Satellite Beach, FL

A couple of months ago, one week after our camping trip, Charly and I headed to Florida to visit family and play in the sun. I was put on some heavier duty medication right before we left to help the pain since I still hadn't reached the second trimester yet and it worked really well for about a week but kind of petered out at the end. It did allow us to have a good time by managing the pain, just one with a lot of naps and a slower pace. Neither Charly nor I took a single photo, but I just wanted to jot down a few of my favorite memories so I don't forget them because it was a really, really, good trip- upon returning from I had one of the best sandwiches in my entire life in an airport I don't know if I'll ever be in again. I mean, I still crave another one of them. Anyways, here are the highlights:

• We went to Discovery Cove for the day, a resort type place where my brother works. There was some pretty amazing snorkeling and I'm glad the cold water didn't deter me- you could touch the manta rays and swim right up to the glass that separated you from the sharks. The rest of the areas with water and no fish were heated.
• Da'kine Diegos, Publix subs, and Long Doggers. You guys, I just need more of it in my life. Plus there is just an outdoor-by-the-ocean restaurant vibe that speaks to my soul and doesn't exist in Rexburg.
• There was a day when Chuck and I tried to catch some waves but the surf was horrible (the waves were too big and chunky for us) and we just ended up swimming in the ocean for hours. We did about everything imaginable when the waves came- letting the force of the water make us do somersaults, trying not to get knocked over on Charly's shoulders, and so on all while nearly laughing to death.
• We went boating and Chuck and I jumped on the inner tube. Since I was pretty sick I made the rule that the boat couldn't take us near any speeds that wouldn't allow me to be hands free and I guess it piked some dolphin's interest because as we jutted along a pod came up with in ten feet of our tube. 
• Lunch with my two grandmothers- I love anytime I get to spend with them.
• Kayaking at night since the water was doing that green glow thing.
• Just floating in our pool which was 84 degrees, and in me and my dad's opinion could have been one degree warmer (you should be able to hear Charly scoffing now), but was perfect for just lazing around in.
• Watching The Giver in theaters and then afterwards buying a couple of books to read the last two days of our stay. The Giver is one of my favorite books, along with Fahrenheit 451and The Importance of being Earnest (but that's technically a play), so I loved the movie which was pretty similar to the book.

Sawtooths, ID

Chuck and I made it to the Sawtooths camping trip a little late and left a little early and fake left in the middle because of how sick I was. But hey, we made it, and it was worth every horrible minute I spent at night shivering in pain in my tent. That was really the only unbearable part- not being able to sleep or doing anything else while I couldn't sleep. We started planning this trip while we were on the last on a year ago though, so there wasn't much in the end that was going to stop us from going in some way.


The first day we drove up there and set up our tent a lot of Chuck's family were gone on a short backpacking trip and were set to come back the next day so we enjoyed our time with who was there and biked around the area. We camped further than the lake but a campsite that qualified more of a "glamping" situation this time around (this worked perfectly for how tired both Chuck and I were at that point). We had designated tent sites and toilets that flushed.


The second day Charly and I drove up to Sun Valley and walked around the town as well as making a stop at the fish hatchery and some scenic overlooks. We bought a Huckleberry shake that we were told was "world famous" at a art gallery and between Chuck and I neither of us felt like finishing it. We have some pretty high standards for our huck shakes around here. Sun Valley really is a gorgeous and the town is lovely too though- lots of outdoorsey stores to browse through, used children toy shops, and nice vibes.

When we got back to camp we met everyone else over at the lakes and let Maycee and Koda splash around together in the freezing water, then it was back to camp where we had a nice family home evening and ate dinner.


The next day, while everyone got into the van to go on a day hike, Charles and I drove over to Stanley Lake/ the town. We stopped in at another art gallery and some boutique shops before heading over to a pizza joint where we probably ate some of the best pizza and breadsticks in our entire lives. Where last year the weather was hot and dry the whole time, this year the weather decided to be a drizzly dreary grey and seriously chilly...maybe that's why they tasted so freaking good. We drove back to camp making plans to play some pranks on everyone while they were still hiking only to find that the majority of the group had bailed because of the rain and were already back at camp huddled in Julian and Kevin's tent while playing charades. When the rest of everyone got back from the hike later on they were all pretty wet and more huddling was done by the campfire to stay warm.


Since the next day we would only be packing up to go home and the weather just wasn't all that great Chuck and I (and James and Chaely) decided to head home early after some more biking around the lake. As we drove back in the middle of the night we saw a couple of foxes, deer, and random animals by the road. I had to to pee so bad and kept holding it as Chuck promised the gas station he wanted to stop at was only 20 minutes away...long story short I ended up peeing an hour later in front of a church on the side of the road. Another hour later while driving 25mph through Arco a dog ran into our car and another long story short is that our deductible is now met for the year.

When we finally got home at 2am we crawled into our beds covered in campfire smoke and dirt and basically passed out. So definitely worth it all, though.

Also, Chuck when driving back from Stanley: "Stanley is for people from Idaho, and Sun Valley is for people from the rest of the world."












^There was a time when Koda got back from hiking and went into the tent for a a while where it nearly killed Maycee. She just hung out until he came back to play.^





^Peach cobbler pie in the making.^





^These photos are going from the end of the trip forwards basically (whoops), but I do have to point out that photography has been seriously healthy for my brain because it captures everything lovely that happens with difficult weather.^

^A quick fly fishing session with his dad.^

^I'll spare you the rest of the fish hatchery pictures.^




The End.
(Unless I get around to posting the photos I took on film.)

Yup.

Charles and I are expecting a baby girl come April 1st (fools day). I am almost 21 weeks and as the reality of it all is setting in we are getting more and more thrilled! That makes it sound like we weren't at first, we were, but it just doesn't really hit you that this is happening until later and the first three months did not go smoothly for us.



Unfortunately I got a stomach infection that they didn't want to cure with the triple course of antibiotics needed for the entire first trimester and I experienced probably one of the most physically challenging trials of my life. By the end of it we are talking showers sitting down that require a two hour rest afterwards, literally no REM sleep for months, and a whole lot of pain. I lost a bit of weight but was spared from morning sickness during the first tri- so that, along with a deeper appreciation of the priesthood and the fact that this shouldn't happen in any of my other pregnancies really is something we are grateful for. I don't know if I would have made it without so many blessings from Charly, most in the middle of the night. Usually I am a one Priesthood blessing per a trial kind of girl, but holy cow, was this ever more than I could even imagined concerning what a "rough pregnancy" would be like. After a four month "white rice diet," an ER visit, and a lot of medications which put me through the ringer, (all on doctors orders) I am starting to feel back to normal. Baby girl is measuring right on schedule and, as of today, I am officially back to my pre-pregancy weight. Hoorah!