination for most people, but for members of the LDS church it is a wonderful place to stop and remember the sacrifices of the pioneers and first members of our church. It is ideally located on the Mississippi River and was the location of our church in 1840 before we moved out west past the Rockies. There are still several historical buildings that are amazing to see and right up my alley as a self proclaimed "history buff"!

We set out on our crazy excursion with a friend of mine from my mission, the one and only Tiffanie Player. Now, this was not the first time the three of us had headed out on a wild hair. We had been together on our European Adventures 2 years ago. This was the infamous tour that started in Spain, followed by France, and finishing in glorious Italy. We were ancient tour buddies, and we were excited to restart that travel bug ;) (And frankly, why not have some more fun?) Starting off in Kansas City early Thursday morning, found us broken down an hour later in Cameron, MO.... this was a little hiccup, but it did not stop us! Enterprise (the rental agency from Heaven!) brought us a car, and we were on our way again. However, I don't believe Adam saw this as quite the salvation. They brought us a PT Cruiser....I don't know how many of you know about my husband's intense hatred for that particular Chrysler model, but to say the least, he wasn't entirely ecstatic about our new "ride" ;)

But we were on our way again, and we arrived in good time. The next morning found us all over Nauvoo. We had such a relaxing time, but we were able to see everything. I was having the time of my life!



The beautiful temple rebuilt after a 160 years











I have been wanting one of these cool bricks for years!!!!

















The gang back together again on the banks of the Mississippi



The quarry where the original marble was taken for the 1840's temple







The Wilford Woodruff home that has been completely restored. After all their hard work, they were only able to stay in the home for 100 days. Even after they had crossed the Mississippi to head West, Wilford came back to patch a hole that was in the roof! They were such hard working people and you can tell how precious this place was for them





Adam and I dancing on the same ballroom floor that Joseph and Emma Smith danced.... Ahhh!!!! I know that was what you were thinking!! ;)
















I'm calling everybody to order in the 18th century school house!!! It's a talent that is ageless ;)














I'm not sure what this dude is doing in the "Hall of the Seventy" ;)












We then headed out to Carthage, IL to view the jail where Joseph Smith was martyred. It is a very simple set up, which basically outlines the couple of days leading up to the attack on the jail. It was a sweet reminder of the wonderful work Joseph did in his short life and the sacrifices they all made in restoring the gospel of Jesus Christ.











A window in the room where all of the men were held. (Same one Joseph fell out of when he was shot)





Adam had never been to any of these sites before and he made a really cool observation while we were there. He felt that the rebuilt temple and the surrounding area was a wonderful tribute to those hard-working pioneers that sacrificed so much.... they went through a lot to be able to worship freely. I loved this thought! It truly is a great place to see history and feel the power of our ancestors and the restored gospel.