For those of you who didn't find it in the headlines of your local paper (Grandma in California called to let me know good ol' Arkansas was on the front page...) we are in an ICE STORM!! Yep. A nice, friendly welcome to the natural state, Arkansas.

Luckily, Colby and I live in one of the few areas with electricity still on. {thank goodness} And, because my Dad convinced me 4 years ago I would need a four wheel drive car to get around Utah, we are managing the roads much better than the other cars (when we decide we can't sit around home any longer). We took a little drive in the area behind us the other day to see the ice damage {and beauty} and took some great shots. It was one of those days though that I wish I had a spectacualr camera to share the beauty of the ice storm. Of course I haven't uploaded my semi-decent photos yet, so you will have to check back later for those, and all the other posts I am still behind on. Oops. (Oh, and because of the weather, our internet installation will be pushed back even further. pshh.)

But, I shouldn't complain. While others are sitting in their home freezing or have opted to go fork out the money to stay in hotels, I get to sit at home cuddled up on my couch eating homemade bread and watching a movie with Colby, because WalMart cancelled work for 3 days. :) Lucky me.

Parents came to visit

My parents came to visit a week after we moved in. They were headed to Cancun for a business trip and decided to swing up to Arkansas on their way. They were only here for 2 days, and we made every minute count.


We drove out to Beaver Lake and had a small picnic in the car. It was too cold to eat it outside. The lake is huge and we can tell it will be absolutely breathtaking once all the trees turn green.

When Lindsey was born I made her a blanket just like this one. Now, eleven years later, it is in shreds but she still sleeps with it nightly. She wanted a new one so Mom brought the stuff and we made one for her together. It was great because it gave me a project to learn how to use my new sewing machine with!
Colby was glad to have Dad there so he could finally hang our new TV (our little graduation gift to ourselves). Dad also convinced me that Colby was right...we really do need a drill. So, after a short trip to Home Depot together, they came back with a new drill and sawzall. Colby was a happy camper.
And of course, being in wally-world, we had to take a small trip to where Walmart all began.

the journey

Here are all of our belongings ready to be driven across half the country. It was kind of a weird feeling leaving with everything we owned all with us. (Except my car that WalMart shipped out for us.)

Proof that I drove. Colby just reminded me that I drove less than 3 hours of the 20 hours drive, but hey, i still drove. (It was quite nerve racking for both of us when I drove, and we figured we would get there faster with him driving.)

This was our fabulous view for the majority of the trip. The main alterations were snow/ice or more semi trucks.

We were 10 minutes from the WinterQuarters temple, so swung by and did a session. Here is Colby hanging out of the Uhaul.
Sadly I couldn't find my tights, so had to brave the weather with bare legs. People were looking at me like I was crazy!

We wanted to see my friend Lauren Foutz at the winter quarters visitor center, but she wasn't there. We took some time to check it out anyway. It was a really neat center and we were able to learn a little about the Mormon pioneers.


Finally, around midnight, we made it to our new home. Here is our front door! We will post pictures of the whole place later.

Arkansas...home sweet home

Well, we made it...after 1400 miles of driving, 20+ hours in the 25 foot-long UHAUL (with car trailer on the back), 2 nights in a hotel, and way too many meals in a restaurant. The drive was memorable and a good time for Colby and me. We even were able to make a stop at the Winter Quarters Visitor center and do a session there at the temple. But, all in all, we are glad to be done driving.

Currently we have all of our stuff in our new apartment, but most of it is still in boxes. I hope to be able unpack it all while Colby is at his FIRST DAY OF REAL WORK! WHA-HOO!! "Real world"....here we come! Wish us luck!

pictures of everything (and the last month) to come soon!

my new brother

I finally got to meet Kellen, my brother-in-law. He just returned from his mission in Uraguay, so we headed up to Wyoming to spend some time with the fam. It was great to meet him and spend time with Mom and Dad H before we left to Arkansas. It was a short, but fabulous trip.

Happy New Year!

I couldn't let Colby sleep through the celebrating, so I woke him for a short celebration. (not sure if that makes me a good or bad wife.)

We are excited to head into 2009 and look forward to what it brings.