Hawaiian Memories

Aloha!

We have officially gone to more church activities in the 3 weeks we have been here than we did the entire 2 years we were married in Utah.  This weekend at church there was a Hawaiian Luau.  Cory and I are old pros at the whole Hawaii thing, and broke out our honeymoon t-shirts for the evening.  There was a lot of good food and good people to visit with.  It was fun once we came home to reminisce about our week in Hawaii over two years ago.  In fact, that was one of our first posts on this blog!

Welcome to the Crib

Sean and I got our crib ordered once we got to Memphis.  It came super fast and Sean did an amazing job setting it all up.

It was looking pretty small and frail, and I was anxious to get all the bedding on and finished.

Sean after putting it all together!  Super Daddy!

I ordered some sheets and a simple white crib bumper.  I made plans to tie big bow sashes onto the crib bumper to attach it to the crib and then make a ruffled crib skirt.

I had been looking at lots of different crib bedding online and really loved the idea of big girly bows and a soft and billowy skirt.

I bought the fabric and hand gathered the whole skirt.  It was a labor of love, but I cannot believe how amazing it turned out.  The sashes turned out amazing, too.  I love how big the bows are.  It is so girly and chic!

We still have lots to do in the baby room!  The rocker has arrived, and the dresser is in the room, but still needs painting and new knobs, then it's just hanging and decorating!

Things to Come...

Cory and I have been helping out in the nursery at church on Sundays.  I don't know if they asked us to do that to try and prepare us for our baby, but we definitely had to be on our toes with these kids.  It was really fun though, and I am going to kind of miss helping out next week.

Stake Champions

Cory and I moved into the Walnut Grove Ward and we have really felt welcome.  One of the first activities I got involved in after arriving in Tennessee was the ward soccer team.  One Saturday we all headed down to Senatobia, Mississippi to play other teams in the Stake.  It was hot.

We won our first match against the Southaven ward, and our second match ended in a draw, but on goal differential we advanced to the final.  In the final we faced off against the Spanish Branch.  They were the clear favorites after having won their first match 7-0, and their second match 5-0.  I played defense most of the matches and had a pretty good time.  All my skills from pee-wee soccer came flooding back to me.  It was kind of like riding a bike.

We ended up being tied 1-1 at the end of regulation, thus sending it to overtime.  I wanted to go straight to penalty kicks so we could get out of the heat, but we had to play the extra time periods.  In extra time we scored our second goal and clinched the championship.

Cory came down to watch the championship match.  It was a fun Saturday, and I am proud to be part of the Walnut Grove Championship squad.

The Bearded One

There comes a time in a man's life when he needs to know what he looks like with a beard.  I will admit that for the past years I have looked on in envy as my closest friends have let their facial hair grow out.  They all have looked manly, but I have kept the baby-face.  I longed for the chance to feel confidence ooze out of me. Working at the MTC required me to shave every day, but since leaving last month, I have finally had a chance to prove my manhood.  Before we get to that, though, here is a tribute to those who have gone before me.

Joseph Naylor.  Great guy without a beard.  With a beard?  'Merica Man! Defender of freedom.

Shane Cason.  (And his lovely wife Jenna, appropriately not bearded) Funny/nice guy without a beard.  With a beard?  Dashing Southern Gentleman.

Brett and Kyle Anderson.  Adorable twin brothers without beards.  With beards?  Fierce Pirate Lords.

Zachary Crawford Snow Smith.  Strong silent type without beard.  With a beard? Kind of creepy... Sorry Zach, I couldn't find any other pictures of you with a single hair on your face.  

Even my dad got in on No Shave November a few years ago.  That look is the look of a man who knows who he is, who knows what life is all about and oozes manliness.

So, with so many inspirational figures in my life, I started to grow a beard.  Below is photo documentation.  Before you say anything, Mom, I know that the pictures aren't always flattering, and that you don't want to see up my nose, but there is a greater purpose at work here.  I have already come to terms with posting these somewhat awkward selfies.

This is after one week of not shaving.  Doubt has started to creep in that I may not be capable of reaching my goal.

This is after 2.5 weeks.  My Irish/English/Welsh heritage is making itself known.  There is a lot of hair, but it is either white blond or red, making it harder to distinguish from a distance.  With my eyes I am trying to will the hairs to grow longer and faster.

This is 3 weeks.  The red darkened a bit.  Frustration lingers as I look at pictures and realize the blond hair makes it look like there isn't much hair in certain spots.

One month.  I made it one month.  I am tempted to go longer, but with job interviews looming, and a wife who isn't as quick to snuggle, I decide I did what I set out to do.  I now know what I look like with facial hair.

I will miss walking through restaurants and getting slight nods from the other men with beards.  I will miss feeling like an Irish warlord when whatever I am drinking trickles down the hairs.  I will miss fitting in with every other man in Tennessee.

And so, almost a month to the day since my last shave, I pulled out the razor.  With each stroke I questioned my decision, but whats done is done.  I already feel like something is missing, and it surprises me when I feel skin on my face instead of hair.  Here is an "after" photo. 

Cory's first reaction was, "You look so skinny! And young!"  Basically the opposite of "Strong and manly".  Maybe the beard will make another appearance in November!

Don't Cry For Me Argentina

For those who don't know, I lived as a missionary in Argentina for two years.  Argentina will always hold a special place in my heart as a result.  The World Cup has been taking place in Brazil for the last month, and I have been cheering on Argentina!  Four years ago, when the World Cup was in South Africa, I was actually living in Argentina, and there is no accurate way of describing the passion of that nation for their beloved futbol team.

For the past month I have been watching every single one of their matches, while imploring others to do the same.  I have been wearing my Argentina jersey almost every other day to show my dedication.  In fact, here is a picture from last week on the day Argentina beat Belgium in the quarterfinals.  Cory and I are with Buzz at Shelby Farms visitor center.

Anyway,  Argentina went on to beat the Netherlands in the semifinal on penalty kicks.  Cory and I had to watch in the clubhouse because we don't have cable, but it didn't stop me from yelling and jumping up and down.  The final was on Sunday with Argentina facing off against Germany.  To show my support and hopefully bring some good luck I wore a special tie to church.

We got home from church and turned on ABC to watch 115 agonizing minutes of Argentina missing chance after chance to score.  It was messing with my heart health in all honesty.  With only a few minutes to go before penalty kicks, Germany scored the only goal of the match, leaving Argentina the 2nd place title.  It was SUCH A BUMMER!!!  Here are the boys before the final started.

Not to make excuses, but I think Argentina would have won if they wore their traditional striped jerseys.  Either way, it was a ton of fun watching them, and definitely kept me interested in World Cup action "to the death".  They also give me a great team to cheer for when the USA goes down early in the tournament.

Go Tigers!

Buzz left us on Sunday to head back to Idaho, but I thought I would post about something we did with her last week.  I really wanted to head to the University of Memphis campus to take a look around, and so we did.  I got a semi-tour of campus during my interview, but was anxious to explore again.  It really is a beautiful campus.  The mascot is a tiger, if you couldn't tell.

Just behind us over that wall is the field where the marching band has their practices, and that brick building is Robison Hall, which is where the School of Public Health is located, so all of my professors have their offices in that building.

The University celebrated its 100th anniversary in 2012, and to commemorate it they built 100 identical tiger statues, one to represent each year.  Then different organizations or groups decorated them and they were placed all around campus.  It is neat to see all of them and read the plaques on the bases that note some of the major University events from the year represented.

When you walk into the library and look up, this is what you see.  The dome is a pretty impressive sight.

As we walked around campus, we noticed the flags at half-mast.  I received an email explaining that it was in honor of a former governor or senator from Tennessee that had passed away.  There is another one of those tiger statues.

It was pretty hot when we were walking around, but there was a sign that specifically said not to run through the fountain.  It was tempting though.

We visited the student center, the bookstore, and the administration building while walking around, and I am excited to come to such a nice campus for the next two years.

Go Tigers!

Fourth of July in Tennessee

Happy Birthday, America!

Cory and I spent our 3rd Independence Day as married couple together this year, and our first in Tennessee!  Buzz was still with us from the move out, and the three of us had a blast our first week in Cordova.  (For the record, we live in Cordova, which is just to the east outside of Memphis.)  I am not sure we can adequately describe how much of a help Buzz has been to us during the move.  It was great to have her with us for our first week here.  Cory found out that Cordova puts on a local parade for the 4th, and so we headed to the Community Center to check it out.

While we were inside we visited the one room "Cordova Museum", and it was actually interesting.  The Community Center used to be a school, and the museum is set up like a small elementary school classroom.  There are little trinkets and artifacts to see, including a civil war era sword used by a soldier from the area.  The people were all so nice, and it was a good way for me at least to feel some more attachment to the community.  Here are Cory and Buzz waiting for the parade to start.

The parade was nothing compared to Provo, but we expected that, and kind of liked it, too.  Mostly antique cars drove by, and people hoping to get elected, but there were some girls on horses at the end.  I was loving it.

Afterwards they had soda, popcorn, and chips for everyone who came.  We even met the mayor.  He came over to us and welcomed us to the community.  

Later that night we headed south to Germantown to watch the fireworks.  It was a great show, and a great 4th of July!

Our New Home

We successfully unpacked our Penske truck and are all set up in our new townhouse.  We love it here in Cordova, already!  It has been fun to explore a new place, and we are ready to start this new phase of life!

Goodbye Utah, Hello Tennessee

The long awaited day has come!  We moved out of the bubble known as Happy Valley, Utah County.  Cory and I had been talking about it and planning for it for so long that it was a little surreal when it actually came.  We packed everything up, bought some good furniture on KSL and loaded up our Penske truck.  It was bittersweet as we looked forward to a new chapter in Memphis, but had to say goodbye to friends, family, and memories in Provo.  I know that Cory was sad that we were leaving right as Jake and Anna are starting their married life together.  I didn't mind...but Cory was sad.  Just kidding.  I am really really really really really really going to miss Jake.  He was great to have around packing that truck.

We had our white Mazda on a trailer attached to the truck, ready to be towed.  

Cory did a great job of supervising as we loaded the truck.  

Here is the team on the eve of departure.  We had Trucker Buzz, with her horse trailer expertise in the Penske, Cory on baby duty, and me in the black Mazda.

Before we left Provo, though, we stopped by Provo High School, where Anna is the new dance teacher, and checked out the dance room and her office.  I'm sure Anna was surprised to see the raw talent I unleashed in the studio.  Not a single ounce of training, people.  I know its hard to believe.

I call this move, "Leaping Gazelle"

Once the fun and games were over it was time to drive!  We drove the first day through Utah, right across Colorado, and stopped for the night in Colby, Kansas.  Thankfully these billboards were along the road or else I would have driven right through breakfast, lunch, and dinner!

The second day we crossed the smelly plains of Kansas, and then headed south into Oklahoma.  From there we headed east into Arkansas and stopped for the night in Little Rock.  The day consisted mostly of insane wind gusts, turnpikes, and toll booths.  

We didn't know it at the time, but Cory would accidentally throw away her driver's license and debit card at the motel in Little Rock.  Bummer, but in the morning it was just a quick two hours to Memphis, which was nice after back to back 14 hour days.

We had the grand idea to get out and take a picture at the Tennessee sign that we assumed would be alongside the road.  The only problem with that idea was the state line is the Mississippi River, so the sign was on the bridge, but the ever nimble Buzz was able to snap a picture as she drove underneath.

We are officially in Tennessee!