We have been in Utah for the last 2 weeks, and it has been wonderful. These are the things I've really missed about Utah:
1. Mountains
2. Pretty snow
3. Cafe Rio
4. Family (of course this is more important than the first three, but I don't want to rearrange everything).
5. The Sunshine Terrace (the nursing home in Logan that I used to work at).
6. Our townhouse in Logan (still for sale, if anyone is interested).
7. Friendly drivers
8. Temples
9. Blue skies
10. Movies (we have been able to go to three movies while we've been here thanks to reason #4).

I'm really sad about having to fly back to Missouri in two days. It's been a great holiday. We'll post pictures and video when we get back.

20 pounds lighter...

And still not in the Air Force. If they would weigh me now, though, they would definitely take me. I'm down to 199! I was at about 225 at my heaviest! That is awesome. I attribute my weight loss to starvation and working out. It sucks, but it really works.
I have to wait until after Christmas to weigh in again. So here comes another holiday that I have to be self conscious about. I guess it's a good thing. I would like to be able to fit into size 34 pants again...

Does Someone Like Christmas?

Jack is beginning to crawl, and we are going insane. Jack is particularly interested in the presents. Do you notice him in three different sets of pajamas? I've given up trying to stop him.

Cat People

I love my cats. Before Jack was born they were my kids. When people ask how Jack is doing I usually like to follow up their questions with a story about my cats. I know it's wrong but I don't care. They're funny. They're funnier than most people I know. We really lucked out with our adopted cat Fergi. She's the perfect cat. She's like a dog without all the baggage. Our other cat Vincent is really dumb but I blame that on poor parenting (from his previous life). For those of you who don't know we rescued Vincent as a kitten from my old job. He was a frostbitten kitten who hung out with the other strays. Part of his ear is missing from the frostbite . Hence the name. That's really all I have to say about them.

Burrr....

Should be listening to the lecture...

but I'm not. I can't tell if this iPod touch is a blessing or a curse. It's nice to be able to check up on things during a boring spell in the day.
So here is what's going down. I want to join the air force, and I went to get my medical physical last Friday. I was there for almost eight hours, and everything was going well until I had to be weighed. I was seven pounds overweight. Seven pounds! They expect me to be below 202 pounds! I wouldn't mind being that light, but I was hoping to be done with the extreme diet (which has helped me lose 8 pounds already). I have lost 15 pounds since August! Now I have to go back in a month after I've lost the weight to be reweighed.
Thanksgiving is going to suck.

Surprise Party!

Our salute to President Elect Barack Obama!

New Pics

Can't find the camera...

But as soon as we do, we will post the pictures of Jack from Halloween.  He is a cutie.

Update: I may or may not have passed my final.  I sure hope that I did, but I have no idea.  It was really hard, and I didn't study as much as I should have.  Regardless, Eliza and I enjoyed Halloween, and I just can't wait for the next section to start tomorrow: cardiopulmonary.  Yikes!

Finals Suck, but I've lost 5 pounds...

I'm almost through finals week.  Today was especially brutal with an anatomy practical (which I'm sure I passed) and a pathology practical (which I hope I passed).  Tomorrow I have the big section final, and I just can't study for it anymore.  I really hope I at least get average...

The good news is I've lost 5 pounds in 5 days on the South Beach diet.  I am so glad that they created Splenda before I attempted this.  I eat a ton, and it's all really healthy, so I feel like it's a good thing.  Just to remind everyone, I need to lose a few pounds so I can join the Air Force.  This baby weight is a b*%&$ to lose.  

Also in the good news section, I ran for class secretary for my school, and I won!  Yeah, more work!  But seriously, it will be a lot of fun, and worth it.

On the agenda for Halloween: take and pass final.  Watch the shows that I'm missing tonight by studying.  Go trunk-or-treating at the church.  Watch "The Birds".  Watch "Wait until Dark". Pee my pants.  Go to bed.

Stay tuned for Jack's Halloween costume.  Eliza and I couldn't stop laughing at how freaking cute he looks.  

Sick Mom, Sick Baby, Sick Chuck

SO EVERYONE HAS BEEN SICK! MY MOM CAME TO VISIT THIS WEEK WHICH WAS SO MUCH FUN BUT SHE BROUGHT WITH HER SOME NASTY UTAH COLD. SOMEHOW SHE MANAGED TO INFECT EVERYONE BUT ME.  IT FEELS LIKE JACK JUST GOT OVER BEING SICK.  THE WORST IS HOME WHEN HE RUBS HIS SNOT ALL OVER HIS FACE (AND MINE) AND THEN HYSTERICALLY CRIES WHEN I TRY TO WIPE IT.  HE MIGHT HAVE AN EAR INFECTION TO BUT I'M PRAYING HE DOESN'T BECAUSE I HATE HIS DOCTOR. I LEFT THE OFFICE LAST TIME CRYING. IT WAS SO FILTHY AND SICKY AND THE DOCTOR WAS LAME. CHUCK HAS BEEN SUPER BUSY THIS WEEK TO WHICH MAKES EVERYTHING WITH JACK WAY HARDER. I ALSO JUST FINISHED REREADING ALL THE HARRY POTTER BOOKS AND  IM KINDA SAD I FINISHED. I FORGOT HOW GOOD THEY ARE! I MAY JUST HAVE TO BREAK DOWN AND READ TWILIGHT, ALTHOUGH CHUCK TELLS ME I CAN'T BECAUSE I'VE WAITED TOO LONG AND IT WOULD BE LAME IF I STARTED THEM NOW WHEN EVERYONE HAS ALREADY READ THEM. WHAT-EV. ACTUALLY I HAVE READ THE FIRST HALF OF THE FIRST BOOK TWICE BUT I CAN'T SEEM TO GET PASS THE PART WHERE SHE IS LIKE, " YOU MIGHT KILL ME BUT I DON'T CARE CAUSE I HAVE THIS REALLY UNHEALTHY OBSESSION WITH YOU AND YOU'RE HOT,"  OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT. IT JUST SEEMS WRONG. RIGHT?

Carthage, Nauvoo, Far West, and the Zoo

Wow, that even rhymes.  This weekend was pretty fun.  Eliza and I packed up and drove to Keokuk, Iowa.  We spent the night there, and in the morning drove to Carthage, IL, and then on to Nauvoo, IL.  We hit up some of the more well known Mormon history sites on this trip, as well as one that is a little less known.  

The Carthage Jail was beautiful, even though it represents a sad memory for members of the Church.  I was amazed that the original structure is still standing, and that the Church owns it.  It is a quiet site, one that allows for reflection on the life of Joseph Smith, the prophet and founder of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.  I was personally moved, too, because my great, great (I don't know how many greats) grandfather was Hyrum Smith, brother of Joseph, who was also shot by the mob who overtook the jail to kill both Hyrum and Joseph.  The story is an interesting and sad one.

Nauvoo was pretty, but not what I expected.  It is home to the beautiful Nauvoo temple.  Look at the sun stones.  All the sun stones at the top look like these.  From a profile view, they look like Joseph's face.  Kind of cool, kind of weird.  Eliza and I both agreed that Sam, my brother, looks very much like the statues of Hyrum.  I definitely inherited the forehead.

Our last stop was Far West, which is less than an hour away from our house in KC.  This, along with Carthage, was my favorite stop.  Although the area is currently a beautiful, desolate, farming region, it was a hopping town in the late 1830's.  The saints of the time were commanded to build a temple, and the four cornerstones were laid, but they, like always, were run out of town.  The cornerstones are still there, however, and one day a temple will be erected on the very spot that the next two pictures are taken.  Too cool.  

The zoo.  What a hot, humid, miserable day.  We had fun.

Sick Little boy and trivial pursuit

Finally! A light at the end of the tunnel. Our son Jack is starting to get back to his normal self after one very long week of being sick. Last Sunday night he woke up not being able to breathe. It nearly scared Chuck and I to death.  I always remember my parents telling me when I was sick that they would take it from me if they could.  I never really got that until now. He had a rough week but he's a tough little guy and is doing pretty good now. To relieve some of the stress this week Chuck and I played a lot of trivial pursuit.  I love that game. I'm so smart.  Just kidding. It does remind me of playing in college one spring break. Bri -you know what I'm talking about. We dominated! I think as a team we could be unstoppable. You see, it's those dang sports and leisure questions. They're my downfall. Chuck's too. Chuck and I make a bad team because everything I know I've told Chuck at some point. He doesn't always listen though, if he did he would have gotten that question about Michelangelo's second most famous sculpture that resides in St. Peter's. That will show him for tuning out my ramblings.

                                                                       My silly boys
                                                                 
                                                                        Downtown KC
                                                              We took a wrong turn

                                                    Jack building a monkey who he loves
                                                   A fountain at our favorite park here

  What is he wearing?!

                                                                   First taste of food
                                                           getting ready for nap time

                                                             Hanging out with mom

Surviving

This week has been a bit stressful. As I wrote earlier, I had my first quiz on Monday. It was bad, but not too bad. I scored about average, which was at 83%, but they are going to shift the average to 85%. See? Not too bad.
We also had a devastating computer crash. Our hard drive is completely dead, or shot, or whatever term you're supposed to use to describe a complete meltdown of all your pictures and music and documents that you have spent the last 3 years building and saving. Solution: a new iMac. Thank goodness for student loans. (If any of you out there are interested in a nice flat screen monitor, let me know. We'll negotiate a good price for it.)
I miss Utah and our friends and family. We're loving it here, but we definitely miss everyone. We were lucky to have Mary and Jorge here for the night on Monday. They are Eliza's friends from Orem. We ate pizza, then they took us to the Cheesecake Factory. It was my first time, and I don't know why I've never been before. The cheesecake was amazing! We got one that is layered with chocolate cake, and I about died. I really want to go back for dinner some time. How do they have so many cheesecakes?!

I just want to end by saying good move, John McCain. Risky move, but a good one. I love that everyone is so worried about her becoming president since old Johnny is so, well, old.  But she sounds like a great person, and heck, if the democrats are making history, why can't the republicans, too?

Stay tuned for Obama Baby!

First Quiz...

Tomorrow. It sounds like it's going to be more like a test. 80 questions, 2 from every hour of lecture that we've had so far. I've had semester finals that were shorter than that, by more than half!

I'll let you know how it goes...

Eliza told me today that she likes it here. That is progress.

Still in love...

This has become a permanent fixture in our car's cd player. We love it, and we just can't get over it. Buy it: Adele 19. You won't regret it.

I finally remembered the name of the singer that sings that song on the chevy commercial that is so pretty and haunting. You might remember it from Grey's Anatomy, too. Her name is Brandi Carlile. Here's a sample:

White Coating Ceremony
Kansas City Royals Game
View of Adam Ondi Ahmen from Tower Hill
Chuck reading about Adam Ondi Ahmen
Local Flora and Fauna

It's not so bad.

It really isn't. I have honestly loved Missouri from day one. I know I came off a little dramatic in my last post, but I really do love it.
Things I love about Kansas City:
1. We live by a major freeway which connects us to other major freeways which connects us to the entire city quickly and easily.
2. Great barbeque. Jack Stack is amazing. Whoever decides to come out and visit us will be treated to a great meal (the baked beans are to die for).
3. Great historical points for interested Mormons. Did you know that Kansas City and Independence were like the garden of Eden? And Liberty is right next door: that's where we do our shopping. And Adam-Ondi-Ahman is an hour away, and it is beautiful.
4. Sports teams. I am not an athletic supporter, but if I were, I would be really psyched about living here. We already went to a Royals game, and you just know that we'll end up at a Chiefs game, or something else like that.
5. Fountains.
6. Birdies. (Google Images: Nelson Atkins Museum of Art)
7. QT. This stands for Quick Trip, a regional gas station that is awesome. The inside is always clean, and they have the best assortment of fountain drinks and food. I love their chicken taquitos. And did you know gas here is like $3.69!

I really do like it here. Eliza is starting to, too.

What did we get ourselves into?

I keep asking myself that everyday, which is probably not nearly as often as Eliza.

Where do I begin about our move...? I guess from the beginning:
We left Logan in a bit of a hurry. The house was a mess, and we thankfully have Michelle to clean up after us. I was really impressed that Eliza, Pam, and I could pack the U-Haul all by ourselves. It was not an easy process, and it was probably one of the hottest days up to that point(that won't be the last time I say that). I drove the U-Haul with Sam, and we had the Corolla in tow. Pam drove the Rav4 with Eliza, Jack, and the cats (how fun). We made it to North Platte, Nebraska, by the end of the first day. It took a lot longer than estimated, so we left early the next morning to make it to KC by 5:00 pm to get keys from the landlord and sign the documents. Well, we were able to get that U-Haul up to 75 and 80 mph (despite the 45 mph suggested limit for towing), and arrived a few hours early.
Our first impressions of Missouri: beautiful, green, hilly. Add to that hot, sauna-like, or, more realistic, steam-room-like. The day that we moved in was one of the hottest, humidist (yes, I said humidist) days up to that point. I began to sweat simply by standing outside for more than 2 seconds. Disgusting. I wish the shock of moving ended there, but it gets much worse.
Eliza and I decided on our duplex without coming out here to see it. We didn't feel the need to fly out to find a place because I had a connection through the school that helped us find a place. Well, we went to the leasing office first thing, signed the papers, and got the keys. We were excited to finally see our place. Upon entering the front door, we were knocked over by the overwhelming smell of cat urine. It was like walking into a nasty pet shop or vet. We were told before moving in that there would be pet damage, i.e. torn carpet, which we didn't have a problem with. We weren't told that the previous owners failed to use a litter box for their disgusting, overweight cats (as we learned from our chatty neighbor). Eliza had a break down. I don't blame her. It was nasty.
I really need to rap this story up and keep studying...suffice it to say we now have brand new carpet (thanks to Pam being assertive and telling our landlord whats up). The humidity has toned down this last week, and we can actually go outside without fear of becoming dehydrated instantaneously. School...I like it. I've never studied this much for school, so I'm hoping to do really well. Our class has a staggering 268 students, and I actually know someone from Utah State. How lucky is that?
Before I end, I have to add that Sam and I went to the local theme park the day after we moved in. It was awesome. Other than the sick humidity that made us sweat so bad our clothes were absolutely drenched the entire time, they had a couple of great rides that made Sam pitch his cookies. I've never seen such control while vomiting, and I'll leave it at that (sorry, no pictures).

New Favorite

Just listen.

Oh yeah, we celebrated Independence Day...