March Madness

March has been a great month for us! Heidi and I have been able to get out quite a bit and as the semester draws to a close there are many activities going on, on- campus. At the beginning of the month, we participated in an "I-mazing Race," which is a BYU-I version of the Amazing Race. For those unfamiliar with the Amazing race it is a TV show where pairs of contestants are given clues as they race around the world completing tasks. So, Heidi and I raced around campus finding hidden eggs, getting a strike at the bowling alley, putting together a puzzle, taking a picture with Thor, Latin dancing, etc. There were about nine of these tasks that we had to complete as fast as we could to get the next clue. The next clue would direct us to our next challenge. We had tons of fun and plan on participating again next semester. After this experience, Heidi and I decided that we wanted to be a little more active in our dates and family activities.

On Mondays, for the after school program,I have been taking the kids bouldering, which is a form of rock climbing where you don’t use a harness. I found out I could get a deal if I bought a punch card and we have gone twice this month. It has been a very challenging activity for both of us physically and emotionally. The place where we go is an outdoor store on Main Street where they have 15' - 20’ routes to climb around, and mats to place underneath you in case you fall.

We've continued having couples from our ward over for FHE. It has been a great way to get to know all of the people in our ward and stay connected to them. Since we go to a student ward, and BYU-I has a trimester track system, we have a whole batch of move-ins three times a year at the start of a new semester. We find that it is easier to do the things we know we should when there are other people to do them with. I think this is true of most things throughout our life – and that is why our families are of great importance.

I had a staff-training meeting for scout camp down in Idaho Falls later in the month so afterwards we got together with some of our married friends and went to Bodies: The Exhibition at the Museum of Idaho.This exhibit is amazing. They have preserved several full human bodies and stripped them of their skin to show bones, muscles, nerves,veins, etc. They have one whole room dedicated to the development of fetuses and another to the circulatory system. They also had several display cases of specific body parts that had been preserved. They have done a good job of tactfully presenting the human body and all of its complexities. And to imagine that we get to make these someday! We had a really good time and afterward went out to dinner with several of our friends. If this presentation is ever available to you I would recommend going. As a general rule I wouldn’t take children, though. I am sure there is a ton of information online for those interested in the content of the exhibition.

Last week I participated in a concert version of The Savior of the World. It is a musical play where the first act is everything leading up to Christ's birth and the second act is everything after his death. A whole group of people participated in a 400 person choir, a full orchestra, and a 40 person cast to present the music and the message of this play to a 12,000+ audience in the new BYUI Center. It was a great privilege to be able to participate. I was a member of the ensemble choir. We had dress rehearsals on Wednesday and Thursday and then just one performance on Friday night. I had an opportunity to watch it on stage two years ago, here at BYU-Idaho and thought that production was better overall, but the feeling of the music was still powerfully presented without costumes or scenery.

Just this last weekend, the morning after the performance, we drove all the way up to Coeur d'Alene to spend some time with the Luke Family who were staying at a little resort near the lake through their time-share. They paid for our gas which made such a short trip more enticing. We carpooled with Emily, Heidi’s sister, and Preston, her soon to be fiancé. They went up so he could ask permission to marry Emily. We spent most of the time playing kids games, talking, and planning their family reunion. I also slept quite a bit because I was the primary driver for our 14 hour round trip weekend. We had a great time and saw some more of this beautiful earth god has created for us. That is an interstate Heidi and I had never driven but there this some great scenery!

We also stopped by the St. Francis Xavier Church in Missoula, Mt. It is listed as a state historical site even though the Catholic Church still currently uses it. The main building is a mini version of what I imagine European cathedrals to look like. The main hall is lined with two rows of pillars holding up a spacious three story domed roof. All of the windows in the main room were stained glass and everywhere else on the ceilings and walls there were murals representational of bible stories. In the back of the room on the 2^nd story was a functioning old pipe organ. If there was any other empty space on the pillars or walls it was filled up with golden painted filigree. However magnificent this building looked it felt terribly empty. I am so grateful to be a part of the true church and that God has allowed so many temples to dot the earth. May we forever cherish the covenants we have made there.We appreciate having family so close around here but wish that we could see the rest of you more often.

P.S. Heidi and I used our tax return to pay off more than $3,000 of debt this last month. Part of that was one of Heidi's student loans.

Valentine's Weekend

Valentine's day hasn't even gotten here yet, but it's been an enchanting weekend! It has been, overall, a great way to end the last week!

FRIDAY:
Julie came up to Rexburg to hang out, and so we went to WalMart to finish buying the stuff for our Dorm party on Saturday, then we went out to eat at good ol' Micky-dees...been a little while and the greasy fries are my favorite! :)
Last Wednesday I started getting the cold that Hyrum had picked up from who-knows, but Friday I woke up with it in full-swing. However...thanks to Afrin, I was surviving the day. Then...Andrew comes home with THE MOST GORGEOUS arrangement of flowers!



Then, Hyrum took an extra nap to help me out. Is there anything more precious than a sleeping baby? Me thinks not!


Then, one of my girls came over to curl my hair for the BIG dance that night..the Valentine's Formal--a night in Paris.
We decided to go to the formal with another couple that is in our ward...and they are a blast! We had dinner at their house a few weeks ago, so it we had them to our house for a dinner before the dance. The Butterfields brought a very delicious salad, and then we had corn chowder and breadsticks...from scratch (remember...Betty Crocker). HAHA! Okay, so yes, the food was from scratch, but I was running around like a chicken with it's head cut off, and it wouldn't have made it if it weren't for Andrew...

We were smokin' that night!


SATURDAY: So I have a goal to run a 5K (3.1 miles) by July 4th...go from fat and waddling around to running a 5K in 1 year! :) But anyways, there was a Valentine's "Fun Run" that was a 5k! Andrew and I, plus Jena & Joey Hagen (some other head residents and my walking buddy) decided to do it. It was kinda crazy (especially when you consider that Andrew and I were both sick by this point) but totally fun! Andrew's goal was to finish in under 36 minutes. He finished in 35:26--barely there, but definitely there! My goal was to run at least a mile, and to finish in 45 minutes. I finished in exactly 42 minutes, and ran just over a mile! It was a wonderful feeling to finish something that I started! Next 5K I want to finish in 37 minutes...and for the 4th of July 5k, I want to finish in 30 minutes or less. We took Hyrum, and pushed him around the track. I really really really wish that we had thought to take our camera...but alas, we did not. Most people that were there (including the Hagen's and Andrew) had a "lap counter," someone who stood on the side of the track and would count your laps, so that you didn't have to keep track. But...I slipped through the cracks (yeah, I'm just that skinny! haha) and so I didn't have one. When you passed them, they would cheer you on and tell you how many laps you had done or how many you had left. I kept hearing "Yay! Go Jena" and "Andrew, you're my man!" etc...but what happened when I ran past them? "Go team stroller!" I guess that's what happens when you become a mom...you're defined by just that. You can imagine how exposed I felt (and nameless) when Andrew took Hyrum and let me run on my own...I then got a "yay!" from the sidelines. Oh well...I still finished, and it was still a great experience! Here's to more 5ks!!!

I woke up today with no voice, and some intense intestinal issues. Gross, I know. So we have now finished off the weekend by staying home from church and having an extremely relaxing day. But it was exactly what the doctor ordered because I'm feeling much better now--ready to start a new week, and to see what Valentine's day has to offer us tomorrow! One more picture...just for good measure--geez he's a good looking kid!!!

Hyrum's New Tricks

Hyrum first started crawling about two or three weeks ago, and since then he's been a little mobile fiend! However, since then he's learned a few more things. 1) crawling really fast to get to something that he knows he can't have (shoes and paper are the current favorites) 2) standing--started out as just in his crib, but now it is anything that he can grab a hold of & 3) he now says "mama" which is, of course, one of my favorites!

It has been so amazing, yet sad to see my little baby growing into a little boy! I bet it will only be a couple more months before he's running around, getting into everything! But, alas, I will just be extremely grateful that I get to stay at home with him and cherish every moment! Okay, so maybe that is a little harder than it sounds, since time FLIES by...but I will try!