When it Rains, it Pours...Literally

The old homage "when it rains, it pours" has never been truer or more literal than in mine and Julie's case here in Greenville, NC. In my first week of school, here's what has happened...

On my first day of school, I was sitting in my class when it suddenly moved. Yeah, that's right: moved. My desk was shaking and I felt like I was on sea. My professor said, "it can't be an earthquake. Those don't really happen here that often. Must be people doing construction outside." Well...he was wrong. It was an earthquake. The first one I had ever sat through. All of a sudden, I was wishing that I had actually listened in grade school when my teachers taught us what to do in natural disasters (was it climb up a tree? Get under my desk? Stand on my desk?) Fortunately, it only lasted about 20 seconds and did just about no damage here in Greenville. Mother Nature decided Greenville had one too many Mormon Yankees and displayed its wrath.

On day two, I woke up early for school so that I could ride my bike to campus (about nine miles away). I took a new route to school that I thought would be safer since it was not on the highway. Well, it turns out that there was a big river in the way that I couldn't get around except for on the highway. This knowledge alone meant I wouldn't be able to shower before class.Then it got worse- my bike chain completely broke off beyond repair and cut my leg open. Since I was closer to home (4 miles or so from home, 6 or so from campus) I walked my bike all the way home because Julie did not have a car to pick me up with. I had to write and apologize to my professor for not making it to class when I finally got home.

On my third day of school, we had to introduce ourselves to one of our classmates. My classmate was from North Carolina and asked me if there was anything I didn't like about her great state. I said the only two things that have been tough thus far are the ridiculous humidity and the stupid cicada bugs that would have made Pharoah decide to let the Hebrews go if God had set them on Egypt. She proceeded to tell me that cicada bugs only show up every 13 years or so in Greenville and happened to be here the year we came. I am not sure if that is true but I hope it is for two reasons: 1- it makes a hilarious story and 2- that means they won't be here next summer.

http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2011/05/07/2278836/cicadas-loudly-return-after-13.html



And then, oh, yeah. There was that whole hurricane thing. We have been planning for weeks to come up to Sterling, Virginia to get a car from my brother-in-law and his wife since they are moving to China. We also thought it would be a great excuse to say goodbye to them...and for me to take my nephew to an Orioles-Yankees game. It all came together perfectly, until Irene. This hurricane is appropriately named after the woman who made the first place we lived in hell. The game was cancelled and we may or may not have a home when we go back to Greenville. Needless to say, it's been an interesting first week.

Our First Few Weeks

We have now been in Greenville for two and a half weeks! It seems like it has gone by really fast (and really slow). Here are some things that we've been up to or just other random stuff.

Julie snapped this photo on our way to Greenville from Raleigh on the day we got here. North Carolina is very beautiful and green.

Delmar: "All my sins been washed away, like when I knocked over that Piggly Wiggly." Everett: "I thought you said you was innocent of those charges?" Delmar: "Well, I lied...now that sin's been washed away, too." We have a Piggly Wiggly here in Greenville...unfortunately we haven't taken a picture of the actual store because with the part of town it's in we might not live.

Our first meal at our house. Without furniture, Julie and I sat on boxes and used the only chair we had as our dining room table.

Julie looking more and more gorgeous as this pregnancy goes along...probably doesn't feel gorgeous, though, since it's been hot and humid everyday since we've been here.

Don't worry, I DO THIS!

A phenomenon I had forgotten about since I left Milwaukee. Apparently, the gangsta thing to do is to buy really junky cars, paint them bright colors and put huge rims on them. We see these all over the city.

And again. We point them out to each other every time.

We went up to Richmond to see Julie's brother and sister-in-law and their children. The city is really beautiful but has a very interesting take on the Civil War...er, I mean, the War of Northern Aggression. Apparently, Jefferson Davis was a great man who only wanted to fight for state's rights...of putting chains around black people's necks and ankles and selling them like livestock (they forgot to mention that last part).

This is a very new phenomenon to me. Everywhere you go, there is something about Christianity. You would think that this is just a dry cleaning business. You're wrong! It's a place where you can get your clothes ironed AND find cheap salvation (for a lot less money and less time investment than the dry cleaning)!

San Diego Zoo

(For a related post, with the animal pictures I took, check out my photo blog.)

Our big family outing during my Duke family 'reunion' a few weeks ago was going to the San Diego Zoo together. It was a little crazy, with 27 people, but we managed it by splitting up into smaller groups. We ended up in the one that mostly rode trams around to see the animals (probably because of me, honestly - my poor swollen pregnant body couldn't handle the heat and all that walking...that zoo is HUGE!).
We had a great time, and I even took photos to document it!

Dylan made a new friend with this Galapagos Tortoise

...but this is his real buddy - our nephew, Jonah. These two were pretty inseparable the entire trip. Dylan loves that 'little' kid, who is 7 months old.

When I was 26 weeks pregnant. Gotta prove to Eloise that she's been here!

My brother, Brian, and his girlfriend, Alicia. And Alyssa sitting on his shoulders.

Dylan and our 'Magnet' - Abigail calls both Dylan and me her magnet. She's also Jonah's older sister

Jen and her little boy, Jonah. We at least hung out with ONE kid for most of the day :)

San Diego Temple

While lots of the kiddos went to Legoland, at our 'reunion', a bunch of us adults went to the San Diego Temple. (To see my pictures of the temple itself, and pictures I took of my parents, go to my photo blog.)
After doing a session, we all wanted pictures out in front of it, so we clambered up and down the hill next to it, which is really the only place to get the entire temple in one shot.

My sister, Karen, took these of me and Dylan.

 And then Dylan took pictures of me and my sisters.

 And then he took pictures of me at 26 weeks pregnant.

...with Karen holding my baby bump? what? haha

20 Weeks...which was, yes, over 9 weeks ago.

Hey, better late than never, right?
Now that we finally have our computer up and going full-speed-ahead, I finally am uploading pictures and editing them.
These were pictures taken when I was 20 weeks along. And yesterday I was 29 weeks. So have no assumptions that I look anything like this still. My feet and legs are about twice as swollen as here, as are my arms, and my belly is growing and growing and growing! Meaning, Eloise is growing and growing and growing. Yay!

(whose belly is bigger? haha)

 

Whoa, BABY!

I had to imitate the cheesy heart-fingers-on-belly pictures I've seen. Yes, I love my baby girl, but holding my fingers in the shape of a heart over her just makes me laugh.

Life in Greenvull

That's right, you thought we were living in Greenville. You're wrong. It's Greenvull, according to the people who live here. Life is starting to flow pretty well. The first few days were hard with absolutely nowhere to sit, other than the futon (which doubled as our bed) and I felt a lot more homesick than I thought I would. But, it's a wonder what having furniture and things unpacked can do. Our home is really neat. It's 3 bedrooms and double the size of our last home. It's huge!!! Well, huge for us. It's also amazing because the sixth hole of the local public golf course is our backyard. I keep thinking that maybe I'll pull out my clubs at night and hit some....

but that is illegal. More importantly, though, it is too ridiculously humid out here to play. It's been almost 100 everyday with outrageous humidity. All this humidity and heat has introduced us to really weird new bugs that neither of us has ever seen before. Yesterday, I killed a bug that look like half bee half cricket. It was all black and we have no idea what it was. Whatever it was, it made Julie scream like a little girl and made me shout like a slightly older girl.

The town is fun. It's very much a college town. Lots of the stores have Pirates flags waving in them and have purple and "gold" all over them ("gold" meaning yellow). It seems like almost everyone we meet has some sort of ECU apparel on their person or on their cars. It's really fun, I think. I went to their bookstore, today, and it was huge how many different Pirates things they had. We are enjoying life here, so far, other than that Julie is not a big fan of this guy who she finds creepy....

 

Some Observations Driving Through the Country

My Mom and I have finally pulled into North Carolina. We're here at our hotel waiting for Julie's flight to come in so I can pick her up. Driving all the way from Salt Lake City, we have been through much of the country. We drove through Utah, Wyoming, Nebraska, Kansas, Missouri, Indiana, Kentucky, West Virginia, Virginia and North Carolina. Here are some observations and highlights.

• I found out in Kearney, NE (pronounced Carney) that my Mom snores. Bad. 
• Wyoming looks the same from the start of 1-80 until you get to Nebraska. 
• I love miles and miles of cornfields. For whatever reason, it's beautiful to me. 
• We had to take the scenic route through Kansas because of flooding. It looked like Smallville in the Superman comics, still. Which was awesome. 
• Kansas City was ghastly hot. It was 114 degrees when we drove through it. And my Mom learned that it's difficult to take pictures with her phone, especially when the car is moving fast. You should see the pictures she took of "the Royals stadium." 
• Indiana and Kentucky both consider themselves to be the land of Lincoln. I'm going to have to give the nod to Indiana of the two because the Louisville Cardinals basketball stadium is named the KFC "YUM!" Center. Not even kidding. 
• West Virginia is one of the most scenic places to drive through in all of the world. It was comparable to Scotland and England to me. However, we were not aware that Huntington, WV is where Evangelicals flock to for their EFY-esque camps. There was not a single room open. We were the Mormons with no place in the inns for us. 
• I'm still very much a mama's boy. It was a grand time driving for 36 hours with her throughout this great country of ours. She makes me laugh lots and my parents have been awesome to me. 
• We were only in Virginia temporarily and it cost us a small fortune in tolls. But, it was pretty, as well. 
• North Carolina is going to be awesome. How could it not be? They have chocolate covered bacon shakes! 

Embracing Da Souf

I have a confession: I have NEVER, EVER had any desire to live in the South. When I think of the South I think of the Confederate Flag (which I compared to the Nazi swastika in an English paper), Jim Crowe laws, ridiculous humidity, burning crosses, Big Dan T from "O, Brother Where Art Thou?" and NASCAR. I do have to hand it to them that they have introduced Coke and Dr. Pepper into the world. However, those drinks are so deliciously addictive that they have single-handedly caused me to get fat (well, and not working out). I swore in my youthful ignorance I would never end up there.

However, life has humbled me and I have received fantastic opportunities from a college there. So, since I am moving down there, I am trying to get rid of all my old biases and have decided to have a good attitude about our move there. I want to keep an open mind, just like I hope people would do when moving to my beloved state of Utah (where most people think of polygamy and boredom). So, I have decided to try my best to make friends, enjoy the uniqueness of the experience and to be happy in the journey.

With that said, I hope you enjoy these clips.