Sunday, April 24, 2016
Our first Tornando!
We've had some crazy weather this spring. The rain has been so heavy and we had some bad flooding in the area. One night we got a warning from our phones that a tornado was near by. So being cautious we turned on the news and our phones and watched the progression. Then the tornado siren by our house went off. This has never happened in our home so it was a great drill as we didn't feel like it was a serious threat. We pilled our things in bathroom and were all set just in case. Then it was time to get Zoey. Zoey hates the bathroom so much because she hates baths. So getting here in the bathroom was sort of a joke. We finally got here in and the combination of being in the bathroom and the loud siren made for a very panicked dog. She was hyperventilating and the first chance she had she escaped out the door. Jed went back out to get her but she wouldn't come. He then proceeded to pick her up while she then proceeded to pee EVERYWHERE. It was so funny. Luckily it wasn't anything to worry about and we slept safe in our beds that night.
Memphis 13.1
I finally signed up for a half marathon in hopes that it would get me running again. Well it didn't but it still was a blast. I was able to keep a great pace, with zero training, for 11 miles and then died hard the last mile. I ran consistent 6:40's but ended up with a time of 1:34 because my first and last mile were so slow. It still was so fun and I got second overall. I was in first place the whole time until the last mile. When the girl passed me, I knew I had zero left. I really wasn't disappointed at all because I was just happy I got out there and ran. It actually kick-started my want to run again and see what I can do with it. I really do love to race.
Staying with the Tonkins
The Tonkins went out of town and Jed and I stayed at their house and watched the girls for the week. It was a lot of fun and the girls were really good. It was really nice being so close to work and Jed being so close to school. We got very spoiled with the lack of driving that week. Entertaining those girls all day wore us out so much! By the end of the day Jed and I would be exhausted and ready for a good nights sleep.
Sunset on the Mississippi outside the Tonkin House
Visitors!
Kayla and Josh Hagen came and visited us for a weekend. It was seriously the best. We missed them so much and it was so wonderful to hang out with them. They are seriously some of our very best friends. I loved how we just talked and talked and played endless games! We also went to a Grizzlies game and won free KFC, showed them around Memphis (the river, the pyramid, Beale St, and Shelby Forest). They adored Zoey and she loved all the attention. It was really sad to see them go but it was great to know that they are still such great friends. We will visit them in Dallas some time soon!
My parents came back in town to visit with us for two weekends. It's been nice to see them as much as we have because of how close my grandma is to us. My parents come for a weekend, spend the week with my Grandma, and then spend the next weekend with us. It's perfect because it doesn't interfere with work or school and we can really make the most of their time here.
Getting them here was crazy. There were some crazy storms in Colorado so they were stuck in the airport for six hours. I had to pick them up from the Memphis airport at three in the morning! So that first Friday consisted of sleeping in for all of us. Then when Jed came home from school we went to Lowes and my dad helped us with our garden and grass.
Saturday was really fun! It was my dad's birthday and we really wanted to make it special, because it's not everyday we get to celebrate his birthday. We got up early and had birthday pancakes by Jed and then headed to Shelby Forest for a hike. It was a gorgeous day and we had a great time. The trees were starting to bloom and everything looked so alive. We saw an explosion of Cardinal feathers and it looked like angry birds.
Then we all came home and rested before heading out to Memphis BBQ Company for some birthday BBQ. My mom and I then went to the General Women's Broadcast. It was really special to be able to go to that with my mom. When we got home we had some birthday pecan pie and played games.
Then Jed got to practice some eye doctor skills on my parents!
My parents came back in town to visit with us for two weekends. It's been nice to see them as much as we have because of how close my grandma is to us. My parents come for a weekend, spend the week with my Grandma, and then spend the next weekend with us. It's perfect because it doesn't interfere with work or school and we can really make the most of their time here.
Getting them here was crazy. There were some crazy storms in Colorado so they were stuck in the airport for six hours. I had to pick them up from the Memphis airport at three in the morning! So that first Friday consisted of sleeping in for all of us. Then when Jed came home from school we went to Lowes and my dad helped us with our garden and grass.
Saturday was really fun! It was my dad's birthday and we really wanted to make it special, because it's not everyday we get to celebrate his birthday. We got up early and had birthday pancakes by Jed and then headed to Shelby Forest for a hike. It was a gorgeous day and we had a great time. The trees were starting to bloom and everything looked so alive. We saw an explosion of Cardinal feathers and it looked like angry birds.
Then we all came home and rested before heading out to Memphis BBQ Company for some birthday BBQ. My mom and I then went to the General Women's Broadcast. It was really special to be able to go to that with my mom. When we got home we had some birthday pecan pie and played games.
The next weekend was General Conference. Because we are central time it doesn't start until 11. So we decided to try the famous Blue Plate. Luckily we got there early because the line was out the door by the time we left. It was the cutest diner in Downtown Memphis and had a fantastic southern breakfast.
Then Jed got to practice some eye doctor skills on my parents!
We were able to enjoy conference breakfast with my parents and the missionaries this year and had a spiritually uplifting weekend. My Parents left on the coming Tuesday and it was so wonderful for them to visit. We played lots of games and the company was great.
Wednesday, April 20, 2016
Spring Break 2016
For the first time since me and Jed's college experience we had a spring break. Because I still had to work, I didn't have the whole week off but we were still able to make the most of the time that we had. In order to fit with a conference that the students were encouraged to go to, spring break was the last week of February so even going to beach would be a little cold. Luckily for us our favorite band, Mute Math, was coming to Baton Rouge the very first day of spring break. We decided to make a trip of it and visit some places we had never been to. Our trip started with our 6 hour trek to Baton Rouge Louisiana. This was both Jed and I's first time in Louisiana. My cousins also happen to live in Baton Rouge so we were able to stay with them. So on Monday we drove down to catch the concert that night. It was really rainy and extremely humid. It was really cool driving through the bayou and we saw some unique landscape that both Jed nor I had ever seen before. There was a couple times I thought that if our car broke down we would either die by the mouth of gators or the hand of swamp people.
The concert was absolutely amazing. The band Nothing But Thieves opened for them and they were the best opening band we had ever seen. The lead singer had a really great voice. Mute Math was so good. By far the best concert I had been to and Jed said it tied with the last time he saw Mute Math. They almost played all of our favorite songs and like always, put on an incredible show.
The next morning we were on our way to Orange Beach Alabama to have some beach time. Before we left though we stopped by Cajun Town and had some beignets. They were incredible! We tried really hard to eat like locals on our trip. The night before we went to the original Raising Canes which started right by the LSU campus. The concert was right next door. The drive to Orange Beach was breath taking. We basically drove along the Gulf the whole time. It was incredible how sometimes we had the ocean on either side of your car for miles at a time. We got close to New Orleans and surprisingly still saw aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. We also drove through Mobile Alabama which was such a cool city!
We got to our hotel mid day and I was excited because it was right on the beach. Because it was off season we got a killer deal for what would normally be a very expensive hotel. It was really windy and cold so we just walked the beach that day. It was still so cool. There were so many shells and it was so different from the west coast beaches that we were used to. The water was still warmer than when we went to California last May. That night a crazy storm came in and it was raining like crazy. The lightening on the ocean was incredible. Then we got a call from the front desk. The front desk very happily told us that a tornado was headed our way and that we needed to head to the second floor. When Jed hung up he just was like "well that was a strange call." So down we went, us and all he snow birds. We were the youngest there by about 50 years. All of us just hanging out on the second floor, floor. Then the old people started singing "On top of old smokey," and Jed and I were laughing so hard. The tornado went overhead but never touched down and back we went to our room.
The next day was very cold and so we decided to go to Pensacola Florida to the Navy Flight Museum. So this trip alone I got three new states! Jed got two. The museum was really cool and we saw some really cool planes. We decided to do the flight simulator and it was so fun. We made ourselves sick doing loop d loops. I was laughing my head off not realizing the walls were not sound proof and everyone could here me. But it was great.
That night we wanted to get fish and so we went to a fancy fish restaurant. In all honestly we didn't think it was going to be a fancy/expensive restaurant as it was but we were there and it was delicious all the same.
After a fun filled three days it was time to go back so I could go to work. On the way home we saw the damage of a tornado and that really spooked me. The trees were tipped over and splintered like toothpicks. I don't think tornado's had been real to me until then.
We had a really great spring break. There was more driving than we thought but it was all worth it.
The concert was absolutely amazing. The band Nothing But Thieves opened for them and they were the best opening band we had ever seen. The lead singer had a really great voice. Mute Math was so good. By far the best concert I had been to and Jed said it tied with the last time he saw Mute Math. They almost played all of our favorite songs and like always, put on an incredible show.
The next morning we were on our way to Orange Beach Alabama to have some beach time. Before we left though we stopped by Cajun Town and had some beignets. They were incredible! We tried really hard to eat like locals on our trip. The night before we went to the original Raising Canes which started right by the LSU campus. The concert was right next door. The drive to Orange Beach was breath taking. We basically drove along the Gulf the whole time. It was incredible how sometimes we had the ocean on either side of your car for miles at a time. We got close to New Orleans and surprisingly still saw aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. We also drove through Mobile Alabama which was such a cool city!
We got to our hotel mid day and I was excited because it was right on the beach. Because it was off season we got a killer deal for what would normally be a very expensive hotel. It was really windy and cold so we just walked the beach that day. It was still so cool. There were so many shells and it was so different from the west coast beaches that we were used to. The water was still warmer than when we went to California last May. That night a crazy storm came in and it was raining like crazy. The lightening on the ocean was incredible. Then we got a call from the front desk. The front desk very happily told us that a tornado was headed our way and that we needed to head to the second floor. When Jed hung up he just was like "well that was a strange call." So down we went, us and all he snow birds. We were the youngest there by about 50 years. All of us just hanging out on the second floor, floor. Then the old people started singing "On top of old smokey," and Jed and I were laughing so hard. The tornado went overhead but never touched down and back we went to our room.
The next day was very cold and so we decided to go to Pensacola Florida to the Navy Flight Museum. So this trip alone I got three new states! Jed got two. The museum was really cool and we saw some really cool planes. We decided to do the flight simulator and it was so fun. We made ourselves sick doing loop d loops. I was laughing my head off not realizing the walls were not sound proof and everyone could here me. But it was great.
That night we wanted to get fish and so we went to a fancy fish restaurant. In all honestly we didn't think it was going to be a fancy/expensive restaurant as it was but we were there and it was delicious all the same.
After a fun filled three days it was time to go back so I could go to work. On the way home we saw the damage of a tornado and that really spooked me. The trees were tipped over and splintered like toothpicks. I don't think tornado's had been real to me until then.
Sweethearts 10k
Jed and I have started a new tradition while living here in Memphis. Every year we will participate in the Valentines day 10k. It is a 10k race on or near Valentines day that takes the times of both couples, adds them together and then you place based on joint times. It was a really fun race and a really great after party. Jed was such a trooper and I'm so proud of him. He really wanted to go faster than 1 hour and we ran it in 50 minutes. I thought that was really cool for a guy that ran two miles a couple days before the race. It was really fun running the race together. It will be our tradition to run together and maybe we can get faster and win our age division. We got 2nd but just by a little bit!
The Opera and Memphis Open
I nanny for a family that lives on Mud Island and they are incredibly generous to Jed and I. Some perks with the job have been being able to go out to eat to some really fun places we otherwise would not have gone to, go to an opera, and go to the Memphis Open. The opera was actually really good and both Jed and I really enjoyed the evening. There was this college student who performed and she was absolutely incredible.
The Memphis Open was AMAZING! It was the first professional/any tennis I watched live. The atmosphere was fun and we got to sit in really great seats. We saw some fun names play like Kei Nishikori (currently 6th in the world), Sam Querry, and the new up and coming 18 year old Taylor Fritz. The Taylor Fritz match was our favorite. They went into overtime and it was so intense. We are excited to see what Fritz does in the coming years and how he can really make a name for the USA in tennis again.
The Memphis Open was AMAZING! It was the first professional/any tennis I watched live. The atmosphere was fun and we got to sit in really great seats. We saw some fun names play like Kei Nishikori (currently 6th in the world), Sam Querry, and the new up and coming 18 year old Taylor Fritz. The Taylor Fritz match was our favorite. They went into overtime and it was so intense. We are excited to see what Fritz does in the coming years and how he can really make a name for the USA in tennis again.
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