Jonah: 5 Months

I’ve had a lot of “mommy brain moments” since I started working full time again.  Two memorable ones include throwing Jonah’s bib away instead of putting it in the laundry and pouring gatorade on my cereal instead of milk!  Ugh - haha!  

I can’t believe how quickly Jonah is growing up.  He can hold a bottle by himself sometimes!

At the end of August, we had the unpleasant and horrible task of dealing with a RAT infestation.  

:(((  I was breastfeeding Jonah on the couch when a giant rat just nonchalantly walked past me, looked at me, and then proceeded to walk into our dining room and pantry!!  I freaked out.  I called our landlord, where I found out I had to submit a maintenance request online.  They took OVER A WEEK to respond to our need, which I viewed as very urgent because of Jonah!  All I could keep picturing was that scene from “Lady and the Tramp” with the baby in the crib and the rat standing on the edge and lightning flashing.  It was terrifying!  We set out traps and finally killed one after 5 days.  It was probably (no exaggeration) 10 inches long.  I was so disgusted.  We killed the second rat after 8 days.  After we killed all the rats, the pest control people finally came.  Talk about poor management!!!  As far as cleaning up after an infestation, the CDC website said you had to wait a few WEEKS to clean out so that you’re sure all the rodents are dead.  Ugh.  So we finally deep cleaned the pantry, closets, and dining room out 2 weeks after the last rat was killed.  It took all day!

Jonah’s four month appointment went very well.  Height: 26 inches, weight: 16 pounds 7 ounces, head circumference: 41.5 cm! He is 75th percentile for height and weight!  The doctor said he is “perfect!”  That made me happy! :)

Teething has been a nightmare.  Jonah soaks a few bibs a day with drool, is pretty fussy, is getting a rash around his mouth from all the drool, and has had a low grade temp.  One night I had to give him Motrin and swaddled him, which helped him to sleep 8.5 hours straight!  

Jonah’s first laugh was awesome - we were just sitting at dinner and he was watching us eat and all of the sudden let out a laugh!  It wasn’t long, but it was what it was.  I was SO happy because I’d been looking forward to a laugh forever!

Jordan had the majority of August and the first week of September off, so he was able to watch Jonah when I worked!  It was so nice to have him home.  When he started school again, our new nanny, Olivia, worked out excellently!  She plays with Jonah, takes him on walks, and helps me out around the house.  I love her!  The first full day she watched him, Jonah wouldn’t eat from a bottle from her.  I was worried, but suggested to Olivia to feed him from a syringe.  That, along with feeding him on our bed (where he could smell me and Jordan) worked.  After that day, he didn’t have a problem with Olivia feeding him.

Once in church, Jonah had a major blowout, and of course I had only brought an extra pair of pants to church...so he showed off all his muscles to the Young Women!  

My mom came into town September 16 and stayed with us for a week!  It was awesome.  Jonah was all smiles and she was so excited to see him! We had so much fun!  We got pedicures, went apple picking at Carter Mountain in Charlottesville (SO FUN!!!) and made apple turnovers and apple pie, and went to North Carolina to stay with the Bethers!  We had a great time!  While we were in North Carolina, Jenae taught Jonah how to suck on a binkie for longer than 2 seconds. ;)

Jonah: 4 Months

I know I’m biased, but...I think I have the most beautiful baby in the world!  He has the softest skin with so many sweet rolls and folds.  He’s my little baby angel!

Whenever he eats, he has started flirting with me.  It is seriously the cutest thing ever!  He’ll smile shyly, talk, and coo at me.  I love it!  He also makes the cutest squealing noise whenever he gets excited.  I know he is so close to laughing!  He has the cutest personality, and I love watching it develop.  He is so sweet and funny!  Jonah is also very much a morning person.  It’s rare that he’s not awake by 6:30!  He is very happy when waking up too - all smiles!

August 1 was my first day back to work.  The night before, I cuddled with Jonah all night long.  I couldn’t sleep!  I knew he would be in good hands with our new nanny, but I was still so worried about leaving him for so long.  The nanny texted me multiple times while I was at work, saying Jonah was inconsolable and crying the whole day long!  He wasn’t used to me being gone for hours on end and having to drink out of a bottle all day!  Yes, he had gotten bottles previously, and did well with them, but didn’t have to drink out of them all day.  The nanny was at her wits end.  So I wasn’t surprised when she quit the next day...leaving us in the same position, needing to find a new nanny before Jordan started school again on September 9.  Ugh.  

Physically, Jonah has been developing by leaps and bounds!  He is able to hold his torso up and does little push-ups during tummy time!  He is also constantly rolling over, and even rolls over during his sleep!  Jonah also has started trying to scoot forward. The problem is though, he can't figure out how to move his arms! It's so funny. He also eats a ton.  Once, he ate 8 ounces for Jordan when he woke up!  I was shocked!

Jordan watched Jonah the rest of the month of August.  Jonah is so lucky to have all this time to spend with Jordan.  None of our other future kids will have this much time with him!  I was also jealous, because Jonah was sleeping much better for him during the day than for me (initially, anyways)!  Towards the middle of August, Jonah started going through the dreaded “four month sleep regression!”  He had been sleeping 8 hours a night, eating, and then sleeping 3 more hours.  During the sleep regression, he would get up every 2 hours.  I just had to remind myself that this too would pass!

Wednesdays have become my least favorite day, because I’ll usually work and then I’ll have Young Women’s in the evening.  I hate being away from Jonah all day long.  

My 25th birthday was fun and pretty laid back!  We went on a long walk and then out to dinner at a restaurant a few blocks away from us called The Hill Cafe.  I got their crab cakes - they were so delicious!  Because I worked on my birthday, we continued the celebration to the weekend by going to breakfast, to see Wolverine, and going on another long walk!  

Jonah got a “command center” exersaucer on my birthday too and he loves it!  He especially loves to chew on the green leaf!  We also got Jonah a little chair in the middle of August and he loves that too.  It helps him sit upright and has a lap tray for him to play with toys!

Jonah loves all types of music, but apparently he is a boy after his mommy’s heart.  He loves 80’s music!  One night, I tried to get him to sleep for about an hour, and then Jordan tried.  He put on “Don’t Stop Believin” by Journey and Jonah fell asleep before the song was over!  Jonah also LOVES piano music, and is always entertained when Jordan and I play the piano.

We went to North Carolina again August 17 to see the Bethers and (brother) Jordan before he went back to Utah!  It was so relaxing.  We hung out, watched movies, ate yummy food, and then went to church the day after.  

We got some new neighbors on August 22.  They have big dogs who like to bark, but thankfully not at night!  

I loved this outfit he wore one day.  The bib said “Daddy’s Big Guy” and his onesie said “Daddy’s Little Guy.”  What one is it!?  Haha!

To celebrate Jonah turning 4 months, we went to Maymont!  It was so beautiful!

...Bring May Flowers

Well, we haven't done much this past week to catch up on!

My work is transitioning to a hospitalist model for the doctors from having a practice come from the outside.  They had a meet and greet with the new doctors and it was so fun!  One of the doctors is even from VCU, and Jordan knows her.  I'm excited to have them in the hospital so we can deliver better care to our patients.

We walked through a house on Saturday and it was amazing.  4 bedroom, 2.5 bathroom, almost 2000 square feet.  It even had a huge yard and was being remodeled.  The only downside I could really see is something I discovered after the fact.  The area that house is in had 31 - yes, thirty-one - murders in April. Um, no, we're not moving there.  Dang - it was even in our price range!  So we're looking for houses in "the Fan" and "Church hill" areas, which are basically directly east and west of Jordan's school.  There are a ton of houses in these areas too, and I've got a lot of appointments set up to walk through properties.

I took a class for work on Monday for "Nonviolent Crisis Intervention."  Basically, it's where you learn to  help patients when they're beginning to act out and keep them safe.  You also learn how to take people down, which is super important when you're working on the acute side.  I took the class before when I was working as a psych tech on a Geriatric psych unit in Salt Lake City, but this was a good refresher.

Jordan did amazing on his written exam for FCM!  He's doing so great, and has been studying like a mad-man for the boards.  He has two more exams next week and then begins studying for real, for real.

The weather has been so bipolar lately.  It was 50 degrees a few days ago, and tomorrow it's supposed to be over 90.  I can't wait til they open the pool on Memorial Day!

House Hunting

Today I'm remembering the many, MANY times I've been house/apartment hunting.  These are the years I have moved since high school: 2006, 2007 (twice), 2008, 2009, 2010, and now in 2012!  I have it down to a science.  First, search Craigslist - every day.  You need to tour the places.  You need to ask all the questions - how much rent?  How are the utilities?  What is the management like?  And in Richmond, how safe is the neighborhood (especially where we're looking, yikes)?  Then you need to narrow it down based on distance to work, school, grocery store, gym, bank, etc.  It's a ton of work!  I'm looking forward to the day we make our last move ever.

April Showers...

It really has been so rainy here in Richmond for the past week.  I can't believe that Salt Lake City has been warmer than us!  What?!  That doesn't make sense.  I guess it even snowed a few days ago in Pennsylvania, so the whole east coast has been having random weather.  Today is the first really nice day in a while, so I've enjoyed that.

First and foremost - Jordan and I have FINALLY finished LOST!  Ugh!  It took us a few months to get through 6 very confusing seasons.  I think I said, "What?  That doesn't make sense!" at lease once every episode.  It was entertaining coming up with our own conclusions to the whole story.  We especially liked how one entire season revolved around pushing a button.  Oh, and how another season revolved entirely around whether they were all dead or not.  It was great.

April 16 was tax day, and I was so extremely grateful that we got our taxes done in January!  What an awesome feeling of non-procrastination.  I've had to file an extension almost every year, but not this year. Woo-hoo!  Here's hoping next year will go just as smoothly!

Jordan had an exam for his Foundations in Clinical Medicine (FCM) on April 16 and did awesome.  He had to get a history and physical on two people and then write up a note on one of them.  We had practiced together, and I think that helped.

We had FHE with Alan and Lyanna on April 16 as well, and talked about the First Presidency message for this month, ate some delicious ice cream (Waffle Cone and Salted Caramel Pretzel - um yum!), and played Sequence.  Such a fun game!

I bought tickets on Groupon for super cheap admission to the Edgar Allan Poe Museum here in Richmond, which we went to see on April 17.  It was fascinating.  He lived a very interesting life, and although the museum was small, we really enjoyed it.

On April 19, Jordan went to court to fight his speeding ticket that he got the day after his birthday - boo!  :(  Amazingly, the judge somehow didn't see that Jordan had a previous ticket, and let him off easy.  All Jordan has to do is go to traffic school, and we pay the court fees.  Yay for nice judges!

This past weekend was my weekend off.  We weren't able to do much because Jordan was studying for his Musculoskeletal Exam on Tuesday, plus it rained all weekend.  But we did go play in a nearby park and then go out to Cheesecake Factory on Saturday!

And speaking of exams, Jordan did great on the MSK exam.  Woo!  He has another exam next Monday for FCM, and the Neurology exam the week after that!  Sheesh!  Then it's going to be what the M2's lovingly call "Crunch Month," which is where they study an entire month (heck, he's been studying all year) for the Step 1 Exam.  The Step 1 is the most important test at this point, because his score will help determine which residencies he may get.  So I'm trying to be a good wife - keep the house clean, do laundry, make dinner, and bring home the bacon.  The month after Step 1 will be a good one, let me tell ya!

Major Catch Up Time!

I've not been as awesome as I should be when it comes to blogging.  You wouldn't think it, but working day shift (awesome and incredible as it is) makes me exhausted.  I am walking during the whole 8 hours, and always doing something.  I get up super early (5:10 AM?!) and go to sleep at 9:30 PM (sometimes 8 PM).  I feel like an old person.  But I'm beginning to have some semblance of a routine, which I love.  And I truly love being so busy at work.  I'm a busy natured person - it's just getting used to it!  So hence, my excuse for not blogging.  Get ready for the onslaught.

On March 23rd, Jordan and I attended the boy scout fundraiser dinner at our ward.  It was so fun.  We ate a spaghetti dinner cooked by the scouts (under the supervision of their leaders ;)), hung out with our friends from the ward, and had an auction for awesome items like a fishing trip, hair products, food, etc.

I began working by my self at work on March 26th!  I love it.  It's kindof nerve-wracking, but I enjoy being able to implement all the things I've learned throughout my career as a psych nurse into my practice.  One of my favorite things I'm able to do is groups with the patients.  I gather them all together and we either do an activity or talk about different issues.  I've done groups so far on medication management, "Stamping out the Stigma," their happy memories, how involved they are in their care, etc.  I seriously love psych, and am even considering becoming a Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner (similar to a doctor) in the future.  Loving what you do is so important!

I've been growing my hair out, and as a result, some funny things have happened to me lately.  Both at the scout dinner and at work, these girls came up to me and out of the blue would say, "You know who you look like??  Alice Cullen!!!!!"  Consequently, one of my patients would call me nothing but Alice, and a young woman in our ward beams at me every time she sees me.  It's hilarious!  What do you think?

March 26th, Jordan and I were able to see The Hunger Games!!  It was awesome.  We tried out a theater in our area that is just 21 years and over, and had a great time.  They had huge semi-reclining seats, dinner, popcorn, dessert, etc.  Loved it!  And the tickets are a bit cheaper than the other theater we usually go to.

On March 30th, I had the best massage I think I've ever had in my life.  When you're so relaxed to the point of drooling, I think that's pretty dang amazing!  I've been seeing my massage therapist, Jennifer, for almost 2 years, and she is incredible.  Her website is here.

Conference was so good, as usual.  Because I worked day shift that weekend, I was only able to see the afternoon sessions, but I hope to be able to watch the morning ones soon.  My favorite quotes from them were:

"Why should you be jealous when I choose to be kind...Demeaning someone else doesn't improve your self image.  Be kind."  Jeffrey R. Holland

"Mothers and fathers - praying with children may be more important than any other example" Quentin L. Cook

Some of my favorite talks were by: Robert D. Hales, about the prodigal son; President Monson's talk Sunday morning; and the talk by Neil L. Andersen.  

Some themes I noticed: revelation, the ability to be forgiven/repentance, and priesthood responsibilities. To see, read, or hear the talks for yourself, go here.

I went out to lunch with Lyanna on April 3rd to one of my favorite restaurants here in Richmond, Can Can Brasserie.  We were able to talk for hours (SO needed with our hubbies both in medical school) and go to Target after.  So fun!

On April 4th we had the missionaries over for dinner again.  I think we feed them pretty dang often!  We had chicken with red pepper sauce and a tropical crisp that was to die for.  Such a great twist on regular apple crisp!  Here's the recipe:

Prep: 20 minutes. Bake: 30 minutes. Yield: 9 servings.

1 fresh pineapple, peeled and cubed
4 medium bananas, sliced
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

Topping:
1/3 cup old-fashioned oats
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons flaked coconut, toasted
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 cup cold butter, cubed

In a large bowl, combine pineapple and bananas.  Sprinkle with brown sugar and flour; toss to coat.  Transfer to a greased 9x9 baking dish.  For topping, in a small bowl, combine the oats, flour, coconut, brown sugar, and nutmeg.  Cut in butter until crumbly.  Sprinkle over fruit.  Bake at 350 for 30-35 minutes or until filling is bubbly and topping is golden brown.  Serve warm or at room temperature.

On April 6th, Jordan had his Women's Health exam.  He is so glad to be done with that class!  It wasn't his favorite. ;)  Also on the 6th, Jordan got his schedule for his third year!  Third year is going to be AWESOME.  This is when what you imagine medical school is like really comes to fruition - rounding with residents and attendings, presenting on patients, assisting with everything and anything.  I'm SO excited for Jordan.  He is going to have so many cool opportunities.  This will also be one of the hardest years so far.  Jordan will be basically living at the hospital some rotations.  He will sleep there, eat there, and work there.  I know this is difficult for people who aren't going through it to understand, but because of the schedule, his time is going to be very limited.  They gave all the students a handbook, and it says...

"You made it!  Say goodbye to the lecture hall and hello to the wards.  The misery is over, and now the fun can begin...right?  Your clerkship experiences will be better than sitting in class day after day, but it has its own set of challenges.  Clerkships are a big change from daily lectures.  You will be expected to take responsibility for your own learning, and you will be expected to figure many things out for yourself.  You will also find that your time is not necessarily your own, and sleep is a valued commodity.  Even on easier clerkships, a minimum of 40 hours/week at the hospital is the norm.  You can no longer "home school" whenever you feel like it.  As an M3, being 5 minutes late can lower your clerkship grade, and days off are sometimes few and far between."

But this is what we've been waiting for.  This is Jordan's chance to really get out there and learn.  One of our friends is just finishing his third year, and he even delivered a baby in one of his rotations!  How cool is that?!  If you want details about what area of the hospital Jordan will have when and when breaks are, ask him.  

Yesterday, we were able to drive up near DC and spend the afternoon with Alan and Lyanna.  We went to the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum in Chantilly and it was so cool!  I'm obsessed with space.  This museum is where they filmed the Transformers movie!  Loved it.  I'd love to go back.  We had dinner at a place called "Not Your Average Joes" and ate some delicious food and dessert!  I totally recommend the Peanut Butter Thing for dessert...ahh!

Today we had a great Easter.  We just relaxed at home and spent some time together.  In honor of Titanic coming out in 3D, Jordan downloaded it and we watched it...and it was the first time I've ever seen it!  Haha!  I obviously know everything about it, but LOVED watching it.  Such an amazing movie.  

I've been trying to develop a routine as discussed earlier.  I got this awesome app on my phone that stores daily to-do lists.  It's called Cozi and it's free.  I love free apps.  I've put all my Flylady routines on there, as well as my shopping lists and calendar!  And the great thing about it is you can share the information with other people, so Jordan has the same lists and everything on his phone!  Love it!

And last, but not least, we are trying to find a house to rent!  We've loved living in this apartment, but want a bit more space and cheaper rent.  Which is completely feasible in Richmond.  Our lease is over in July, so we'll be moving (hopefully) during Jordan's summer break.  Yay!

Remembering Springtime

Spring has blossomed up here in Richmond, Virginia in a matter of days.  It's been so gorgeous!  Before we left on vacation, it was all brown.  Now, there are reds, purples, pinks, whites, oranges, and GREEN everywhere!  The temperatures have been amazing too - 70's to 80's every day.  I love it!  It really makes me think of all the springtimes when I was a little girl and we lived in Bountiful.  I remember playing in Omi and Buppi's yard when I was little and digging in the dirt.  One funny spring experience when I was about 5 years old was when Omi and Buppi got their lawn aerated.  I was so deathly scared of stepping on the aerated dirt because it looked like dog poop!  I am so excited for the day we have our own house so I can garden and have flowers, bushes, and trees all around.  Hope your spring is just as beautiful as ours!

Gorgeous RedBud trees near our house

Are you READY???!

I am!  I shall attempt to blog THREE, that's right, THREE times each week!  The blogs will compose of Thankful Tuesdays, in which we post the things we're grateful for; Catch-up Wednesdays, where I'll catch you all up to what we've been doing the past week; and Flashback Fridays, where Jordan and I will share one of our favorite memories, because our blog is our journal.

That was the longest run on sentence ever.

So today is Catch-up Wednesday!  This will be a long post my dears, because I haven't really blogged anything since December (with the exception of my Christmas vacation post).  It's not going to be in order either, because I can't remember when everything happened.

1. We decorated our house for Christmas.  I love getting a real tree every year.  It makes the whole house smell amazing!

2. Jordan and I went to Maymont (my favorite place in Richmond) for a Christmas celebration!  We rode in a horse-drawn carriage, got a tour of the civil war era mansion all decorated for Christmas, interacted with "characters" dressed in their period attire, ate treats, and roasted marshmallows over a bonfire while listening to carolers.  It was awesome.  In addition to seeing the mansion, we also saw some of the sets used for the filming of the "Lincoln" movie!  So cool!

3. Our ward Christmas party was so fun. I helped decorate a table for the dinner and was blown away by the creativity of some people's tables! There was a beautiful program and we felt the Spirit strongly testifying of the divinity of Christ.

4. Jordan and I celebrated Christmas on Hanukkah...because we would be in Utah for Christmas.  Haha!  I thought it was hilarious.  Jordan got me new pots and pans, Wii Zumba, and a shredder.  I got him a hand blender, a Nintendo 3DS, and some 3DS games.  It was very fun :)

5. I quit my job!  I'm quite glad.  I'll just leave it at that, haha.  My new job will start Feb. 6.  I'm so so excited.  The hospital is only a mile away, pays more than the other one, has amazing benefits, and (drum-roll, please) I'll be working DAYS!!!  Heck freaking yes!  No more sleeping during the day for me.  I'm still going to be working in Psych.  I love working with psychiatric patients.  The only downside I can see is that I will miss this view every morning from my other job...

6. Jordan likes to hold on to certain pieces of clothing.  Like a shirt he had from high school.  Needless to say, it had a ton of holes in it.  His mom had tried to throw it away and he "saved it" from the trash.  I tried to persuade him many times to throw it away and had no success, until he got the exact same shirt on our shopping trip in Park City.  He then agreed to put the shirt down, and I took pictures to document.

7. As part of the Richmond Mormon Chorale, we performed again at the Beth Ahaba Concert a little over a week ago.  It was wonderful!  We sang Peace in the Valley.  Sorry the video is fuzzy!

8. I have read 6 books so far this year, including The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, The Girl Who Played with Fire, The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest, Magic Study, Poison Study, and Fire Study!  The "Girl" series is SO good.  Seriously.  Graphic, yes, but so good.

9. And lastly, a bit of humor.  Jordan cut his hair a few weeks ago, and decided to surprise me with a "transition" phase.

Thankfully, it didn't last long!  Bahahaha!

Fall Leaves

Fall here on the east coast is beyond beautiful.  There are millions of trees that are all different colors and they are so gorgeous!  I cannot get over how vivid the colors are every time I'm out driving.  Bright red, yellow, and orange, and even some purples in there - so so pretty!

The ______ DMV

I really, really dislike the Virginia DMV.  More specifically, the downtown Richmond DMV.  Let me tell you my many adventures with this awful place.

In July, I realized that our Mazda had expired it's Utah registration.  What to do?  I asked Jim and Wendy if they would be willing to let us transfer the title to Virginia, and they very graciously agreed.

Step One: title mailed from Utah to Virginia.

Step Two: go to the DMV.

In early August, I took the title to the DMV after filling out all the appropriate spaces on the back saying that we were now the owners.  I waited in line.  I filled out the DMV's paperwork.  I was called to the desk.  The lady told me that since there was a very small error on the title that I had filled out, I had to have Jim sign the title again.  Sigh.

Step Three: title mailed from Virginia to Utah.

Step Four: title mailed from Utah to Virginia.

In early September, I took the re-written title to the DMV.  The lady at the front desk saw that it was in both Jordan and my names.
"Is Jordan Henderson here?"
"No, he is in school."
"Well, we need his signature on this form."

Step Five: get Jordan to sign the DMV's form.

On the third week in September, I took the forms from the DMV and the title to the DMV.  I again waited in line, and was called to the desk.  The same lady who I worked with the first time was there.  Great.  She looked at the title like I was hiding something.  (Really?  All I want is for you to go through this paperwork and let me get my car switched!)
"Oh, is this a salvaged vehicle?"
"Yes...."
"We don't do those here."
"You don't do salvaged vehicles in Virginia?!"
"We do, but you have to go to that counter over there.  The lady that does them is probably gone though because it's 5 PM now.  You can come back tomorrow."
I burst into tears.  I work nights!  I can't come back tomorrow!
"I have been here three times to get this car taken care of and now you're telling me to come back later!?  Why didn't the front desk lady tell me to go to that counter?"
"I don't know.  One minute..."
She comes back with her manager.
"What's wrong?"
"Well apparently I can't get my salvaged vehicle taken care of?"
"Go over to the security man and he'll page the lady for you overhead."
I walk over to the security man, still crying.
"I guess you're supposed to page someone for me?  I need the salvaged vehicles lady."
"Ok, go wait at that counter ma'am."
Walk over to the counter.  The security lady hands me a tissue.  After about an eternity of waiting, the salvaged vehicles lady comes over. (Thank GOODNESS she hadn't left for the day.)
"What's wrong?"
"I guess you need to look at my salvaged vehicle?  I'm trying to get it titled and registered!?!"
"I don't need to look at it, who told you that?  There are a lot of new people they just hired."
I hand her the paperwork, pay the money, and she tells me that Jim needs to fax a letter to her saying they gave us the car as a gift.  Holy cow.  After he faxed the letter, I need to call her, and then she'll put all the paperwork through.  THEN I need to come to the DMV again, and get the car registered.  Sigh.....

Step Six: Email letter to Jim to have faxed back to the DMV lady.

Step Seven: Call the DMV lady.

Step Eight: Wait for her to call back.

Step Nine: Call her on Friday to see if she finished the paperwork.

Step Ten: Call her on Monday.  She finished the paperwork.  It is titled, she lost my number so she couldn't call me.

Step Eleven: Go to the DMV.

I went to the DMV on Monday, waited in line, and was called up to the desk.  Told the lady I needed my car registered, and she looked the title up by SSN, I paid, and got my license plates.

What a waste of time!  It's over now though, and I won't have to deal with the Richmond DMV for a whole year!  Hallelujah!

How We Spent Our Summer Vacation

Technically, our Summer vacation ended two months ago when I started my second year of school, so I'm really behind on telling you guys what we did while I was off from school.

First, we went to a park in Richmond called Maymont. Basically, it's a historical site plus a garden (two of Melyn's favorite things). It made for a good hike and here are some of the pictures we took there:

Next on our stop (I forget chronologically when we did these things, so it's basically a mishmash) was King's Dominion, a theme park just outside Richmond. If you haven't been to Virginia you probably have never heard of it, but it's actually quite an amazing place if you like roller coasters. We tried to make the trip "cheaper" by getting the afternoon admission, that is, if you enter the park after 4 PM it's basically half price. Well, to try and get the cheaper price and still do all the things in the park, I decided that we should go on a Tuesday when the weather forecast was predicting a thunderstorm. Who would be at the theme park then? Nobody, so it was a ghost town. We got on every ride with basically no wait at all. This planning actually turned bad for two reasons. One, we were going on roller coasters so quickly (one right after another), that we both got motion sickness (me in particular). Secondly, the weather forecast turned out to be true and did storm, which cut short our evening. Well here's some pictures we took there.

I should add that this place had some really killer roller coasters. One of them, the Intimidator 305, is one of the tallest and fastest roller coasters in the world. It has a drop so high and so steep, that your vision basically blacks out you are going so fast. Crazy!

Lastly, we went to Washington D.C. to visit the temple. Every time we go to Washington, I vow that we will never go again. The truth is, the traffic is always horrendous there, no matter the time of day, no matter which day of the week. And I'm the most impatient person when it comes to traffic, waiting in lines, etc. But, we really needed to go to the temple because it is always such an amazing experience there, especially when you don't have the convenience of a temple within your own city.

In a nutshell, that was our Summer vacation. I will now get back to studying for my microbiology exam for Monday.