Back Bloggin' Part 4

SWIMMING AT THE LAKE

Here we are at Sebec Lake at the end of August. This beautiful lake is close by, and we love going there to swim and boat. My sister in-law Elizabeth took me while Nathan was in England, and we went again when Nathan got back. I managed to stay behind the camera this time!

Isaac playing in the sand, and Auntie Elizabeth behind him.

Lindsay, and Shauna in the background wearing her float-suit.

Handsome Nathan

Fun in the sand!

Lindsay, Shauna, and Isaac. None of whom would look at the camera.

Isaac with his Daddy

Cute baby Isaac and his cousin Lindsay in the water.

Sebec Lake

Precious Lindsay

Back-Bloggin' Part 3

Here are some pictures from our road trip/move across the country. It was a memorable experience! Isaac was surprisingly okay with the long drive (thanks in part to the new portable DVD player). Nathan's dad Pat and brother Reece drove the Budget truck and we drove our car. This was during the second week of August 2009.

This picture of Isaac with his Grand-dad was taken

somewhere in the Midwest (Kansas?)

Below is the St. Louis Temple.

Thank you, Morgan for meeting us in St. Louis and taking us on a tour!

Morgan took us to the temple, the St. Louis Arch, and then to the Cheesecake

factory in St. Louis. What a fun day!

Isaac with Morgan's son Ronnie at the temple gardens.

Pat, Nathan with Isaac, Alyssa, Reece.

Here is my dear sweet forever friend Morgan!

This was the only picture we got together that day.

Funny how that happens!

Here we are posing at the base of the St. Louis Arch.

What a magnificent structure!

Isaac is playing with Morgan's son Ryland on the stairs at the St. Louis Arch.

A riverboat in St. Louis. We could hear a band playing from it.

Isaac with his Grand-dad at the riverbank in St. Louis.

This is the Kirtland Temple. We didn't have much time in Kirtland, but

I'm glad that we took the time to go on the tour there.

(Reece, Alyssa with Isaac, Nathan, and Pat)

This Christus is at the Visitor's Center at the Hill Cumorah.

At the top of Hill Cumorah.

Isaac checking out the flowers.

Here we are in front of the Smith home in Palmyra.

This is in the Sacred Grove.

While in the Sacred Grove, I expected an overwhelming, "God was here" feeling.

What I experienced instead was the most profound peace and calm.

You can feel that it is a sacred place. The birds sing reverently.

The sun touches the trees differently. The soil sounds different underfoot.

The elements seem to witness that it is a sacred place.

I am so glad we had the experience of going there.

I'll try to keep the back-blogs coming! Soon we'll be current. I promise.

Back-Bloggin' Parade! Part 2

Here are some pictures of some of our goodbyes before we moved from Utah to Maine. This was during the first week of August, right before we left. Ahh, memories. We miss everyone!

Some of my sibs. Glen (now on a mission to Argentina),

me, Adriane (lives in CA), and Donovin.

Erin was in WA, and Amanda in CA.

Isaac with Grandma Mary and G-pa Gary

Isaac with his California cousins Zoey and Jesse

Isaac and Nate's cute sister Emma (who now lives in Utah)

Grandpa and Grandma Loveland (Nathan's adoptive Utah parents)

Great Grandma and Grandpa Booth

Isaac with Grandpa and Grandma Roundy and others...

Back-Bloggin' Parade! Part 1

I'd like to take you on a journey of the highlights of our life since I last added pictures. You'll be viewing images from all the way back to last Summer. I finally found the cable to connect our camera to the computer (don't you love how things get lost when you move?), and we had over 500 pictures to download. While I was downloading them, the program I store my pictures in stopped responding, and I accidentally lost the pictures by "ending now" on the program. For two days I thought the images were lost, but Nathan's Uncle Dan suggested a certain place in the computer files to look, and there they were! I am so happy. I'll just share the best pictures and videos, and I'll do a different posting for each event.

HERE ARE OUR FINAL MOMENTS IN UTAH (Isaac was almost 18 months at this point)...

We had to say goodbye to the Gherkes! This was so hard.

They were a family in our ward in Riverton, and they

totally adopted Isaac. We now consider them family!

We miss them and so many other families in our ward there.

Isaac and Nicholas

With Josh. Isaac had a special bond

with this boy. Can't you tell?

Isaac with Maddie. Cute girl.

Isaac with Grandma Terri. I want to cry.

Okay. I'm crying.

Very few people realize what Terri

has meant to our family. There are

only a few friends I consider REALLY GREAT,

and she is one of them.

Isaac in the yard at our apartment in Riverton.

Giving Momma a big smooch before we moved. I love this picture!

Isaac sharing ice cream at Lagoon with me. We went as a little family

one last time right before we moved

(Nathan, me and Isaac)

He insisted on using this little pretzel to scoop his ice cream into his mouth.

Kids are so funny.

My Apologies...

I would just like to apologize for being COMPLETELY out of touch. I have been ignoring the blog world. Part of it was that we didn't have the internet for two months. Also, the holidays were scrunched in there. We've been busy! We had Nathan's whole family here in November. Nate's brother Derek his new wife Camilla came for their open house and everyone decided to come out for Thanksgiving instead of Christmas so that we could all be together. We had a lot of fun. Christmas was nice, but it was kind of weird because we didn't see any of our Utah family. We miss you all! Isaac was very cute with his toys and he ate a lot of chocolate throughout the day.

I have so many pictures to post. I'm embarrassed because the only pictures we've shared online have been from Nathan's I-phone. That isn't enough. We've taken a lot of pictures, but I haven't shared them online because I didn't have the cable to connect the digital camera to the computer. I think I know where it is now, and I'll be getting on that! Right now there are over 500 pictures on our digital camera... dating all the way back to June or July before we moved. I also have lots of little videos that I can upload. Wow. I've got a lot of back-blogging to do! I'm going to try to do a better job because I know that I have an obligation to keep grandparents and other family in touch with Isaac's development. I am so sorry!

So, what's new in our world? We are living with Nathan's Dad (Dover-Foxcroft, ME), and I have to say that it hasn't been too bad. I was WAY against living with anybody, but Pat and Reece are pretty easy to live with. The house that we live in needs improvements, but we won't be here forever so we've been pretty choosy about what to spend money on. That aspect has been kind of hard, but it's no biggie. We don't need a palace. We have food, clothing and shelter and we are having fun during this phase of our lives.

Nathan is currently serving as the Branch Mission Leader, and he's really enjoying working with the missionaries. He just registered to take a couple of classes next semester. He is applying for pharmacy school again this year, but he is also going to apply for the Respiratory Therapy program. He is ready to move toward a career and doesn't want to wait yet another year if he doesn't get into pharmacy school this year. And I don't blame him one bit!

I'm working with the Young Women in our branch as a counselor in the YW presidency. I've still been enjoying being a stay at home wife and mommy. I clean, cook, take care of Isaac, read, make crafty things, and hang out with my friends Elizabeth (awesome sis in-law) and Ivy (she moved here with her husband at about the same time we moved). I thrive on phone calls with my parents, cousin MaryAnn, and best girl friend Morgan. Sometimes I think I'm losing my mind out here in the middle of nowhere, but then I get in touch with a friend and I'm okay!

Isaac is SO FUN right now. His vocabulary is really exploding. He's got a great sense of humor and he plays hard. He has no fear! And my favorite thing about him is that he can be very sweet. Sometimes he'll just run up to me with puckered lips and kiss me right on the mouth. He'll be 2 in February.

That's the short version! I'll try to post some old pictures (and some new ones). Lots of love!

Dried Beans...

So, we're moving in with Nathan's dad to save some money. I've been packing boxes, and right now on our kitchen floor I've got a box full of pantry items. Isaac found some bagged dried beans in the box, and was flipping out because he wanted some and I wouldn't give him any. I tried to give him some other snacks, but he just wouldn't go for it. Finally, I decided to open it and let him try one so he'd know how yucky it was. It's a package with like 15 different kinds of beans, so there were tiny ones that I knew he wouldn't choke on. He ate one and went "Mmmm", nodded his head yes, and put his hand out for some more. This went on for a couple of minutes, and then I was able to divert his attention with some milk and crackers. I think I'll be seeing those beans in his diaper tomorrow! Nathan brought in the big bottle of blue wiper fluid the other day, and Isaac wanted some SO bad. He had some blue gator-aid the other day, so I know that's what he thought it was. I really don't want to make friends with the people over at poison control, so we got that hidden away quickly. This age is so funny. He's communicating better (thanks sign language! and speaking skills) but he is also getting so frustrated when he can't communicate what he really wants. The temper tantrums have really begun. I've found that what he wants more than anything is my attention. I feel so grateful that we made the choice for me to stay home and that it has been working out so far.

Overdue Update!

THE FACTS...

Is there anyone left who checks to see if I ever blog anymore? If so, here's an update. I've been adjusting to "Maine. The way life should be". That is a saying out here. You see it on signs, sweatshirts, and bumper stickers. So, how should life be? I'm still trying to figure that out, but I'll try to paint a picture for you.... The library still stamps the due date on each book, and has a larger VHS selection than DVD's. We have two traffic lights in our town. The police station (conveniently located right next to our apartment) has two police men. Most people leave their cars and homes unlocked all the time (we always lock up anyway). Everybody has a membership at the YMCA. There are several lovely churches and homes dating back to the early 1800's. Small business abound. It's actually quite a charming place. I don't feel like I really know very many people yet, but they seem to be quite friendly for the most part.

THE EMOTIONAL SECTION...

Sometimes I get really sad and miss people and things in Utah. And I guess that's a normal part of adjusting. I've actually been ignoring those feelings a lot. Plus I haven't been blogging or journaling like I should. Have I been depressed? I think 'depressed' is a strong word. I have been blue at times. But not all the time. I get up and get dressed in the morning and take care of business. I spend time with family. I'm making friends at church. I go on walks through our lovely town. I even joined the YMCA (although I have yet to use my pass). So, life is happening.

I don't love our apartment, but I really shouldn't get attached anyway because it looks like we won't be able to afford it for much longer. The pay rate is much lower out here, and that has led to us needing to live a bit more humbly. We'll probably be moving in with Nathan's Dad in the house Nathan grew up in. That will require some home improvements, but that will be something to keep us busy, and we'll still save money in the end. And once the improvements are made, it really will be a better place for us to live.

Oh, I never officially said this in our blog, but I need to say it because people keep asking... Nathan did NOT get into the pharmacy program this year. He is working on raising his P-CAT score and GPA a bit this year, and we're hoping for next year. Did it break our faith? Hell no (yes, I said hell). Did it test it? Sure. And we're showing the Lord (and ourselves) that our faith will be stronger for this experience. We're here for a reason. We know that we were prompted by the Spirit of the Lord to come. And come we did. We'll be blessed. And we'll be refined, too.

Autumn has been absolutely gorgeous so far. Here are a few pictures I took with my cell phone. They aren't the best quality, but you'll get an idea of a few of the things I see on my daily walking route. I'll post pictures from our real camera once I find the cable to connect the our digital camera to the computer.

We're here in Maine!

We arrived in Maine about a week ago. It's lovely here, but it's been pretty hot and muggy! Two days after arriving, Nathan got on a plane to go to England for his brother's wedding. He's having a great time and gets back this Tuesday. I'm so glad he got the opportunity to go, but it's an odd experience to have your husband bring you to a pretty foreign place and then take off for a week. If it wasn't for his sister Elizabeth and her family, I'd be feeling pretty forsaken. Instead, I'm having a great time. We've gone swimming a few times, we spent some time in Bangor, and we've eaten some wicked good food. It kind of feels like I'm on a long vacation with all our belongings. Strange. Anyway, I paid our first months rent for a little apartment yesterday. We won't actually get moved in until Nathan gets back in a couple days, but I'm looking forward to getting settled. Our apartment is quirky, but cute. And it's in a great part of town... convenient to the police station, library, post office, groceries, etc. I really feel like I'm somewhere between awake and dreaming. I haven't let this all sink in. I'm holding on to the strong feelings that we had before we came that this is what we are supposed to be doing. I feel a little sad and lonely, and I'm wondering why in the world we are here, but things will settle, and we'll find out what's in store for us. And I'm choosing to be happy. It is a choice, you know. Well, I just wanted to say thanks to our friends and family. You have all be so supportive of our decision to move here. I can't even tell you how much I miss all of you that are in Utah. We love you all!

Waiting List...

Well, Nathan is on the waiting list for pharmacy school. Of course we preferred to hear that he was accepted this year, but we refuse to let it get us down. For one thing, he could still get in if people drop out before school starts. That happens all the time. For another thing, it's not the end of the world if we have to wait another year. We are so excited about the future. Maine is going to be an exciting change, and we look forward to whatever is on the horizon for us. Getting bitter and angry about this won't do us any good. So, here's to optimism!

Exciting News!

NATHAN HAS AN INTERVIEW NEXT WEDNESDAY AT HUSSON UNIVERSITY! We are ecstatic. We had faith that everything would work out, and now we are watching it start to happen. Life is an amazing test of faith, and waiting to hear about pharmacy school has been quite the test in miniature. I can't even tell you how many little miracles we've seen. Nathan has been SO determined to meet this goal. We have felt the Lord's hand in our lives in so many ways. I feel so overwhelmed with gratitude right now. I know there are a lot of our friends and family who have been praying for Nathan's success. Thank you! I really feel like Nathan is going to do so well in his interview, and he'll be accepted into Husson University's class for this Fall.

Quick Update!

I've been awful about posting! I have been taking lots of pictures and video this summer, but I haven't taken the time to blog about them. And now I don't have the time! We've done a lot of fun things. We move to Maine in exactly two weeks (August 9th). I think that what will happen is that I'll do some serious back-blogging once we get settled in Maine. The important thing is that I took the pictures and video, right?

So, here's what's up. Nathan has been in touch with Husson University all summer about their pharmacy program. Since they are a new school, they have taken their time filling their class. They just received their pre-candicacy status last month, which means that they can start their pharmacy school this Fall. They told Nathan over the phone that they'd like to interview him, but technically he doesn't meet their requirements until he gets his higher P-CAT score and a higher GPA. The P-CAT comes in the mail anytime. He was one percentage too low last time, so we are certain he'll meet that requirement this time. (THIS JUST IN ON JULY 27TH: NATHAN GOT ABOVE AND BEYOND WHAT HE NEEDED ON THE P-CAT). He's getting A's in his summer courses, so he's going to meet the GPA requirement as well. It boils down to the school having open spots so that they can interview and accept Nathan at the last second. We really feel like it's going to happen. As I mentioned in our previous post, we are moving to Maine either way. Leap of faith baby!

Oh, alright. I guess I'll post a couple pictures. We went to the zoo with Nathan's mission buddy Clifford and his wife Hillary and beautiful daughter Lilly (just one of FOUR trips to the zoo this summer). Here are a couple of the pictures we took while there. I plan on back-blogging the other trips later (wink wink).

Isaac and Nathan at the Elephant show:

Clifford, Hillary, and Lilly:

Isaac and Alyssa on the Carousel:

Waiting for the bird show:

Family photo in the primate building (how appropriate):