Washington DC Trip

For those that know me well know I have a bit of an obsession with history. I LOVE IT! I minored in it in college and that fueled my passion. I also have huge crushes on George Washington and Abe Lincoln. When I die, they are two of the first people I want to meet! With this said, what better place to go on vacation then Washington DC?! I have wanted to go there for a very long time and this year I finally made it happen.
I went with my sister Sarah and friend Sara. We were able to stay with my cousin and his family which was great. It was fun getting to see them. We got around the city with a rental car and bikes rented from Capitol Bikeshare. For anyone going to DC, I would highly recommend these bikes! They saved our feet and were so much faster. There are several docks around the National Mall and surrounding area. You can hop on and off whenever you want, they were wonderful.

And they look cool too :)

I won't bore you with too many details (well, maybe a little) so here is what we did:

Day 1:

Our flight was at 7:40 in the morning and with the time change we arrived around 3. There wasn't time to do much that day. Plus, it was lightly raining which we hoped would stop. We got some fast food in a sketchy part of Maryland and started our trip off right with a session at the Washington DC temple. The temple was beautiful!

 After the temple we happened to pass the Washington Cathedral so we stopped by and looked at it. Unfortunately it was closed so we couldn't look inside but it was still cool. 

We then headed over to my cousins house, ate, and had a good time visiting and catching up with him and his family.

Day 2: We started off the day by visiting all of the monuments on the National Mall. 

FDR

 Martin Luther King Jr.

 WWII

 Lincoln

 Korean

 Vietnam

 Washington (scaffolding is because of the earthquake a couple of years ago)

 Jefferson

The Lincoln monument was of course my favorite! We also stopped by the White House, rode around on the bikes, and visited a few of the Smithsonians - American History and Natural History. My favorite exhibit was the Star Spangled Banner in the American History. It has the actual flag from the War of 1812 that inspired our National Anthem. I may have cried even :)

 We ate at Good Stuff Eatery and ended the day in the hot tub to rest our tired legs and feet.

Day 3: The day started out a little rough. I may or may not have had trouble backing out of the driveway and hurt the rental car and my cousins lawn :) It continued to get depressing as we spent almost 2 hours in the Holocaust Museum. It was very cool though and definitely makes you think about life. Things quickly picked up as we had a tour of the Capitol.

Next was the gorgeous Library of Congress, National Archives, Air and Space Museum, and dinner at Nando's Peri-Peri. 

By the end of the day our feet were even more tired so it was another night in the hot tub.

Day 4: We got to spend the first official day of summer in DC, doesn't get much better. We first went to Ford's theater (one of my highlights) and the house where Lincoln died. 

 We then spent 3 1/2 hours at Arlington Cemetery which was amazing. 

Next we met up with Sara's friend who lives in Arlington and got too see the Rockies play the Nationals! They lost but at least I got to see my Rocks play this year.

Day 5: This day was probably my favorite because we got to see Mount Vernon. Like I said, I love George Washington so seeing his estate was fabulous. 

After that, we headed into Alexandria to catch up with a friend then went into Old Town for dinner and ice cream. Our waiter gave us his phone number and my ice cream fell off of my cone onto the sidewalk (just like you see happen to little kids). It didn't stop me from eating it though! We headed back to the National Mall to take a nighttime ride to see our favorite monuments at night then called it a day.

 Day 6: We woke up to rain which means we timed everything perfectly. We arrived in the rain and left in the rain but the weather was nice in between. We couldn't have asked for anything better. We were absolutely exhausted by Sunday so we slept in and took our sweet time getting ready and packing up. We found a YSA sacrament meeting then headed to the airport. There, they found damage on the rental car that we didn't notice before but hopefully insurance will cover it. Our then 5 hour flight turned into nearly 9 when we were delayed for 4 hours on the ground for mechanical issues then bad weather. Note to self: Never take United out of Dulles again! We are talking sitting on the plane for 4 hours before ever taking off. Luckily they let us out for about 20 minutes to get food. We arrived back in Salt Lake at 12:40 am. We were supposed to be there at 8:40 :( We were tired but had an absolutely amazing time! It was a perfect trip and I would definitely go back.

As with any trip, not everything goes smoothly. This is what makes a trip memorable though and creates an adventure. Here are my not-so-good moments that I will always remember:

1. I realized while we were in the airport getting ready to leave on day 1 that I wasn't wearing a bra!

2. The incident with the rental car and the lawn

3. Getting an infamous "Miller Stomach Ache" in the middle of the National Mall when EVERYTHING was closed and barely making it to a restroom on time.

4. Rushing to get to the Capitol in time for our tour even though we ended up being perfectly on time.

5. Being disappointed with the size of the White House and the scaffolding on the Washington Monument.

6. The stupid plane on the way home.

Other than that, perfect trip!

Catch Up

School got out June 6 and since then life has been 10x more busy! I had one great day of rest and relaxation and have been going non stop ever since. Finally, things have calmed down and I'm looking forward to sleeping in, watching lots of movies, reading books, starting some tv shows, and exercising whenever I want. I have been looking forward to this for a long time and am glad I picked a profession that allows me to do so!
For those interested, I will play a little catch up and fill you in on the happenings of my life before blogging about my DC trip. The Friday after school got out was a wonderful day of rest which I hope I will have many more of coming up. The week right after work was very busy. I am starting to work on a health endorsement and had a health class for 5 hours Mon-Thurs. Overall the class was very helpful and will be a good resource for the future. It did however, have a lot of homework. Now I know why I am putting off grad school. It was so hard getting myself motivated to do it! Plus, my sister and I were moving the upcoming weekend so I had to balance tons of packing and cleaning with homework. We got to start moving in to the new place on the 16th so we began the moving process. Notice I said STARTED. We had that weekend to move some things over and then we went on vacation for 6 days. Although amazing, vacation can be very tiring and this trip was definitely that! When we came back, it was back to moving. Since Sarah had to work, I did lots of moving and cleaning by myself which was very difficult and tiring. Thankfully my parents came up for a week to help with that process. We did all the heavy moving and cleaning over 2 days. The rest of the week was spent unpacking and finally getting settled. We also had two apartments for 10 days which means paying two rents and never knowing where my stuff was. Add a couple of dentist appointments and lack of sleep in there and it all added up to a very stressful time. I was wondering if I'd ever get a break. I probably wasn't in the best of moods while my parents were here but I was extremely grateful for all of their help and support.
Now things have finally settled down. I am completely moved in and organized in the new apartment and it feels nice to be done. Bring on the REAL summer vacation!

Spring Break

Spring Break couldn't have come any sooner. I was wearing out and my students were too. Just as I did last year, I was able to go home to Colorado. I was excited about escaping from work and Utah to spend time relaxing and being with my family. I had to work for a few hours on Friday, March 28, and then endured the long 10 hour drive home by myself.
Being home was wonderful. I got to spend some much needed time catching up with my BFF, ate a lot of good food, slept in, and it was amazing not having to worry about work. I did however, feel pretty sick for a couple of days starting on Easter. I'm almost embarrassed to say but I think I had altitude sickness. I was extremely nauseous, weak, and dizzy. Luckily I got over it quickly but it was not fun.
It was nice being able to spend Easter at home with my parents, sister, brother-in-law, and grandma. The weather was also nice which is unheard of on Easter in the San Luis Valley. Everything was dead and ugly of course, but it was warm and had no wind! I also got visited by the Easter bunny even though I'm 25 years old which was awesome :)

The following days where filled with activities that were exactly what I needed. They included things like spending time with Grandma, eating a lot of Mexican food, seeing The Host, and having a wonderful girl's day with Whitney and my mom.

The highlight of the trip happened on April 5, when I went through the Albuquerque, New Mexico Temple to receive my endowments (To learn more about temples go here). This is something I had been thinking about for quite awhile and I decided I wanted to do it with the majority of my immediate family there and in the temple I grew up going to. That made Spring Break the perfect time. My parents and I went down to Albuquerque Thursday and spent the day there. We visited Old Town, shopped, and went to a movie.

                                  I've always been intrigued with old churches-this is in Old Town

On Friday morning we headed to the Temple where we met up with Whitney and Andy so we could all be together as I went through. It definitely felt like someone was missing since Sarah wasn't with us but I look forward to going with her many times in the future. Overall, it was a wonderful experience. It was a lot to take in so I'm anxious to keep learning and gain understanding each time I attend the temple. I cannot describe the feeling of ultimate joy and happiness I felt seeing my family in the Celestial room and it will be even more wonderful when we are all together with no one absent! I am glad I made the decision to go through and that I was worthy enough to enter.

Here are a few pics from the temple. Keep in mind it was a very windy day!

I had a wonderful week and couldn't have asked for a better vacation. 

Strep, Strep, Strep, Strep, Strep

It all started the last week of September. My throat had been hurting and I was trying to decide if it was overuse since starting work again or something else. When I saw white pus on my tonsils, I knew I probably should go in. Sure enough, it was Strep. This was my first case since high school. I get sore throats all of the time but never strep. I decided to get a penicillin shot and was on my way. Then about a week before Thanksgiving, my same horrible sore throat came back. This time it was accompanied by chills, aches, and a fever. I had strep #2. Even then I wasn't too concerned. Almost exactly when I was done with my prescription however, my sore throat returned. I held off a little on this one convinced it wasn't strep this time. I was wrong of course and when the pain became unbearable, I went in to the doctors and had Strep #3. By now I had been given a large list of Ears, Nose, Throat doctors and was highly encouraged to go see one. 7 days later I was back at the doctors with strep #4 and this time the doctor recommended a certain ENT I should go see. I decided I was tired of being sick so made an appointment but wouldn't be able to get in until January 9th. By now it was Christmas break so I thought I was safe. I knew I would be away from all of my germy students. Once again, I was wrong and while still at home, suffered through another sore throat. I put this one off a lot longer but decided to go back to the doctor although I already knew my fate, Strep #5. Not only was this 5 times in about 3 1/2 months, it was 4 times in just over 4 weeks.

Finally I went in to see the ENT. He said I had developed a type of film over my tonsils which is impenetrable. That is why as soon as I was off a prescription, I would get sick again. It kept it at bay but wouldn't be able to get rid of it. Strep would basically never go away as long as I had tonsils. My tonsils are also gigantic even when not sick so that along with some other things made me a perfect candidate for a tonsillectomy. He warned me that this is one of the most painful surgeries for an adult  because there is a 10-14 day recovery. I just wanted them to be out so I could start working on getting better and I scheduled my surgery for as soon as possible. It would be just a week later on January 17.

Being a teacher, I was most concerned about missing so much work. This is only my 2nd year so I don't have very many sick days and finding a sub that's reliable for PE is another job in and of itself. Miraculously, two days later I had the ok from both Principals and had subs lined up. I would have my surgery just before a 4 day weekend so although getting 14 days to recover, I would only be using 8 sick days. Things seemed to work out quite nicely so I was confident I made the right decision.

I was able to thoroughly enjoy my meals for the rest of the week knowing I wouldn't be able to eat normal for 2 weeks. I also didn't feel guilty with my daily Dr. Pepper and extra desserts because I also knew I would probably lose 10 lbs while recovering. Plus, I decided I wouldn't start any resolutions until I was better. I had some good "last meals" with friends and enjoyed a great last supper the night before at my aunt and uncle's house. By now I was sure I had strep again as my tonsils were very swollen but that didn't stop me from enjoying a wonderful meal. My uncle and grandpa also gave me a very nice blessing which calmed my nerves a bit.

Here is a picture of my tonsils the night before surgery: Warning, it is disgusting!

Thursday, January 17 was the big day. I didn't get nervous until we were ready to go inside. Sarah was able to take some time off to help nurse me and we had to check in at 6:30 am. I got signed in, dressed, got my IV then at about 7:45 they came to take me to the OR.

I remember the anesthesiologist giving me the "brave juice" as he called it and then I was out. The surgery lasted about 40 minutes and it took me another hour or so to wake up. Once I was up, I felt the pain right away. Sarah said I had tears streaming down my cheeks when they put me in the recovery room. I was quickly given some pain meds and was much better. The doctor ended up taking out my tonsils, adenoids, and adenoid tissue. They said it is very unusual to have adenoid tissue as an adult but leave it to me to be the exception. My uvula was about 10 times its normal size but everything else was good. I managed to eat some crushed ice and an Italian ice but that was it. Sarah got my prescriptions and after deciding I felt ok, we left around 11. Going home was miserable. I was nauseous and way out of it. Sarah managed to get me inside and since then all I've done is lounge around, complain, and sleep.

Here is a picture we took right after I got home:

 See how swollen my Uvula is?

All in all, the pain isn't terrible but it is uncomfortable. I got sick of jello, ice, and popsicles quickly but those are really the easiest things to eat. I've managed a couple pieces of bread, eggs, and finally oatmeal today but don't mind being hungry. Most of the time I'd rather be hungry then go through the pain it takes to swallow. Apparently today was supposed to be the worst since I'm starting to form scabs. I would agree with that. It's also been hard being so tired and dizzy with the pain meds and I get bored but hopefully in two weeks, it will all be worth it! I can't wait to swallow without it being painful.

Christmas 2012

I know, I'm a bit behind but I thought I would do a quick update about my Christmas break. Better late then never!

It was really great being home. I spent a lot of time with my family, enjoyed eating way too much food, and loved sleeping in and lounging around the house. I won't bore you with day to day details but here are a few pictures documenting my time home:

Christmas Morning

Whitney and Andy joined us Christmas afternoon.

We made mom try Just Dance which was hilarious. 

We pulled out our Bronco gear and enjoyed watching some football.

Whitney and Andy gave Dad a roller coaster set for Christmas. After about 4 hours of putting it together, we sure were proud when it worked!

I don't have any pictures to document but another highlight was going to see Les Miserables. Our theater at home wasn't showing it so we drove to Pueblo one day to see it. It was totally worth it, an amazing movie!

Thanksgiving and November Wrap-up

November sure has been a busy month. With work, my church calling, teaching after school, and other things going on it seems I barely have time to relax these days. Work has been going well other than me always being sick. I came down with STREP again the week before Thanksgiving. For anyone counting, that's 2 times in 2 months. This one was a lot worse too. I had a fever, aches, chills, headache, and of course an extremely bad sore throat. When I went in to the doctor, he said it was the worse case he'd seen in awhile. This time I had multiple prescriptions to reduce the swelling, get rid of the bacteria, and manage the pain so I could eat. It also came the weekend I had to give a talk in church. Luckily (or unluckily), I managed to be well enough to give it. It was on gratitude and it made me focus on all of the blessings I have in my life even when things are tough. Maybe me being sick is trying to teach me a little more about patience and to always be thankful for what I have. I must not have learned enough yet however because I have another sore throat at the moment. I'm pretty sure this one is not Strep this time but I'm getting a little sick of my throat being in pain. Who knows, maybe the real lesson I'm supposed to learn is to eat less since I'd rather starve then swallow at the moment!
Although being sick makes work difficult at times, I'm having fun teaching my students. I started teaching the older grades volleyball. Sometimes it tries my patience but I know a lot of them have never had any experience with this sport before and at least I know they are enjoying it. The younger students continue to make me laugh with their crazy antics and sayings. They have fun doing the simplest of things and it is gratifying to see them improve their skills or succeed at something for the first time. I also love how often they remind me that I'm the nicest, most beautiful PE teacher in the world! That always helps brighten my day.

I also got to go home for Thanksgiving break. I was at home for a whole 3 days and it was wonderful. We broke tradition and had Thanksgiving dinner at our house this year with my sister's inlaws. The food was amazing and the company enjoyable so it was a great day.

I felt like I literally spent the entire day in the kitchen and don't look forward to ever having to host a Thanksgiving dinner by myself in the future as it is so much work!

The rest of the break was spent mainly hanging out with my family. No one had to work on Friday so we got to hang out, play games, eat, and take our traditional family portraits at the ol' homestead. Here are some of my favorites:

We were missing Whitney's husband so we'll have to take more over Christmas break but we sure had fun. 

Other highlights from the trip home include:

Going shooting twice. I finally hit something thrown in the air with a shotgun so that was a feat and I totally beat my dad on shooting accuracy with the .22 and the BB gun pistol.

Roasting hot dogs and s'mores one night in the fire pit since the weather was nice.

Having amazing authentic tacos and playing Just Dance 4 with my best friend.

No one had any accidents, injuries, and I didn't get pulled over on the drive to and from Colorado!

So overall, wonderful trip. And another big perk is that I will be back in 4 weeks for Christmas.

Fall Break

Originally I planned on going down to St. George and Zion National Park for my Fall Break with some friends. October was busy and time kind of got away from us so that did not work out and my break was spent at home in Salt Lake. I didn't mind one bit however because I think being at home and able to relax was exactly what I needed.

Prior to the break I had a couple of crappy weeks. One weekend I had an extremely bad sore throat which turned out to be strep. Later that week I discovered that my bike had been stolen from off my back patio. Then the very next weekend I came down with the stomach flu. Anyone who knows me well, knows that stomach flu is pretty much the worst kind of sickness for me. It was conference weekend and my parents were in town so although it didn't quite turn out to be the weekend we planned, I sure appreciated having my parents here. The following Monday at a softball game I then got hit with a ball right on my lower shin. I'm pretty sure something is wrong with my tibia since it still hurts to this day but don't want to pay for an x-ray to find out! And then my facebook got hacked. So after that I was sure glad to get a little bit of a break.

I called my break "revival time" and did things just for me. Call it selfish if you will but I needed it. Thursday I slept in, took my time getting ready, had lunch with my sister at City Creek, and saw a movie by myself. I've never gone to the movies by myself before but it was quite exhilarating. I of course loaded up on Reese's and Dr. Pepper during the movie as well and had no one with me to make me feel guilty. I then got a haircut and later saw another movie with Sarah. We saw Pitch Perfect which was hilarious! We loved it and I can't wait to add it to my DVD collection. It might even become the movie I turn to on sick days to perk me up (if I can give up my current sick movie The Wedding Singer that is). Friday I finally spent my birthday money and gift cards and went shopping then relaxed at home. Later that night I saw another movie :) with a friend. Saturday we winterized and organized the apartment, went to Gardner Village with some friends and went to the new sporting goods store Scheels. That store was awesome, definitely my kind of place. The break then ended with a nice relaxing Sunday of delicious dinner, watching football, playing Just Dance 4, and getting a Mormon hangover by eating way too much junkfood. It was fabulous! So the break turned out to be exactly what I wanted and needed.

Here are some pictures as well for those who were patient enough to read this long post!

Gardner Village-The witches were out!

 SCHEELs:

 Still a moose at heart

TONS of sporting equipment and clothes + statues of important figures in History = my new favorite store!