Midwest Travels

Jake and I were able to spend our Memorial Day weekend in Nauvoo and St. Louis. My parents are serving their mission in Nauvoo so we decided to pay them a visit. You can read more about their adventures here.We flew into St. Louis on Thursday evening where we spent the night. We awoke on Friday morning and drove to Nauvoo.

Elder and Sister Williams in front of their humble home.

 Our first stop was at the Seventies Hall where my mom was working. The Seventies Hall was like the MTC back in Old Nauvoo days; those who were going out on missions would come here to prepare for their mission.

 Next stop was to see my dad. He was out with the horses doing wagon rides, so we went on a wagon ride around Nauvoo and got an overview of what there was to see. For anyone planning a trip to Nauvoo, we  recommend doing this the first day to get a feel of the town.

Dad taking the horses back to the barn after a long days work.

On Saturday they were having a local BBQ cook-off in the city park. Each competitor would enter their secret recipe for a BBQ chicken, pork, and beef dish. We got to go around and sample them and then vote for our favorite.

Mom and Jake decided on which dish to vote on.

One of our favorite things to see was the "Trail of Hope". This "Trail" was the route the saints followed when they evacuated Nauvoo to head west.  Walking down this path you can read journal entries of the pioneers as they prepared for their journey west. Some of their stories are heartbreaking. I can't imagine having to pack up your lives, in the middle of winter, and head toward the unknown.

We made our way to the banks of the Mississippi River. We decided to re-enact our engagement picture, except this time the ring is a "prairie diamond". (a horseshoe nail in the shape of a ring.)

We also got to attend an endowment session in the beautiful Nauvoo Temple. This temple is amazing. I was lucky enough to attend the open house of this temple right after it was built, so it was nice to go back and attend a session.

 Before we headed out of town on Sunday we stopped and said goodbye to mom and dad at the Riser Cheap Boot and Shoemaker house. Dad taught us all about making shoes. It is so impressive how industrious the pioneers were back in those days. They thought of everything.

On our way back to St. Louis we stopped at Carthage Jail. We also made a stop at one of our favorite places to eat, "Fast Eddies". (sorry no pics)

 Monday morning we got up and headed to Forest Park for our run. It was incredibly HOT and HUMID, but the scenery was amazing! After living in Las Vegas for almost 2 years, we really appreciate grass and trees. :)

 That afternoon we headed to Busch Stadium to watch a Cardinals game. It was so fun!!

 What a wonderful way to spend Memorial Day, afterall, what's more American than baseball?!!

Free money, free travel, freedom, etc.

• Every spring we look forward to our annual REI dividend.  By simply using our REI credit card all year, we accrue a substantial shopping spree every March.  This year we had $370 in free money to spend.  It's awesome to walk out of REI with bags full of clothes without having spent a single dime of our own money. We better enjoy it this year.  We have decided to start using the Delta Skymiles card for the coming year.  We love to travel.  So we figured we would take advantage one year fee-free from Delta American Express to build up our miles for an upcoming trip.
• Remember the bushes we moved in our yard... from a our last post?  They're dead.
• I spent last week in Washington D.C. for work.  I had a few extra hours on Friday afternoon between meetings and my flight home.  I took a stroll around the White House to pass some time.  As we approached the South Lawn, we were stopped by a security guard and told to wait where we were.  A few moments later, the presidential motorcade exited the compound.  Those limousines are built like tanks! I am always fascinated by the life of the president.
• Speaking of the president, I just finished George W. Bush's autobiography, Decision Points. I know he wasn't a popular president, but I really do respect him.  He was president during a very difficult time in the history of America.  I think we were fortunate to have a man leading the nation who was not afraid to make difficult and unpopular decisions.
• My next book... Long Walk to Freedom, the autobiography of Nelson Mandela.  I began reading it on my flight home from D.C.  Seriously, the book reads more like a suspense novel than an autobiography.  It is full of African tribal life, government corruption, sabotage, wrongful convictions, and prisoner abuse - and I am only a third of the way through the book.  
• Favorite talk of General Conference... President Eyring's from Priesthood Session.
• Baseball season is underway!  I can't wait to go to a game.  We already have plans to attend two games - one in St. Louis and another in Phoenix.  If we're lucky, perhaps we can make our way to SoCal to catch an Angels or Padres game as well. 

Weekend Projects...

As homeowners it seems as though the projects never seem to end. Two weekends ago, Jake and I headed out to enjoy the beautiful weather and get a little yard work done. Well, one thing led to another, and before we knew it, what started out being "a little" yard work, ended up being A LOT of yard work.

Along with picking weeds and trimming trees, we decided to move around some bushes... which in turn led to some serious sprinkler renovations.

But after about 7 hours of work, and 4 trips to Lowes we finally got the bushes moved and the yard put back together. 

Then, this past weekend we went to the nursery to look at some different plant options for more yard projects, but the weather wasn't cooperating with us, so we decided to tackle another project of refinishing the coffee and end table that we are lucky enough to inherit for the time being.

 I mean, who wouldn't want to spend their day stripping stain off and sanding a table.

Now, although I will admit Jacob does most of the work, I always try to help where needed, even if it is just giving moral support! :)

Stay tuned for the finished projects...

Well Taken Care Of...

My wife knows how to throw a party!  She planned a whole weekend of events to celebrate March 6th.  It began Saturday morning with a meal at The Original Pancake House.  I always love going out to eat for breakfast.  We do it so seldom - so it is always a fun occasion when we make time for it.  

The company was great, but we both agreed that the food was just mediocre.  It is tough for any eatery to meet our standards when our favorite breakfast joint is Ruth's Diner in Emigration Canyon, UT.

Even before we went out to breakfast, Candice gave me my gift.  She told me it was time to go buy a grill!!!  I have longed for a grill ever since I moved out of my parents' house.  Finally, all these years later, I have one!

Candice was very patient with me as I made her visit 5 or 6 different stores to make sure we were getting the right grill.  We even had to stop back at our house so I could do a bit of web-research.  At the end of our search, we ended up with what I believe is the perfect grill.

After taking the grill home and assembling it, we were ready to move on to the next activity of the weekend.  Candice has never loved sushi, but I do.  So to show me how much she loves me, she took us out for sushi!  It was a treat!  

Following dinner, we made our way down to the Luxor to see the Bodies exhibit.  During my schooling I saw all sorts of models, read many books, and studied many diagrams of the human body.  Yet, to look at REAL human bodies, parts, and organs was a moving experience.  It gave us both a greater appreciation for how intricate our bodies really are. 

After the exhibit it was time for dessert.  We drove to the other end of the Las Vegas strip to a burger joint called StripBurger.  We ate there about a year ago and were not overly impressed with their burgers.  However, they make a Chocolate Hot Fudge Shake that I fell in love with.  So to finish off the night, we treated ourselves to one.

After enjoying the shake, we had to take a rest before heading back to our car to drive home.  We took the opportunity to snap a photo as we rested in the Fashion Show Mall.  We had been going all day long - we had a blast!

Sunday night we christened our new grill!  Candice had bought us some rib-eye steaks to enjoy.  We began marinading them on Saturday evening.  I don't know if it was the marinade, the grill, or the chef (or the fact that it was Fast Sunday) but those steaks were amazing.  If you've never tried the Canadian Steak Seasoning from Costco, you are missing out!

My mouth is watering as I look at this picture

We finished the weekend of celebrations with a very health dessert - Magic Bars (I think that is what they are called); a graham crust layered with chocolate and butterscotch chips, coconut, and sweetened condensed milk.  You know you are getting old when you only get one candle on your birthday cake!

Thanks Candice for an awesome weekend.  You're the best.

It's about time!

It's official, we are the world's worst bloggers. So, here are the highlights from the last 6 months of our lives...

The "DEATH MARCH" to Havasu Falls. We spent four days in this beautiful desert oasis with some of our best friends - Trent and Amy. And some of our not-so-best-friends - the Ring-Tailed Cat, the Tarantula, and the vicious squirrels. To read more about this adventure go here. 

Next up... HAPPY ANNIVERSARY TO US!! Jake and I booked our 1 year anniversary get away about 2 months after we got back from our honeymoon and it's hard to believe a year has passed. We decided to celebrate this joyous occasion in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. Highlights included, authentic Mexican food, a couples massage, lounging on the beach, and checking off a "bucket list" item for me (riding horses on the beach)!!

 Meet Lobo and Cabo! They treated us to a romantic sunset ride on one of the most beautiful beaches in Cabo. I don't think it gets much better than this for a cowgirl from Idaho.

We also experienced snorkeling on "Lover's Beach" and para sailing...FOR FREE! All because we were willing to spend 2 hours of our time listening to a time share spiel. We feel it was time well spent. :)

Who could forget the HOLIDAYS?! This year we spent Thanksgiving with the Jensen Fam in SLC. This of course included dinner at Dodee's, craft day, and the BYU/Utah game. Trips to SLC are always packed as we try and fit as much as possible into the short amount of time we get to spend there. (sorry no pictures)

Christmas this year was spent with Candice's sister Jan and her family in sunny, Mesa, AZ. These festivities included; skeet shooting in the dessert, a live nativity put on by us "kids" (most of us ranging from age 13-28), and the BEST fried turkey know to man! Jake could not stop talking about this turkey for weeks. (again, sorry no pictures)

As if we hadn't had enough fun yet, in January we headed to the Bahamas on the Williams' Family Cruise. And by "Williams' Family" I mean all 42 of us! Our days were filled with eating, lounging, eating, and more lounging. Just like a cruise is suppose to be, right? We did enjoy a few excursions which included swimming with the dolphins (another 'bucket list' experience for Candice) and Jake spent a day scuba diving.

And when we weren't on the beach, or eating, or lounging, you could be sure to find us in the karaoke bar singing our hearts out. Yes, even Jake got on stage to dazzle the crowd.  

And while we are out having so much fun, this is what Lexi gets to do...

look at that sad face!