Extra Extra: First Post by Heather!

Alright, I haven't been keeping up my end of the bargain. Good thing William has time to post pics for us. I saw him yesterday at the multi-ward Halloween party, and he went as a Canadian--go figure:) I also saw him this morning when he was nice enough to take me to Sam's Club. JaNel, they don't carry the Kashi granola bars anymore. It's literally the end of the world.

So, as you all know my time has been occupied lately with Alejandro. I thought I'd post a pic even though you probably have seen it on facebook. We went to the corn maze Monday and had such a fun time (even though William had fun reminding me of the circumstances surrounding the last time we all went there). So, we are throwing out the "L" word now, but there is no ring. Just in case William and Justin go to Europe next summer, I'm giving you fair warning to keep the months of March-April free. I'm partly kidding and partly not:)

Pennsylvania, New York, and Canada

On September 30 I headed back to Erie to visit JaNel. While we were back there we headed up to New York to visit the church history sites and then up to Canada.

On Thursday morning we headed to Palmyra to visit the Smith Family Farm, Sacred Grove, temple site, Grandin Print Shop, the Hill Cumorah, and then headed up to Niagara Falls. Here are pictures from the first day:

Smith Family Farm Home

View of the temple from the Smith Farm

Smith Family Frame House

Fireplace where Joseph buried the plates

Sacred Grove

Niagara Falls at night

We got to Niagara Falls with enough time to walk around what I think was part of the downtown area and ended up at Shoeless Joe's for dinner. The weather turned out nice that night, we avoided any rain that night when were were out walking around.

The next morning we ventured off to the Maiden of the Mist for our trip to the Falls. We were not as lucky with the weather in the morning as we were the previous night. There was some rain, and then add that to the "mist" from the Falls which made for some wet times. We didn't get any pictures of the two of us together when we were on the boat, but I did include one that JaNel took of me.

We made it to the hotel where we were staying for the night and then headed to the mall to get in some Canadian shopping. JaNel got some makeup that she had been looking for and I got some new Vancouver Olympic wear. It of course would not be a trip without a stop to Walmart, even in Canada, where we stopped to stock up on some Canadian chocolate.

After dropping off our goods to the hotel we headed to Toronto to look around and make a stop in Chinatown. Long story short we ended up getting lost and overshot Chinatown by about 30 minutes, but nonetheless it was a nice drive and a fun time once we got there. We didn't end up taking any pictures while we were there, but did get some of Toronto at night. Dinner was dumplings and soup at a little restaurant.

The next morning we headed back to the USA so JaNel could get back to work. Here are a few highlights of the road signs:JaNel was driving a little fast to get the entire sign in this picture

We made it back just in time for JaNel to drop me off at the rental car place with enough time for her to make it to work. After getting my rental car I headed to Ohio to visit my family and also made a stop Kirtland. Here are just a few pictures of my time:

Here are two pictures from Chagrin Falls, the area in Ohio where my dad lived:

It was really a lot of fun being back east and visiting JaNel. As with any vacation it was not nearly long enough and there was too much to see in too little time. I was a little disappointed that I was not able to see the water park due to poor planning on my part. The area and scenery is amazing out there, add to that the changing colors with the fall and I am not sure if there is a more beautiful place. It is worth a trip!

Yellowstone August 2009

So it is now almost the end of October and based on JaNel's last post, I think it is time to update the blog. Here are some pictures and highlights from the trip that Heather, Justin, and I took to Yellowstone in August:

Here we are at the start on our up to Idaho

Here we are in the tent in Rexburg

Had to take a picture under the Montana signThe painted bison just outside the entrance to Yellowstone

Old Faithful, it was worth the wait
Playing in Lake Yellowstone
At the campsite in Yellowstone
Just a point of clarification, these are not buffalo, they are bison
And the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone

It was definitely a fun trip, although we should plan on spending more than a day and a half in Yellowstone next time. It was amazing to see all the wildlife and natural wonders on display. It was also beneficial to have a biologist with us to teach us the difference between a buffalo and a bison.

Anyone else there?

Hey, wasn't this supposed to be the place where everyone can keep in touch and let others know what is going on in our lives? Well so far you all are not keeping up your end of the sharing!

I am going to Puerto Rico! Flights are booked and everything! I'll be going Jan 23rd - Feb 6th with my parents and Jina. It will be nice to leave all this snow and be someplace warm!

It's my BIRTHDAY!!!

Alright dudes! Can't I have a birthday without thinking about how old I'm getting? 29 is not so bad... right Justin?!? I got something exciting in the mail today and it was the best ever... somebody sent me a card and a mixed CD! Thanks Heather! The radio stations here could be better. A lifeguard gave me the Jason Mraz CD he won off the radio about 2 months ago. I dont like many of the songs so I just listed to track 2 & 3 over, and over, and oaver again. Good thing the two best songs are back to back! Right now I'm off to Pittsburgh with Issac. He is taking me out to dinner somehwere around there and then we are going to this big 3 day YSA thing. Tonight is game night (my favorite)! Of course I have work on Saturday so we'll be driving back tomorrow morning. I miss you all, it's a sad birthday when all of my bestest friends are 2,000 miles away :(

Until next year! I put in a good wish for all of you!
JaNel

Celebrity Look-Alikes

So a girl at work showed me this at work today and I thought it was too much fun to pass up without running everyone's picture through it. I am not sure how accurate some of these are, but they are fun! Who ever would have thought Heather was the lost daughter of Barry Manilow?!

Moving In!

Finally I am moving in! I have been sleeping (if you can even call it sleeping) on a twin air mattress for the past few days in my new townhouse. All my stuff will be coming on Saturday in which my boss told me if I miss too many hours from work on saturday because of the movers, then I would have to work on Sunday (just in case you hadn't gotten a good picture of my great work relationship)! I bought a huge 52" Samsung Full HD LCD TV today with a Blue Ray player that also playes instant netflix movies right into the TV. Pretty cool huh?! Now if I could just get off work long enough to have the time to watch something. Last week I worked 52 hours (this includes last Saturday when I worked 9 hours and was called by my boss to get back into work because I "left too early". Pray for me... I need it!

I have prepared for my first lesson as a Gospel Doctrine Teacher. It's crazy that I will be teaching all of the adults every week. But I'm sure I will somehow find the time to fit it all in. Good news... the first single guy moved into the ward, I should be meeting him on Sunday... did I mention the first and so far only single guy :) You know you are all jealous of the incredible experiences I'm having out here! Love you, miss you, save me!!! ~JaNel

ABBA in Deer Valley

Saturday night was ABBA:Symphonic Hits. Justin, Heather, and I all purchased tickets for the big event. We decided to head up earlier in the day so we could play around in Park City prior to the symphony. I drove to Salt Lake to ride up with Justin as he and I had decided to stay the night. Heather drove up through Heber and met us for lunch at Baja Catina. After enjoying a nice lunch we headed up to the Alpine Slide for a look around and to buy tickets. Justin and I decided to buy the package deal of the Alpine Slide & Coaster, for a ride on each. Here is a picture of us finishing the Alpine Slide:

We decided that the line for the coaster was too long to stand in with the heat, so we decided to go check into the hotel and make out traditional Walmart. Due to the threat of mosquitoes, I thought it would be wise to arm ourselves with some protection. While we were there we also picked up some chocolate to snack on during the symphony. After a short pit stop back at the hotel we made out way to Main Street for some dinner. We ended up at Bandit's.

We made it up to Deer Valley with about a half hour before the concert was due to start. Just as we got out of the car the rain started. We, along with all the others, made our way up the hill and and into the concert area, all hoping that the rain would stop. I needed to find a restroom so I let Justin and Heather go and find us seats. On my way back from the restroom I decided that I would try and wait the rain out, but that didn't work, so I just braved the elements to find them.

Luckily the rain stopped right around the same time the concert was starting and the sun came out, so it made for an enjoyable evening. The concert was amazing, how can you help buy not enjoy the music of ABBA?! Here are some pictures taken during the concert:

The three of us

Justin & Heather Enjoying the Music
And here is a great video of Justin and Heather

After the concert we headed back to the hotel and enjoyed an hour of swimming before the pool closed for the night.

We used the tickets for the Alpine Coaster the following morning when there was no line. Here are some pictures from the ride up:

It was a really fun weekend and a nice chance to get out of Provo and up in the mountains of Park City and Deer Valley.

Lavender Days Canceled

We started the morning off with breakfast at IHOP in Springville. At a place like IHOP you really should not expect much in terms of service. I had almost finished my eggs, hash browns, sausage, and bacon before my Hawaiian pancakes were brought out. On the way out of the parking lot someone, I want to say Heather, pointed out the Dairy Queen sign. I think we have the public education system in Springville to thank for this one!


We then continued on to Mona for the lavender. We learned on Friday that they were not have the festival like they had in years past, but we decided to go anyways to pick lavender and take a tour of the facilities. Here is the section of the field before we started butchering it:


Heather and Alecia were the only ones that paid to cut/pick lavender, but Justin and I helped. This is after we have finished destroying the vegetation in Mona:


We then toured the distillery and watched a short movie on Young Living Farms. After finishing we drove back to the Red Barn to look around and get some lavender ice cream, or so we thought. It turns out they were only selling the ice cream back at the farm, and I wasn't about to drive back, so we had to settle for just the flavors they had at the Red Barn. We all ended up buying something there before heading home.

After a rousing game of SkipBo we headed off to the movies to see The Proposal, which I must say was a hilarious movie. Before headed home to another game of SkipBo we had Five Guys for dinner.

Busy, but refreshing day due to the abundance of lavender.