Driving...Driving...Driving

New Mexico
Colorado
Four corners! This picture has a story. We woke up the second morning of our trip and I mentioned how I wanted to go to Four Corners. It was a little out of the way, though, and our GPS wanted to take us the faster, more direct route. So I called my parents and attempted to get directions to four corners. The conversation went something like this.

Me: "So where do we turn off?"
Dad: "What road are you going to be on?"
Me: "Um...Let me look at the GPS and see if I can figure it out."
Kent: "I need the GPS in .3 miles, so you can't use it right now."
Me (to Dad): "I'm not allowed to use the GPS. I don't know what road we are on. Are you on google maps?"
Later, with Mom trying to translate Dad's directions to me.
Me: "So where do I turn?"
Dad: Mumbles in the background
Mom (to Dad): "No, that's not a road. You're drawing that on the map with your finger. She can't turn there."

Anyway, we finally got it figured out, but then when we got to the city where we were supposed to turn, we spent 45 minutes in line at the Dairy Queen drive through only to get the wrong food, we drove past four people selling "Kneel Down Bread" along the roadsides (?), and we drove a few miles in the wrong direction, only to finally decide to not go to four corners and just follow the GPS.

But I was a little sad about that. So when we happened to see the sign for four corners, we took the road! And then, halfway down it, we realized we were nearly out of gas. And in the middle of nowhere.

We made it to the monument, however, and I was excited! Did you know that you have to pay $3 a person to stand on that piece of cement? Neither did we. And no, we didn't have any cash. I was going to cry. But we sifted through the car and found $3 of quarters and dimes and the lady let us in! I now have a picture of us standing in four states at once! And we didn't run out of gas after all.

No, we found a gas station in a tiny town in the Indian Reservation. But we had to drive slowly through the streets of that town because there were horses on the road!

Other memorable events from this trip include: the awesome lightning storm we saw in Moab, taking breaths of un-humid air for the first time in three months, the hotel where I had to strip the sheets and use my own blankets from the car because of the yuckiness of the room, lots of fun time talking together in the car while we drove, and the gorgeous weather we had while we took a nap in the park in Garland City, Utah while we waited for my family to meet us there at my 99 year-old great grandma's house.

The Carnage

Does anybody else's kitchen look like this when you move? I'm not sure how this happens. Every other room in our house was as empty as could be, and all the small and unplaceable items get dumped in the kitchen. It happens every time I move. I can't explain it.

Oh, I'm so glad I don't have to move again for six more months.

Catching Up

Whew! It has been a crazy busy first week of school. I've been up until 11 or 12 every night doing homework. The first week of school! I can't believe it. It's going to be a busy semester.

But, today is Saturday, which means that I do homework all morning until Kent gets home from work, and then we get to rest and play a little. And for me, that means finally catching up on all the blogging I've been meaning to do but was too busy to.

I'll start with the move and go on from there.

Okay, we're back

Whew. So we're finally back here in Rexburg. And it's beautiful here! Seriously, if it weren't for the brutal winters, I'd be willing to even stay here. We went for a walk around the temple grounds last night, and the weather was perfect. I'm trying to soak as much of it in as I can right now before the cold really hits us.

Our drive back from Texas was long, but we survived. I've got pictures I'll post later, but I'm at work at the Tutoring Center right now, so I don't have my camera.

We had a great week at my parent's house in Logan-we went camping and we also went up to Bear Lake to visit Kent's aunt Kristeen.

And we've got our stuff unpacked and set up in our apartment...well, mostly. I'm in a huge "getting-rid-of" mood right now, and our give-away pile is taking over the corner of the kitchen. Moving is probably one of my least favorite things. Unless it is figuring out my schedule for the semester... that is even higher on the least favorite list. Sigh.

See ya in Idaho!

Well, Kent is ready to put the computer away as I speak. We're packing up the car and we'll leave tomorrow after work. (I get to spend the day tomorrow in a furniture-less, computer-less, food-less, EVERYTHING-less house. Hopefully I can be creative about ways to spend my time.) We'll drive for six hours tomorrow, thirteen on Saturday, and four more to Logan on Sunday. I got a new cookbook to read on the drive, I stocked up on traveling snacks, and I've got my little duffle for the hotels all packed and ready to go. And hey, it's 20 degrees cooler outside tonight than it was when we moved all this stuff up the stairs back in May. Lovely. I never knew 86 degrees would sound so nice.

See you later!

Protect Marriage

I know that this is something you can only vote for if you live in California, but I just wanted to let it be known that I agree with Proposition 8; to protect the definition of marriage as between a man and a woman only. Teresa sent me a link to this great video about it. It's kind of long, but it's very well done and worth watching! http://www.afa.net/prop8video/index.html

As members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, we are obligated to stand up for what we believe. I believe that the family is the fundamental unit of society. I hope that I can raise my future children in a society that agrees with me. It is kind of scary to think of what a few people can do to change the foundations of what the majority believes.

These are quotes from "The Family: A Proclamation to the World." You can read all of this statement of our beliefs here.

"We, the First Presidency and the Council of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, solemnly proclaim that marriage between a man and a woman is ordained of God and that the family is central to the Creator’s plan for the eternal destiny of His children."

"All human beings—male and female—are created in the image of God. Each is a beloved spirit son or daughter of heavenly parents, and, as such, each has a divine nature and destiny. Gender is an essential characteristic of individual premortal, mortal, and eternal identity and purpose."

"The first commandment that God gave to Adam and Eve pertained to their potential for parenthood as husband and wife. We declare that God’s commandment for His children to multiply and replenish the earth remains in force. We further declare that God has commanded that the sacred powers of procreation are to be employed only between man and woman, lawfully wedded as husband and wife."

"We call upon responsible citizens and officers of government everywhere to promote those measures designed to maintain and strengthen the family as the fundamental unit of society."

Weekend Adventure # 12

Our Goodbye to San Antonio.

We wanted to do something really special this weekend. We've had so many adventures while we've been here; what could we find to top the Natural Bridge Caverns, Toobing the Comal river, or the Schlitterbahn water park? The situation looked bleak for a few days last week, but then we stumbled upon it. The perfect way to end our summer. So we got everything planned and looked forward to Saturday.

We started off the day with a scrumptious breakfast at The Guenther House. I had the almond pancakes, and Kent got the breakfast tacos. Mmmm... We sat outside on their little patio because it was a gorgeous morning yesterday. It was absolutely lovely.

And then, we drove to the airport for our...

Helicopter Tour!!

The Tower of the Americas, where the Chart House Restaurant is.

And here's what the Alamo looks like from above. Helicopters are an awesome way to travel!This is one of the Spanish missions that was set up when San Antonio was still part of Mexico.

Next time, I'm putting my hair in a ponytail. It was all over the place!

And now we can say we've truly seen what San Antonio has to offer!

I'm not working this week, so I can spend all my time packing. We leave on Friday.

Weekend Adventure # 11

(This is Kent in a show home's master closet. It was HUGE! Texan's sure like their closet space. Even our tiny one-bedroom has a ton of closet space)

Whew! Another weekend passed. We only have one left! And it's supposed to rain tomorrow, but I sure hope that doesn't interfere with our really awesome adventure we have planned. It's going to...well, I won't tell you any more right now, and you'll just have to wait until Sunday to find out.

Saturday morning, we babysat another intern's three kids. They were sweet, polite, and the baby was adorable. We had a fun time with them, and while we were watching Madagascar, Kent and I both commented on how nice it felt to have a bunch of little bodies around. We felt like we were playing "house."

For lunch/dinner (linner? dunch?) on Saturday, we went Mexican. There's a place right next to USAA that we've driven past a number of times and wanted to try, but as we walked in and saw the ordering counter, the fast-food-esque menu, etc., we walked back out. We wanted something more real, I guess. And it's a good thing we did! We chose Perico's. (You should click on that so you can hear the music that I'm listening to right now). :D Anyway, Perico's was a fabulous choice! Mmmm!

Kent ordered the Carne Asada (surprise.) and I got puffy tacos because they are "a San Antonio Favorite." And now I know why Kent and I are in the 5% of people here who are actually at a healthy weight. The food was great, though, and we finished it off with a scrumptious Tres de Leche cake.