Christmas in TX

**Special guest column by Luke**

Marquette and I spent Christmas in Amarillo, Texas with my family. It was a lot of fun to see my family again, especially as they start to feel more comfortable with Marquette as part of the family. Basically this meant that we got to see a little more of Si's chest and Marquette was made fun of slightly more than usual. We had a great time though and it felt way too short.

also, as shown in the picture below, whenever we get together we have to compete in as many mental competitions/games as possible. here's how the tally ended: Scrabble: Luke. Boggle: Si, second game i would have won, but Si quit. Monopoly: My Dad. Mad Gab: Luke & Si. one on one scrabble Luke vs. Su: Su. Si vs. Su: Si.

as you can see, i was not pleased with how this monopoly game was turning out

We got to talk to Travis and that was a load of fun. It was great to hear from him and he seems to be doing very well, although having been on a mission myself, i know it's easy to fake good for an hour two times a year (but i believe him).

Lastly we took a family picture because Marquette's in the family and that seemed like the appropriate thing to do now that we have more of a female presence in the family. It's right here.

Christmas in Chicago!

Yesterday, Luke and I wanted to celebrate the end of his first semester of grad school and get excited for Christmas. We decided to brave the cold rainy snow and spend the day in Chicago visiting the cities well known Christmas attractions.

It was pretty cold and wet, but once we walked into the Museum of Science and Industry's 'Christmas Around the World' Christmas tree display we forgot all about what was happening outside.

The 'Grand Tree' which stands in the main rotunda is over 45 feet tall and is decorated in silver and gold ornaments. It definately helped the two of us feel the Christmas spirit.

We spent the rest of our time at the museum looking at 50 Christmas trees. Each one decorated to represent Christmas traditions in a specific country.

This is me standing next to the Danish Christmas Tree.

This is Luke standing next to the tree decorated for China. Taiwan did not have a tree.

We also saw trees decorated for the Ukraine (the spider web decorated tree on the left), Slovakia (the giant cookie decorated tree in the center pic), Kenya (decorated with intricately carved masks and animal faces, in the pic on the right), Iceland, Guatemala, and India (to name just a few).

After enjoying all the beautiful Christmas trees, Luke and I headed over to Michigan Ave. to check out Macy's Christmas window displays. We strolled along Michigan Avenue enjoying the Christmas lights, music, and general feeling of good will on the crowded sidewalks.

The Macy's window displays were fantastic. They showed how a child's letter, addressed to Santa Claus, made it all the way to the North Pole. (Hint: lots of help from the elves)

After getting nice and cold again, Luke and I headed inside to Macy's Walnut Room Restaurant where tables are arranged at the foot of this 40 foot Christmas tree. Unfortunately, the picture that turned out was of the bottom of the tree (it took two to catch it all). But you get the idea. It was absolutely beautiful.

Dinner was fabulous (and their hot chocolate is amazing). We ate until we could not eat anymore and then we ate dessert.

We enjoyed our Christmas trip to Chicago and the time we got to spend together. What a wonderful time of the year! Merry Christmas!

December

December is such a fun and busy month. A lot of little things have happened so far this month.

First, Luke and I reached the exciting milestone of our six month anniversary. Six months and going strong. Our ward had the adult session of Stake Conference that evening so we celebrated by going out to dinner afterwards.

Also, December means Christmas is coming! For family who won't get the chance to see our little apartment all dressed up for Christmas... this is how it looks. It is wonderful, homey, and cozy.

One of my favorite decorations to put up was the beautiful nativity set my Mother-in-Law gave me last year. It is beautiful and helps us to remember the true meaning of the season.

Lastly, Luke finished up his first semester of grad school! He took his last final today and he is officially done for the year (2009, that is). He is asleep on the couch next to me right now. Exhausted from all the hard work he did in preparation for his finals.

We have had a great month so far and we are looking forward to celebrating Christmas with family next week!

It's COLD!

Yep... it's cold in Illinois. In fact, I'm starting to wonder how I missed the fact that I moved to a tundra before it got cold. I should have seen the signs. Central Illinois = flat.... humid.... always windy.... TUNDRA! Yesterday afternoon (with the sun shining so bright) it was 12 degrees.... with the windchill it was -10! Really Illinois?.... I thought you were cooler than that. The lake outside our front door froze over solid in one night.

Yes... this is Luke standing on our frozen lake.... in sandals. He finds a way to make everything fun! I love him.

I thought living in a Scandinavian country would have prepared me for this but to be honest... I'm just getting more and more excited about moving to California. 12 months and counting!

Lieutenant Luke

Luke and I have known each other for over 11 years. Looking back over the years that I have known him... one memory stands out to me as describing the person he is today. Luke and I were juniors in High School when the tragedies of Sept. 11th took place. Shortly after Sept 11th Utah legislation required that all public school place a plaque reading "In God We Trust" in a visible area in each school. I didn't think much about it and when I saw the plaque I didn't give it a second thought. One morning I went to school and noticed a group of students standing under the plaque pointing at it and talking. I glanced up and saw a paper taped to the plaque. I cannot remember the exact wording on the paper but it was something along the lines of... I will not trust in who you tell me to trust, just because you tell me to. Surprising. Even more surprising was when I discovered Luke had taped the sign up there. This story about Luke was controversial at the time and may even be controversial today so I hope he doesn't mind me sharing it, but I remember how his sign that morning woke me up. Luke did not hang the sign for himself. He trusted in God. He did not hang the sign for students like me. I trusted in God. He hung the sign for the students (small in number though they may be in Utah) who may have suddenly felt a little out of place under a sign stating In God WE Trust. I was a little mad at myself that I hadn't thought of those students first (as Luke had done), I had thought only of myself. Luke is the kind of person who will stand up for you and your beliefs even if he does not agree with them. I love this about him.

I am so proud of my husband. He is a wonderful Air Force officer. His dedication to his country and the wonderful people who call it home is inspiring to me.

When I was younger I always considered myself decently patriotic but nothing above the ordinary. If you had told High School me that one day I would be an Air Force wife I do not think High School me would have believed you. Luckily a year and a half of living in a foreign country made me realize how grateful I am to call the United States home. Maybe it was the mocking of my American accent, or the criticism I received (by mostly well meaning people) of everything the US had ever done or was in the process of doing, or maybe it was just the realization of the possibilities and opportunities available in the US that cemented the United States into a special corner of my heart. But whatever the reason I remember the feeling I felt when the pilot announced our plane was flying over US soil and I was almost home.

Thank you to those who have fought and served. You have made this country a better place. Thank you to those who serve and fight now, you continue to make this country a great place. Thank you to my husband. I admire your dedication and love for the place we call home.

Happy Halloween!

Halloween was a busy day for the two of us. We carved pumpkins, made Halloween treats, had the missionaries over for dinner, and went to a Halloween party! The only thing we missed were the trick-or-treaters. We didn't get a single dressed up sugar craving child at our door! Sad... but we had a fun night anyway.

Sorry the picture is blurry, but it is the only one of the two of us on Halloween.

I consider Luke a genius when it comes to pumpkin carving. His vomiting pumpkin (from last year) got more compliments and attention than any previous pumpkin had before at my parents house. This year he chose to make a creepy cannibal pumpkin (with little baby pumpkin being eaten for added creepiness). He carved them both in the time it took me carve my little goofy faced pumpkin. What can I say... my husband is a genius.

Here are the pumpkins lit up!

We had a very Happy Halloween! Now we're really looking forward to Thanksgiving and Christmas! Bring on the Holidays!

Happy Autumn!

I am a dangerous driver these days...

The reason....

Beautiful fall colors distract me. I wish these pictures I took did Autumn justice. I love the fall! It makes me want to eat pumpkin spiced everything and sip hot chocolate. Fall gives me the chance to turn on heaters (car, apartment, space, etc...) and decorate with gold, orange, and dark red! It is such a beautiful time of year! I hope everyone else is enjoying it too!

Happy Autumn Everyone!

25 on the 25th!

This weekend Luke and I celebrated my 25th birthday. Luke did a lot ot make my birthday really special. Because my birthday landed on a Sunday the celebrating started Saturday night when Luke took me out to dinner. We went to the Jim Gould resteraunt located in Champaigns' own little downtown area (it's about a block long). It's become our new favorite place. With live jazz music, flickering candlelight, and great food we can't wait to go back! On Sunday my sweet husband made a yummy dinner and I had my very first piece of ice cream cake!

It was so good I don't think I can ever go back to regular birthday cake! Then we watched my favorite movie.... Sleepless in Seattle.

I had an amazing birthday because of my wonderful husband! We are definitely MFEO.

Draft Day

Anyone who knows Luke very well knows about his love for fantasy basketball. For months Luke has been counting down the days to the start of the NBA season and the beginning of the fantasy basketball season. Luke scheduled his fantasy basketball leagues' draft for Wednesday and he was so excited I couldn't help but be excited!

Months of study and preparation went into the draft. With his hands free headset Luke was able to talk to his friends in the league (mostly academy buddies) while looking things up online.

It was fun to watch Luke have such a good time with the draft! It was funny to see him be so intense. The draft went well and Luke is excited to have a repeat of last season (total league dominance)!

Part III: Oh Men!

The last day Luke and I had our manly guests for a visit we drove to Indianapolis to see the Indianapolis Colts play the Seattle Seahawks. For most of us it was the first NFL game we had ever attended. We were all excited to see Peyton Manning (arguably the best quarterback EVER) play!

Here is a picture of all the men sporting their Colts gear!

Here we are outside of Lucas Oil Stadium!

The home of the Colts!

Me and my Dad at the game!

Luke, Steve, and Si at the game!

The Colts won the game 34-17. We had a great time at the game and we were thrilled that we got to go with our Dads and Si!

Part 2: Oh Men!

During our trip to Chicago, with both of our Dads and Si, we went to a Cubs game at Wrigley Field! Being at Wrigley Field for things like the 7th inning stretch and the singing of the Cubs song ("Go Cubs Go! Go Cubs Go! Hey Chicago whadda say, the Cubs are going to win today!") at the end of the game was awesome! Of course it was fun to watch the Cubs beat the Arizona Diamond Backs!

Me and my Dad at the game!

Our Chicago style hotdogs at the ballpark. So good!

Luke, Steve and Si in front of the ivy!

We finished our day in Chicago with a slice of Chicago style pizza! Elder Travis Ferrel introduced us to the best place to find true Chicago style pizza. The pizza is as deep as a lasagna and oh... so cheesy! Awesome!

Chicago is such a fun city!

Part I: Oh Men!

Last weekend Luke and I were lucky enough to have the men in our family over for a visit (minus the family missionary, Travis). It was pretty much a boys weekend, but I tagged along. Luke had class on Friday so we took the Dads; Steve and Keith, up to the University of Illinois to show them around.

We even got to witness a demonstration.

On Saturday we headed up to Chicago!

Our first stop in Chicago was the Sears Tower. From the 103rd floor you can see all of Chicago.

After playing on the Skydeck for a while we all headed over to "the bean." Located in Millennium Park the Cloud Gate has quickly become one of Chicago's most recognizable attractions.


Our reflection in the bean.

We had a wonderful time with the men in our family! We can't wait for next time when Travis can join us!