Thanksgiving 2012

Our Thanksgiving was a little out of the ordinary this year, but since it was so much fun, we might just travel every year! We took a trip to Washington D.C. and spent Thanksgiving Day with Josh's cousins and Aunt/Uncle. They were all so nice and welcoming. We really enjoyed eating/spending time with them and getting to know them better! Thanks for everything Atkinson family!

On Thanksgiving morning, Josh and I got breakfast at IHOP (yum!) and then went to the Bull Run Battlefield and walked along the trails, enjoying the beautiful weather and scenery. The ground was wet in some places so we got pretty muddy, but it was worth it! I remember reading about that place in history books and wishing I could go there and see what it was like....and I got my wish! Maybe by the end of my life I will have gotten to see EVERY historical site that always intrigued me. That means I'm going to have to live a really long time!

Walking along the trail through the battlefield

Where the Battle of Bull Run took place!

The rest of the day was spent eating, laughing, and talking. One couldn't ask for a better Thanksgiving!

The next day we headed out to downtown D.C. to check into our hotel and start day 1 of touring. We purposely got a hotel right next to all the historical sites so we could walk everywhere, but even then, it was a TON of walking! I actually LOST weight this Thanksgiving! ha!

Our first stop was the Capitol Building. It honestly felt like we were in Europe, it was that gorgeous. 

The Library of Congress was AMAZING! It was so beautiful inside, and the books were incredible.

The National Botanical Garden was as gorgeous as it sounds. It would have been really relaxing walking through it if it weren't for all the people! D.C. is incredibly crowded and Josh said this is the off season!

Josh's favorite stop was the National Air and Space Museum. It was pretty dang cool with all the old planes hanging in the air and the space shuttles you could walk through. 

We also visited the National Museum of Natural History. Dinosaurs are always cool, but the mummies were my favorite!

We also stopped at the Sackler Gallery, the National Native American Museum, and a few other museums but it would take all day to post all the pictures. We knew Tour Day 1 was a success because of how bad our legs and feet hurt by the time we got back to our hotel that night.

Tour Day 2 was different because a cold front came in over night and it suddenly dropped to 30 degrees! We had only brought sweatshirts so we had to basically run from site to site in order to keep warm. By the end of Day 2, I had caught a horrible head cold and spent the night shivering in bed with a sore throat and sinus problems. It was really weird how it just hit me like that. I guess we overdid it, but it was totally worth it! I saw more American history in 3 days than I have seen in my entire life!

The Washington Monument. 

The WWII Memorial. As you can tell, IT WAS COLD!

I was so excited to see the Lincoln Memorial. He was an incredible president and the statue of him here was just as amazing!

It was really sobering to see how many American Soldiers died to keep us free at the World War Veterans Memorial. 

The White House! This was as close as we could get to it (bummer) but still cool nonetheless. 

Standing outside of Ford's Theatre, where President Lincoln was murdered.  We decided not to get tickets to go inside because the line was too long and it was freezing! Right across the street we saw the house where Lincoln was carried to after he was shot, and eventually died.  

Josh and his buddy at the Naval Monument

Our last stop (before I decided I was getting too sick to stand the cold any longer) was at the National Art Museum and I am so glad we went! It was beautiful and had such lovely paintings and statues. I'm not a big fan of modern art, but the old paintings always get me.

This trip was great and believe it or not, we didn't even get to see it all! This means we have another trip in the future....one that incorporates Gettysburg somehow. 

Mood Killer

WARNING: this post is a little PG-13.

Nothing kills the "night time mood" more than trying to be all sexy with the dimmed lights and cute little outfit, when suddenly your husband jumps out of his skin and attacks your leg! I didn't know what to think...but let's be honest, my first thought was, "oh come on now, I've been going to the gym!"

Then, out of the corner of my eye, I saw it......  that little black exoskeleton with long antennas and big black pinchers on his behind........

Needless to say, the rest was chaos. Josh was scrambling around the bed to grab it.... I was yelling at him to kill it.... and the last thing I remember is him capturing the little stowaway and throwing it.

We both sat there staring at each other for a long moment and then burst out laughing. "What the heck was that?" was all I could say  in between laughing and trying to breathe again.

That's when we realized that the "it" was still alive.....

Yes, instead of killing it, my knight in shinning armor decided to throw it!

He was still alive....lurking....somewhere in our bedroom. That was too much for me to handle. I immediately started shivering and scratching everywhere, imagining the ugly creature coming back into our bed while we slept for seconds.

So we jumped out of bed and began the search. I wasn't going to stop until he was found, and I have to give the little guy props, he was REALLY good at hiding.

Once the perpetrator was caught and properly disposed of, we attempted to go on with our night, but it just wasn't going to happen. I couldn't stop thinking about what had just happened and every 5 minutes I would burst into laughing again.

Poor Josh...... probably not his greatest night.

We Made It!

Well, we made it through the first week of living in North Carolina. Those first few days were a little rough. Not because the people were mean or the city is horrible, because it was actually the complete opposite of that. People from the Church were constantly calling/emailing us and asking if we needed things or if we were doing okay. One couple even brought by cupcakes to welcome us! And as for the city, it's absolutely gorgeous! I've never lived anywhere as beautiful and charming as Chapel Hill. No, the roughness came from our sudden reality check that we were no longer "home." That our families are thousands of miles away and it would take a 5 hour plane ride to ever be able to see them again. I have never had anxiety or panic attacks before, but on the day that we left Utah, it was bad.

On day 2, our stuff arrived. We had only planned on it being us and the two movers to unload the truck, but then out of the blue, 7 people from the Church showed up to help too! We got the whole thing done in less than an hour! I can't say enough about the people in our new Branch (it's too small to be a Ward). They are true examples of what it means to be Christ-like and they make me want to try harder so that I too can live the gospel the way it was intended to be lived. Josh and I spent the rest of that day/night unpacking things and attempting to get organized. By 10:00 pm however, the panic attack started setting in for both of us. "What are we doing here? What were we thinking?" were the questions we started asking. So Josh had the brilliant idea to get out of the house and go somewhere familiar to help calm us down. The problem is, nowhere in the South is familiar....... so what did we do? We went to Walmart! I know it sounds ridiculous but we took a lot of comfort in walking around Walmart and buying things for our new home. Something about there being a Walmart in Utah too made everything feel much better. Like I said, crazy....

The next couple of days were spent unpacking and after a while we didn't even feel like we missed Utah anymore. Maybe it had something to do with being surrounded by all of our stuff again? Or maybe it was just the shock of moving 2000 miles away wearing off? Either way, as we went on walks around the neighborhood and began feeling more comfortable with the territory, we actually started feeling at home! We decided to be brave and go to a fall chili cook-off our Branch held on Saturday. It was awkward at first because we didn't know anyone, but within minutes that "southern hospitality" kicked in and we were instantly surrounded by new friends. That made church the  next day much more enjoyable because we actually knew a few people. Oh and by the way, coming from Utah where there is a church on every corner and everyone around you is Mormon, this whole Branch thing is soooooo different. We don't even have an actual church to meet in! We meet in the basement of an office building in a town 20 minutes away from us! It is crazy different, but you wouldn't believe how awesome it is! There is a feeling of family and camaraderie that exists in this small Branch between all of its members that is so unique and unlike anything we have ever experienced. The people are truly loving and thoughtful because they are all each other has, not because they want to get a gold star from the Bishop (sorry but sometimes it feels that way in Utah).

Now basically all that's left to do is finish decorating the apartment and then we are officially all moved in! Josh started his job yesterday. I was dying for him to come home and tell me all about it! He is going to have  A LOT of responsibility but I think he will do great. Basically he is his own boss and has the finances of 5 different MBA programs (around 1500 students) to manage. That is a lot more pressure than I would ever want, but he's the one who went into Business Administration so more power to him! As for me, I've already got a friend/walking buddy! She lives just down the street so it is perfect! We walked around yesterday and she showed me different parts of the neighborhood I hadn't seen yet and gave awesome advice and fun facts. For example, she showed me that Michael Jordan's Mom lives just down the street from us! Cool huh?! So all in all, this past week turned out to be pretty great! I even talked Josh into buying me a new bike so we can get into biking around all the neat trails they have here! We have been very blessed and I have seen God's hand working for us on more than one occasion. Thank you to all of our friends and family who have called and texted, letting us know you've been thinking about us. Your love has been felt!

Our new home