Easter 2016

Happy Easter, everybody!  Each holiday that passes gets more and more exciting because Emmy is more aware and can participate.  Easter was great this year with our little bunny at home.

We've never had Emmy do the whole picture with Santa Claus thing because we always thought she was too small.  As Easter was approaching, Cory found out that the Bass Pro pyramid was going to be doing free pictures with the Easter Bunny.  We figured, since it was free, we would check it out. 

There was a good sized crowd in line when we got there, but we waited patiently.  Emmy was in a happy, bubbly mood and occasionally giggled at the other kids getting their picture taken.  We slowly made our way to the front of the line.  When it was our turn, we set Emmy down to walk over to E.B. (my abbreviation for the Easter Bunny).  She immediately froze and stared at him.  We called her over a few time.  No response.  Cory then picked her up and set her down in E.B.'s lap.  The exact moment that Cory's hands left Emmy's body, to paraphrase Moses, "a cry went out throughout all the land of Egypt (Bass Pro Pyramid), such as there was none like it, nor shall be like it any more." In other words, Emmy was wailing like a banshee.  The sound of absolute terror rang through the air.  Click. Flash.  Photo taken.  "Aww" emanating from the crowd.  I am laughing.  Cory runs to Emmy and lifts her up.  I kid you not, the second that she was out of EB's lap and into Cory's arms, Emmy went silent, and looked around as if nothing had just happened.  We had evidence, though. 

As much as I don't want Emmy to be sad, I also was kind of glad that we now had an immortalized classic memory.  Also, she was totally fine so quickly.  Later, Cory and I dug up some old photos of us as toddlers taking staged photos.  It explained so much.

On Sunday, we celebrated Easter by going to church in the morning.  Every Sunday it is important to attend church and remember the promises we have made, but you can't help but feel something extra on Easter Sunday.  The Atonement and Resurrection of our Savior, Jesus Christ, gives us reason to hope, and has made it possible for us to overcome our weaknesses and be together as a family for eternity.  That knowledge is not only a passive blessing in our lives, but motivates our actions and refines our behavior.  I am so grateful for my little family. 

Once we got home, we had our Easter egg hunt!  It was Emmy's first time, and she did so well!  In the morning before church, she had already started to notice some of them.  It was fun to help point her in the right direction.

Of course, Emmy is just the stinkin' cutest thing on the planet.  Cory did such a great job putting her little outfit together, as usual.  Her dress and pink bow got so many compliments.  Happy Easter 2016 from the Gilmores!

Peabody Ducks

Our Memphis bucket list continues!  Cory and I took Emmy downtown to the Peabody hotel to see the Peabody ducks.  The hotel is home to a group of ducks that ride the elevator down to the lobby every morning, walk the red carpet that leads to the fountain, and swim in the fountain for the day.  At night, they head back out to the elevator and up to their beds until the next morning. 

Emmy had a great time watching them paddle around.  We could barely tear her away.  One more item off our Memphis to-do list.  Before we know it, we will be leaving the city we have grown so attached to.  After the Peabody, we headed over to the BassPro pyramid to get Emmy's picture with the Easter Bunny.  More on that traumatic experience in the next post...

Big News!

Life is such a whirlwind right now.  Cory and I found out that she is pregnant with our second child!  We are a bit in shock, but are so excited to add to our family, and for Emmy to be a big sister.  We thought something was up when Cory had to get up to use the bathroom in the middle of the night for a week straight.  After I got back from Chicago, we went to a walk-in ultrasound clinic and got our first glimpse of our still very tiny baby.  Baby is measures at about 6 and a half weeks, which puts our due date at November 6th!

That means Emmy and Baby will be just a few weeks past two years apart.  When we told Emmy the news, she immediately started researching how to be a great big sister.  Not really, but we thought this was a really funny picture and it seemed like a great place to use it.  Emmy is fascinated by the laptop.

Baby Gilmore 2.0 coming in November!

Chicago Conference

Cory and I were in Dallas last weekend for my Spring Break looking for apartments, and this week I continue my travelling tour in the Windy City.  I attended the ACHE Congress on Healthcare Leadership in Chicago with about 10 other students in my program.  It not only was a great opportunity to network and learn about the industry of my future career, but it was also my first time to Chicago, which means I went full tourist on everybody.  We flew in on St. Patrick's Day, and during the week the river stayed green from when they dyed it.

I went to the Bean 3 or 4 times during my 5 days in the city.  I pretty much spent from 7:00 AM to 4:00 PM at the conference, going to sessions, attending panels, etc.  I also was a program assistant, which is basically like an usher for certain sessions.  I signed up to work as a program assistant because my registration was reimbursed that way.  It was a great way to meet other students from around the country.  After 4 PM, though, I pretty much could explore the city.

I mean, it is pretty trippy when you walk underneath.

On the first night of the conference, there was an LDS reception.  The current ACHE Chairman, Ed Lamb, is LDS, so he invited all LDS attendees to his suite for a reception.  It was really cool to meet so many other members of the Church that also work in healthcare.  I met a lot of really successful people there.  Another night I actually got the chance to head out with Landon and Dr. Carlton (my academic adviser) and we went and did some work at the Chicago Temple.  It was a great way to gain some perspective during the whirlwind of the conference.

Before I left, Cory was telling me all about some deep dish pizza places I could try.  I have never had deep dish Chicago style, so I knew I had to try some.  Right next to the Hyatt Regency, where the conference was being held, was a Giordano's, so Parker, Landon, and I headed over between sessions for some lunch.  It was glorious.  I absolutely loved it.

On the last day of the trip, I attended my last session in the morning, and then spent my last day in the city.  We met up with a group of girls from the UAB MHA program.  I met a few of them at the case competition last month.  One was from Chicago, so she showed us some cool places.  She took us to the Hancock building, which has amazing views from the top deck.  

Yes, these are real photos from my phone!

We stopped by the bean for my third and final time, before heading off to the airport.

Here I am with Landon, Deepen, and David.  We were the last to fly out from the Memphis program.  I was glad to get back home to Cory.  Many times during my trip I though about how fun it would be to have her with me.  I had fun with the guys, but I have waaaaay more fun with Cory.  It was another realization of why I married her.  Exploring and experiencing new things with her is better than alone or with others.  Maybe if I come consistently to the conference every year, Cory could come with me and it could be an annual retreat for us.  That would be fun.

Spring Break in Dallas

After such a busy February, March is going to be a breeze.  I have a week off of school and work for Spring Break.  Cory and I decided that we would drive the 7 hours down to Dallas and scout out some places to live.  Buzz flew in from Idaho to watch Emmy so Cory and I could maximize our time.  Emmy is a fun travel buddy, but she is kind of high maintenance.  Leaving her with Grandma would mean she wouldn't have to be in the car driving around for three days straight.  In other words, she would be much happier.

Some friends in our ward, Landon and Kelsey Welch, know all about Dallas.  Kelsey is from Dallas, and her parents still live there.  They graciously opened their home to us so we could save some money not booking a hotel.  Her dad, Britt Berrett, is a very successful healthcare administrator, as well, so it was interesting to pick his brain a little bit and hear his opinion of UT Southwestern.

Cory has been so on top of researching our options for housing in Dallas.  It feels like we had looked at everything online before driving down.  Do we want to live close to my work?  Do we want to live near shopping?  Do we want to live in a suburb?  Where are the nearest parks for Emmy?  Where is there a library that does story time?  Where can we afford?  Does the place look disgusting?  All these questions and more were weighed.

Once we actually got to Dallas, we only had a handful of contenders to actually go and visit.  Some we marked off the list as soon as we pulled up, some we marked off after a tour, and a couple we thought would work perfectly well.  We didn't actually have a lot of time to "have fun", but I thought it was fun to feel like Cory and I were working as a team to plan our next move.  

We decided that we wanted to be close to my work so that I could spend more time at home, and not have to commute two hours a day.  Cory found a place a while ago online that we wanted to check out.  When we got there it was raining, and the managers said they couldn't give tours while it was raining.  So we waited in the car until the rain stopped and went back in.  We ended up really liking it, and decided that we would try to live there.  They won't know if they have something available until 60 days before our move-in date, so we will have to wait until May to find out if there is a vacancy.  If there is, we are moving in.

Our potential apartment is only about 10 minutes from my job, Bachman Lake Park is just down the road.  It has a children's play area and a library with story time. 

Also, only about 10 minutes away the other direction is the Argentina Bakery!  We kind of stumbled across it on accident, but I'm sure glad we did!  We got some facturas and empanandas for the road.  It was the closest I have had in the States to the real thing.  I am about 99% sure that the place is run by algunos de mis Argentinos queridos.  We absolutely will be frequenting the establishment when we move to Dallas later this year.

The Dallas trip was definitely successful.  I will say, though, that I lost count of the number of times that Cory said, "I miss Emmy" over the course of three days.  In her defense, it was the first time that she had been separated from Emmy overnight, so I will chalk it up to adorable mother-daughter bond.  When we got home, we opened the door and Emmy caught a glimpse of Cory.  She literally stood there stunned for about five seconds.  It was almost like it was the first time she realized that we were gone.  Once the initial shock was over, a big smile spread across her face and it was hugs and kisses all around.  Thanks again to Grandma Buzz for staying with Emmy!