Adventures in North Carolina

North Carolina, the East Coast &

We'll miss you Idaho!

2013 and 2014 in Review

Since I obviously have let this blog fall to the wayside, I have some major catching up to do. Long story short, Neil graduated from BYU-Idaho in April 2013 with a degree in Mechanical Engineering.

We made a grueling cross country trek from Twin Falls, Idaho to Winston Salem, North Carolina in July 2013. Neil started as a Certification Engineer for BE Aerospace. Its a good company and we are grateful for the opportunity. It was definitely a change for us but the south has been full of their southern hospitality and we've enjoyed making friends at work and at church. And the city is full of activities and events like the Apple Festival, the Dixie Classic Fair, and the Highland Games. We miss our family daily but are enjoying our new adventure.

Our 2nd day in Winston Salem at a Dash game

Living in NC has been a blessing being relatively close to my family in Atlanta. We spent a few weekends boating and also Easter 2014 with my Gasper family.
For Thanksgiving we went to the Big Apple. We stayed with a roommate of mine, Amaree, her husband Dallin, and their ADORABLE little girl Kennadie. They were living in DC which we also took advantage of in September and toured DC. But they had a connection in NYC, so we got to enjoy their company and experience the Macy's day parade, NYC and Thanksgiving in their company.

Kiss at Time Square

We love Easton!!

Christmas was spent in Washington with Neil's family in Federal Way and my family in Zillah. We love spending time with our nieces and nephews, especially during that magical time of year! They're growing too fast!!  I also enjoyed a spa day with my sisters and mom which is always on a girl's favorites list!

I started a job in January as an Operating Room nurse. Thankfully I've always had a tough stomach and enjoy the the blood and guts. I've learned a lot and enjoy the hands on side of surgery. Its amazing to be a part of healing people.

North Carolina had a rough winter (especially considering how mild they normally are). I was grateful for four wheel drive since as a nurse I HAVE to be to work no matter what the weather is, while Neil's company allows them to work from home.

Thankfully winter was relatively short lived and we had a beautiful spring here in NC.
Another aspect of NC that we love is being 3-4 hours from the coast. We love the beach and the warm water! We visit when we can and its always tempting us.

This spring Neil and I both experienced a first. We went on a cruise! We went to Cozumel, Mexico, Belize City, Belize, Roatan, Honduras, and the Grand Caymans. The ship had numerus pools and hot tubs, a water slide, shows, and of course food that never ended. We especially enjoyed brunch and dinner. And Neil was in heaven at Guy's Burger joint where hamburgers were all you can eat and toppings were endless. (Neil LOVES burgers.) At dinner Neil surprised me by having the staff celebrate our 3rd anniversary. We got a special dessert and the staff sang a song that repeatedly required us to "kissy kissy." It was a fun surprise!

So for our first excursion, we experienced a Mormon guided tour of the ruins in Cozumel. It was EXTREMELY rushed (like we almost missed the boat) but it was a neat experience to see the relationship of our beliefs and the history of the ruins at Tulum. A festival was happening at the ruins and the tour guide explained that 4 men in aprons climb a pole and twist themselves and a rope around the pole. They then swing head first as they untwist as they represent the "descending God." As members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints we know through the Book of Mormon, that Christ visited the people on the American continent. He descended and showed them the marks in His hands and feet. He administered to the people and healed the sick. To learn more go to: http://www.mormon.org/

In Belize, we took a bus into the Amazon and went on a canopy tour. As we ziplined through the trees, I got our group laughing with my rendition of Tarzan's call. At another part of the tour, we inner-tubed a river that passes through caves. It was beautiful and even the fruit bats were adorable! On the bus ride into and out of the jungle, our tour guide Captain Kirk was extremely informative. I never knew how poor the people of Belize were, but they LOVE their country and are so proud of its beauty.

"Friendly" natives in Belize =)

We love getting off the boat

Its like 6am in Honduras here

Our next stop was Roatan, Honduras. We both are very much beach people so we were excited to hit a private beach and do some snorkeling of the coral reefs. Well due to my complete and utter accident prone nature, 20 minutes into our beach day, I cut my foot on some coral. Unfortunately it wasn't just a cut. It was a CUT, on the ball of my foot!!! Neil helped me out of the water. The beach medic washed it and assessed it. I earned myself a trip to the island clinic for stitches! At the clinic they scrubbed out my wound with saline and chlorhexidine. The next part was the least enjoyable. I appreciated it but it was not fun, they numbed my foot for the stitches. It wasn't a little needle and the doc injected the lidocaine into my open wound, NUMEROUS times. I'll see if I can post the video. Yes I was a total wimp and whined like a baby. But thankfully I couldn't feel the stitches.
So after that drama they asked if I wanted to go straight back to the ship. But being the good wife I am =) I didn't want to ruin Neil's day. So once we were back at the beach Neil ran to the gift store and got a bag so that I wouldn't get sand in my bandages. He spent the rest of the time snorkeling. Lets just say I was extremely hot and had a throbbing foot but I'm glad he got to enjoy Honduras.

Once back on the ship we were able to get crutches. All week we had said that the ship was HUGE. But when someone is hopping around it becomes MASSIVELY HUGE!! 

Penelope the pregnant Sting Ray

Well I was worried that my foot would ruin our day in the Grand Caymans. We planned a visit to Sting Ray Bay and then snorkeling. I was fairly miserable. That was until we got in the water. I think the salt and the weightlessness were a fabulous combination. I absolutely fell in LOVE with the sting rays. They were so soft and so puppy like. We also got to snorkel. I LOVE swimming but HATE breathing out of  a tube. But I was able to get acclimated quickly and because I'm a strong swimmer I was able to get around with only one usable foot/leg. I was EXTREMELY aware of my position in relation to the coral all around me and was very cautious. I always laugh at how Neil and I are so different in the water. I loved just sitting and watching the fish in their natural setting and seeing how they interact and move. Neil just chased them around.  =) But we LOVED it! I would ABSOLUTELY go back to the Caymans!!! 

Overall, even with the motion sickness and my bum foot, we had a good time. We visited 4 beautiful countries, ate like kings, and had a wonderful time. 

Neil on the USS North Caroline Battleship

Over Memorial day weekend, we hit the beach in Wilmington. Again, we LOVE the beach!! We enjoyed the BEST cream cheese stuffed french toast I've EVER eaten at Cure beach.  Wilmington is a charming city and the boardwalk was a gorgeous place to enjoy the sunset. On Memorial day we honored those who have valiantly served our country by visiting the USS North Carolina Battleship. Neil liked the massive guns while I liked the operating room and the alligators that chill in the shallow water near the ship. 

This summer Neil hit his year mark at BE in July. We've enjoyed a few Winston Salem Dash baseball games, a weekend with family at my aunt Jackie's lake house, temple trips to Raleigh, and get-togethers with friends.

As much as I love the summer, I'm excited for fall. I love the cooler weather, crunchy leaves, the beautiful colors, caramel apples and pumpkin EVERYTHING!

If you've read this entire post, you must be a true friend or a good family member. =) I really want to document our adventures as they happen instead of a year after the fact! So keep reading!! You never know what adventure we'll tell you about next time!! ;)

My birthday dinner at Cheesecake Factory