Eloise's Nursery

On Saturday, Julie and I woke up early to start working on Eloise's nursery. Julie had visions of everything she wanted to do and even got the ambitious ideas of making stripes on an accent wall (she's proud of me for remembering what that was called). We started around 9 AM and didn't stop (other than for lunch) until 2 PM when I had to shower and get ready to go to the ECU game (which they lost in heartbreaking fashion). I got home around 6 PM and we ate some dinner and then got back at it, again. I watched the BYU game (which they lost in heartbreaking fashion) out of the corner of my eye while painting for my baby girl. Finally, at 11 or so, we were done...only to realize that the colors we used were "too dark, changed the whole feeling of the room, weren't baby enough, looked like baby poo and didn't match the craft projects that were going into the room" (notice I put quotation marks on purpose. Those are obviously Julie's words, not mine. I wouldn't know the difference). So, now we are starting again next Saturday. But here are some pictures for your viewing enjoyment until then.

Some day Eloise might appreciate all the work we are doing for her in her nursery. Well, probably not, actually.

Me so excited to unveil our hard work. Poor guy has no idea what he's in store for.

I mostly put these pictures up because even though the colors weren't right, I am still mad impressed with mine and Julie's skills.

Be Humble

I had a missionary companion who always said, "God will have a humble people. Either be humble yourself or God will find a way to make it happen." Apparently, he didn't say it enough, because I still haven't learned my lesson. With Julie pregnant and having to quit her job and me being in school, we have had to get MEDICAID. When we went to the MEDICAID office, I was worried there might be a knife fight that broke out in the office. If there was, I felt, I would be the first one everybody shanks. I felt extremely out of place with people yelling derogatory slurs at each other, talking about their dead beat baby's daddies, wreaking of marijuana, etc. while I sat there with my pregnant wife in my button up shirt. I may or may not have thought, "here we are, two college educated (from a stellar university) people. What are we doing here?" A few weeks later, I felt similar feelings as I sat at the DMV trying to get a North Carolina driver's license. The people were as vulgar, crass and societal norm unconscious as they were at the MEDICAID office. When it was finally my turn to meet with the worker, I felt like she would be happy to talk to someone with all of their paperwork and who didn't call her a "ho." She seemed to be. Then, I took the online part of the test...and totally failed it. The woman looked at me like "seriously?" Apparently, there are a lot of specific vehicle laws particular to North Carolina (who would have thought). Out of all the people who took it, I was probably the only one who was getting a Masters. And I bombed it, whereas most of them passed. Which leads me to my point, be humble, Dylan. You're not better than anybody else.

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 :)