Mickey Mice and Fall Hike

Last Sat. we had our ward's Halloween Party and Trunk'or'Treat.  Thanks to my Mom and Dad we didn't have to try and throw together a last minute Halloween costume.  They sent us these Mickey Mouse Halloween ears (with CandyCorn) from their recent trip to Disneyworld.  The ears were one-size-fits-all (kids size) so although a bit small, we wore the ears proud.  We look pretty fabulous don't you think??  Winners of best costume for sure.   haha Not.

Adam really wanted to show off our sweet  costumes.  Here he is doing his thing...  and here he is at our trunk... we spent a lot of time decorating it... cant you tell? haha.

Since it was a sunny day (these days have been hard to come by here in Iowa) I was going to take advantage of it.  Adam had to run off to school and do a bunch of homework so instead of going home and chillin' by myself all cooped up I went out exploring and found a hike!  wahoo... Even though most of the leaves had fallen it was still very pretty and nice to get out and hang with nature a bit.  I know I probably looked like a loser out hiking by myself but I had a good time. As you can tell by the pics I have an array of different faces. ....  and even with the sunshine I had to sport a beany and gloves part of the time.  I figure solo pics are better than no pics, so enjoy all the self-portraits.

raNdOmoCitY

Random thoughts....

*I made homemade Rootbeer last night for a ward activity and now have the joys of eating Rootbeer slush all day long. Heavenly. Reminds me of the 4th of July in Pine Valley.

*II live in the Ghetto... yes the straight up ghetto. (who knew there was even a ghetto in Iowa City?) Although I'm all good with where we live, we get some pretty strange looks and comments from people when we tell them what street we live on.

*I listen to country music on a daily basis.. weird I know..... and I am becoming a fan. The only other time this happened was when I was in Logan, Utah.... must be the middle of no-where, small country town feel I get.

*I cruise around Iowa City in a Mini-van... I wasn't expecting this for quite a few years to come. Still enjoying my new motherhood of being a nanny.
*Adam has started watching MLB on a regular basis.  Before he would just watch the Red Sox.... basically cause I would be watching them. Now suddenly, this post-season he has put a real interest into it.  He chooses to watch the games and cares who wins.. It's awesome. I guess with me starting to watch college football for X amount of hours on Saturdays he feels the needs to reciprocate it with MLB.... and Yes I am more knowledgeable about who's who and who's good in college football.    

*I forgot how much I enjoy going to the gym.  Just joined a gym for the first time since living in Boston.  I love it. (most days). :)

That's it... today we are off to the ward halloween party. Thanks Mom for the Candy Corn Mickey Mouse ears. Now we don't have to try to pull a costume together in a hour.  

Stuff i've learned Lately....

It's been brought to my attention that.......

-I am not a very compassionate or sympathetic person. I need to learn how to judge less and be willing to give and serve no matter what.
-I can look at a situation and see what needs to be done... then do it.
-It gets really cold in Iowa.... in fact it snowed....  it is not supposed to snow in October. No matter where you are.  Snow should be designated for Christmas... and Christmas only. (this is out our window-just a little but more than I wanted).

-The Lord will bless you if you put your faith in him and do your part. (ex: I got a job.... not what you'd expect though) *see below.
-You no longer take very many pics when there are just two of you. (hence the lack of pics lately) It's just no fun taking solo pics.
-University of Iowa Hawkeye Football fans are more dedicated, hardcore, and true to their team than anyone I have ever seen before. (We wanted to go to at least one football game this season but I don't see it happening. For yesterday's game the lowest price on stubhub is $274 for one ticket.) Apparently it was the most demanded college football game ticket in the nation.  Who knew?
-I am not a very detailed or fast sewer.  I started this quilt when Adam and I first got married. He had so many T-shirts(from high school, the mission, and college) that he didn't want to get rid of.... and they were taking up way too much drawer space. So this is how I managed to get rid of them .  Well it took me many months later but I finally got around to finishing it.

-My Grandma Vanola is amazing... in so many ways.
-the Red Sox had a rough series.... sad day. next year maybe.
-Being close to the Nauvoo Temple is awesome. This is us by the Mississippi River a few weeks ago.

*I have been looking for a job pretty much since we got here in Mid-August.  Being a Dietitian and moving to a city with 3 hospitals and one of them being HUGE, I thought I would easily find something that would work for me. But that was not the case.  The big University Hospital just happened to be on a Hiring Freeze... just my luck.  So I looked else where... called clinics, the community health center, checked with the grocery stores.... there just wasn't anybody hiring. Middle of September I was finally able to find a part time position in Cedar Rapids(which is 1/2 hour way) at a hospital there.  I interviewed, things went well, but the job duties consisted of my least favorite types of clinical work. So I was in a bind.... do I take this Part time job with the commute, that I wouldn't even enjoy and get paid much lower than I was making at my previous job?  It was a job, and I needed a job.  I had to call them back on a Monday to let them know my decision. That Sunday before, my bishop contacted me saying he knew a lady that was in need a of a nanny during the week and was wondering if I was interested. I said sure... the lady called me that night and we planned to meet the next day. She is a single mom, whose husband died a bit ago, is LDS, an accounting professor at the University, and has 3 kids that need watching over til she gets off work.  We met and I started the next day.  Although this nanny job is far from glamorous, pays less, and I am not using my degrees; for the time being it is a job and is the perfect fit. It gives me the flexibility that I need... (weekends off, holidays off, etc), very little stress, and I am able to develop skills for the future... right?  So pathetic yes, but awesome as well. I know it was a blessing from our Heavenly Father and am grateful to have a job.

That's that.