One Year

Then

Now

And one of Katie, because she doesn't usually look that grumpy.

We've been in Pennsylvania for a whole year now. Exactly one year ago (right about this time, actually, we pulled up and got out to a hot, humid, and beautifully green state.

One year later:

-Nate is about to start another semester of school.

-Katie has joined our family

-Nicole was in an accident that totaled one car, and now we've got a new one. (No one was hurt, and it actually worked out to be financially in our favor)

-We've moved once to an apartment slightly closer to town

-We've survived a whole summer without air conditioning. Some days, it was quite difficult, but we did it.

-Katie has managed to learn to smile, laugh, eat solid foods, get 4 teeth, crawl, roll over, and be basically too adorable for people not to comment on.

-Indiana has survived not being the main being that needs caring for, and has made a few friends and even been to a dog park many times.

It's been a really good year, and even though we miss seeing our families as often, Pennsylvania really has been a pretty great place to live.

Moving Out

So, as usually happens when you drive across the country, we saw some awesome things.

Sadly, we didn't get pictures of all the awesome things we saw, but I jotted down a few notes so I wouldn't forget.

Sunday night in Kansas there was a pretty awesome thunder and lightening storm. Unfortunately, this was also the night that we found out that Indiana is afraid of thunder storms. He was up for quite a bit of the night whining and trembling, and he wouldn't calm down unless one of us was petting him and he was close to us. It was really sad, and it gave us a teeny tiny little taste of our future in a few months. Hopefully our daughter won't be so scared of thunder!

Monday, in Kansas, we were ambushed by 6-7 Direct TV vans. Seriously, all on the interstate at the same exit. My rearview mirror suddenly fills with these vans. I hope that there was some kind of conference or something, because otherwise I don't know why they'd all be in the exact same place at the same time.

Also driving through Kansas, we happened upon a sign that forced us to pull off at the next exit. We resisted the 5 legged cow, and the XXXXXL dress shop, but we just couldn't ignore the Czech Capitol of Kansas. Really...could you? We went in, we stopped at a grocery store to use the bathroom, and went to a gift shop where we got some czech pastries, and a German sandwhich, and we also went to the czech museum. Unfortunately, the woman who took us through the museum also wanted to tell us all about it, and so we were there for about an hour and a half. There was some cool stuff there, but it was just a loooong time to go through a few rooms. Overall though, it was a pretty great stop.

This was Indiana for all the days we drove. Poor guy. He had more room than a kennel, and we made sure to let him out and walk around, but he sure was glad when the whole trip was over. Probably more glad than the rest of us!

Driving through Missouri, We ran into a place run by someone named Rose. She has a series of stores all in a row that include the following: gifts, wireless, cigarettes, and cremation. Yes, you can get a cell phone contract, cigaretts, and cremated all within the same city block. And the basic cremation package is only $495!

Also, we stayed in pretty good hotels all the way across...except for the Knights Inn around Columbus OH. They gave us a smoking room, even though we asked for non-smoking. The whole place was just really seedy, and I don't really want to know what kind of deals were taking place around the back lot. We didn't even shower in the morning because the bathroom smelled so badly of smoke. We just left, got breakfast at Wal-Mart (apparently, the hotel had none, or it was over super early.)

I drove through traffic at rush hour in a couple of cities...which was a bit stressful since I was unfamiliar with said cities, and involved a lot of merging and lane changes. Honestly, it wasn't really any busier than driving on the interstate in Utah County though, and most of our drive there would be just a couple of cars for miles. Overall, the drive was great--the weather was basically partially cloudy the whole time, which we've decided is the best possible weather for traveling. We hit a little rain and construction when we crossed over into Pennsylvania, but other than that, it was great, in spite of the ease of it all, we sure were glad when we didn't have to be squished into our car with all our stuff any longer.

The Vacation Part of Moving

While much of the moving process was mostly long and not terribly exciting, the first day we drove to Denver, and we ate here at Casa Bonita:

Here, Nate helps to demonstrate how different our heights are, since I have to crane my neck just to get my face into the picture.

This is is inside of Casa Bonita--there are waterfalls, and different rooms, and a gorilla guy that just runs around making a rucus. Apparently there are also cliff divers and such, but we had to hurry, and didn't see any of them. We did see some of a magician act--he wasn't too bad. Apparently he was voted best magician in Colorado though, so maybe we just weren't there long enough to be properly impressed by his act.

We actualyl got to eat in the theatre where he was performing, so that was nice. The space between the tables was a little bit small...or maybe I was just a little bit bigger than I recalled. :)

One of the things that you get for going are Sopapillas. I don't know that I spelled that correctly, but they're essentially fried scones. Then you can put honey on them, and jam, or whatever you like. Nate was attempting to squirt honey onto his from one of the condiment bottles on the table. Turns out the lid wasn't on that tight, and so Nate got a little more honey than he barganed for. We shared it.

After picking up Indiana, who'd spent our dinner time at the Vet getting a few vaccines, we headed down to Colorado Springs to see these guys:

Seriously, this was the best part of the move. There was a movie, and ice cream, and fabulous soup, and homemade bread, and good company, and homemade apple cobbler. Laurie, your food was the best we had the whole trip. It was so great to see you guys.

On top of their fine hospitatlity, they even took us to see The Garden of the Gods. This is an awesome place that's totoally free to get into because of a donation made by a family. People were rock climbing, and just wandering around. It was really cool.

This is supposed to be two camels kissing--way up there at the very top of the picture, where the tiny little hole is.

Indiana got to come too--and he was so glad to be out of his tiny little space in the car.

Here's the only picture we got of all of us the whole trip. Thanks Uncle Brent!

Sadly, we had to leave Colorado Springs and get on our way. It was such a nice break though--the perfect way to start out our long drive was with a stop and some fun along the way. Thanks again, Colorado Elisons!

Pre-PA Weeks

The weeks leading up to us getting here were so wonderfully busy. It was great to get to see so many friends and family. A few things that happened:

1. Nate had a birthday, and we had a party for him. A Guitar Hero Championship was involved, and Karly beat out the entire bracket, without a single loss. Don't mess with that girl on Miss Murder.

2. We had an ultrasound, and we found out that we're having a little girl. I'd had a dream it was a little boy, and so had Nate. Originally, we were planning on being surprised...but then I went and got curious about a week before. However, since I had been expecting a little boy, finding out that it was a girl was quite surprising. I can only imagine how convinced I would have been that it was a boy by the time she was born. Regardless of expecting it to be a boy, there was no dissapointment. Nate's actually a little relieved. He's got 4

younger sisters, and no brothers. He's at least got some experiences with baby girls. We're really excited. Our due date is right on, so as long as all keeps going well, we'll have a daughter at the end of December. Yay!

3. In conjunction with baby stuff, I got a surprise baby shower Tuesday Night. We had the ultrasound at 4:00, and then around 7 we were going over to Uncle Doug and Aunt Lori's house to play games and hang out. When we got there, I kind of expected the whole family to come, and sort of have a "yay Nate for graduating good luck in PA!" type party. We got in, and everyone yelled "Suprise!" I just picked up the dog and started to walk over to where all the people were. Soon, however, I realized that some of the people in the group were not, in fact, family. There was Krista--a good friend from BYU...and a couple of others.

Then I went from not surprised to really confused, especially as I realized that there weren't any men there either. I was told to go and sit in the chair in the corner, and there were gifts on the hearth of the fireplace, and...huh? Then, Nate said, "Bye Nicole." I was still confused. Then I noticed the sign on the fireplace mantle that said, "Baby Shower." Finally, it dawned on me what was going on. I'm sure a lot of people there were disapointed that I didn't act more surprised, but I can't tell you how surprised I was. I had absolutely no idea whatsoever what was going on, which is why I sat there with a dumb look on my face for the first 10 minutes of the party. I really was so touched and surprised though. The things that we got from

everyone are adorable, and I'm really excited to get to dress up our little girl in them, or to snuggle her in them, or even to burp her with them. To everyone who was there--Thanks a million. You're really sweet.

4. Wednesday we went to see the Dark Knight at the Scera with friends and some family...who are also friends. It was good times.

5. Nate Commenced on Thursday Afternoon. He looked really handsome in his graduation gear--see?

Thursday Night we played some games and ate cookies with Kip and Diana and Kurth and Kathi and Co. It was really fun, and the cookies were quite tasty.

6. Friday Morning Nate Convocated. He was the first one to walk across the stage! The pictures below are half from Thursday afternoon, and half from Friday while Nate was walking. I don't know why, but I don't have pictures from friday after Nate walked--I'll have to get some from others. Ashley and Lance, and Grandma and Grandpa Elison, Savannah, and Grandpa Murray, and Mom and Dad Murray as well as Karly, Abby, Natalie, and Mariel were all there to watch Nate get his diploma holder. Mom and Dad Frost missed the ceremony because Mom Frost was still recovering from surgery the day before. Jared, Emily, and Jordan weren't there because they were in Missouri, and Ryan is on his mission. Thankfully, everyone who was in the state was able to come to the real celebration that night--dinner at Yamato's, which was good...even though our server seemed quite stressed over the number of people in our party. I guess 18 is a lot, but Nate's got a lot of people who love him! :)

Saturday morning is when we took off on our move. I'll have to post more about that later. We're so grateful to have such wonderful families that have been so supportive and caring. We look forward to our new adventure even though we miss you. We'll look forward even more to visiting you all soon-ish.

Getting Ready...

So, tons of our stuff has sold--thanks guys. Now, we're left with a slightly cluttery mess of a house, and a Nicole who doesn't want to do anything about it.

Too bad we're moving in a week.

Seriously? A week? I can't handle it.

As of tomorrow, me and baby Murray are 20 weeks along. That equals half way. Time has gone so fast! Apart from no longer being able to comfortably lay on my stomach, having a little trouble raising myself from the floor of our nearly seatless apartment and wondering if 70% of my wardrobe will ever fit again, things are pretty much normal. For those of you who are interested, here's a picture.

Yesterday--so about 19.5 weeks.

Anyway, we've been spending a lot of time with family, which has been wonderful. There have been family pictures, dinners, lunches...a lot of food things. We've also just hung out and watched movies, TV, whatever. Times like that, I'm going to miss a lot when we're gone. I just can't believe that we'll be parents, and living in PA in a few months. That's no time! It's also really exciting. I'm excited not to be living in and out of boxes, and to get to settle in, and for Nate to start school, and to start some of our own Sunday Dinner traditions. It's going to be great. It'll also be fun to explore the new place, and to meet new people. Now, we just have to drive there...

Other Updates

I think my favorite thing about having exciting news to share is the chance to briefly reconnect with people who I haven't talked to in a long time.

However, doing so has made me realize that we've failed to let some people know what's going on in our lives.

The biggest thing (besides impending parenthood), is that Nate accepted Penn State's offer. We're moving there in August, and it's going to be awesome. If you're ever in Pennsylvania--we should be friends.

In preparation for this, I started to do some research into moving costs. Turns out that the cost to rent a moving truck to Pennsylvania from Utah is kind of pricey--like, between the moving truck, gas, and tow dolly for the car, it's going to cost somewhere in the neighborhood of $2100.

Friends, I don't think we really have $2100 worth of stuff. Really, most everything we have has been given to us, or gotten second-hand. It's been wonderful, and we feel so blessed to have received so many nice things. But, due to the expense, we're basically planning on selling everything we can, and donating anything we can't. And then we'll load up the things we're keeping and drive off into the sunset.

It's going to be a great adventure.

Spring...sorta.

So, it's officially spring in Utah, although this week is the first one that's really starting to look like it. I say this not because the weather is awesome, but because it's not awesome, but at least it's not snowing.

Life at the Murray house has been pretty great lately. Nate got accepted to one grad school, with a great offer, and we're just waiting to see what happens with the other two. He'll be flying out to visit them the week after next.

Speaking of next week, have I mentioned that it's spring break? Well, next week is spring break, and I'm ridiculously excited about it. Sleeping in! Cleaning house! Possible Fishing! No school!

It's going to be great.

With Nate being accepted to grad school, I turned in my official resignation to Lone Peak. This way, they can hire teachers before all of the physics teachers are gone. Tendering my resignation brought mixed feelings. On the one hand, I'm really excited about whatever it is that the future holds for us. Nate in grad school, me, possibly teaching in some other school district, in another state. Moving sometime in August, finding an apartment before then, etc.

All of this brings a total mix of emotions. I'm really excited on one hand, and really nervous on the other. There's so much uncertainty in our future when it comes to specifics, it can get a little overwhelming.

Thankfully, there are a lot of things that aren't changing. Those are the things that I like to stick to in times like the present--you know, the times that make you wish you could magically jump into the future and have all the transitioning done. I'm glad that I'm married to Nate, and that we'll be together wherever we end up. I'm glad we've got Indiana, and that we're doing well with budgeting, and working with coupons (more on that later). I'm glad we know who we are, and we're both confident that our future will work out just fine.

I'm just sometimes impatient for the "just fine" part.

Sometimes, Life can Seem Hard

And, ironically, it's when it technically, should be easiest.

Schedule-wise right now, my life is easy. I wake up in the morning, whenever the dog does, which is usually before 5:00 am, although lately, he's been doing a lot better. Then, after taking him to the bathroom and playing with him for a little while, he goes back to sleep and so do I. This is usually around 6:00 ish. Nate gets up then, and gets ready to go to work. He heads out by 6:30 am, and that's usually when I go back to sleep. I wake up around 8:00...8:30, and do a little exercising, showering, etc.

The rest of the day is open. I clean up the apartment some, I run a few errands, I play with the dog some more...

Nate comes home around 4:15 or so, and then we play with the dog some more, have dinner, hang out, etc.

This should be the life. During my public school days, I eagerly awaited summer vacation. Once I was old enough to work, I looked forward to getting off of work so I could go home and relax. Right now though, I don't feel relaxed...I feel kind of useless. I've tried to get a job out here, but there aren't any jobs to be found. I had a couple of interviews, but all of them came down to the same thing: "We're sorry, we need someone who can be here for more time." It definitely doesn't help that a local factory just shut down, and so a bunch of people in the town are looking for jobs. I don't even think it would be that bad at all...it's just a little lonely. I'm sure that many of you moms out there have had very similar days, but I like to believe that being a stay-at-home mom is just a little more rewarding than being a stay-at-home puppy caregiver. :)

So today I'm making a list of things I can do this summer before I start working in the Fall. I've been in a bit of a funk for too long, and it's time to start doing things to make myself feel productive and worthwhile. Please feel free to add to my list. I would love any and all suggestions.


1. Start and Finish the Book of Mormon. Seriously, why not? If time is usually my excuse, I definitely don't have that right now.

2. Organize all the memorabilia stuff that Nate and I have from our correspondence during his mission. Honestly, this project sounds like a lot of fun to me. I get to travel down memory lane, and I'm sure that there are some teenage girls somewhere down the line who would love to revel in the sap.

3. Read a book a week. Right now, I'm starting on Twilight, finally. My student teaching partner got it for me back in like, February, and I still haven't read it. I've heard tons of different reviews about it, both good and bad, and I'm definitely interested in getting into it.

4. Come up with a money-making scheme. I'm trying to figure out if I have any talents that could turn into money somehow. No word on this yet...but we'll see.

5. I don't really know how to get this started, but I would love to have a group of moms and their children come over once a week for an easy, cheap craft group. I've got a whole lot of experience in making cheap, easy crafts out of home materials, and just about as much in teaching children how to do them. Our summers were full of a lot of that. It would be nice to maybe help some moms out there learn to do the same thing, and to help them learn some new ways to entertain their children during the summer. Maybe through the ward?

Well, that's about where I'm at right now. Any other ideas would be really great. I'm already feeling a bit better about everything, there are all kinds of good things I can do!

Happy May!

For those of you who may not have done it with anyone but your parents, I just would like to let you know:


Moving farther than next door is kind of a hassle.

Also, sometimes understanding bills online is the beast of all beasts.

The End.

Well, We Did It!

We (and by we, I mean Nate) drove up to Tremonton today to finalize a place to live. We got to the apartment building, which has two apartments upstairs, and two apartments downstairs. While we waited for the manager guy to get there with the key and the permission, we speculated which apartment would be ours. We knew that it was one of the upstairs apartments. Apartment A was a clean front door, no problems with the blinds, nothing out on the side of the porch, etc. etc.

Apartment B was also not bad, there were some nice wind chimes hanging over the porch, some of the blinds were a little bent, but it wasn't awful. The most interesting thing was the presence of some stickers on the door--one bumper sticker that said, "widow maker" and a picture of a flaming skull.

Turns out, that was the apartment we were looking at, and is now the apartment which we will be living in. Nate and I will be taking our rocker sides far beyond just Guitar Hero III this summer. We'll be living in the Widow Maker apartment.

I sure hope this works out well.