Zion's Camp - 2010

In 1834, a group of 100 Latter-day Saints, commanded by the Lord and led by the Prophet, Joseph Smith, left their homes in Kirtland, Ohio for a journey to join militia forces in Jackson County, Missouri. This expedition, known as Zion’s Camp, traversed over 900 miles before the Lord commanded them to return to their homes. During the two months away from their homes, many men suffered and all were tried by the Lord. One account describes it as “a time of learning and testing one’s fortitude.” In other words, it was a time of great enlightenment, learning, and understanding through challenge and adversity.

While not quite an apples-to-apples comparison, this example of Pioneer Heritage describes the past six months for our small family.

In April, Ryan and I were blessed to receive a job offer from an incredible non-profit organization in Washington, DC. We were thrilled, and I headed out to start my job a week before graduation. The next few months were a whirlwind of new and exciting adventures in our new life. We experienced Washington, DC as a small family, met new friends, and reconnected with old friends.

We were happy.

But, sometimes, the Lord has other plans. Sometimes the Lord provides miracles and blessings in ways you could only imagine in retrospect: for example, our July and August.

As many of you read, Ryan received some inspiration about returning to finish his pre-reqs for Medical School. When we talked about this the first time it was laughable to both of us. But as we looked at the options, we knew that it was a possibility.

There were a few challenges such as how do we do it in Virginia… we can’t. Well, if we can’t do it in Virginia, where do we go? Utah? But if we go to Utah, what about money, insurance, a job, childcare? This is when I stumbled on a previous relationship at BYU. I had worked with an individual in Career Services during Graduate School, and he was leaving his position.

So, it was a long shot. There was only one option. BYU or nothing. It was take it or leave it.

In July I applied to his position as a Career Counselor with University Career Services at BYU. I knew that it would decide our future and moved aggressively (those who know the full story from the UCS side would laugh) to apply for the job.

Phone Interview? Check.

Second Interview? Yes, they wanted me for a second interview, in Provo—they even flew me out.

Agonizing wait? Of course, always.

Offer? Thankfully, yes.

In August, BYU offered me a position with University Career Services, it was such a blessing. It provided for our needs, some of our wants, but most importantly a future and the fulfillment of Ryan’s dream.

In retrospect, I look at the steps, and they fall into place perfectly. As though it were planned out, as though a loving Heavenly Father knew our desires and what is best for us, and then I remember He did.

While our 2,400 mile trek to Washington may seem laughable to some, it was right for our family. It enabled us to learn more about God’s love for us and that he places the path in front of us, even if it is a millisecond before our foot touches the path.

So, if you’re still confused as to where we are… in August Ryan and I moved back to Utah. We are living in Orem for the next couple of years while I work at BYU as a Career Counselor and Ryan attends the University of Utah to finish his pre-med requirements. We know it is a long, hard road ahead, but are happy to be together, following the guidance and inspiration we have received.

Traveling Alone with Baby

Adrielle's Apology recently alluded to the flight back from Utah, which was fairly good thanks to great airline staff, and strangers who wanted to hold a fussy baby. I was to the point where if the person looked nice, I let them have her. She was obviously bored with me because she cooed for complete strangers and smiled...grrrr... But whatever, I was happy she wasn't screaming and making the trip unpleasant and that people weren't telling me what to do (like on our departing flight -- well, the first attempt at our departing flight).

If you're wondering about the departing flight fiasco on Delta, here's a quick rundown:

• We boarded on time (5:30 PM), the pilot told us we would take off soon, and we headed down the tarmac.
• The pilot tells us there's a light that went on, they need to do a quick check, and we would still arrive on time in SLC.
• After an hour of waiting 5 more minutes, the interior of the plane was hot and stuffy, and Adi started to fuss.
• Adi starts to cry - it's hot and stuffy, she's crammed between unfriendly neighbors and we should have taken off a while ago.
• The passenger to my right tells me I need to change her diaper and that it's probably poopy.
• A lady behind me taps me on the shoulder.
• I have had it.
• I take Adi to the lavatory to get away from the passengers who know better than I what to do with my child.
• On the way to the lavatory, a flight attendant tells me we will be taking off shortly and I need to get back to my seat. I ignore him and go into the lavatory.
• I change a diaper that does not need to be changed while the flight attendant knocks on the lavatory door. Baby is still crying.
• I go to my seat expecting to take of any minute and we wait for another hour on the plane.
• We deplane.
• They tell us we won't be waiting long in the airport and we wait another 3 hours until no more flights can go out of DCA. They have us trapped.
• None of us have eaten, yet they served us "refreshments" which I came to understand was the ice water they were handing out on the plane. Nice, Delta.
• We wait longer.
• They start to rebook everyone, and do hotel vouchers. This takes several more hours.
• A lady with a baby is crying because she only brought enough formula to get her to her destination (Alaska), and she was running out. She has nowhere to buy formula. I give her what I brought.
• Kenz and I spend hours on the phone and in line to get rebooking figured out.
• I rebook for a special flight at 7:00 AM the next day.
• Kenz picks us up at around 11:30 PM.

The next morning:

• We wake up late, but it doesn't matter because my flight has been delayed an hour and a half.
• We wait in the airport while the same plane we were on yesterday is running tests.
• We consider rebooking on another airline.
• They tell us the plane is coming out of the hangar, and we will be boarding soon. (I've heard this one before. Ha. Ha.)
• We finally board and Kenz waits until I text her affirming the fact that we were actually taking off. I did not turn my cell phone off when they told us to.

The positives:

• The group of passengers bonded through the process and I believe we were all able to help and serve each other in one way or another.
• By the time the special flight took off, a lot of passengers had already bailed and everyone had a row of their own with several empty rows, too. It was great for Adi.

This baby had a great time.

Playing with the controls.

Trying to escape.

Sleeping.

Messing with our stuff.

And pretty much doing whatever she wanted.

It almost made the whole ordeal of the previous day worth it...almost.

US Airways, Slam Dunk!

Although quite a bit has transpired since my last post, I will start from the most recent event and work my way back to the Delta fiasco.

Yesterday (Saturday) I was supposed to fly back to Washington from Salt Lake at 10:45am, but I wanted to wait until Sunday. Erin (my sister-in-law) was scheduled to have a c-section on the 6th, but Friday, they moved it up to Saturday, the 31st at 9:00am. 9:00am! I was going to miss meeting Jacob by just over an hour! I called and called, but I couldn't just fork out $150, $330, or $180 to change the flight to a day later.

So, I was resigned to the fact that I would be waiting a while to meet my little nephew. Ryan and Adi walked me to security (after being told again a ridiculous amount of money for a "flight change penalty") and I went to the gate. I was bumped, but I was happy Ryan would be here.

As I was sitting at the gate, I thought that perhaps I could "bump" and just get a flight Sunday. So, when the gate attendant showed up, I asked if the flight was full. Nope. Ugh. However, in my-sister-is-having-a-c-section-and-I-really-want-to-move-my-flight-to-tomorrow explanation, she said "yeah, they should charge you, but family is more important" and handed me a paper with my new flight information. Hallelujah! I was so grateful! I grabbed my luggage and ran back through the airport, calling Ryan as I reached the pick-up area--excited to meet my new nephew!

Good job US Airways! Slam Dunk!

Delta Dropped the Ball. You Think?

So, this is (I'm sure) Part 1 of a long list of posts, but all the time I have now will be dedicated to someone else's version of our experience.

A friend sent me this blog link after hearing me rant about Ryan's delayed/canceled/delayed/delayed (need I go on?) flight.

Completely random that a passanger blogged about it? Yes.

Completely random that our friend follows this blog? Yes.

Completely random that I mentioned Ryan's travel woes merely hours ago? Yes.

Anyway, read the post and read the comment I left.

(I will say that Sharon Coleman from Cincinnati, Ohio, was responsive to our needs and deserves a raise from Delta.)

The Past Month in Living Color

Most of you know that I often capture our life by taking pictures with my phone. And, because I am seriously behind in the blogging world, I thought I would clear my phone and blog about the past month with the help from the pictures. So, here it goes...

Baby Adi's First Plane Ride - April 24, 2010!

The night that Ryan and Adam drove into town, we found this sweet sign posted to our wall... Thanks Adi (glad I gave you those keys.) :)

Trying to cut a frozen, 1 lb block of butter with cheap kitchen knives = our first kitchen casualty.

Adi's first encounter with wildlife. When we returned the Penske, there were these two geese just hanging out. They stayed pretty close, but started to move a I settled myself on the cement to the right. I would have taken a picture with Adi, but Ryan was inside filling out paper work and such. I was surprised by how intently she watched them. :)

Best Mother's Day Ever! (Especially considering it was the first!)

Ryan bought me pretty flowers, the ward gave us yummy truffles, and I got to play with this cutie during Sunday School.

Baby Adi snoozing at church...

I'm not going to lie, I have the cutest baby in the world.

Jedi Baby...

Naked Baby...

Garage Saleing... never been, kinda fun! Thought this picture was cute. Look at that little bum!

Baby Adi sitting up by herself! She's also reaching for her feet and sucking on her hands!

Baby Adi's Second Cross-Country trip to Washington.

My First Day!

(*Blog post started on April 20th, completed on May 8th)

Yesterday I became an adult.

Yes, I am quite aware that I have a bachelor's degree (and 99.9% of a master's), have been married for almost two years, and have a child... but, yesterday I entered the workforce.

It was quite the experience. I planned out my wardrobe, got my papers together, woke up early, and even commuted via the bus!

But, the best part was that Adriel acted as my 'mom' as I hopped on the bus headed to my 'first day'...

So I am killing two birds with one stone by showing the before and after snapshots...

Before (Easter Weekend 2010)

Caption: Burnt-out graduate student, in desperate need of post-pregnancy change

After (First Day of Work; Waiting at the Bus Stop)

Caption: Here We Go! With a new-job cut and color (from my amazing sister-in-law)

*Tribute to Adriel for making me look fabulous on my first day of work, getting me onto the bus, and running back for my suit jacket when I forgot it! (Thanks mom! ;)

Ugh. Delays.

I am currently sitting in the Denver airport. My flight was delayed. Of course it was. When you really want to get somewhere quickly (say like... to see my baby) flights are always delayed.

Oh well, it gave me a chance to finish my final. So, I guess it was a blessing in disguise.

Overheard at 30,000 ft

So, I was flying Frontier Airlines (note to self, never fly Frontier) from Salt Lake to Denver. I was sitting on the very back row on the isle. I got on the plane, sat down, and we took off. About 10 minutes after take off, I hear two flight attendants talking. One of them started making some comments about Mormons. I didn't hear what she was saying until she said something like "Oh! I used to live in Idaho and we would fly chartered flights with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. It was amazing! They never left any trash, and we didn't even have to tell them to put their tray tables up!"

It made me laugh - I didn't realize it was that big of a deal, but I guess when every single person does it it makes a difference. Glad to know they made a good impression. :)

On Being a Single Parent

The baby girl and I miss Kenz.

Thanks to my mom, I have made major headway on my to-do list. (Only my law final left and then Stats Wednesday morning!) My dad has also been busy taking pictures of the baby girl.

As an aside, the baby girl is sleeping for 6 consecutive hours at night. She'll sleep for about 4 hours, then eat, sleep for 6 and wake up at around 7 am. (This morning, however, she decided she wanted to wake up at 5:45.) She doesn't even really wake up, just starts to fuss a little and goes right back to sleep after eating.

Baby Adi went on a walk on Sunday afternoon and has been enjoying the nice weather.

She is learning to terrorize the dog...

and spent some time with great grandpa.

We're doing well, but can't wait to see Mommy on Thursday night! We're happy to hear that she's loving her job in D.C. and are looking forward to being there with her!

The "Offer"

For those of you blog junkies out there... do you remember me saying that I received a phone call while I was in labor. The one that was to set up an interview? :) (If not, don't feel bad, it was in the super long birth story.)

Anyway... that phone call was the beginning of a process. A process that gives me the pleasure to happily announce (despite the fact that Ryan already did so) that we're moving! We're moving to Washington, DC on April 24th!

On March 24th, I received a phone call from the Partnership for Public Service offering me a position as an Education and Outreach Program Associate! I was so ecstatic! My answer was absolutely YES! The only hurdle to overcome then was the start date... they wanted to know when I could start.

Well... turns out that was more non-negotiable then anything, but Dr. Hart would be proud because they wanted me on the 19th, I wanted to start on the 26th. They wanted me on the 19th, and I wanted to be in Utah on the 23rd...

So... I do start on the 19th! Yes people, THAT IS NEXT WEEK! (Oh my goodness!) But, I will be here on the 23rd! I negotiated being here for graduation. I really didn't want to miss graduation and then regret it for the rest of my life. To me, this graduation is a lot more important and a bigger deal than my bachelor's was, and besides, Ryan and I are graduating from the Romney Institute together, just like my parents did. So, I'm looking forward to walking again with Ryan. This time, as a graduate of the Marriott School of Management. Excited? I think yes.

Back to my story--I start in Washington next Monday which means that I fly out Sunday the 18th and the fly back to Utah on Thursday the 22nd. Ryan and I graduate on Friday the 23rd, and then my mother-in-law, Jennifer, Baby Adi, and I fly back to Washington at 7:00am on Saturday the 24th and Ryan and his brother, Adam, start the 3-4 day drive to Washington with our stuff.

Crazy, I know! Ryan and I are so excited to have something solidified. We're looking forward to meeting new people, overcoming new trials, and raising Baby Adi as a Virginia girl (yes, we're aiming for the Virginia side people)! We aren't positive where we'll be living yet, but we have a prospect that we're really hoping for--keep your fingers crossed!

Finally, to announce her excitement about it all, Adi dawned her Partnership onsie :)!

One O'clock In The Morning and $154.40 Later...

As Ryan mentioned, our trip home from the Dominican Republic was less than ideal. In fact, that is the understatement of the century, and definitely needs documenting (although after having finished the post and reading it, it's a little on the long side for me--feel free to skim.)

So, the last day of our trip, we enjoyed a beautiful morning basking in the overcast Caribbean sun and enjoying the clear, beautiful, warm Caribbean sea (as seen below).

After a few hours on the beach, we headed back to our room and packed our bags for the airport. We grabbed a quick lunch and then headed to the concierge. Like all of our transportation, they were right on time; in fact, they were early, so we headed to the airport.

Once we got to the airport, I noticed there was an earlier flight to Miami, and asked if there were any empty seats, but of course there were none. The time was about 12:30, and we sat down to settle into our wait (we were to board at 3:05). In the meantime, a torrential downpour had started outside, but we weren't in any hurry. We had three hours.

So, we waited, and waited, and waited. At 2:55, an attendant announced that a flight to Havana, Cuba would start departing from our gate in five minutes. Wait, that's our gate. What happened to our flight!?

At that point, we became a little concerned, and Ryan went to check the sign. When he came back he said that the flight had been delayed until 6pm. Say what?! 6pm? We were supposed to be departing to DC at 7pm from Miami!

When I heard that, my first reaction was slight panic. Then I became angry that the airline hadn't even MENTIONED ANYTHING! I frantically tried to locate the American Airlines employees, and when we found them, a man told us that unfortunately they would have to put everyone up in a hotel for the night in Miami...

On other days, this would have been fine, but considering we were leaving to drive cross-country at 5am the next morning, that was NOT GOING TO WORK. So, before Ryan started yelling--he was getting a little upset, which is saying something huge for Ryan who is always very even tempered--I told the man that it was an absolute necessity that we get to the DC area tonight. He could tell that we meant absolute business, so which he was taking other people's boarding passes, he said that he could put us on this flight (meaning the flight that was boarding at the time) and then fly us to Baltimore and then pay for our ground transportation to Virginia... So, literally five minutes later we were headed to Puerto Rico--a destination that had not been on our agenda. :)

The flight to San Juan was pleasant, although I can't say the same for our time in the airport. We waited three hours, three delays, and three gate changes, and we were finally--finally--on our way to Baltimore.

After arriving in Baltimore, the task at hand was to locate an actual live American Airlines person at midnight when the desks closed at nine, but we did. After a little convincing that Virginia was really what was meant by 'Washington, DC' in the travel voucher, we hopped in a cab headed to Virginia.

The drive from BWI to Virginia was over an hour. On our way home I apologized to the drive that it was such a far drive, but the driver said that he'd driven to Philadelphia, New York, and Newark in the past, so Virginia didn't seem that far away.

Anyway... we got home at 1am, and when all was said and done, the taxi fare was...

$154.40--the most expensive taxi ride that I have or will probably ever have to pay--oh wait I didn't have to pay (that was definitely a plus).

So, takeaway: Puerto Rico isn't that great when your airline doesn't tell you what's going on, they delay your flight multiple times, and you have to drive 100 miles to get home from the airport. Oh well. I'm sure it won't be my worst traveling experience, but it will definitely be up there.

Play Day - Leg 3

Ryan and I had a great day yesterday! First things first... exercise! Many of you know that Ryan is an avid runner, but most of you don't know that I have started running. I'm still a beginner, but these babies have helped...

Ryan bought these beautiful Asics for me a few weeks ago, and I've been loving them! This morning while Ryan ran along the Mississippi, I stayed in the hotel and ran on a treadmill. I ran 2 miles! That may not be a lot, but it's an improvement for me! It was quite invigorating. I'm excited to get back east and run through gorgeous wooded Northern Virginia!

After our run, Ryan and I grabbed a quick road-trip breakfast and headed into Nauvoo despite the rain. By the time we got to Nauvoo, the had rain stopped, and the sun had started to shine. We drove to the temple grounds, and as we were walking up to the temple, a newly-married couple were taking pictures on the grounds. We had a wonderful time in the temple doing sealings and a session. It is so beautiful, ornate, peaceful, and meaningful. It was a strong reminder that Jesus Christ is our Savior, and I was grateful that we were able to continue our tradition in one of our favorite places.


After attending the temple, we headed east to continue our drive. We stopped in our special place along the Mississippi River to take some pictures. This spot is where we enjoyed some of our honeymoon last year.



Continuing east, we stopped in Carthage, IL to visit the Carthage Jail. The sister at the Visitor's Center was very nice, and lead us on a tour of the place of the Prophet Joseph's martyrdom. We had both been before, but it was especially powerful after having been in Nauvoo, walked Parley's Street, and visited the temple. I was especially touched by the song, "A Poor Wayfaring Man of Grief." Every time I hear that song I think of Carthage. If you haven't had the opportunity to visit, I strongly encourage you to increase your testimony through a visit. It made me realize how grateful I am for the Prophet Joseph and the Restoration.


After Carthage, we headed the rest of the way to Champaign/Urbana, Illinois. It was a lot of nothing. Flat, Flat, Flat.


I am quite positive that Illinois is identical to Nebraska... and from what I've heard, Kansas too. They must be triplets. It was neat to run around the campus of the University of Illinois. Quite an adventure.

The best part of the adventure was our hotel. Or should I say cheap motel. Ryan and I had booked a room at an...


...something Ryan had not realized, and something about which I knew nothing. A word to the wise: Ghetto. Smelly. Loud. Sketch. Note to self: stick with something familiar and trustworth because at least you'll know it is in a safe part of town. We heard people talking and yelling outside our window at 2am.

I woke up this morning and Ryan had moved our luggage in front of the door. So sweet. :)

Leg 2 - Nebraska, Iowa, Illinois

I guess it's my turn to update our road trip log. So... Motel 8 is not a favorite. We didn't sleep well because the pillows are as hard as rocks. We should have just retrieved our own pillows, which happened to be in the car just outside. I guess it serves us right for not having brought them in, end of complaint. But, due to the unfortunate pillow situation, we were both wide awake at 6 am, and decided to get an early start. 

As we went through Nebraska, we saw a whole lot more of this:

Even more exciting, we saw some of these windmill things that remind me of "The Wizard of Oz".

Oh, and it did a whole lot of this throughout our trip:

Those beautiful droplets of gathered rain that you see are courtesy of Rainex, which we applied to our windshield and back window before our trip. 

Back to the story. After hours of driving we made it to Iowa, which is Nebraska's twin. It could even be Nebraska's identical twin.

We did get to see more of these fellows that were so prevalent in Wyoming. Just in case you were wondering, Iowa and Nebraska are not related to Wyoming, well, maybe distant cousins. 

Tonight we're staying in Keokuk, Iowa, bordering Illinois and the Mississippi River. Since we arrived early, we took advantage of our time here to visit Nauvoo. More importantly, we dropped off the stowaway passenger, Keokuk the snapping turtle, at his new home. 

About 2 years ago I found Keokuk (now named Toby) on the road while I was running one morning in Keokuk when my family was here for vacation. Long story short, I smuggled him to Utah, where he has spent the past few years beefing up so he can make it out in the cruel world. He was about the size of a quarter, you can see how much he has grown.

I was a little sad to let him free, but when he pretty much ran to the water and buried himself in the mud we knew he would be just fine. That, and he has been catching fish in the tank for the past while. I have learned one lesson, do not smuggle snapping turtles home. They are not friendly pets, and they are ugly. (Sorry Keokuk/Toby.)

We also had to take advantage of the moment for a photo-op. Bear with us, please.

While in Nauvoo, we decided to take it easy and just enjoy the nice weather. We walked around the temple, and took the walk down the "Trail of Hope", or Parley Street. 

Kenz got all artsy with this picture of the temple with some tulips. Looks great, right?!

A view of the temple from Parley Street.

Tomorrow we head to Illinois for good. We will spend some time in Nauvoo again, and stop by Carthage on the way out. There's a Chinese place in Carthage that serves some fresh out-of-the-can Chinese food that we may stop by to take a picture. (I'll explain this later.)