Matt's trip home

Kim and I took separate trips to Idaho/Utah due to our different school schedules, and I had a wedding to go to - my friend Eli McCormick - during which Kim was in school. Here are some of the things I did. I went mountain biking with my dad up West Fork of Mink Creek. We also went camping near East Fork, Michelle & co and my friend Joe came up just for the evening. Dad and I hiked up Scout Mountain (not all the way to the peak). Bennett, Michelle, the kids, and I took a day trip to Twin Falls, where we saw the waterfalls and the temple and friends. On the way home we went fishing near Rockland. I stayed with Curtis for a few days in Salt Lake City, which was fun. I came home just in time to start school and take Part 1 of the national board exams.

Kim's trip home

On my trip to Idaho in August, I was so excited to get some outdoor recreation. I went on a hike with Marv, Michelle, Brennen, Grayson, and Kristen. The cool Idaho mornings made it quite enjoyable. My parents and sisters and I went fishing. We caught no fish the first day so we decided to try again a few days later in a new place. As you can see, we had some success but were limited to very small fish and could not bring any home with us. I baited my first hook ever! (worms are gross). Another highlight of my trip to Pocatello was Tastee Treet, this is a picture of Kristen and I eating dipped cones in a cup. (our favorite) We were a little disappointed that dipped cones can only be ordered in one size now :-( but it did not ruin my whole vacation! I had a great time seeing my favorite people in Idaho!

Ohio/Virginia Trip

Matt and I attempted to see all the sights in Washington DC. in one day. (haha)! So we saw the Lincoln Memorial, Vietnam Memorial, Korean War Memorial, World War II Memorial, the Capital, the White House, the Washington Memorial, the Jefferson Memorial (from afar), the documents in the Archives, and the Air and Space Museum (at the Smithsonian). We were EXHAUSTED! We ended our 4th of July by watching the fireworks. The next day we traveled to Matt’s old mission area to visit people. We also went to the beach at Virginia Beach. It was my first time to the east coast and I was so excited to wade in the Atlantic! On our way home we stopped by the DC Temple and visited with Matt’s cousin who lives in Maryland. We made it home around 2:30 am Monday night (ready for school Tuesday morning).

Ohio/Virginia Trip

Ohio/Virginia Trip

Matt and I had a great time on our trip to Washington DC! To kick off the trip we went to Toledo and visited some friends. Then on to Cleveland where Matt got to see the Indian's Stadium (a life long dream of his). While in Cleveland, we went to the shores of Lake Erie. We then went to the Kirtland Temple and experienced the tour. Then we went to the Visitor Center that the LDS Church has established and went on the tour of the N.K. Whitney store, home, and other parts of the village. It was a powerful moment sitting in the School of the Prophets where the Savior had appeared to the early church members.

Part of our trip Jun 19. See next post for details.

The Friday before my birthday I had off of school which happened to
be the same day that admission to the Shedd Aquarium was free. So we headed into the city first thing in the morning and but still had to wait in line for 1/2 hour to get into the aquarium. The picture of me with the skyline was taken while waiting in line. There were a lot of cool things to see there, unfortunately though our pictures didn't turn out great. Afterward we went to Navy Pier, but because of the rain while we were in the aquarium they closed down the ferris wheel. After that we went to a concert in Grant Park, during which it started raining so we headed home earlier than planned.

Cinco de Mayo fiesta!!! Hay caramba!
We went to a local Mexican place, one of the few good ones in the area. Kim had tamales and horchata for the first time.

This past week, I had all the week off and Kim had most of the week off. So we took a trip down to Nauvoo and Carthage. Our first stop was Carthage, which nice except that it was undergoing restoration, so we couldn't go in the room where Joseph and Hyrum were shot.
Once we got to Nauvoo we went to the Red Brick Store, which has some cool history behind it. We just visited the outsides of the rest of the buildings owned by Community of Christ because we didn't want to go on a tour.

We went to a session at the temple. It is a very beautiful temple, both inside and out.

I think this was a sunstone from the original temple. Anyhow, it was near the visitor's center, it looked pretty cool.

Kim has been to Nauvoo before but never went down to the banks of the Mississippi. We both touched the water so we can say we've been in it. We also found a geode on the bank.
Unfortunately they were still on winter hours so we didn't have time to go in any of the replica buildings. We did go to the play put on by the senior missionaries. It was a hoot.
Another misfortune was that the Hotel Nauvoo restaurant was closed. So we resorted to going to Grandpa John's cafe, which we don't recommend.

On Arbor Day Matt and I went to the Morton Arboretum. It is a very large arboretum in one of the suburbs a little west of us. The trees lacked leaves which would have made the visit even more beautiful, but the drive through the woods and the plentiful patches of daffodils made us feel like we were close to nature (a feeling you don't often get in this area)! Needless to say it was awesome and we hope to return.

When Matt finished his last final for trimester 4 on Wednesday the 22nd of April, he was delighted to enjoy the food at a school bar-b-q and on Thursday Matt and some of his school friends ventured fort to the city for a Cubs vs. Reds game at Wrigley Field. His ticket was $11 and he got to sit in the 200 level! After the game, Matt met up with Kim when her classes got out and they went to a museum on Michigan Avenue.

I recently discovered that I can chop onions without bringing tears or burning my nose. It's wonderful.

Home for Christmas

We drove home for Christmas. That's right, it was a 20+ hour drive, but luckily the weather was good except for a few places in Wyoming. We stayed with Kim's family, and enjoyed having no responsibilities. Idaho had more snow than its had in a long time, which made for some fun sledding. One sledding picture is in the Nielson's yard and one at Scardino Park.















We were able to see our nephew Lukas for the first time. We went to the famous Thai restaurant and hot pools at Lava Hot Springs. I went snowboarding at Pebble Creek and went fishing with Bennett and the kids. Many other fun times were had!

We were there for Hailey's birthday. It was fun and the cake was delicious. We also went with Nicholas to the MTC to see him begin his mission.
Then we drove back home just before it snowed more, and Kim and I started school.