Our 1st Married Summer Vacation!!

After being in Springfield, we've seen everything so we decided its time to venture on to bigger and better things . . . nah just kidding, this trip has been planned for almost a year now, because I got an invitation to represent America, with a bunch of other girls from around the country, and play softball against some teams in Italy! So these next few posts may get a little boring or long, and you may actually learn some history if you slept through it like me in school, but if I don't write it down I'll surely forget! (I only seem to remember things from movies, so this will just have to do). Let the adventures begin -

June 5: Chicago 

We woke up bright and early to pack and drive the three hours north to Chicago! This was my first time every going to Chicago so we wanted to have a whole day to just site see and explore the city.   We checked into our hotel and then took the subway to downtown. I was a little nervous, but luckily Lyndon is pretty big and could protect me if there were any creepers on the way so that made it better. We walked around and went to Giordano's (this famous and awesome pizza place) for lunch! We ventured through Millennium Park and saw the bean, outdoor theater, beautiful gardens, and the fountain! 

The library was 9 stories (mom would've been in heaven)! And we rode to the top of Willis Tower (used to be Sears). This is the tallest building in North America! They recently built a ledge where you can stand out there in a glass box basically and pray that it the sumo men don't try to join you and it breaks! But it was awesome!!

Lyndon set up a dinner for us at Chicago's Chicken and Waffles, he knows the owner and they had a business meeting, while I just stuffed myself with delicious waffles and fried chicken (odd I know, but who cares it was good)! 

June 6: Flying Day

We flew from Chicago to Laguardia, NY and then were able to find a taxi to take us to JFK. We checked in and my parents got there about 5 minutes later! I love meeting up with them! Cody also received his mission call this day to - he's going to serve in San Jose, Costa Rica for the next two years!! This was talk of the day and we are so stoked for him! However, it is really weird that he is old enough to be leaving on a mission already, but we all have volunteered to pick him up! Then came the 8 hour over night flight to Venice, Italy! 

June 7: Venice

We arrived in Italy about 11am and took a water taxi to our hotel! Coolest ride ever! Where else do you take a water taxi to get to your hotel (did I mention there is no other way to travel around there but by boat)! 

This is the hospital entrance

Ice-cream boat

Since we are traveling with my dad there is no time to be wasted, we freshened up and headed out to explore the city connected by hundreds of islands! My job assignment was to come up with the list of things to see. So we started out by going to Piazza San Marco (St. Mark Square). Here we explored Saint Mark's Basilica (or church). The pictures won't give the grand idea of how spectacular everything is but I'll try to put in some details. So all the gold color is real gold ($), its all marble, there are hundreds of mosaics, and the four horses on top are from Constantinople from the Fourth Crusade.

the campanile (bell tower)

 views from above . . .

the clock, fed the pigeons, and listened to music and ate some gelato.

We found the grand canal and the famous Rialto Bridge, which was finished in 1181. 

We called it an early night as we were still trying to adjust to the time change and ate dinner at the hotel and went to bed!

June 8: Venice

Other items on my list of things to see were the Ca' Rezzonico (its 4 museums put together, one of them is the building behind the navy guys). It was actually "Navy Day" in Venice, and we actually spotted the president of Italy!

We went through the Doge's Palace (or Duke's). We learned that every Duke had to supply their own furniture, and you were Duke until you died. It is incredible! Their are exquisite marble fireplaces, and paintings that fill entire rooms! 

 This is the bridge of sigh's, it leads from the Duke's palace on the left to the prison on the right

 we peaked into an amazing opera house, had a pizza lunch and chocolate dessert

went on a gondola ride: 

listened to a concert with Vivaldi songs in the church where Vivalidi himself used to live and work. And I just think my parents are cute! 

We also learned that the building next to our hotel is our buddy Elton John's house (the yellow building). He wasn't there this time cause I think he heard my dad was coming, but next time we'll try to get a private concert!

May-Day

13 highlights that have been going on in our lives:

1. Happy Mother's Day! Woot woot! I have the best mom in the world! She is so helpful and is always thinking of others! We have to stick together because of all the boys in the family! But I love her so much and one day we'll live closer to her! We had some awesome times growing up and there are still plenty more to come! I actually set up a blog for her and its Robyn Parry so check it out if you want some updates on her life lately!

2. I've registered to take the GRE at the end of June. So most of my evenings are spent studying vocabulary and reviewing some high school math! Hopefully I'll do well enough on this test that I'll be able to apply for some other PA schools around the country and get in to a program! It's a little strange to study for such a standardized test compared to some of the tests I just had to take, but hey it keeps my mind going.

3. Sunday afternoons are the best! We payed a little visit to Abraham Lincoln's Tomb Memorial and some various War Memorials. Its impossible to miss the 117-foot-tall granite obelisk (word of the day) and the several bronze statues surrounding it. When we went through it we had a personal tour guide who told us more about all the carvings in the walls and the symbols of everything. The room where he is buried has a ceiling of solid gold! And several of his family members are buried here also. It was very impressive and awesome to see!

4. A few of the other wives that are out here and I all went to lunch one day to meet each other and get out of the apartment complex. One thing Springfield is famous for is called the "horse shoe!" I heard this and figured it's my kind of meal! Okay its amazing and huge! Its a slice of texas toast, stacked with whatever meat you like, I chose hamburger (and the patty was thick, mmmmm), and I also got chili, then its covered with fries and this amazing cheese sauce! Its like nacho cheese, but its white and soo much better! I took some home to Lyndon, but he says we have to go back! I'm not complaining!

5. The pool is open! :) That's all that needs to be said!

6. I went running and a snake slithered across the bike path! Scared me to death, but he was just minding his own business!

7. Lyndon has been helping me prepare for playing softball in Italy! We go out and go hitting and play catch a few times a week! He's been an awesome help! And becoming a great pitcher!

8. St. Louis is just an hour and a half away! We went to the Cardinals vs Phillies game! I've lived in both places so I thought that was neat! But Cardinals won! And man was that game nasty hot, but I found us some cushioned seats on the third base line!

9. Farmers Market and the Dana-Thomas House with the other wives!

12. I've started to watch the "Bachelorette" and its hilarious! My best friend Steph Holm's brother is actually one of the guys. It makes for fun conversations at the pool though!

11. I've 'attempted' cooking some meals including lasagna and some Mexican lasagna type thing! Lyndon said they were both good (hopefully he meant it), but food just tastes so much better when someone else makes it in my opinion!

12. Lyndon set a goal to get 4 installs in one day (after many days of getting 3), and last weekend he did 4 both days! So we celebrated by going to Outback Steakhouse! Yay, now the goal is 5 and its going to be some fancy meal!

13. We are living in the apartment where all the inventory is kept. But hey, its free rent so we aren't complaining!

Life has definitely changed, but we are enjoying it and looking forward to what else there is to offer around here in Springfield!

Summer Adventures Begin

Well this summer will definitely be one to remember. We began by seeing how much we really loved each other. We drove from Fresno, California to Springfield, Illinois! I know  you're thinking "gee I wish I could've driven with you guys across the country," but I'm sorry to say our car was too full to even fit one more backpack. It wasn't too bad of a drive. I will say that I've mastered the ability to sleep when not driving, and Lyndon is still working on that. It is amazing to see the different scenery just driving through the different states. Although, seeing the country when you are a few thousand feet in the air isn't too bad either, but Lyndon didn't like that idea to much. Overall, we are grateful for a working car, not Hawaii gas prices, pandora radio, safe arrival, and our love for each other has just "grown soo much".  hahaha right! I'm just glad we can keep conversations going for long enough to keep each other awake!

Las Vegas, St. George, and Denver

Good bye mountains! 

Yummy buffalo chicken pizza in Kansas City

Acura and the bugs that got too close

Connor turned the sweet "16" and can now officially drive! That is soo weird to me! He's too little, well he is bigger than me now, but I can still beat him up!

The first week we were out here the pool was still closed. Apparently its only summer time in Hawaii and St. George, but not in Illinois. Lyndon was trained and he began working that weekend. It was a little different just chilling by myself from about 2 until midnight every night. But I've been able to workout at the gym, read books that aren't text books, and relax and enjoy some TV! We went and saw the Avenger's and loved it!! It was so funny and I can totally see my family being every character in that movie! Awesome film! We went to church on Sunday and then wanted to tour around Springfield for a little bit. We found the Lincoln Memorial Garden (which is on a lake) and we walked around there for a bit. We met some snake friends (its mating season around these parts) and a cute family of geese!

Later in the week we decided to make a list of all the things we want to try and see in Springfield. Its not that big of a city, its smaller than St. George, but the highlights of being here are all the Abraham Lincoln sites. We took advantage of one of the free mornings and went to the Lincoln Home. The state owns about a whole block which they have restored to what the streets and houses looked like when Lincoln was living there. Most of the furniture is original, and the wallpaper and carpets have been redone to look like the original. And I am grateful for modern kitchen appliances, I don't know how those ladies cooked back then. I don't even like cooking and we have an oven and microwave!

These first few weeks haven't been bad at all. Lyndon is doing well at work and is learning all the tricks and getting the hang of it. We moved into a smokey apartment building, and a lot of time has been put into getting rid of the smell. Any suggestions on how to keep an apartment smelling fresh will be much appreciated! Its actually been nice being out here. We were able to bring some of our wedding gifts and actually have used them! We bought a new bedding set and we love it! Hawaii was nice, but its even better having air conditioning now! Life has definitely begun to change, but we are loving it so far!