Phew! Have we been Busy!

Mid May we left on a weekend getaway to Minneapolis for our 5-year Anniversary, but that was only the beginning of the crazy weeks to follow.

WE MOVED
We returned from Minneapolis to an email informing us our friends were moving and if we were still interested they would submit our names to take their place as on-site managers for their apartments. Absolutely. A few slight problems with that:
1st: The owner was unaware of our friends plan to move
2nd: The owner would be out of town until Tuesday
3rd: We had to resign our current lease by Wednesday
4th: We were leaving Wednesday afternoon to fly to Salt Lake for Dave’s brother’s wedding
5th: The owner had never met us nor said Yes we could take over management.

Skipping straight to Tuesday: The owner returned and after calling me at work and learning she was one of our patients at our dental office, she hired us.

New problems:
1st: We needed to pack – we had no boxes
2nd: We needed to be out of our current apartment by June 1st at noon, but we would not return from Salt Lake (& the drive from Chicago) until midnight May31st.

No big deal, right? We could always just move in over the Memorial Day weekend. Wrong! That is when the cleaners, painters, and carpet cleaners would be attending our new apartment. The carpet guy would do the carpets Tuesday morning and wanted 24 hours for it to dry. Dave had a patient Wed. morning and I, with my 6-month pregnant body, couldn’t do it alone. And remember, we were scheduled to leave Wednesday afternoon – oh! And we had to do the walk-through of our vacating apartment.

What happened?
-The owner put up lots of fans to dry the carpets and let us move in Tuesday evening.
-Dave went dumpster diving to find the necessary boxes.
-Our Ward’s Elders Quorum provided some bodies to move Tuesday evening (lets not even talk about the ordeal of moving our washer and dryer into a temporary storage basement: Dave and the one guy helping had to removed doors to get it down the stairs, and they had left the screw driver across town in the new apartment.
-We cleaned until late that night
-Went to work/school the next morning.
-Did the walk-through at noon
-I packed us for Utah
-Dave came home and we drove 4-hours to Chicago (there was a road detour) where we stayed the night with his Aunt and Uncle, and flew out the next morning.


The WEDDING
Mike and Alisha were married in the Draper Temple. It was wonderful. Dave and I shared one bunk with Caroline above us and Jake in the other bottom bunk with Marky above him. We stayed in the cabin of Dave's Aunt in the Provo canyon. One of my favorite parts was spending time with Molly. After the wedding she picked me up and we spent the afternoon at her apartment while Wayne was at work and Dave went back to the cabin. I had been sick and so I didn’t do much to get myself ready for the wedding, so Molly washed my hair and curled it, and then improved my wardrobe. Then we went to the dinner reception. The next evening she and Wayne came up to the cabin for a while to roast marshmallows. The two of them are doing so well and it was fun to see her so happy.
(The photos at the beginning are of our time with Dave's family in Utah.)

After the wedding – and after each of us was sick - we flew back to Chicago and then drove home returning at Midnight to a house of boxes.
The next morning (Monday) we awoke and went back to work and school.
That rest of that week was spent getting internet, phones, and unpacking, but not really because after 9 hours on my feet at work I was exhausted.

NEW CELL PHONES:
I can’t really say new since we haven't had any. We've gone the last 4 years without them. With the baby coming and a new apartment that does NOT include free phone, we finally succumbed. Now we each have one (FYI: we’re with AT&T.)

That weekend we attended a Stake Pioneer Handcart Festival (I ate 5 sticks of cotton candy. I love cotton candy!)
Straight from there I drove 45 minutes (got lost) to a bridal shower.

The following Tuesday…
I was in A CAR ACCIDENT!
Luckily it was 100% the old lady’s fault who zoomed through her stop sign (I didn’t have one) and right in front of me. Slam! I plowed into her side. But then she just kept driving! I chased her almost 8 blocks, honking my horn, until I was able to sandwich her in behind another car. “Did I hit you?” “You just caused an accident, you need to pull over!” Fortunately the truck behind me saw everything and followed us. He was the one who called the police (my hand was shaking too much.) The lady told the cop “I thought I just hit a curb.” Did she see the side of her car? That was some curb. Our passenger door no longer opens, so now I'm stuck in the back seat.

The next day: Wednesday: 6 HOURS IN THE HOSPITAL. I spent 6 HOURS hooked up to a fetal monitor to verify no trauma had been inflicted to the baby. Luckily my air bags did not go off or A. I wouldn’t have been able to chase the escaping driver, and B. The direct trauma to my abdomen would have resulted in me being strapped to that bed and monitored for a minimum of 24 hours! 6 hours was enough. I assumed the appointment would be short and so I went straight from work - without eating lunch – I went in at noon. Then they wouldn’t let me eat! They kept saying "After your tests, but it took them hours to do the tests! Blood work, cervical exam (to make sure I hadn’t been thrown into pre-term labor), and an ultrasound. That part was neat, to see her again and confirm that is was in fact a girl. Dave’s patient canceled and he was given permission to bike over and be with me. He brought me the only thing he had – a granola bar. I was starving, and my butt was numb from the uncomfortable bed so I couldn’t sleep.

The next day: MY BIRTHDAY.
“Dave, let’s not do anything or go anywhere.” So he made me the dinner I wanted: Buttermilk pancakes, bacon, hash browns, dunkin eggs (fried eggs) with toast (to “dunk” in the yoke), orange juice, fresh strawberries, raspberries, and nectarines. Then I opened my gift from my mom and sister. Oh! That got me excited! And then, while Dave did the dishes I laid on the bed in my new b-day satin pajamas with a pillow under my feet, three under my head, a body pillow on one side, and another pillow on the other. I didn’t want to read or anything. I just laid there – and loved it.

Now we just have to get ready for the baby (we finally got around to registering today at Target), and Dave has to get all of his mounds of requirements written, filled out, and mailed in to the various schools to which he will be applying for his specialty program - within the next 2 month.
P.S. Congratulations Zac for your College graduation! Good luck with your Law School aspirations.
P.P.S Congratulations Cousin Tim Heaton on your acceptance to Harvard for your latest scholastic ambitions in Early Christianity and New Testiment Masters/PHD program.