OUR LITTLE BEAN

So, 13 days after I arrived in the USA, I started not feeling too good... Hmmm... turns out, I caught a large stomach bug... a 9 month stomach bug... You wondering how on earth this happened so quickly... lol... don't worry, we are wondering that too.

It would seem that I just got off the plane, drank some Michigan water, breathed in the foreign air and caught the 9 month bug.
Well, it came as quite a surprise... so much of a surprise, that I couldn't bring myself to actually believe it until I had done 2 tests and both were positive and got my OB-GYN to do a blood test for extra confirmation. LOL... 'ye of so little faith'... :)

My bean hasn't been very nice to me yet... I am hoping that soon we will start to get along better, because up until now, I have just been pretty darn sick and feeling totally under the weather.

Our bean is due to join the family on 14 May 2009.


We have had the first ultrasound, and it was awesome... 'Bean' is 1.93cm long and has a super large head (space for a big brain like it's dad) and little arm and leg stubs.
We also got to see the little beating heart, which was just really comforting.
Everything was just perfect, and we hope that things continue to go that way so that we can have a healthy little addition to our family, next May.

HISTORIC NAUVOO

This past weekend, Jake and I drove out to Nauvoo...I have never been there, so we had planned it to be out first trip together after I arrived in the USA. Little did we know that I would be sick all weekend... grrr... so I spent a large part of the weekend with my head in a paper bag or over the toilet. BUT, the experience of being in Nauvoo was still fantastic.

I Love this picture with Joseph and Hyrum on their horses facing the temple... how sad that they never really got to see that beautiful picture... this statue depicts the day that they drove off to Carthage from where they never returned to get to see the completed Nauvoo Temple.

On Friday night, after the 9 hour drive... though I think it might have taken us longer, cos I could barely last an hour without ANOTHER toilet stop... we went down to the temple and took some pics... it was really beautiful when the sun set and the temple was all lit up. The sunset that night was also amazing... pictures can never really give it the full credit... it was a bright, beautiful red sunset.

THE BEAUTIFUL MISSISSIPPI AT SUNSET

I was kinda excited to see the Mississippi River... Even in South Africa, you hear about the great Mississipi, and it was kind cool just to say I had been there... I guess it wasn't that big a deal when I actually saw it... I mean, it's just another large mass of water (I did grow up 10 minutes from the ocean) but I can now officially say that, "I have been to the Mississipi"... and that's really all I wanted. lol. Saturday morning, we went to the Nauvoo temple.. that was pretty awesome. It really is a beautiful building, inside and out. After our visit to the temple, we decided to take a wagon tour of Nauvoo...which was pretty fun... and seeing as I wasn't feeling so peachy, the thought of just chilling in the back of a wagon while someone else does all the talking and pointing and I just have to listen, was great... and besides, who doesn't want a free horse drawn wagon ride??? Lol...

READY FOR OUR WAGON TOUR

The biggest disappointment of the weekend, was the buffet... now, don't get me wrong, there was nothing wrong with the buffet, and Jake made full use of the 'all you can eat' buffet rule... the problem was, I LOVE BUFFET's... I am in all round happy mode when I am at a buffet.... for me it's a huge treat... the problem came with the fact that I wasn't feeling well and doing such a great job of eating... so dinner at the buffet (that we had made reservations for like 2 months ago) was like torture... lots of yummy food, that I couldn't eat too much of... After our buffet dinner, we decided to attend the 'Rendevous in Old Nauvoo', at the cultural hall... that was pretty funny... it's pretty much a little play about Nauvoo, put on by all the senior missionaries serving in the Nauvoo area... needless to say, we had much opportunity at the show to laugh at the old folk... we were pretty well entertained. LOL :)

THE SMITH FAMILY CEMETERY
- GRAVES OF JOSEPH, HYRUM AND EMMA SMITH -

Sunday it was time to head back to Michigan... on our way home, we made a stop in Carthage... that was a great experience. During the weekend, we had the opportunity to go to the place where Joseph Smith was killed and also to the place where he is buried... both were special places. Carthage was wonderful. There were only 4 people on our tour, so it was great... the sister missionary there, let us watch a short video about Joseph Smith and then took us on the tour of Carthage Jail... it was quite the experience to hear all the stories she had to tell about things that happened in Carthage and the impact that the prophet had on the family that lived in the jail house. Nauvoo has some very special history.

CARTHAGE JAIL




THE SECOND FLOOR WINDOW THROUGH WHICH JOSEPH FELL AT HIS DEATH



This is an interesting picture... I took this photo from the hallway, outside of the room where Joseph and Hyrum were killed. The photo of the window through which Joseph fell after being shot by the mobs, is taken through the bullet hole in the door made by the bullet that killed Hyrum.

LIFE IN MICHIGAN

So, I have finally arrived in Michigan, and Jake and I are officially starting our lives together. The past two and a half weeks have been great fun. We have had a lot of fun, transforming our apartment from "Bachelor Pad" to "Family Home"... we have been out shopping for the apartment, organising everything, setting up our home and getting used to actually living in the same country. lol... go figure... married people live together... ;)

Even the simplest things have been great for us over the past few weeks.... grocery shopping, dinner, lazy Saturday mornings.... when you are married and can't do those things together, you realise how important they are.

At the moment, aside from working every week, Jake is serving as a temple worker on Friday nights. He is loving that opportunity. I am still awaiting the 'call to serve' in our ward. We are both attending the gym together multiple times a week ( I am trying to keep off the dreaded pounds the USA presented me with the last time I was here) though at least for now, Jake has to be my motivation to work out, cos I have never been one for exercise, but so far it has gone well.

It has been an exciting time for us. Things are coming together nicely, and we are both thoroughly enjoying the new adventure of marriage...

FUN TOGETHER IN SOUTH AFRICA

KRUGER NATIONAL PARK

In March 2008, we went to the Kruger National Park in South Africa. It was a great experience. It was so beautiful to be in such a natural environment, and we were fortunate to experience some rare sightings too.

We stayed in what in South Africa we call, 'Rondavels', which are pretty much little round bungalows. It really felt like we were in the middle of nowhere sometimes.

We came REALLY close to some of the animals.
It was awesome.

FRANSCHOEK & CAPE AGULHUS

In December while we were on honeymoon, we went to Franschoek, a small historical town in the mountains. On our way back to Cape Town, we made a detour to Cape Agulhus, which is the southern most tip of Africa.

Jake was being silly in this picture... Still not sure exactly what he was doing,
but it was pretty funny. lol

OUR WEDDING - 21 December 2007

We got married on a sunny day in the middle of a Cape Town summer... it was perfect
...well except for the strong south-easter wind that the Cape is so notorious for.


Kim and Spence Geddes, flew to South Africa to share in our special day,
which was also attended by my close family and friends.

ALL THE PARENTS

CARLA'S SIBLINGS, LISA & JARRYD
WITH US ON THE BIG DAY


OUR SEALING

We were sealed in the Johannesburg, South Africa Temple on 22 December 2007. It was a very special experience for both of us.
Kim and Spence were able to be there with us too.