A Visit to the Paleontology Museum

Happy February!! Are you as joyful as I am to be out of January?
Yesterday, to end the month on a positive, and since Dalin didn't have to work, we wanted to do something fun as a family. I have been wanting to go to BYU's Paleontology Museum for a while now (I just love museums--of all types) and yesterday we finally went! We only paid $2 to get in (it's technically free but they have a suggested donation box which says $1 for adults and $0.50 for kids). It is pretty amazing if you are in the area and have never been. For one thing, most of the bones and fossils found are local. Which is insane to me for some reason. I forget that dinosaurs existed at all sometimes, never mind that there were any living in North America...I always picture them over in Africa or down in South America or something.

Anyway, the museum is not very large and can take anywhere between twenty minutes to an hour and a half to walk through depending on how interested you are in reading the information with the displays. I think it took us about forty minutes, though I would have loved to stay longer (I just love the atmosphere of museums!).

So if you live in the Provo area and have little kids who would be interested in dinosaurs, fossils, and rocks (or if you would be interested yourself), I would definitely make time to stop by. Plus, I loved that it wasn't busy. Crowds and lines are a pain. This place only had one other little group of a mom and some little kids there.

Here are some photos we took on our phones:

Cutest little dinosaur of all

Can you believe these things were found in Utah?

Have you ever been to the Paleontology Museum? 

Do you like this kind of stuff?

Do you believe in dinosaurs? ;) 

Maternity Photo Shoot, 34 Weeks!

In case you haven't heard yet, I'm 34 weeks along! The anticipation and uncertainty are the worst parts of the third trimester. I just wish I knew she would be here for sure on the 5th so I could relax until then. I'm looking forward to my doctor's appointment this Thursday--they always seem to make things go a little faster. But for now, I'm just counting the days. 

Yesterday, we spent much of our Sunday afternoon by the duck pond on BYU campus taking maternity pictures with friends Stephanie and Emil. We had a lot of fun and were so grateful they were willing to spend that time with us to take some fun maternity pictures. And now I can relax, knowing I got that done and won't regret not taking pics once my baby belly is gone (which will hopefully be pretty quick!). 

Here are some of my favorite pics from the afternoon:

"An apple for serenity, a pendant for balance..." Haha this picture makes me think of Mulan.

We did some just for fun yoga poses to show off different angles of my belly

When I look at these, I cannot believe just how big my belly really is. It is so strange because even now looking down at it, it doesn't seem as big as it actually appears when I look in the mirror or at the pictures. Sometimes I walk by a full-length mirror and I go, "WOAH," in my head. Like who is that? I have to admit that the thing I am most excited about post-pregnancy (besides our daughter finally being here!) is getting my body back. Not fitting into any of my normal pants is really discouraging. Especially because I always had to wear a belt before being pregnant. But apparently my hips are wider than I realized--I know my pelvis has to widen to make a passage for the baby, but I did not think it would be as noticeable as it is! I just want to fit in my skinny jeans again!!!!!

But for now, I'm wearing lots of stretch pants, skirts, and getting good use out of my two pairs of maternity pants. Hopefully by September or October I can at least have a few more options in my wardrobe! 

If you want to see more pictures from Sunday afternoon, you can look at my Maternity Shoot album on Facebook!

33 Weeks Craving: Good Books!

I am in serious need of a new series or just a really great book that is hard to put down. I love reading. Quite a lot. So much so, that it is literally the reason I am studying English at BYU and the reason I want to be a book editor (so I can read all the time!!!!). I am not just craving a good book because I'm pregnant like the title implies, but I do want to get into some good books so I'll have some distractions when I'm dying of anticipation and boredom. 

The last book I read was Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen. I loved it. But I am thinking more specifically about something that is as good--or almost as good--as Harry Potter or The Hunger Games or Divergent. I love reading classics, but I haven't heard of any awesome modern books that I need to read. For your information, I like quite a variety of themes. I even liked The Host, surprisingly. Teen books, fiction, nonfiction, fantasy, mystery, books with a hint of romance--they're all acceptable.*

So please, friends, family, and anyone on the Internet, give me some good books to read!!!! 

(If it something you would put in your top ten or fifteen favorite books, I want to hear about it!)

Note: Dalin also loves reading and just finished a series called Mistborn, I believe. He claims it is "better than Harry Potter." As if...but has anyone else read this book or series? And please confirm that there is no way it is better than Harry Potter....

*That is, they are acceptable as long as they are clean. I don't like tons of swearing or any sexual content. Basically, if it is something you would be okay reading in front of a group...

What is your all-time favorite book? Or, if you have many like I do, what are your top five?

The To Do List: Provo & Orem Edition

I'm not going to lie--I am starting to like Utah a little bit. You may be thinking, "Sheesh, it only took two whole years..." but seriously, we have found a few things around here recently that we never knew about until now (like a sweet short-cut to Orem for one...) and it has changed my outlook on living here dramatically. Not that I would want to make it a long-term thing--I'm still an east coast girl who needs the clear blue lakes and ocean--but I need to take the advice of numerous sisters in the church and "bloom where [I'm] planted." 

So I'm creating a "To Do" list, which will also be a bucket list of sorts, or basically a compilation of ideas and suggestions from people in the area (or previous residents). It can include restaurants, cafes, sights to see, or fun places. Or it can just be something we should do at a certain time of year and get a good deal (like near particular holidays for example).

What I would like from those who make suggestions are the following:

• the name of the place
• a summary of what it is/what there is to do (or what YOU did/ate there)
• the general location (preferably Provo/Orem area because we don't travel much)
• an idea of the cost (FREE, cheap, or kind of costly)

If you could give me a few ideas, I would SO appreciate it! We have just one year left here and I'm going to do my best to make it fun. So please,

Give us your suggestions! :)

Endings and Beginnings

Sweet relief.

Fall semester is over! I am so incredibly relieved. Already I am somewhat dreading next semester, though I am looking forward to lots and lots of changes. I will be taking classes that focus on my English major and Dalin will be doing the same with Psychology. We both have just one religion course left.

This semester, my first at BYU, went well, though I cannot deny that I prefer BYU-Idaho immensely. There is just a very different Spirit on campus there. It is much less competitive and much more fun and interesting. Despite this, I did well for my first semester here in Provo. I received an "A" in English, Spanish, and Marriage & Family. I received an "A-" in my other English class (interestingly enough, the English class I greatly preferred), and a stinking B+ in my Doctrine & Covenants class which was probably my favorite class of the semester but graded very annoyingly. The class is based off of 6 grades:

3 quizzes ............ A+, A+, A
1 essay ............... 100
Midterm ............. B
Final ................... B

Somehow all that makes a B+ which seems kind of unfair considering I did so well on everything else in the class and attended every single class (and participated), though attendance and participation apparently play no role in determining the grade.

But I (somewhat unwillingly) digress. Christmas will be here in one week and that means a LOT of things need to be done! Like actually getting gifts for my family for example...

My mom leaves Wednesday (which I can hardly bear to think about right now...I'm pretending it's not happening) and I need to hurry and prepare Christmas gifts and make plans with Dalin since we'll be spending Christmas Eve and Christmas Day alone (for the only time in our lives).

Work, school, and life are about to get significantly busier in the little Gunnell home.

But most of it, I am looking forward to ;)

That Time My Mom Came to Utah

My Mom flew in from New Hampshire yesterday. I so wished we could have been flying out there instead, but I am just grateful she could come at all before Christmas!

I picked her up from the Salt Lake Airport around 1:30pm and we drove back to Provo.

Side note: That was the farthest our car had ever driven. 

It wasn't even that far. But our car hit 200 miles...it's getting so old!  ;)

I totally cried when I saw her. I was the only weirdo standing almost directly on the "Do not cross" line where everyone who comes into Salt Lake exits and I was hopping up and down excitedly, craning my neck to see her. Her dumb plane was twenty minutes delayed which I did not realize until later as I began to wonder where the heck she was...but I was just so happy to see her. We collected her luggage and drove home chatting. 

I dropped her off at the Wilkinson Center (the Wilk) so she could browse the bookstore for an hour or two while I returned to work. When Dalin and Mom and I were all back at the apartment (which was not as clean as I would have liked), we talked and visited, Shaina and Layton came over and then we had a wonderful conversation. It was a great night and I was just so excited to have her here. We were exhausted by midnight--Mom had had to get up at 4am in New Hampshire to make her early flight and Dalin and I had gotten up at 7am (not so bad, but we're tired college students) to take Christmas pictures--so we fell asleep instantly.

Then today was great, too. Dalin and I went to work and school and my mom got to sleep in a little. When she woke up, she got right to work. She did so much laundry (I felt so bad but she insisted), and washed our dishes (which has to be done by hand), then she vacuumed, tidied up everything, and made our bed. Coming home after work was a huge surprise--it looked so wonderful. It was such a huge burden that was lifted off of me. 

Even though she did NOT have to do those things for me, I am so grateful to have my mom here to take care of us for a few days. I wish it could be longer.

Plus, we went to the mall and had a ton of fun looking at shoes, clothes, and showing her stores that we don't have in the east. Dalin has a sweet new navy down jacket that he looks SO hott in, a light denim shirt (which I have been wanting to buy for him forever...), and two v-necks (one teal, one maroon). I got some sweet shoes that I LOVE, a cute jacket that was on sale at Forever 21 (it's pinkish-purple which is a color I am not overly fond of, but I had to admit that I really liked it on), and a sparkly mint scarf. 

We got some chocolate at See's (of course)...Dalin got key lime as always, and for my mom and I we bought my new favorite, dark chocolate California peanut brittle. It is so delicious and it's the best kind of peanut brittle because you can actually bite it.

After our shopping spree (Dalin had finally had enough), we stopped by Sarah's apartment to visit with her (except, we totally have to see her again before she leaves for New Hampshire and then for her mission to Ecuador). We had a nice time talking and laughing until it felt late and we returned to the apartment to wind down.

I am so glad my mom is here. It makes me just so happy!!!!!!!!!!! I love her so much. And I do not want her to leave.

Day 16: Friday Night Dates & Laughter

 
We had a great, great date last night (Friday).  I cannot even begin to express how much I enjoy spending time with my husband (obviously a good thing...).  He really is my best friend and we always laugh so much when we're together.  Dalin always thinks of the funniest things to say and I try my best to keep him laughing, too.  We certainly are far from perfect and sometimes argue like we've been married fifty years, but we are quick to apologize and quick to forgive. I think that is the best way to have a happy marriage. That, and loads of laughter.

Anyway, we went to see "Let There Be Light" on campus. Both our lovely cousin Paige Petersen, and our good friend Anthony Miller are in the BYU Concert Choir. The performances were beautiful and the Spirit was very strong particularly during the hymns about Christ (which the majority of them were!).  I think my personal favorite performance was when the Concert Choir and BYU Singers sang "Morning Has Broken" together.  I absolutely love that song.

After the concert, we met four other couples at Red Robin for dinner.  Anthony and Mallory came, Jason and Eva, Derek and his date (who was from Boston!), and Andrew (new friend) and Allyson. We had a blast playing hang man and trying to name various countries. We told lots of stories and shared lots of laughs.

Then we stopped at the Creamery to pick up some ice cream and headed to Jason, Anth, and Derek's apartment to play some games. We started with "Reverse Charades." Most hilarious game ever. We laughed until our throats were sore. Then we played my game--which I took from my favorite Aunt Molly and Uncle Andy--"Bea Arthur." We laughed some more and finally had some ice cream and hurried out to our car at 1:30am so we wouldn't get towed.  It was a wonderful night.

I am thankful for Friday night dates and for laughter!

Things you might not have know about laughter:

Those who laugh frequently tend to live YEARS longer than those who rarely laugh!

"Statistics show that little kids laugh 400 times a day. One study showed that grownups laugh only eleven.  Proverbs tells us, “Laughter is good medicine, but a broken spirit dries the bones.”  Now there is medical evidence to corroborate that theory.  Volumes are written today on the therapeutic benefits of laughter.  

Dr. William Fry of Stanford University Medical School likened laughter to a form of physical exercise.  It’s like jogging on the inside.  It lowers your blood pressure and heart rate, improves lung capacity, massages internal organs, increases memory and alertness, reduces pain, improves digestion, and lowers the stress hormones, cortisol and adrenalin.  It’s good for the muscles involved in laughter, your chest and abdomen, and it exercises those muscles not involved.  Dr. Fry said that laughing 100-200 times per day is the cardiovascular equivalent of rowing for 10 minutes.  I don’t know about you, but I’d much rather laugh than row.   

Besides physical benefits, laughter also has psychological gains.  It teaches us to be out of control, brings us into the moment, helps us transcend our problems, brings us closer to people and helps us think more clearly."

LAUGH!

Day 13: A Warm Home

Old picture of the living room. I'd show a more recent one but...it's a disaster

 I am grateful for a warm apartment and our friendly neighbors.

I am thankful that we can afford to live so close to BYU campus, and for the ward we are in. The BYU Married 4th Ward is terrific. We have so many great couples who are always willing to serve one another. If nothing else, being with such a great ward gives me hope for the future of the Church. It is amazing how quick everyone is to fill a need for someone else. 

Thank you for wonderful neighbors and ward friends. I am so blessed to be so close to so many saints.

Add caption

Ward friends (last year). Now the couple on the left have a baby girl :) and the couple in the middle has moved away :(

Back to School

Well, today was my first day at BYU. 

I had two English classes, then work, then Spanish, and back to work to help close. 

Tomorrow I have two religion classes (D&C and LDS Marriage & Family), then work, then Spanish. 

I see a pattern in the making. 

Dalin's schedule was just as crazy. He also had several transitions between work and class. 

I have a feeling this is going to be one crazy semester. But it's only three months long. And I have Dalin who I know will help me to get through it. 

In other news, I received my associate's degree from BYU-Idaho in the mail today! It was really exciting. It reassured me that I am more than halfway there. The past two years really did fly by, and I sure hope that the next two will as well. I am so ready for the next part of our married life. 

Big smiles because I have my associate's degree! Thank you, BYU-Idaho! You will always be my favorite! 

I know school and learning are very important and that our knowledge is the one thing we can take with us in this life, but it can be so hard to remain motivated. My only suggestion to avoid back to school blues would be, think of the end goal. Gain a perspective of why you are doing the things you are doing. I remind myself that I ultimately want to be able to contribute to our family income by editing books from home so that I might also be a stay-at-home mom. Not only that, but I think of my children and how I want to be the ultimate example to them. I want to prove to them that hard work and perseverance pay off. 

Yes, that sounds cliché, and yes it probably is. But Dalin and I have the goal of an eternal family in mind and honestly, nothing is higher on our priority list. 

It was only just a dream...or was it?

Well, we are home. Our home is at little 300 Wymount Terrace in little Provo, Utah. We just returned from a marvelous trip to my lovely home state of New Hampshire. While Utah will never be my real home, I am starting to accept that it's okay if it is my temporary home...for a little while. We have about two years left of school at BYU and then we are free to do as we like. 

Can I just say, that being married while in school is so much easier. Probably because the boyfriend who was a huge distraction before is now a permanent, less obvious distraction that I see daily and who is more helpful and less likely to make me want to skip class. Our overall priority is to learn, earn some major moolah, graduate, and begin our family a.s.a.p. So far, the only thing we have succeeded at doing is learning. In our marriage, we are learning lots of things, like how to communicate better, trust one another, have patience, and share our thoughts. It is a lot of work--equivalent to a full-time job--but it is the best job I've ever had! ;)

Now it's time to re-cap our trip. 

A Little Visit to New Hampshire 
August 4 ~ Our travel day & arrival

Finally got to see my mom after an entire year. Wayyy  too long. 

I cried the second I saw my family waving to me from behind the glass. Especially when I saw Donovan. I can't believe I am missing him during his growing years. He is going to be a teenager this month which is simply unbelievable to me. It was so nice also to get home and see Payson again, hug my mom and dad, and to see my little doggie back in the comfort of my parents' home. 

August 5 ~ Visit to my old ward & visit with my 96-year old great grandmother

How nice was it to be back in my home ward? So nice. I realized I had missed everyone and just the spirit of the meetings back home. After church, we visited my great grandmother, Nana Kane, at the nursing home where she lives. It brought me to tears seeing how tired and worn she is, but she still brought smiles to our faces as she hugged and kissed her great grandson, Donovan. It was so nice to catch up with family. 

August 6 ~ Pirate's Cove beach, downtown Portsmouth & lobster with best friends

Today was a good day to visit the ocean. We opted to go to Pirate's Cove, which is more public than the beach we typically go to, but Donovan had wanted to show us how he could wakeboard and so we humored him. It was a very pretty, sunny day. As you can see, we all enjoyed the soft ocean water. 

  Donovan and I had fun burying Payson in the sand. 

Then Donovan had fun dumping cold sea water on me. 

Here's us, being a cute married couple out on the town haha. We ate chips and salsa in downtown Portsmouth then headed home where we had Megan and Sarah over for lobster (which, for those who do not know, is my absolute favorite food)! 

Hanging out with my best friends, eating some amazing lobster. Or as they say in New England, "lobstah." ;)

August 7 ~ Haircut, trip to Boston Temple, Quincy Market & Red Sox game
On this morning I got a haircut. Finally. Then we headed down to Boston with Donovan and Mom so that Dalin and I could do some sealings at the temple where we were married just over a year ago. We had a fun time taking some pictures in front of our gorgeous temple, too. 

 

After our visit to the Boston temple, we took the T to Quincy Market for a clam chowder bread bowl and a delicious $7 smoothie. But it was totally worth it. We had had both on our honeymoon  the year before which is why we made it a point to stop there for dinner.

After, we took the T to Fenway and watched the Red Sox play the Rangers. We had ridiculously good seats and had a blast even though we lost the game. 

Home-run smooch

Please notice how amazing our seats were. My dad is awesome for getting those for us. Also notice how cute my little brother is. I love him so much! Anyway, it was a terrific day in Boston.

August 8 ~ Beans & Greens, Mill Falls, Jetskiing, & Johnson's ice cream
We began the day by visiting my old workplace, Beans & Greens farm, and getting some delicious panini sandwiches for lunch. Then, Donovan, Mom, and us drove to Mill Falls and walked around the fun bookstores and quaint shops. We also spent some money at the candy store. 

 

After, we jetskied on Lake Winnipesaukee and then went out for ice cream with the family. 

With my boys :) Dalin, Donny, Payson, and Dad. 

August 9 ~ 21st birthday, Ice House, Fort Stark, mall trip, steakhouse & Silver Fountain Inn

Well today I turned 21. I really had nothing in mind for my birthday, so naturally my decision was to go to the ocean. We went to Fort Stark and scoured the beach for sea glass. We ate lunch and ice cream at the Ice House, and then went to the Fox Run Mall to shop. The only thing I really wanted for my birthday was a cute toe ring. We found two, and I love them. After the mall, we met my dad at a steakhouse for dinner. The food was extremely good. Then, as a little surprise for my birthday and for our upcoming anniversary, my mother reserved a place for us at the Silver Fountain Inn--the very place we stayed on our wedding night. It's a complicated explanation, but basically we ended up staying at home with the family despite her really thoughtful gift. We wanted to save Mom's money but more importantly, we knew we only had limited time to spend with the family and so we made that choice. 

August 10 ~ Rainy day, Moultonboro Country Store, & Moulton Farms
It poured today, and I loved it. I had been waiting for rain for too long. We decided today to visit one of the oldest country stores in the country--Moultonboro Country Store. It has lots of fun gifts and old fashioned candy there, too. We walked around together and then headed to a local farm-stand to get fresh food for lunch.

View of the store in the pouring rain

Who got me those sweet blue jeggings, you ask? None other than my smart, tasteful husband.

August 11 ~ Kittery, Maine, Fort Foster, & Bugaboo Creek
It was another ocean day today. We went to Fort Foster and even though it was overcast, who doesn't love a sweatshirt day at the beach? I endured the windiness, knowing once I returned to Utah I would regret not loving every moment spent at the ocean. 

Skipping rocks at the ocean

With my best friend and eternal companion

After the beach, we drove to downtown Kittery, Maine to visit a huge candy store and Kittery Trading Post. We ate at Bugaboo Creek for dinner. 

With two cuties in Kittery

August 12 ~ Church, Andy & Molly's lake house, water volleyball & word games
After Church on Sunday, we took a few family pictures outside. They came out pretty great, and I especially like this one where everyone is all smiles...and no one blinked. 

My eternal family :)

I cannot share how much I love this picture

We headed to Andy and Molly's lakehouse for some water volleyball and quality family time. We stayed late and played word games like Boggle and Bananagrams. It was a great Sunday/family night.

August 13 ~ Fort Foster, browsing around downtown Portsmouth & ice cream at Annabelle's
Very nice day today. Because the weather was good, we went back to Fort Foster (my favorite beach because it less busy than most) and soaked up some sun. 

I loved watching them play :) Dalin, Payson, and Donovan

Once we were tired of the beach for the day, we packed up and went to downtown Portsmouth for ice cream at Annabelle's. We finished the day with another lobster dinner.

Eating lobster (again!) at home. The best.

August 14 ~ Lunch at Uno's, Tilton Outlet Mall & friend's night
We had a difficult time deciding what to do with the day, but since we were exhausted, we ended up taking it easy and going out for lunch--just the two of us--then we did some light shopping at an outlet mall. 

We had friends over for a game night later on and it was really enjoyable. 

August 15 ~ Funspot, dinner with grandparents & parenthood practice

We tried to take it easy today as well. We went to Funspot--the world's largest arcade--located in Meredith, New Hampshire, and played lots of games just for fun. On one game, I won the "Monster Jackpot." Not even just the regular jackpot. I won over one thousand tickets and it took forever to get them all. But it was so cool, so it was definitely worth it. 

Shortly after I won...these are only a fraction of the tickets 

Later that night, we went back to Andy and Molly's lakehouse to babysat our cousins, Jack and Cael for the night. My grandparents took us all out for dinner then brought us some ice cream. They are so wonderful :)

He is going to be the best dad. The boys loved  him. 

Out to eat with my grandparents

Handsome boys :)

August 16 ~ Panera Bread & Canobie Lake Park
We went out for lunch at Payson's favorite cafe chain and then to New Hampshire's amusement park called Canobie Lake for our very first time. My dad couldn't make it, which I felt bad about, but we had a good time--particularly on the water rides. 

After getting soaked on "The Boston Tea Party" ride

A really good picture of us on the log ride--pre-getting soaked

Waiting in line to ride the Corkscrew...ouch

My mom came on a ride with us! She hardly ever can, but it was so awesome that she did! 

In the photo booth...with our own camera ;)

We stayed until 10pm, when the park closed, and slept on the way home. It was a really good close to our trip. 

August 17 ~ The Sad Return 
The dreaded day. I was so anti-leaving, I would have been willing to quit my job and switch schools if I didn't have Dalin. But life can be hard, and though leaving New Hampshire and my family was really hard (and we were all in tears at the airport though we had promised we wouldn't be), I am comforted knowing that my family is forever and that no matter how long we are apart in this life, I have them for eternity. Knowing this, and having the loving hand of my husband to hold as we went through security leaving my family behind, were the only things that comforted me as we got on our plane to return to--what is temporarily--our home. 

Bye New Hampshire. I love everything about you. 

Our backyard on a wonderful rainy day

Gorgeous oceans