Where the eagles fly, from the mountain high...

Just a quick note to let everyone know that we have arrived in Colorado Springs without incident - if you consider Nathan attempting a u-turn with a gigantic moving truck pulling a car and then rolling over an industrial sized garbage can "without incident". It was a nice trip except for the times when I was white-knuckling it watching the truck slow down to 35 mph chugging up the hills. I considered getting out and pushing but Nathan thought it would be less than effective. As if we didn't feel a warm enough welcome from Mike and Stephanie, who are so graciously putting up with us for a bit, President Bush and the Thunderbirds were also in town today to make sure we felt right at home. Apparently it worked out well because they were able to kill two birds with one stone by appearing at the Air Force Academy graduation as well. Now that is what I call great planning. The last two days Nathan and I have been looking at apartments all over town. My brain has turned to mush and all of the floor plans look the same to me. They have all melted into one mass that I will now refer to as "The Nothing". Fortunately, in the midst of all the stuccoed mazes, glimpses of the beautiful Front Range remind us of how excited we are to be here and how much we are looking forward to showing you all around when you visit. As soon as we get in a place I will make sure to post some pictures so you all can see our lovely mountain home.

Many thanks...

Thanks, Mom, for letting me come and hang out with you the last few days. I am so excited about the wonderful things happening in your life and the joy that you seem to have reclaimed. It's a good thing to see.

Thanks, Dad, for working so hard for your family. We love you very much.

Thanks, Derek and Emily, for creating this...

None of the pictures I took could even compare. He is a wonderful addition to our family. No one else can throw up down the inside of my shirt with as much aplomb as little Ethan... and LIVE!

Thanks, Elder McLaughlin, for decided that you will figure out how to make your mission the best. We have all been there and you are in our prayers.

Thanks, Nathan, for knowing how important my family is to me. Also, thanks for working so hard and for keeping the big picture in mind. I am so proud of you.

Thanks, Arizona, for being a wonderful surprise to me. We didn't get along very well at the beginning, but I will truly miss you now that it is time to go.

And last of all, thanks, University of Phoenix Colorado Springs, for seeing how incredible my husband is and offering him a job there. We are looking forward to getting to know your town and my cousins better. I think we are going to be good friends very soon...

Le Roi est mort.

1. Today should be a day of national mourning. A true hero, one who has changed the face of our country, has fallen and I will be dressing in black for the next year. "Irvine Robbins, who as co-founder of Baskin-Robbins brought Rocky Road, Pralines ’n Cream and other exotic ice cream concoctions to every corner of America, has died at age 90." I owe this man so much for the hundreds of hours of pure enjoyment and fifteen extra pounds of gadunk gadunk that I now carry as a tribute to one man's genius. I will be organizing a 31 gun salute today.
   
   
2. The other day Nathan had to tell a woman who is in training that she would have to leave the class and rejoin the next because she had missed three days due to illness. He was trying to be as kind as possible because this effectively meant that she was going to be without a paycheck for another month so he first asked her how she was doing. She explained to him that she was sorry that she had missed but after her recent battle with cancer when she had to have a shunt put in and the doctor accidentally nicked her lung, causing it to collapse, she has a propensity to lung issues - in this case pneumonia. As you can imagine, Nathan felt GREAT after hearing that. Yeah, Nathan is the guy who fired the cancer patient. Nice. He prefers to call her a "CANCER SURVIVOR, BETH! A CANCER SUR-VI-VOR!" My suggestion to him was to say, "Well, this is not going to be the worst news you've ever gotten!". I am on the hunt for some homeless children or recent widows whose dream he can crush as well.
   
   
3. Try humming the theme song to Star Wars and then immediately jump into the Superman theme song. Good luck! It seriously took me two days to do it. I think that John Williams was paid for the same song twice.