Jon, Alyssa, &amp; Adalyne

Episode Seven: Fun in the Sun

We took one of our free weekends and traveled down the Jersey Shore to Point Pleasant...No, we didn't see Snooki or Ronnie or Mike, but we did enjoy a fabulous day at the beach. It was Addie's first time ever at the beach and it was so wonderful! It was sunny and warm, a little windy, but a perfect day for relaxing. Addie looked so cute in her little sunglasses and while Addie napped, we spent our afternoon playing like little kids in the sand...our sand castle totally rocked!

Unfortunately, because of Hurricane Irene, the water was closed. The hurricane waves had brought in a HUGE mound of sand over 20 ft high and the beach, instead of gently sloping to the water, met the waves with a forceful crash. They were too powerful and so no one was allowed into the water.

But it was still a beautiful day and Addie got to put her toes in the sand and into some of the little pools of water that had come over the sand bench.

The best part of the day came in the evening when we grabbed a bite to eat on the boardwalk which was awesome. It was so family friendly and everyone was out with kids and strollers just enjoying the weather. We walked around the amusement park and went to the aquarium and had a blast being out together.

Addie contributed to the day's adventures by blowing out her diaper, not once, not twice, but FOUR times. I didn't bring enough changes of clothes (seriously, who brings 4 changes of clothes) and by the end of the day that little girl was simply toting a small white diaper cover. I got a few "oh, that poor baby...what is that mother thinking!?!" kind of stares from overly concerned women up and down the Boardwalk. Oh well, at least it was warm outside!

Episode Six: Man-Made and Natural Disasters
Episode Five: Hilton Hotel Living

Tuesday, April 24, 2012

Best Four Years

Today marks our fourth anniversary and I cannot believe how incredibly happy these past four years have been and it is all because of this wonderful man.

I am blessed beyond words that this kind, patient, loving man proposed to me. He has completely changed my life for the better...he has taught me so much about being a selfless, serving spouse and I feel so lucky to be pampered by his love and service every single day. Not to mention how often he makes me laugh. Our lives are goofy ones.

We spent last Saturday in the temple and as always, it is a special reminder of the covenants that we made to be together forever. Our earthly life has been full of adventures since our marriage, full of big and small decisions, and I am so glad that I got to do it all with him. I can't wait for the forever that was promised to us when we were first sealed.

You bless my life everyday. I love you more than anything.

Happy Anniversary, love!

Friday, April 20, 2012

Hot Yoga

On Monday night, I tried my first hot yoga class with some of my ward friends. As this was my first yoga class ever, I was really nervous for several reasons:

I hate working out in the heat. The room was initially set to over 104 degrees and got well over. I was most aware of this when I could no longer breathe and became dizzy any time I attempted to stand. The fogged up mirrors were also a huge clue.

I don't understand yoga pose instructions. I don't mentally comprehend movement instructions very well. I have to really think about them and even then, I still typically do them incorrectly. Yoga directions are on a whole different level. Mostly because every movement had an animal name, like dog or rabbit. But also because I couldn't see the instructor due to all the sweat running into my eyes.

I dislike sweat running into my eyes. I was forewarned of the excessive amounts of sweat, but man, I looked as if I had just stepped out of the pool. Of course, I looked more like someone who nearly drowned in the pool. At one point, as my body parts were unrealistically interwoven, the instructor suggested I watch as my sweat rolled from my elbow, down to my fingers, to drop onto the floor. Mine splashed into a puddle.

I can't move my body like gumby. Standing splits? Enough said.

Despite the aforementioned issues, I loved how I felt afterwards. I haven't been this sore in ages. And yes, I will be returning tomorrow night for a second round of torture. Go figure.

Wednesday, April 18, 2012

Episode Six: Man-Made and Natural Disasters

Our first few weeks in New York were very eventful.

In our first week, the fire alarm went off at 5:00 in the morning. We were exhausted and Addie was terrified...the sirens have never sounded so loud as we tried to protect Addie's 7 week-old ears. We debated whether or not to evacuate like a good citizen should, and I think that if we didn't have Adalyne, we totally would have gone back to bed. But you can't quiet that little thought that you are putting your child in danger by ignoring the warning, so we went out into the chilly night. We were out there for at least an hour and I had to nurse Addie in the company car since she had woken up and was fussing. In the end, we were told that someone had burnt toast. Wahaaat??? Oh my. Back to bed.

The next night, it happened again, only at 3 am. I could have smashed the alarm in the room I was so tired and frustrated. Addie was startled awake, AGAIN, and this time we seriously pondered staying inside, feeling that it was another false alarm. But again, with Addie, we had to go. This time it was colder and we were outside even longer only to be told that it was indeed a false alarm and that the fire crew couldn't figure out what had set it off. I spoke with other hotel guests and apparently this has happened every year about the same time when they stayed there for a conference. GREAT. They said the last time it happened three times...thankfully, it remained at two.

Within a few days, Jon was in New York City for a job site tour on the World Trade Center when an earthquake hit the Washington DC area. He felt it and thought it was a subway or something...haha. First earthquake experience, ever. Thankfully there was no damage in New York and he only felt a small movement.

Five days later we were in the middle of one of the worst hurricane storms to hit the East Coast, Hurricane Irene. Thankfully, we didn't feel a thing. In fact, we slept right through it and didn't even notice the strong winds. BUT...we awoke to no power and by the evening, we learned that due to flooding we would be without power for three days.

Flooding in Pearl River, NY near where we stayed.

Our company decided to move us to another Hilton hotel nearby that did have power. While it was great we had somewhere to go, it also meant that we had to pack up and move our two months worth of stuff and I had finally gotten it all settled in so that it felt somewhat like home. And it also meant that I had just lost all of the refrigerated groceries I had bought the day before. Bummer. That night was a frustrating one, packing in the dark with a "Princess and the Frog" flashlight, carrying said luggage 1/4 mile and then hauling it down four flights of stairs (since the elevators were shut off due to power outage), shuttling Addie and the multiple loads between the two hotels, and moving into a tiny hotel room with twin beds, one piled high with our belongings, the other for Jon and I to squish together on. And then, two days later, we had to do the same trip over again and I had to pack and unpack our family's stuff for the third time in two weeks.

But we are SO grateful that we were safe and well taken care of. Our county was one of the few that was hardly hit. Just five minutes away, there was severe flooding and damage. The ward we attended in NJ was incredible...the area authorities asked the wards in the East Coast area to only hold a 30 minute Sacrament meeting early in the morning and then go help the victims. They did this for over a month every Saturday and Sunday! The Saints were amazing and the stories they brought back to Church the next week were incredible and incredibly sad.

We belong to such an amazing Church and I loved seeing the influence for good this opportunity provided.

Hopefully, we've had our share of disasters for a little while...I think the only one we're in danger of in Chandler is drought. Phew!

Episode Five: Hilton Hotel Living

Episode Five: Hilton Hotel Living

Living in New York was an absolute blast. Jon went everyday to training which he loved. We made great friends and he learned so much! He also got to work personally with some of the top dogs of his company. In fact, one of the Senior VPs offered to babysit Addie on several occasions and I got to meet the CEO!

Everyone was so nice and it was so great to hang out with people from all over the country, from all backgrounds of life. Everyone was especially wonderful to me and Addie. They called her their "little BIM baby" and were absolutely enthralled with her. It was kinda funny to see how curious they were about babies...In Utah culture, we just take babies for granted--they are everywhere you look, someone in your family or friend group most likely just had one. But these people were from a very different world...they were almost afraid of her, haha...but they certainly warmed up. I'd like to think that their experience with her will encourage them to have kids of their own one day!

Now, living in a hotel for two months was an adventure. Thankfully, it was an incredible hotel. The amenities were awesome, from racquetball courts to indoor pools, to gyms, to a beautiful walking trail.

The beautiful grounds of the Hilton.

And in a strange way, living in that hotel was the best thing for me at the time. People always looked at me like I was crazy and then they'd ask, "But what do you do all day?" It is amazing how little things could fill the day and with a baby, it was perfect. Addie and I had no responsibilities...we were free to relax and enjoy each other's company. I got to spend one-on-one time with Addie like I will never be able to again in my life. Someone made my bed every morning, cleaned my bathrooms, and vacuumed my floors. We had free breakfast every morning and free dinner once a week. The extent of my responsibilities was the weekly laundry and shopping and Addie. I sound totally pampered and I was! What a blessing...instead of trying to balance a million things and be a good mom, I was blessed to learn how to be a mom first, then slowly add back the responsibilities.

The living room suite part of our room (for the first half of our stay)

Our bedroom

Like I said, we were pampered. For the second half of our stay, we were moved into an actual apartment within the Hilton, complete with full kitchen. It was pretty much the above pictures plus a kitchen. It was awesome! We wish we could go back...at least, we sometimes wish we could go back :)