Missing Virginia

I've been looking at blogs and Facebook pages for the last few minutes and suddenly I am missing Virginia SOOOOO much. I'm honestly holding back the tears thinking about it. We had such a wonderful 3 years there and made wonderful memories I hope to never forget.

Dillon's first camping trip--I am grateful for outdoorsy friends! Monticello, we took all our visitors.

I am really fat and pregnant but the flowers are beautiful. The only problem with all the blossoms in Virginia was the outbreak of allergies.

The law school campus where we made a lot of wonderful memories.

Virginia is for lovers and I left a little piece of my heart there. It's nice to actually have a salary these days, but those school years were wonderfully simple. We've been blessed to have such incredible opportunities and experiences--we've made memories never to be forgotten.

Spectacular Spontaneity

Aaron's Grandpa Luke is in town for a couple days on business. He and Aaron met for lunch yesterday and Aaron was able to show him his office. Just before 6:00 that evening, he called Aaron again and asked if we were up for some kind of show. I assumed it would be nearly impossible to find a babysitter on such short notice. But some wonderful friends in our ward came right over and in a matter of minutes I was out the door, on my way to the city to pick up Aaron and Grandpa. We were originally going to go to a Broadway show but the selection isn't great right now. (Although "Mary Poppins" is coming next week!) So Grandpa rounded up some tickets to the Blue Man Group. It is the strangest show I have ever seen---the weirdest combination of things that somehow make for a very entertaining evening. At one point the Blue Men came out into the audience, staring people down with their serious expressions. A couple of the guys stared at me for a second, then moved on. But they came back. And before I knew it, all three of them were staring at me and one of them had his hand out for me to join them! So I did--I followed them up onto the stage. Just me and three blue guys. We did a few strange things including eating Twinkies with a knife and fork. We even fed each other. Weird. But really fun. In the middle of it all they snapped a Polaroid picture as a little souvenir for me. I attempted to take a picture of it. Really poor quality, but you get the idea.

I forgot my camera, so when we got home I had our babysitters take a quick picture of Aaron and me with my little souvenirs. The "doggie bag" is full of "puke" that I was forced to eat as part of the little skit. It was actually just mashed up bananas, but it still ended up in the garbage.

It was a spontaneous, fun-filled night. Thanks Grandpa for providing us with some fun memories to add to our Chicago adventures!

Trip to North Carolina

The two boys and I took a little trip to NC to visit Richelle in Raleigh-Durham and my parents in Charlotte. It was so fun to be with my family. Thanks to Wesley (who won't sleep anywhere other than his own bed), I was a little sleep deprived throughout the trip, but we still had a wonderful time.

Playing in Grandma's tub. One last group hug in the mission home. It's weird to think that this was probably the last time I will visit that house since my parents will complete their mission and head back to Idaho this summer. It's amazing how fast three years have gone by.

While in Raleigh-Durham, Richelle drove us around Duke campus. We ran in to see the chapel and it was beautiful! This is just the outside!

It was nice enough for a little picnic at the Duke gardens. It was just what my soul needed--a little sunshine.

Thanks Richelle, Mom and Dad for letting us come visit. We treasured every moment and can't wait until we can see you again.

It was also fun to meet up with Cami Slaughter and her cute boys. We knew them in Virginia, so it brought back some great memories.

North Carolina has stolen a special little place in my heart and it makes me sad that we may not get the opportunity to return for a while. We'll miss the good ol' South.