Ohio is for Lovers

After a looooongggggg four weeks away from my favorite person in the whole world I was finally able to see him last week for a weekend.  Thankfully, I was able to get a day and a half off of work and so I left Wednesday afternoon after working in the morning.  I arrived very late Wednesday night in Cincinnati.  I will be completely honest, it was kind of an awkward reunion!  In my head I was picturing a made-for-movies run up to each other and a lengthy embrace and long overdue kiss, embarrassing anyone who was watching.  It was more like a first date...an awkward hug, no kiss, and neither of us knowing what to say to each other.  We got in the car and just looked at each other and laughed because it was just weird to be with each other in the flesh!  We both realized at this point that we hadn't had a proper kiss so we took care of that ;)  The entire car ride back to Lima (2.5 hours) we were just a little in shock, I think.  There's really no other way to describe it except that it felt like a first date with neither of us wanting to do something wrong.  By the end of the car ride we were over it and back to normal though.

We slept in Lima Wednesday night and then got up early the next morning and headed to Cedar Point in Sandusky, OH (2.5 hours north...again).  When we got there is was super hot, sunny, and muggy.  Not the most fun.  I must be getting old or something because I could not handle the roller coasters like I used to.  I've never had problems riding them before but I got so lightheaded and nauseous this time.  It was really rather annoying, especially for Nate who wanted to ride as many rides as we could.  

(As a side note, our first "date" was to Cedar Point, just a month after he got back from Brazil.  I surprised him in Ohio (I was working in Idaho for the summer) and we decided to go because neither of us had been there in two years.  Until that day, I don't think I'd spent more than a few hours with him, and definitely not alone with him!  I'm not sure what we talked about all day but I guess it went well!) 

After only three rides I had to sit down for 45 minutes with my head on Nate's lap to try and recuperate.  Nate convinced me to go on a few more rides and then said we could leave after that.  Our next ride was the Magnum.  For those not familiar with Cedar Point, it's one of the older steel roller coasters.  It has no loops and you're held in by just a lap bar...it's also quite jerky.  Well, this was the fourth ride of the day and before riding I put my phone (my "new" iphone) down my shirt because my pockets were really shallow.  It was under three shirts and a bra so I figured it was pretty secure.  I was wrong.

The second hill on the ride must be pretty steep because one second all was normal and then the next second my phone was literally floating in front of my face, slowing turning over on itself.  WHAT THE WHAT?!  I could NOT believe what I was seeing, and it was happening in slow motion!  After reaching for the phone and missing I finally was able to secure it and snapped it to my chest where I held tight for the rest of the ride.  Nate missed the whole thing but for the remainder of the ride I was screaming at him "DID YOU SEE THAT?!!?  THAT WAS THE COOLEST THING IN THE WHOLE WORLD!!  THAT WAS SUPER NINJA SKILLS RIGHT THERE!!!  HOLY COW I CANNOT BELIEVE WHAT JUST HAPPENED!!" etc.  And I kept it up even after the ride finished.  I didn't realize it but Nate said that everyone around me thought I was talking about the ride, which is not that great of a roller coaster haha  Oh well.  I wish I had a movie of it though because it was seriously the coolest thing I've ever done...and totally ninja of me.  

That got my adrenaline pumping and the nausea left for a bit.  But after a few more rides it came back.  Not that I'm going to complain about super short lines (like 10-20 minutes for the big coasters) but it didn't give me much time to recover haha  Such was the case after our second time on Millennium Force.  We got off and saw there was basically no line so decided to go a third time.  We literally (and I mean literally in a very literal sense) walked onto the ride with no wait, whatsoever.  It was amazing and I don't think that will ever happen again.

We went on the Ferris Wheel...

We ended up leaving the park around 6:30 which was just perfect for me.  I'm sure Nate could have stayed longer but I couldn't bear to get on any more rides.  We decided to go eat dinner at Chili's and then I thought we would be on our way back home for the night.  I fell asleep in the car on the way to Chili's (which was not more than 15 minutes away) and awoke to realize that we were not at Chili's but at a hotel in Sandusky.  It was a wonderful surprise!!!!  I was so exhausted and a night at a comfortable hotel with a huge jacuzzi was just what I needed.  We changed clothes and then went to dinner.  I got some chili-mango tilapia which was....not my favorite.  I won't be getting that again!

We slept in the next morning and then headed down to Columbus at noon.  We got there just in time to see a movie at the Easton Mall.  We watched Guardians of the Galaxy in IMAX.  I quite enjoyed it!  After the movie, we went to exit the theater and followed the wrong exit signs because we ended up in the behind-the-scenes area of the mall and "exited" out the loading dock area hahaha

After the movie we drove to the other side of town for dinner.  Nate had made us reservations at Ruth's Chris Steakhouse.  We ate there the night we got engaged last year and wanted to go on our engagement anniversary this year but it's in Salt Lake so we couldn't.  Celebrating our one year wedding anniversary seemed like a good occasion though!  They were so kind to us and even had rose petals on the table for us :)

Their ahi tuna is to die for!!!!

He's so cute.

They also treated us to dessert which was heavenly.  It even included a candle for us to blow out!

My sister Meredith just moved to Columbus to start school at Ohio State and so I begged Nate to drive us to see her even though it was a bit out of our way.  It was great to get to see where she lived (which is basically a dump...sorry Meredith) and meet one of her roommates.

Bad quality.  Good picture.

Friday night we also spent at a hotel in Columbus.  We watched Mr. Peabody and Sherman (we started it the night before and neither of us remember falling asleep....) which is hilarious and I definitely recommend it!  It's a kids movie but I thought it was really well done and unexpected.  

Saturday noon we finally headed back to Lima so I could see my family for a bit.  We hung out at my house, got my "new" phone activated (I had it at CP just to take pictures since Nate's camera on his phone doesn't work) and went out to dinner with mine and Nate's parents.  My phone died before I could snap a picture so I'll have to get it from my mom sometime.  We went to a Japanese steakhouse in town.  Our waiter probably thought we were crazy because we stayed for an hour after our meal was over and just talked.  The place wasn't busy at all though so we didn't feel too bad.  

Sadly, my flight was to leave at 7:30am out of Dayton so we had to leave my house at 4:45 am.  

Oh, also, my family is moving November 1st to North Carolina so this was the last time I would be in our house that we've been in for 11 years.  It was kind of sad to say goodbye to everything but I'm happy for my family so I just tried not to think about it.  I was going to go swimming one last time and swinging one last time and sit in the hammock one last time etc etc but couldn't really bring myself to do it.  It was just too sad.

Back to the story.  Nate dropped me off at the airport at 6:00 and I was an absolute wreck.  I couldn't stop crying and just looking at him made me cry more.  I don't even know how I made myself walk away and into the airport.  But I did.  And then I called him as soon as I got through security (which is a breeze if you are TSA precheck, by the way!  I highly recommend it for anyone that flies even just once or twice a year! SO worth the money.).  At 7:00, the airline attendant came over the intercom and said that our flight was going to have some weight-balance issues (whatever that means) and that they needed 6 people to change their flight before they could take off.  They offered $400 delta dollars to anyone who would change.  I figured I was in no hurry so I got some information and called Nate to see what he thought.  The flight they would get me on wasn't going to leave until 12:15 so long story short, Nate turned around and came to pick me up so we could spend a few more hours together.  As if that weren't great enough I told the lady I would change for $500 instead of $400 (that Peruvian bartering spirit works well for me sometimes!) and then she transferred me to another lady to give me my voucher and that lady ended up giving me $600 since that's what she gave the guy before me.  SCORE!!!!  That's a roundtrip ticket home for Christmas...for free!!

Nate got back to the airport around 8:00 and we decided to go get breakfast at Bob Evans.  That idea lasted until we parked in the Bob Evan's parking lot and realized how incredibly tired we were.  So we settled for cuddling in the back seat and both sleeping for two hours.  It was wonderful!  It actually really was.  When he dropped me off at the airport for a second time it was so much easier.  I think we were both less tired, less grumpy (not early morning) and we were just so grateful for the extra time together.  It was "easy" to give him a hug and a kiss goodbye and be okay with the fact that I wouldn't see him for three more weeks and that it was all going to be okay.  We both felt 100% better with the second goodbye.  Switching flights was a blessing in so many ways!

Now I've been back for a week and there are only two weeks left!!  And only one more Sunday (which is usually the hardest day).  I cannot wait to have him back at home with me.  And to have him cook for me.  I eat worse than I ate when I was single haha  I went to Winco and bought five (FIVE) frozen dinners which I basically never buy.

I love that boy with all my heart and he planned the perfect weekend/ anniversary/ birthday celebration for me.  He's the best!!!!

Two Dates

Last week was my last week with Nate for the entire summer so we tried taking advantage of it and spending as much time together as we could!  On Thursday (the 17th) he picked me up from work.  He came to IF to get our car's windshield fixed (it's been cracked for an entire year) and then just hung around until I was done.  Sadly, that meant he has a couple of hours to kill because the windshield was fixed at 2:00 and I don't get off work until after 6:00 (and I was rushing to get my stuff done!).

He had already wandered around stores for a few hours but he wasn't hungry so we didn't want to eat quite yet.  We settled on walking around the mall for a bit.  The amazing part of this story is that we didn't buy a single thing!  That's quite an accomplishment for us :)  However, we did walk by some of those massage chairs and splurged a whole $2 a piece on a ten minute massage.  Best $4 we ever spent.

After our massage, we went to Texas Roadhouse and had the best steak we've ever had at a Texas Roadhouse.

On Saturday (the 19th) I was convinced we needed to do something fun because it was the last day we'd have together since I work during the week.  I've always wanted to go to the IF zoo and have never gone so that's what I decided on.  Nate woke up not feeling well so I didn't think we'd have time to go (I had to work at Broulims in the afternoon) but he sucked it up for me, because he loves me!  The zoo was little, but still fun!  I especially loved just listening to all the little kids there talk about the animals.  The monkey's were probably my favorite because they actually did more than just lay around.

There was a little, itty, bitty amusement park outside the zoo and I wanted to go on the ferris wheel but Nate thought it looked too sketchy so we passed.  To his credit, it was pretty old looking.

Funeral for Grandpa Bob

We flew to Ohio for a last minute weekend trip at the beginning of June.  Nate's Grandpa Bob passed away and so we went for the funeral.  Even though we had to go for sad reasons, it really was a great trip because all of Nate's siblings, and their spouses, were able to come as well.  It was just a big family reunion!  And of course it was great to see my family as well.  We flew out Thursday afternoon and then back on Sunday so it was a quick, quick trip.  We really missed Sawyer...as you can tell from the only pictures we took haha

4th of July Weekend

This year we decided to go down to Utah for the 4th.  I have had to work Saturdays so we haven't been able to go anywhere on the weekends.  Somehow, I got Saturday the 5th off so Friday night we headed down.  I had to work at Broulims until 6:30 so we didn't leave until 7:30.

I was really sad we weren't going to be able to go to an actual fireworks show but it worked out that we got to Tremonton around 9:50 and was able to watch fireworks all down the highway to Provo.  It was amazing!  There were some points where we could see probably 10 different firework displays at a time.

We didn't get to Provo until 11ish and our first stop was to pick up my brother Eli from his apartment.  We then changed our plans slightly and ended up getting a hotel in Provo for the night.  Well, we tried finding one in Provo but they were all booked solid because of the Carrie Underwood concert so we got one just outside of it.  Once we got there, we realized we were all hungry so back out we went (it's now 1:00am) to find food.  The only places open were Del Taco and Taco Bell...so we went to both!  We never had Del Taco before so Eli and I wanted to try that.  Nate didn't want to try something new so he wanted Taco Bell.  Eli and I also ended up getting stuff at Taco Bell too, just in case Del Taco was bad.  Since the food was so cheap, it didn't matter!

When Eli worked at the gas station back home he developed the habit of walking over to McDonalds after his shift to pick up dropped change from the drive-thru....so he hopped out of the car at both places and found some.  I think he made a whole 45 cents or something.  (Excuse our very dirty windshield).

Eli posted this picture on twitter with the caption "Third Wheeling Level 100"

On Saturday, we took Eli to run a few errands since he doesn't have a car.  First, we went to DI to buy him some kitchen essentials that he was so lacking.  I happened to find a mini muffin pan which was nice because mine has gotten lost at some point during my college career.  Next, we went to Super Walmart to buy food because he'd been surviving on Saltine crackers for the most part.  He spent over $100 which was definitely the most he's ever spent in one trip on food.  Thankfully, most of the stuff he won't need to buy again for a really long time (flour, oil, salt, rice, potatoes etc.)

Last time Nate and I were in the area we discovered an outlet mall that we didn't get to spend much time at so we went there next.  The boys enjoyed looking around the Nike store (which bores me) but then we went to J. Crew and Gap.  Outlets are a fantastic thing, I might add.  They make stores like J. Crew have prices in a range I can actually afford...since I can't be buying $50 pairs of shorts and $70 shirts!  But I ended up getting a pair of shorts and a shirt and Nate got some shorts and shirts as well.  At Gap I found a pair of jeans (which is good since I've basically been wearing one pair for the last year...I need some variety) and two really cute shirts.  It was a great trip all around!

In my new Gap jeans and shirt, with Eli right before we left to go back to Idaho.

After shopping, we met up with Nate's brother Brandon's family for pizza at Pizza Pie Cafe.  We have one in Rexburg but rarely go because Nate doesn't really like it.  I was glad it's what the kids picked because I hadn't been there in so long!  Sadly, it wasn't as good as I remembered :(

These kiddos are hilarious!!

To our excitement, there were fireworks planned for the night in Spanish Fork, where Nate's brother lives.  Apparently, it is just some guy that puts a show together because he loves fireworks.  Sounds like not a big deal, but it was legit.  It was set to music and had huge fireworks and everything!  Since our expectations for it were not really big, it was far more exciting than we anticipated haha (and I never got a picture of a big firework so this picture will have to do...)

On Sunday we went to church with Brandon's family and they fed us a delicious dinner of steak, potatoes, and pineapple jello salad!  The girls wanted to paint nails before I left so we went onto the porch outside to do that.  They painted mine first (a wide variety of pinks, reds, oranges and one blue) and then it was my turn to paint theirs.  Well, me being a total klutz, dropped the paint bottle and spilled silver nail polish all over my brand new jeans which I had been wearing for literally 15 minutes.  Brandon was a lifesaver and scrubbed it out using nail polish remover and after washing them when I got home you can't even tell it was there!

Overall, it was a fantastic weekend with family.  I especially enjoyed visiting with Eli and meeting some of his new BYU roommates.  It was a fly-by-the-seat-of-our-pants weekend, but that's how we like it :)

For the Record: Equality in the Mormon Church

I wasn't going to do this.  I really had no intention of writing any of my feelings down because I've probably read a million (maybe less...) blogs on this topic in the last few weeks and most have expressed how I feel.  But I decided I have this blog for a reason and it is to write down what I think about things and this is something I feel I should go "on the record" about.  Not because I have anything new to say.  Not because this is some well thought out argument that I've been working on for months or years (like some "blogs").  But because I want people to know how I feel and what I have been thinking.

It's women's equality in the Mormon church.  It's women who want the priesthood so that they can be equal to the men.

The thing is, from a secular point of view men and women are not equal in the Mormon church.  You can't really argue that they are.  There are many more prominent positions for men and even the highest woman leader still reports to the President of the Church (a man).  So no, we aren't "equal" and women can't do the same things that men can.

I am not a parent so this next bit is not from personal experience, but observation (I'm the oldest of six kids).  My parents parent each of my siblings differently and I've heard that's how it goes is any family with multiple kids.  Some kids need tough love, some need daily hugs and words of encouragement, some do chores willingly, some need a little push, some are stubborn and some are always obedient.  Parenting would be easy if every time a kid did X, the parent would do Y and peace would abound!  Since God is our parent, I expect it's the same with him.  Just like my parents gave all of us food, a bed, clothes and the essentials for earthly survival, so our Heavenly Father gave us all scriptures, prayer, and the temple for our spiritual survival.  And just like my parents gave me different chores than my siblings so that our house would function, our Heavenly Father gives us different chores/ responsibilities so that his church will function.  His sons were given the opportunity to exercise his power and authority to perform certain ordinances and hold certain leadership positions and his daughters were given the opportunity to utilize his power in other ways.  It is the same power, given in different ways to different children, NOT because he was trying to make them equal, but because he wanted his church to run a certain way.

And his church is an eternal church.  Not a church governed by earthly laws and understanding.  Not a democracy.  It's not like any other organization on the earth today.  So how can we put our secular version of equality on something that is in no way secular?

I remember sitting in 8th grade math one day, wondering what more there could possibly be to math.  We added, subtracted, multiplied, divided, found square roots and used the Pythagorean theorem (and used negative numbers sometimes!).  It seemed like that was all that numbers could possibly do!  And then I got to 9th grade geometry and a whole new facet of math was opened to me.  And then trigonometry, precalculus and calculus.

In 8th grade I could not have fathomed proofs, limits, imaginary numbers, etc.  But all those years of math were teaching me the basics for what was to come.  If someone tried to teach me calculus in 8th grade I wouldn't have any basis to start to comprehend it!  I needed precalculus, and before that I needed trigonometry.

Sometimes I like to think God works the same way.  Right now we are in 8th grade math.  Everything we see and do is based off our earth life and we can't even fathom what will happen in 12th grade calculus.  God doesn't even bother telling us what will happen because even if he did, we wouldn't understand it!!

But one day we will.  When the time is right.  First we need to ace algebra.  And then we need to ace geometry.  And finally, one day, God will tell us how it all works.

Whenever I don't understand why something in the church is the way it is, I have to have faith that one day I will.  I will always try to figure things out, and ask questions, but if I can't get the answer, I have to know it is okay!

Once we're done with our mortal state, I wouldn't be surprised if things changed and evolved!  I'm not going to venture to guess what those things could be on here, but each person can study and pray to find their own answers.  If some women want to believe that they will receive the priesthood in the future because of answers they found in the scriptures and their personal communication with God, through prayer, then I am not going to say they are wrong.  However I do not believe it is okay for them to preach to others their own, personal beliefs as if it is doctrine.  It's okay to talk with your husband/ wife/ close friends about your questions and ideas and wonder what things could be like in the future.  It's even okay to ask your bishop/ stake president what they think about the topic because maybe they will have insights you didn't have.  And if you feel like that's not enough and you want to ask the presidency of the church, by all means, do so!  But when those men (who have the very authority which you are seeking) say that what you are seeking is contrary to church doctrine then stop it.  Stop preaching your ideas like it is something that can be changed if enough people demand it.

One day, once we've all aced "calculus" I think we will look back at our time and earth and realize why things were the way they were.  And we will understand what equality through God's eyes truly means.  

The Drive-In: Part 3

Last Thursday we went to the drive-in again.  On a Thursday?  Yup!!  Nate's Friday classes were cancelled and I didn't have to work (but had to work early on Saturday) so it made more sense for us to do it then.  Instead of the 150+ cars that would be there on a Friday night there were 30, maybe.  It was fantastic!  This time we saw How To Train Your Dragon 2 and Edge of Tomorrow.  Both were really great movies and I would watch them again!

We just keep talking about how much we love going to the drive-in together.  I decided to compile a list of why the drive-in is the greatest way to watch a movie.

1. It's only $6.50 per ticket and you get to see TWO movies.  So it's $3.25 per movie which is like the dollar movies!
2. It's dollar movie price for the regular theater movies.  This particular drive-in changes the movies almost weekly to whatever the newest movie is.  And they always show the good new movies...not the lame new movies.
3. The food is cheaper.  A large popcorn is $4 instead of $8.  A large drink is $3.25 instead of $7.  Plus you can bring food in so we usually get a pizza or Mexican to eat in the car.
4. The "seats" are more comfortable.  Instead of sitting in an upright seat that a million other people have sat in, I can sit in the back of my car and cuddle with my husband!  It's the best!!

Regarding #4, we keep upgrading the back of our car.  The first time we went we brought pillows and blankets.  The second time we brought the back couch cushions to put behind our backs and our comforter to sit on/ cover up with.  This time we got really smart and brought the bottom couch cushions to sit on as well as the back ones AND pillows and blankets.  I've never been more comfortable!  We both stayed awake for both movies too.

I can't wait to see two more new movies in a few weeks when we decide to go for date night!

A Few Favorite Foods

I've been loving to eat recently (like, the last 22 years) so I thought I'd share some of my favorite foods as of late!

PopSecret Homestyle Popcorn- This stuff is heavenly.  For a while I favored popcorn popped on the stovetop because it was light and didn't make me feel nasty after eating it.  (I do however LOVE movie theater popcorn but only when at the movies.)  This stuff might be better than homemade!!!  It is so great and I can eat an entire bag without blinking an eye.

Broulims Homemade Salsa-  It's to die for.  We eat a whole container in a day...usually less.

Tostitos Cantina Thin & Crispy Chips- These taste just like chips from our favorite Mexican restaurants.  And they go great with the above salsa.

Guittard Chocolate Chips- Once you try these, you will never go back to your old chips.  They are perfect in every way possible for a chocolate chip.

Lipton Noodle Soup- I forget which of my roommates told me to eat this when I was sick one day but it's a cheap and great sick soup.  I like both the straight noodles and the one with chicken (even though it's not exactly fresh...).

Sabra hummus with pretzels- In the past I would buy hummus and then never finish it.  I couldn't find the perfect accompaniment.  Then a friend had some with pretzels and I was hooked.  It's delicious!

Well, that's what I've been eating recently!!!  Nothing too special or fancy...just good :)