Rain, Rain...

When I left Las Vegas, I was so rain-starved I swore I would never complain about the rain. Ever. I still won't do that. But I just have to say, it would be nice if the rain stopped for long enough that my roof would dry and someone would come fix the still-gaping hole in my ceiling. It would be nice.

There is a play called "Absent Friends."

And I am one of them. It is true. I have not posted for a long time. Our desktop computer is down, so I can't really even post any pictures. Sorry.

Life has not been too exciting lately, so I will just give a quick run down of the holidays, now that it is the middle of January.

Thanksgiving was wonderful. Cristian and I went to the Charlotte, NC area and spent the day with the Cheney family and all their glory, and also my brother Dave and his family. It is always great to be with Dave and Becca, but it was so fun to see old friends again after so many years. We were welcomed and taken care of. Cristian was a really good sport about all the reminiscing going on with the Cheneys. I swear, they remembered things I did that I don't remember. Maybe that is a good thing.
We also helped Dave and Becca pick out a Christmas tree the next day, and that was so fun. Then Becca, Nellie and I saw "New Moon." I am admitting right now that I am a fan of the books, though I have only read them once. I am not a repeat reader. I enjoy the movies for what they are, so it was really fun. It was a great weekend.

For Christmas, Presbyterian College completely shut down for 2 weeks. That's right. I got 2 weeks paid Christmas vacation. It was truly a Christmas miracle. The first week Cristian and I just hung out; we made cookies for a few people and went to Greenville to the Festival of Trees downtown. We spent our first Christmas without any family nearby. We just stayed home, the two of us. It was a very nice, relaxing day, complete with a yummy ham dinner and a viewing of "Star Trek" that C got from my brother Gary and his family. What a great gift.

The next day, my Mom's birthday, C took off to Florida for a stage combat workshop. At the same time, I took off to Texas to see my oldest sibs and their families, and my parents, who were also there for the holidays. They just returned from their mission in Ghana in November, so this was the first time I saw Mom and Dad since coming home. It was so fun! I love my family. I took a few pictures with my phone, but I don't know how to upload to a computer from my phone, so I don't have anything to show for it. But I had a great time. Some of the highlights- sitting in on my sister-in-law Melissa's Sunday School class, (she was awesome), shopping with my mom, my sis Carolynn, and my niece Amy. Amy and I walked around this accessories store doing running commentaries on all the jewelry. It was great. Love that girl. Loved going to the temple with my parents and Carolynn, then meeting Tim for lunch afterward. Seeing Pat and Jerry, Cristian's parents, and of course his brother Brett and sister-in-law Lisa. I love the family I married into. I am lucky. Talking to Melissa, anytime. Talking about BYU with Jen, my niece who is the cutest Freshman you have ever seen. Doing a puzzle with my dad and Caden and Tristan. Watching Gavin, Caden, then little Kathrine play the drums Mom and Dad had brought back for the boys. Seeing Allison and Jen with their friends. Celebrating NYE with all, eating fondue and other yummy treats until I thought I would die, doing a count down at 9:20pm, then being in bed by 11pm. Happy New Year.
I flew back into Charlotte and spent the night with Dave and Becca before coming home. I love talking to them, and we stayed up late doing that. My favorite quote of the whole trip actually came from Emily on the way to their house after Dave picked me up from the airport. She said, "Aunt Nicole?" What, Baby? "When we get home, I want to show you my moves." Awesome. She is a funny little 5-year old. Of course, her current favorite song to dance to is "Dead Man's Party" from Oingo Boingo. Then Caleb got into it by doing his head stands while Emily rolled and shook and writhed around him. How much do I love this family? So much.

It was a great trip, but I was ready to come home. Life marches on, somehow.

I am optimistic about 2010. I have no idea what it will bring. But I am optimistic. Cristian and I are lucky- we both have jobs, we live in a great little town that we love, we have a great ward, and callings with the youth. Even though I am sitting in my apartment (which is another blessing) listening to water drip through a hole in our ceiling into the cooler that C placed underneath, I know life is good. Water drip or no.

Miracles

My wonderful college friend Eldon lost his wife Heather this morning to breast cancer. I have no words to describe the sorrow I feel for him, and I only met her once. But she was the love of his life. She battled for a year, always full of faith and hope and perseverance.

Last Saturday, Eldon knew she needed a miracle. So he put on their website that he would fast and pray on Sunday for one; sort of a last-ditch effort for healing, then maybe on to trying to accept whatever may come. So I, and many people who love them, fasted with him for that miracle. It was a great experience, feeling close in spirit to so many for the same purpose.

Monday morning I received word that Eldon and Heather (in one of her less-frequent lucid moments) knelt in prayer together to ask for a miracle. They both felt very strongly it would come, and therefore, just asked us to pray that her healing would come quickly so she could raise her three small children. I was so happy I cried, and prayed my thanks.

All week I waited and wondered what was happening, how she was doing. There was one message this week indicating she was slipping. This afternoon I received the email-notification that a journal entry had come in. I quickly opened it to find the message that she had passed this morning. Again, I cried. I cried for my friend. I cried for his sweet children. I wish for nothing more at this moment than to fly to Colorado and just be there.

I grieve tonight for a loving wife, mother, sister, daughter. Heather is healed; she is whole. But that is small consolation to a grieving husband and children. So I will ask for another miracle- for the healing of a family.

In Homage to my Favorite New Show:

For those of you who watch "The Office:"

PARKOUR!


For those of you who don't, and even those who want to feel the joy again, please, PLEASE watch the clip in the post below. Seriously.

Hardcore Parkour!

Video Recaps | Full Episodes | Webisodes

WARNING: Eternal Posting

This is an interpretation of what my life has been for the last 2 months.
















Sorry, this will be long. In my continual habit of needing to play catch-up, I have waited too long and now have much to share. Feel free to skim.

Mostly this will just be a lot of pictures. First of all, some pics of our last days in the Las Vegas:

This was our POD- the container in which we shipped all of our stuff. It was crazy how they dropped it off. The only word I can think of for that kind of truck was, HUGE CONTRAPTION.

I love these women with all my heart (and the men they come with, but, sorry, only the girls made it to the blog). These are my cousins, Emily Montague and Brooke Duke, and my Aunt, Ruth Pooler. I think it is pretty self-explanatory why I love Emily...we tend to take pictures the same way. I miss them like crazy.
Our good friends Brandon and Kelly Albright. I went to college with Kelly, and Brandon and I were in Aida together last summer. Great people, and we miss them too. Good luck in the NYC, you guys!
This is Rochelle Hendricks, and she is one of my favorite people, and it was really hard to say goodbye to her.... and I quote from a famous film named "Legacy:" "If we ever meet again it will be Zion to me!"




The last day arrived... so weird.



We towed my car the whole way. So glad we bought that truck a year ago!











This is our home. I miss that house. Sigh.

















About halfway, we stopped in the Dallas, Texas area to visit family on both sides. Cristian solidified his title to Favorite Uncle even more by playing video games and Monopoly for hours on end with my nephews Tristan, Gavin, and Caden. Awesome. Caden loved him, and in fact totally snubbed my sister Carolynn in favor of always holding Cristian's hand when we went to the Aquarium! They were buddies. We had a great time with Cristian's family too, and didn't really want to leave. But, alas, we were needed elsewhere. Like South Carolina.

We stopped in Vicksburg, MS for a night. Vicksburg is the site of a pivotal battle in the Civil War, so it had a lot of really cool history. Like the Military Park, with a full run down of the Battle of Vicksburg on a CD that we listened to as we drove through. I don't remember what states these memorials were for, but we liked them. Cristian looks pretty sweet.




















We also saw the USS Cairo, and ironclad warship that sank in the Yazoo River during the battle. It was found and brought back up a few years ago (like, 10 or 20 years ago) and restored. It was cool.















Of course, leave it to me to find something humorous on a landmark location....and to take a picture of it.
Sometimes I think I am Eva Peron. ("Evita" reference, for the non-theater peeps) Actually, I am just standing in the spot where Jefferson Davis (the President of the Confederacy) gave his last public address after being released from prison after the Civil War. This house is called Anchuca, and it an antebellum home built in 1830. It survived the War, and even served as a hospital at the time. It is now a lovely Bed and Breakfast, and Cristian and I stayed there.




When we got to Clinton, my brother Dave and his family came to see us for a day. Emily and Caleb helped Cristian put up our Bowflex, then felt inclined to test it out for themselves. They can pull some weight, I will tell you.




























Then we went camping. In August. In South Carolina. It was hot.

In the month of August, we just gradually moved in ($$$, Holy Crap!) and got all the business that moving entails squared away, like insurance, etc. I visited Dave and Becca at their home in Charlotte, a mere two hours away. I also reunited with my friends Tiffany and Nellie Cheney, who I have not seen in years! So excited to see them more often. Cristian started work at Presbyterian College the last week in August, and after a job search of my own, I landed a position myself at PC. I started work Sept. 7. I work in Administration, and I enjoy my job. It is really nice to be employed again; although, I was really getting used to the unemployed state; it is not so bad at all. Cristian's parents stopped by for a weekend on their own move from NY down to Texas, and it was so fun to see them.

Sooo, in September, I flew to Newport Beach, CA for a Girls' Weekend! It was amazing! We all turned 30 this year, and we wanted to celebrate it, dang it!
This is some of us on Balboa Island. From left:
Me, Katie Hill, Jen Jacobsen, Kristi Christensen, and Beth Rustand. Chalyce Bohne was not there yet, and Kristin Andrus had to be at another obligation that day. We went shopping on Balboa Island. I have not laughed so hard for a really looooong time! By the way, we were cute in high school, but we are all cuter now. Love what getting into the prime of your life does for you. The only person we were missing was Nellie. Boo.






Freakin awesome. We all went to high school together, and some of us have known each other since we were 2 years old. That is friendship.

Jen is a photographer, so she was all over the photo shoots. Mostly of Beth and Katie. Kristi and I didn't make the cut. So we drowned our sorrows in candy, what else would we do?


























Well, can you blame Jen? Look how cute Beth is!
What a Hot Mama.








Again, leave it to me to find the most random thing and get a picture. Don't you remember when these horse rides were in front of grocery stores? You pop in a quarter from Mom, and your day is made. They were the best! So I reverted a litte, don't judge. It was a fabulous weekend, and I love those girls to pieces, and can't wait for our next trip, whenever that may be.

The last thing I will mention happened this weekend.

Squealin in the Square.

Laurens County hosts this BBQ competition every October, and people come from far and wide to compete and enjoy. We found ourselves on Main Street in Laurens, eating a huge smoked turkey leg, french fries and funnel cake. We listened to one of those rock bands that you would never buy a CD of, but they are so fun live and in a festival atmosphere. I was dancing and loving it. It was our first real community experience here, and so fun and so tasty, as evidenced by Cristian.


So, there you go. At some point I will talk about a few things I did last summer before we moved. But not tonight.

We are really liking it here. We are grateful for our jobs, and the people who have been so kind to us. We feel really lucky to have landed at a college where it is ok to talk about and worship God, where the values are very similar to our own. It is beautiful in South Carolina, and I have found a love for this small little town of Clinton already.

Until next time I have to catch up on something. If you have made it this far, I salute you. You are a true friend. Told you it was long.

We are Here!

And by here, I mean Clinton, South Carolina, our new home town! We arrived a week ago yesterday, safe and tired. We got the keys to our apartment and set up shop. After two really expensive trips to Walmart, our day was done. Moving is expensive, and moving IN is really expensive! All the food staples we have had to replace, and home "things" like shelving and bins for stuff that we don't have an obvious place for. We are using what we already have, and then some. I guess every place you move into you have to adjust to that space. Well, our 1 bedroom, 1 bathroom apt is actually pretty spacious, but we are still needing to get creative a bit. I guess that is what happens when you leave behind a 3 bedroom, 2 bathroom house. Plus a large storage unit.

Anyway, Tuesday our POD arrived with all our belongings, and some men from our new ward (and a few sons) drove all the way out into our little town, at the edge of the ward, to help us unload. It was incredibly humbling that they would do that for us when we live a half hour away from the church, let alone their own homes, wherever they are. I guess I am just used to smaller ward boundaries so I was concerned no one would come so far. But they did, and were a huge help, even going with Cristian to the storage unit to fit everything in there. Thank you, Simpsonville 2nd Ward!

We are still in boxes for some things, and it may be a little while until things are really coming together. But the bathroom and kitchen are organized, we have our internet and TV, and all of our stuff is somewhere in the vicinity. That is all we can ask at this time. I really will post some pictures of our cross country drive, I just have been a little too busy to download everything.

We live in a little town, and it is kind of an adjustment for me being so far away from a suburb, let alone a major city. But I am getting used to it, and I like the quiet. We have been introduced to a really cute cafe called the Village Cup that I am in love with (they serve lunch) and we have been to an ice cream parlor and I went to the Farmers Market yesterday morning. Those are the things I am going to love about Clinton. I will get used to driving 30 minutes to a Target or Lowes, I promise.