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.

Top 10 Surprising Things So Far in Pregnancy

(In no particular order)

1. No real cravings. Besides Sonic Slushes during happy hour (or any time)...but honestly, that's not something due to pregnancy.
2. The first stranger to comment on my pregnancy was a little Korean woman at a nail salon in San Clemente. Honestly, just someone noticing made me SO happy. Finally, I don't just look fat!
3. What's the point in creating a baby registry if you're having a baby girl? I mean, really, who can resist buying cute little pink outfits? We really have hardly anything for her but pretty little clothes, stuffed animals, and a few books. Practicality? What's that?
4. How early I was showing. And how wrong most books about the topic of body types/when you'll probably show are. If you're slightly overweight and not super short, they say you'll probably show later. WRONG. I had a nice bump going from 13-ish weeks, on. Been wearing maternity pants since shortly after I found out I was pregnant.
5. Not just mood swings, but deep depressed feelings that hit me from out of nowhere. Always leaves me feeling terrible for not being overjoyed all the time that I'm carrying this little munchkin.
6. How mild my morning sickness was. I fully expected to be on my death bed for much of the first part of this pregnancy, but I can say the only time I ever threw up (like, really threw up, not just in the back of my mouth) was when I had the stomach flu. I feel SO ridiculously lucky, because I know it could have been much worse. Of course, I blame part of that luck on my complete and utter dread of throwing up, and my strong-headedness :)
7. SWELLING! I mean, I had cankles before I got pregnant (always have, just look at pictures of me in junior high/high school), but MAN, my calves are gigantic these days. Not only that, but the most surprising part is my forearms. They have been swollen since the end of the first trimester, and there's no end in sight.
8. Things you should not believe from pregnancy books and apps: I can't tell you how many times I've read stuff like "You'll soon have people dumping their used baby clothes and items off on your doorstep faster than you can sort through them." They really shouldn't say that -- most people I know aren't done having kids, or gave away their baby clothes long ago.
9. I know this could have (sort of) been controlled, but the timing of everything with baby and moving has really been a MESS. Trying to figure out healthcare after my insurance runs out and before we establish residency to qualify for Medicaid, not to mention how we can't really find a midwife until we get there. I just didn't anticipate it being this complicated...but I guess health insurance always is.
10. Not really missing my figure. This was helped by the fact that I never really stopped gaining pregnancy weight after the miscarriage last summer (my body kept packing it on like I was trying to feed a little one, too), but I really just am SO excited every time I notice my bump is bigger. I thought I would miss all my old clothes, but I do love lots of my maternity clothes. (Of course, this depends on the day. Last Saturday? You couldn't have convinced me clothes looked anything but frumpy on me)

O, Captain, My Captain

Yesterday, Derek Jeter became the first Yankee to ever get to the very rare 3,000 hits for a career milestone. Only 27 players in baseball HISTORY have done this. As such, I thought I would write him a little ode entitled "O, Captain, My Captain" (as he is the Yankees captain).

O, Captain, My Captain,
Hitter of singles, doubles, triples and the home run,
How great thy career hath been,
Whether at home or on the road, to you it is all one.

Wearer of 5 World Series rings,
Dater of beautiful women,
Every game you give everything, 
Hopefully you play long enough to get 10. 

Some say that you are overrated,
Your range is "lacking," your teams too "good," you've "lost speed,"
On talk shows your greatness is debated,
A girlfriend and a life is what they need. 

So, my Captain, my Captain,
Thank you for all the memories,
There are still more to come before you art done, 
And through it all, I'll be your fan, not an enemy. 

Reflections on my Dad

With it being Father's Day, tomorrow, and with me preparing to take on the role of "Daddy" I've been thinking a lot about the example of my own Dad. My Dad is maybe the most interesting man I've ever met in a lot of ways. Here are just a few things I appreciate about him.

• He's loyal. My Mom used to complain how predictable and routine oriented my Dad is in a lot of ways. He eats the same cereal everyday (Raisin Bran), out of the same bowl, with the newspaper in front of him. She complained about it until she realized that his loyalty to even the simplest of things made him able to love her the same amount every single day and never get tired of her (as she's watched many others of her friends get divorced since my Dad and her got married). I could not have had a better example of how to love and be loyal to your spouse. Heck, when we all got Hepatitis one Summer and did nothing but watch Cubs games on WGN he even decided right then that the Cubs were his team. And he's been their most die hard fan through their many years of sucking since. 
• He's a man of faith. My Dad is not the typical LDS man in a lot of ways. He is a Mormon historian but the anti-Truman G. Madsen. He finds the blotches on Mormon history and the imperfections of its leaders fascinating. He has written a few Mormon history articles, including some about his own ancestors, that would be considered less than flattering.  At the same time, he was an incredible Bishop, offers the most humble prayers I've ever heard and has many unique spiritual gifts that I envy. He's never let his intelligence and intellectual curiosity remove from him his deep conviction of God and the gospel. 



Here's one of my ancestors in jail for practicing polygamy.

• He came to all our ballgames, events, everything. We always kind of took this for granted but he even came to the most boring events (Dylan as a Senior having to sing with 9th graders in choir to finish his art credits), the many atrocious sporting losses (Phil soccer, Dylan football and baseball) and listened to our teachers at PTA meetings complain about our hygeine or our inability to sit quietly in class. I know of many dads that this cannot be said about. 
• He took me to New York Yankees games. This might not seem like a big deal to anyone else, but knowing how much my Dad hates the Yankees makes me appreciate how many games of theirs he has taken me to over the years. He even has bought me a Yankee hat or two...after which, he quickly washed his hands so as to not be contaminated.  

Apparently if you want to diss someone or something, you take a picture of either Osama Bin Laden or Sadaam and digitally impose that person's face or the teams logo on a shirt or hat they are wearing.

• He showed me how to work hard. When I was young, I was very lazy. I hated chores and my room was always a mess. I also never applied myself in grade school. He never really scolded me for being lazy or ever really discussed with me why it's so important to work hard, but I just saw how he put in an honest day's work in everything he did everyday. Little by little, watching his example has made me work harder and apply myself more in school. Now, I consider myself a good employee and a good student and I was very disliked on my mission because I took away companions' agency and made them work hard (I think I missed some lesson there). 
• He was always there when we needed him. I heard somewhere that the biggest part of being a father is just showing up. He always has and then some. 
  

I love you, Pops. Thanks for everything. We're excited that our baby girl is going to have wonderful grandparents.  

Love, Scooby