A Drive Across the Country

Being one of the few people now a day to carry a flip phone that I may or may not have had in junior high usually is not a big deal. But when you drive across the country and would like to snap a photo here and there or really need to check your email-it can be a bite. That said, once we got to Concord, MA we tried really hard to make sure our internet would be all set up for us. And every attempt failed so it has been quite some time since I have had this wonderful convenience! Thus my reason for not posting this specific gem a month ago...part of the excuse. But with all of this aside- we made it here of course! We are officially "East Coasters". Sometimes I feel like I need to look at a map to actually realize how far I am from home or where it is that I am actually living. Up until now, the furthest I had ever lived from Alpine, Utah was in Logan. A mere two hours away. But oh have we topped that now! It took us just about 40 hours in a Penske moving truck to reach our new home. These are the states that we passed through just to name a few.
Utah-Wyoming-Nebraska-Indiana-Michigan-Ohio-New York-Massachusetts
Were we excited to see THIS?

Excited is an understatement. But before you get the wrong impression- though the drive was long, being with Nate made it actually feel much quicker! He is my best friend, and after he has been travelling so often-sitting in a truck with him for 3 days straight was actually so much fun! We listened to a couple books on tape, a murder mystery, and The Peacegiver. Both great and kept us entertained! We sang songs really loud, talked, played the card games "Fact or Crap" and "Would You Rather", and stopped at McDonalds frequently so we could try and win a Monopoly prize. It's easy to keep going back when you win free parfaits or a burger or fries. Then you just get to keep playing! We got real close...but no $20,000 in our pocket I am afraid.

On day 1 we drove 15 hours to Omaha, Nebraska and got there pretty late. It felt like we had probably never even been in Utah that morning. The roughest part for me that day was missing my sweet little Carter. I was heart broken to leave him while we made the drive but he would have never loved me again otherwise. So he stayed with Grandma and Grandpa Rhodes. After we had been on the road most of the day, he gave me a call- and when I said hello and heard his sweet voice say "mama" back into the phone I thought I would lose it! Day 2 was a little easier. He spent an afternoon at Grandma Newman's and she sent us this cute snapshot to keep mommy happy on the road-

The real feat of the trip was that I officially became a trucker girl. I drive big trucks now. I drove at least half of the way! A little scary at first, but then a piece of cake ;) Look out folks-don't want to get on the wrong side of THIS trucker lady on the road! Let's just say I don't exactly meet trucker regulations yet. Facial hair missing...don't usually flip people off..and I got a few pretty wonderful looks from my fellow truckers who would think  a gal like me couldn't handle this wheel. Booya. 

Though the ride was long.. It always stinks when you get a little off track and have to add time to an already endless drive. This happened our second day when we took a detour through Michigan. Shoot. But night 2 we stayed in Ohio just a little ways past Kirtland. Day 3 was so exciting! So much anticipation of getting to our new home! Nate and I had to keep reminding ourselves that this wasn't a vacation. Or just a road trip. We were on a one way ride. No return tickets. THIS was home now. Crazy. So after 12 hours on day 3- we made it to Concord and stayed the night there. The next day we got the keys to our place, and Nate and I unloaded our 22 foot moving truck all by ourselves! We unloaded and unpacked and did all of it! Then took a little time to ourselves to explore.

Say hello to my favorite downtown Concord diner. True love at first sight is what I call this.

 

Waitor: "Coffee to start?"
Us: "No thanks, we don't drink coffee. How about hot chocolate please?"
Waitor: "You don't drink coffee......like...coffee??"
Us: "Ummm...no. No coffee."
Waitor: "Mmmmmk? Hot chocolate....sure"

We have this conversation frequently :)

Darling will never be adequate.

 

Sure- come on in for breakfast! For 5 bucks eat your weights worth in delicious french toast!! Very moderate pricing, and heaps of food on ever single plate. Really delicious too. This was a prize.

DEEEEELISH!!

So after we got semi-settled in, my sweet mom flew on the red eye flight to bring me my sweet baby boy. I was DYING without the little munchkin so I was overjoyed to have him back in my arms!!! I think he likes me too :) We snuggled and he was so happy to be back in what felt like home. Watchin'  his little movies and being with mama.

No matter how many times this kid sees Lion king, it doesn't get old to him.

The swings at the park were a favorite discovery also. Carter LOVES the swings and never wants me to pull him out of it. Seeing him so happy is the greatest, but watching the swings too long makes me sick as a grown up. 

We of course had to fill our fridge, so we went to the nearest grocery store down the street called the stop and shop. Apparently they don't REALLY want you to shop there because their prices...are ridiculous. 

Nonsense. 

So we learned quickly that the nearest store worth shopping at in any direction from us is at least 25-30 minutes of driving. Ouch.  I still haven't seen a Wal-Mart. Heart breaking. And not every day you see this in your Utah market place...

Carter gets tired shopping since the driving time alone takes about an hour give or take.

Cute boys.

So all in all- we are really enjoying our time here!! One adventure after the next really. I will have plenty more fun things coming your way!! Also, we find out the gender of our little one this Friday and get another ultrasound. Here is a snapshot of our last one. So sweet.

A little glare but, what a sweet profile!! 

More to come!!

TV, Hot Dogs, and A Good Lesson

I do have the best of intentions on updating this blog asap. However, I did come across a little bit of a glitch, and since we arrived and unpacked our lives here in Massachusetts-we can't find our camera cord to charge it or download our pictures. I know. Dreadful. But since we have been here about a month now, I think it's time to take things serious and go get a new cord. Will do that and then post my saved drafts about our move and new life here. Check.
It is pretty late here, about 12am, but I am having a hard time sleeping-some of that may have to do with the fact that the husband and I have been watching "Lost" now every night almost since we got here and we are hooked. So each night as I am trying to peacefully fall asleep, I have to try and silence all of the intense slash scary events I watched my island friends go through that night. Will I ever NOT be afraid of walking up stairs alone in the dark? Get rid of that feeling that I must run for my life if I am going to make it to stair 16?  No. Probably not at this rate. So as I am sitting up, thinking of everything I can to take my mind off of being scared (yeah-I am overly sensitive to scary or even not so scary movies. Big deal.) I am becoming aware that I am "getting to know myself" better since our move. This may sound funny, but things I may have sat on the fence for earlier, somehow I now am not afraid to move to one side or the other! Brilliant. You may think I am talking about things like politics, or deep rooted beliefs....but I am talking about the more simple things in life. Here is my list of things I am discovering.
1. I don't like scary movies. And I don't like that scary television series can still somehow get me hooked til I have to know what happens next, watch it every night, and go to bed scared. Nathan and I watched the Bourne movie series the other night since they are some of his favorite movies. Then we watched the Italian Job a different night. Everyone talked about the Batman series and how it was a must see- but I feel like I am over these kinds of films. (This may or may not be a phase....is what Nate says). I lately feel like I don't necessarily enjoy all of the same old. The killing, same old "high speed chase" scenes, etc. Whenever I used to talk about these kinds of movies with my guy friends in high school or even now when I refer to a scene in particular that bothered me- like someone exploding maybe- most guys reaction's are similar. "Dude that was awesome..." and they all agree. I say- NOT awesome. Not awesome. I would rather watch "The Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown" on Halloween than convince my subconscious mind that I am caught in the middle of a murder or have someone after me. If after I watch a movie i get that "icky" feeling- I have no desire to see it again. Pride and Prejudice anyone? Bring on the classics. I am very pro-happy movies right now. How is this a change? Not until I was married, and even more so after I had a baby, did I ever disagree to watching something I may not have necessarily wanted to, just because I thought I would be scared or feel "icky". It was cool in high school to watch scary movies and a chance to snuggle or hold hands. I still have that opportunity now, but would rather hold hands under a more romantic circumstance. I say- no more scary things! Life is too happy!
2. Onto a lighter note, I love to read. I never really gave myself the chance to love it until now! And now I want to read a lot. I want to learn more and more, and if I would have had this kind of realization earlier on in life wouldn't that have been awesome? I am excited about it now.
3. I love to sing. I always knew this, but more so did it because it was my major in college or because it was where my talent lied. But now that I don't have the opportunities to sing like I used to- I miss it. So much. Very little of my time now can be spent focusing on my vocal progression- but my time in the shower is a precious moment when I can sing the roof off this place. Carter usually sings along.
4. My favorite color IS in fact green. When I was younger I couldn't pick a favorite, so I just wound up saying red or blue so that I looked like I was decisive and had a favorite. It's definitely green.
5. I love hot dogs. Not afraid to admit it anymore! I used to be, because I felt like most people thought they were kind of yucky. Silly me! I love me some hot dogs! OH! And while I am talking about food, I love Sausage Egg Mcmuffins. A few other less than healthy foods truly satisfy me, but I won't list out all of them. But I do sing it loud and proud-the nasty foods that I actually like. Judge away.
And lastly,
6. I love being pregnant. This on a more serious note is truly what is on my mind tonight. There is always something to complain about, something to say to hope for the attention of others. Primarily the sympathy of your husband. "My feet are swollen" "I am craving this.." "I am getting so fat-none of my clothes fit anymore" "I am so emotional" "This vitamin is a horse pill and a hoax" so on and so forth. This pregnancy, my complaint would have to be "the headaches". Mercy me, I have never had so many migraines, and genuinely a headache that lasts most nights and stays most mornings and so on. But today was different. I am almost 17 weeks pregnant, and felt my baby first start fluttering inside me around 14 weeks. Since those first few flutters, it has been come and go, and very tough to pick out. Today, I wanted to feel the baby more distinctly- really strong. That was my favorite part about being pregnant with Carter, and I was anxious to feel it again. So this morning I kept a little prayer in my heart that I could feel that today. The day passed, and all I could feel were the beatings on the inside of my head. So as I lay in bed with Nate tonight and felt the continuum of beatings inside my head, I started to whine about how there hasn't been a day in the last 5 weeks that I could remember "headache-less". As I sat there complaining, I was stopped dead in my tracks, as deep in my tummy I felt the most distinct kicks and turns my baby could possibly muster at this point. Before my day was done, Heavenly Father answered the smallest of prayers that a mother could offer. "Please let me feel my baby kick me today". But He knows just how and when to do it. As I felt the acrobatics of my little angel, and joy and excitement overwhelmed me- I was also overwhelmed with a nice dose of humility. It was almost as if little baby could hear my pathetic whines, and was responding back- "but isn't it worth it mommy?". It is worth it. It was a huge reminder that while I complained about something like a persistent headache, I was dismissing the opportunity to be grateful. We all do this now and again, but I have never felt more grateful than I do right now. One of my dearest friends told me before I moved, "If I were pregnant right now at this moment, I wouldn't care how big or stretched out I got or what would happen to my body. I would just be overwhelmed with gratitude." This has stuck with me ever since she said it, and coming from her- I will never ever be quick to forget it. Someone who sees pregnancy and motherhood in the perfect light. Someone who would sacrifice whatever necessary to feel those kicks. I felt ashamed for my complaints, and have learned instead that each time I want to say something negative- instead I think about my sweet friend. "I wouldn't care how big I got." What an important lesson she has taught me! That being pregnant and watching your body change dramatically doesn't have to be seen as a "sacrifice"-rather a gift. And that headache or not, we are so blessed. Her humble statement will be my reminder for the next 5 months.

So with all of this rolling around in my mind, I have learned that I love being a mom. Nothing else, no degree, no amount of money, fame, or acknowledgment could ever replace the sweet and simple joy I feel each day I care for my sweet Carter or carry our second around in my bulging belly. THIS-this is the good life.

Dear Old Utah

Saying goodbye to the place you lived for 22 years is a hard thing to do I'd say. For me, it was a lot more emotional than I thought it would be. Although it's not a permanent goodbye, leaving the family, friends, restaurants, streets, splash pads, parks, and familiar stop lights and cities was a tough thing for me. Packing was a beast, but we did have the great opportunity of staying with my parents and family for a month before we left. Nothing could have brought us closer with them and we are so grateful for their kindness! There were a lot of fun and exciting things we were able to do before we left though, and it was such a great chance to connect with all the people we loved and would miss! Though I do not have pictures to document it all, here are a few pictures of our last little while in Utah. Keep in mind, most of this will be pictures of my favorite and cutest baby boy ever. It's just more fun for me that way!

Carter still loves his binks. LOVES it. Wish us luck trying to break that habit!  No way on earth he will let it go without a fight. A serious fight.

Carter was really awesome at helping us pack up and put things wherever he felt like it! Still looking for a few key items...

 Packing up little by little! Takes an eternity...

We made sure to play outside plenty in the beautiful Utah outdoors! We love the mountains and everything about Utah and it's beautiful atmosphere. This was at a stake breakfast that we went to. Carter wasn't so much interested in the food as he was the trees that were being trimmed nearby.

 

 Swinging on our Pleasant Grove playground one last time!

 Poor Nate. He did so much working loading our truck then unloading it again into our storage unit. Thanks to all who took time from their day to help! He was so grateful!! And this is his tired-"do we have to do that again?" face.

 Moving in with Grandpa and Grandma Rhodes and Carter's aunts and uncles was a lot of fun! He loves them all so very much and had the best time having so many people around!

 We had to play a few rounds of runaway laundry basket. One of Carter's favorites as you can see.

 Little Carter man went and got a hair cut! He was the best little guy ever! I was so impressed!!

Have you ever cried over a car? I cried like a baby when we sold rhonda the honda. She drove us to Nate's mission in Texas, lots of fun trips to st. George, brought Carter home from the hospital, and held a really special place in my heart. I was pretty sad saying goodbye to this gem.

Carter loves movie time. He will sit like a good boy and watch it for quite awhile! He loves the Lion King, and loves sitting with his Aunt Roch, possibly his very favorite aunt which is pretty darling.

We spent time playing at Grandpa and Grandma Newman's too and carter loves that little spinny toy so much!

We also went to our first OB visit to check out our new little passenger that would be joining us soon!

So a lot of things happened before we left. We each had the chance to get together with our good friends. My cute girl friends put together a few little parties before I left and we got together quite a bit! I love them dearly! And Nate did a few things with his guy friends too. We have so many great people in our lives that I miss already! But this adventure truly has only just begun!

Carter Moo Fun Facts

I LOVE my baby Carter. He is just chuck full of personality and so much fun!! This kid is pretty stinking cute and here are a few things that make him so awesome right now.

1. Carter loves the Splash Pad so so much! He is practically fearless and being the smaller guy running around out there having buckets of water dumped on his head or all the mean older kids squirting him down...he laughs it off and keeps on moving!

2. Carter says some really cute words. Namely: ice, wow, daaaaaddy, momma, up, wee, "nack" for snack, peeese for please, baba, and occasionally he'll surprise you with a word like "movie" :) So darling.

3. A few of Carter's favorite things are: watching the washer and dryer spin and spin, eating all the time anything, anywhere.. climbing everywhere, playing outside, watching the sprinklers, baaaaath time, playing "moosh the baby", and being snuggled when he is sleepy. 

4. A few of this kid's cool tricks are: giving everyone "kissy's", doing his "turns" and spinning around in circles til he drops, playing peek a boo with his cute fat hands, doing "roll it, and pat it, and toss it up!", laughing, crawling over people who are laying on the ground-back and forth a million times, reading books, being chased, trying to put people's shoes on their feet, throwing everything in sight, and pretending to sing.

5. Carter especially loves: his binky. He will find 2 to carry that he can swap out. He loves doggy's, and he love's his aunt's and uncles whom he runs around the house hollering for until he find one of them. He loves clapping for himself. He loves treats...oops. He loves making people smell his feet and act like they are stinky- he dies laughing. He loves his nap times-can't go without them. He loves being pushed around on his little scooter. He loves his mommy and daddy. Every time daddy comes home from a trip he is ecstatic. And he loves mommy just cuz we are the best of buddies. 

Here are some pictures to go along with this post. What a cutie! We love you Moo Moo!

I told you. FEARLESS.

Yes, yes he is especially plump and stocky..

Carter in his Uncle Matthew's shirt being gangsta

Trying to be all grown up on us! Slow down mister!

The REAL Runner's Guide..



A chipper 5:30am run? Doesn't exit. Running "fun" to most people? No. Absolutely not. But living at home with my family and with my sister Stephanie here who recently completed her first marathon (amazing) means that 5:30am is go time. Mind you, I have only been at it for 2 days now, normally I take a mid morning run. But 5:30 is different. There is actually a 5:30 crowd! People are alive and moving the streets at this forsaken hour! Amazing. I feel kind of neat being part of the 5:30 crowd, and never regret getting  up when it is all said and done- but let me just say- it is tough stuff. My dad is basically being whipped by Steph to run faster/harder/further as are we all, but he is doing a very impressive job of it! The other day he ran 4 miles and was fine doing it. Good job dad. Stephanie is a great running coach and we are all taking notes...but here are a few things I've picked up on my own.
The REAL Runner's Guide:
1.Dad says you have to wake up and go early enough that your body just doesn't know what is happening. So true.
2. You can only push snooze on your alarm so many times before the voice in your head tells you that you will be sorely mocked if you don't get your fanny out of bed and just GO. Advice-have someone counting on you.
3. Drink a little something before you go. My choice is orange juice to give me a little something to go off of so early. Stephanie has taught us that chocolate milk is actually a great post-workout recovery drink.Ask the Runner's Magazine. They think so too.
4. Go to the bathroom prior your run of course.
5. After running for speed training, eat your breakfast very slowly...
6. STREEEEEETCH. Before and after. And don't allow other people to roll you out. SO painful.
7. Mind over matter is the real running game. When your lungs are on fire and your head is pounding and your throat feels entirely closed off...run past it. Your mind is in charge and can tell your body what to do! Don't give in to the voice that wants you to stop! Eventually you reach a good place and you will be able to breathe again if you push yourself and just think through it!
8. Make sure you have a good song stuck in your head. None that are going to make you want to scream and give up on the whole endeavor entirely. Good song-crucial.
9. Wear comfortable running gear and track your progress. We use the app- map my run. It is so great! It gives you your pace, distance, everything! Definitely an encouraging tool.
10. Don't let being prego stop you from running. Yeah, so first trimester you are way way more exhausted and feel like your limbs don't want to move at all let alone outside at 5:30am on the pavement. But let's be honest- it's good for you. And you will feel better when you do! Promise! ;)

Lake Powell Recap

So since I had just delivered Carter when my family went to Lake Powell last year, we sadly had to miss the trip. This was the first time in almost 12 years that I didn't go to Lake Powell during the summer and it nearly ripped my heart out!! But this year, with Carter not being a new born any longer (half sad half amazing) we took him with us!! He was a trooper in the car. He watched Mickey Mouse clubhouse, ate snacks, played with toys, even slept for a minute! And it was a great road trip to the place I love most. I thought I'd add a few pictures of my little guy since he looked DARLING 100 percent of the time in his life jacket-although he didn't love it...

Probably Carter's two most favorite things were driving either boat with Grandpa, and playing in the sand. He would just walk around in the sand forever and ever using his little hoe, pushing the trucks, then making a mad dash for the water. He liked the water a LOT which was great and a little worrisome. But we would just stand in the shallow water and let him splash and play around until he'd crawl back up into the sand again. Wet. Sand. yuck. But he was so durn cute I couldn't help but let him do his little boy thing. What a sweetie. Not so much about smiling for the camera yet though...

 Below is featured my AMAZINGLY good looking husband showing us how a real model uses the wind to their advantage.

Carter wearing Grandma's glasses. So cute while they were on his face for .2 seconds.

Haha and so now you meet Carter's little pouty face. He was worried about the swimmers in the water. Whenever I got in he would whine and even cry.

So we put him in the water too. This is his "whusat!?" finger. And yes he does like to say whusat to everything. :)

 This is me with my sister Erin- FINALLY enjoying the sun coming out!! It was actually pretty gloomy and overcast the whole first day we were there, but once the sun came back it was heavenly I say.

The great thing about the speed boat is that it had this weird lulling effect on Carter and he slept every time we went for a ride. Here he is below-our little muslim baby (we always had to keep a cool cloth or towel over him)

Captain Carter of the USS Pa's Conchubine Ship

The husband thinking he is going to OWN on the tubes.

The wife toughing it out- while the husband GETS owned.

To put it simply- I LOVE LAKE POWELL. One of the greatest places on earth. I have so many memories here and will love it til the day I stop kickin!!

Moving

I can't believe how quickly life changes! One minute you are living in Pleasant Grove Utah, near family and your home town-the next you are packing your things and moving across the country? Yes, Nate and little Carter and me are moving to Concord, Massachusetts near the Boston area. Nate being gone as frequently as he is asked his company about us moving to his area. Because my husband is a hard worker and so driven and wonderful- they said "Sure we will relocate you to Boston! What a great idea!" So now, here we are. Talking about selling cars and furniture, driving 3 days across the country, finding new renters for our current apartment, and flights home for Christmas. Call me sentimental, but selling Rhonda the Honda for me is daunting. Rhonda was mine and Nate's first car together. We paid for it all on our own! She drove us to Lubbock, TX to visit Nate's mission. She brought Carter home from the hospital! She has taken us on many road trips and been such a good car! Funny how things can gain personification...but more than Rhonda though I love her dearly, I am really sad to move Carter away from his grandparents and aunts and uncles. It's been so fun watching him with Aunt Roch and Aunt Erin, with Grandpa Newman looking for Max dog, following little cousins Keira, or Maddox and wanted to be such a big boy. I know he loves every single one of them! And so do I. Thankfully, to make our transition a little easier, my sister Karlie and her little family have actually just moved to Concord themselves!! We are even going to be living in the same apartment complex if you can believe it! So neat! We haven't had the chance to live around them for a few years at least so it will be so fun and so exciting still having family close by. Not to mention, Kar has her cute kids Dean and Ainsley (who is Carter's exact age) so cousins will still be close by! So although leaving is so bitter, this change will also be very sweet :) We are SO excited for this new adventure that we are going on!! And we are hitting the road September 25th. Just driving out on the open road!!!

Say hello to our new home!

Nate has already been through Concord, and he knows I am going to love it there. By what he's told me, it's very Stars Hollow/Gilmore-esc. Which is more than up my alley. Small town, a market, lots of bakery's and small shops-they don't have any chain stores really in Concord, except one. Dunkin' donuts-for the coffee. Thankfully there is a awl-mart and a couple other essentials just outside of town. Concord is also very old fashioned, and just being there a couple days my sister Karlie says they are very big into the "go green" movement. No bottled water? We'll deal. Not to mention there are no stop lights in Concord! To save energy, they had them all removed. Can you say "stars hollow town meeting?" (For those of you Gilmore Girl's fans out there this will all be very easy to comprehend) Now since driving is maybe more of an issue without the stop lights- they may put them back in. We will see. All in all, Concord sounds like my one stop shop to paradise. Have a look.

This reminds me of the Avonlea bridge. "I don't want down sunbursts or marble halls- I just want YOU Gil" -Nate and I plan to do a little Anne of Green gables reenacting here..

Concord is very historical, and still has so many darling colonial buildings and sights to be seen. I am truly so excited for our upcoming adventures!! I have no doubt that this experience will be that of a life time. No one I would rather go with than my two boys! Massachusetts better watch it... :)