White Coat Ceremony

Troy had his White Coat Ceremony on Saturday. Here he is signing the Student Oath.Walking across the stage as his name was called.

Looking good in is new white coat!

Nauvoo

A couple weeks ago we had the opportunity to go to Nauvoo, definatly one of my favorite places ever! Nauvoo is about 3 hours from Des Moines. My parents came to Nauvoo to bring my little brother and two of his friends to Nauvoo for EFY. My parents just stayed in Nauvoo all week visiting the sites and attending the temple daily. We had fun keeping the boys for 4 nights and having my parents with us in Iowa for a few days. We were able to spend Friday evening and all day Saturday in Nauvoo with them. It was really enjoyable and I love feeling the special spirit that is there! It is really neat to think that Joseph Smith and so many other early leaders of our church and early members lived here. We counted it out and I think it was either 6 or 7 (I can't remember) of our prophets lived in Nauvoo as well as so many other apostles, members of the 70 and other leaders. A temple was built, Relief Society organized, revelations recieved, and so many other wonderful things happened here. Troy and I want to come back soon to go to the temple.

Looking out from the temple at a sunset over the Mississippi

The Beautiful Temple

Statue of Joseph and Hyrum looking back at Nauvoo

And of course Katelyn and Kylies favorite thing was petting the horse and the oxen teams and going for a wagon ride.

And throwing rocks into the Mississippi RiverThis is the spot where the saints walked down the road, looked back to see their temple and then crossed the river either on a raft or on ice for those who left in the winter.

My favorite part was the drive to Carthage and Carthage jail.

The drive is about 30 min. and it is all along the Mississippi. It was so beautiful. I can't wait to see it in the fall.

Standing by the window that Joseph Smith fell out of.

The girls looking out the same window

Troy and Katelyn standing next to the origianl door that has the hole from the bullet that killed Hyrum.Our family standing next to the statue of Joseph and Hyrum that is in front of the jail.

Made it to Iowa. . .

Well, we have left the land of Potatoes and entered the land of Corn!! We made it to West Des Moines, IA on July 22. It was a long drive but the girls actually did really good on the drive. We really like our apartment complex. It is a 2 story 3 bedroom townhome so it is nice to have all of the room. Almost all of the LDS students that go to DMU also live here so it kind of feels like Rexburg. We are all in the same ward here as well. It is so nice because we have been able to meet and become with friends with so many other students. I am able to do things with the other stay at home moms that have their husbands in school and Troy is able to carpool with some of the other students.

West Des Moines is a really nice place and their is so much fun stuff to do here with kids! We have a swimming pool at our complex plus there are so many other water parks and stuff around. So far we have been able to go swimming a lot and we have been to lots of fun parks. There is also a nice lake really close here that has a sandy beach, a playground and a trail that goes around the lake which has been fun to take the girls to. They also like the zoo here which we have been to a couple times.

At a water park. That whole area in the background is a wading pool. The girls LOVED it.

At the zoo

At the Zoo with our friend Jessica Johnson and her twin girls

At a hot air balloon festival we went to with Ryan and Danna Pettit (Danna grew up in Shelley and now they live just a couple doors down).
There were so many!

Iowa is really pretty and when I said we entered the land of corn it is really true. I knew there was corn here but I didn't realize how much! Leaving Nebraska into Iowa all there was until we got into West Des Moines was corn fields and farms and when we drove from Des Moines to Nauvoo, IL thats all there was as well. And all around this area there are so many fields of corn. It is really beautiful though. ( I think anyways). And it tastes so good too! Is it wrong to eat corn every night?

Moving here as been a big change for all of us. We miss family a lot, especially Katelyn and Kylie who always ask to go see their Grandpas and Grandmas. And I was not really ready to lose my husband to the first year of podiatry school. He has enjoyed school so far and it really hasn't been that bad, he leaves early enough in the morning that he is able to spend the evenings with us.

Katelyn and Kylie have been sleeping in the same crib up to this point but when we moved here we bought them toddler beds which I have been worried about because they wouldn't be sleeping next to each other anymore. It has been so fun to check on them in the morning and see them both on the floor next to each other or sleeping in the same toddler bed. Maybe we will just move the beds together.

IOWA!!

We are here in Iowa!!! We have been so busy I have not had time to post anything about it but I will soon!

Goodbye Rexburg

After living in Rexburg, Idaho for 5 years the time came to say goodbye. I just wanted dedicate this post to the last 5 years and the memories I have had.

I have loved the jobs that I was able to get here: Babysitting, Gardening on a big Estate, Working as a CNA for a home health program, and my favorite waking up at 4 am to go bake at Great Harvest Bread with my husband. I loved the experiences that I got from all of those jobs.

Second of all I have met so many amazing people here from people I have worked with, my wonderful roommates, the people I have met in all of the my student wards,


Some of our best friends from Rexburg, Charlie, Whitney, and Allie Anderson

my teachers, my classmates, and of course the most important person I met in Rexburg,

my Husband. I love him so much and am grateful that we met 4 and a half years ago at an opening ward social that was on campus. And of course what comes with meeting your spouse is meeting their family.

I can't believe I have not always known this family. I love them so much and they are such a big part of my life. They have done so much for me and I am grateful for them. It has been so wonderful only living 30 minutes away from them.

I have been able to be in Rexburg for the announcment of the Rexburg Temple, the groundbreaking, the building process, the open house, and the dedication, and was there to attend this beautiful temple many times. I loved living so close to the temple. This temple will always be special to me.

I will always remember Rexburg because I was able to accomplish some of my biggest goals that I have had. Such as run a marathon

Graduate from college with my Bachelors degree

Get married in the temple

And become a Mom

I am grateful for the things that have happened in the past 5 years!