Happenings of our lives

Jordan and I went hiking Saturday (Sept. 12)  in the Hercules Glade portion of the Mark Twain National Forest. It was so beautiful. We were so excited to go to some of the national forests/parks in Missouri because they are so different from the ones that were in Utah. The first major difference is that there are a TON of bugs. Jordan called the ranger on Friday and they told him that there are a ton of ticks (yuck!). So, before we left we went to the store and bought some bug spray (40% DEET) and bought a bandanna for me so.

So we drove down to the national forest on highway 125. We are also really excited because the forest is only a little over an hour from our new house (that’s another post). So we drove down there on the scenic route. It was so pretty and everything was so green. The way the landscape varied was amazing. On one side of the road there would be flat fields of grass and then on the other there would be rolling hills.

Once we got there we decided that it would probably be best to just camp in the campsite because we hadn’t been there before and didn’t know of any specific spots to camp in the trail. So we started by spraying profuse amounts of bug spray and emptying out Jordan’s backpack (we didn’t really need to hike with the gear because we were planning on staying at the campsite) except for some granola bars, water, flashlights, all the essentials. Jordan registered and we went on the Long Trail.

The first big difference between Utah and Missouri (aside from the general landscape) is the amount of bugs. There are so many bugs here, and not just normal bugs like ants and spiders, there are so many weird bugs. We saw a bug that looked like the stick bug on A Bug’s Life, except it was really big. So, before we left I went into the pit toilet and there was a daddy long-leg spider that was huge (like the size of my fist including its legs) that crawled out of the toilet.

There are also a lot of mushrooms. I took pictures of the red mushroom and the blue/purple mushroom because it reminded me of Mario and the colored mushrooms on it. There were some trees that started to turn fall colors. I’m so excited to go back when more of the trees are fall colors. There were all these really cute lizards that kept scurrying around the path and climbing on trees and we even saw a frog. There were a lot of spiders (ugh) and there were a couple of snakes that slithered across the path. Needless to say we were not that calm when the snake went across the path.

There were a lot of dry creek beds and we even saw a really cool rock overhang where a creek usually runs. So we hiked about 7 miles, got back to the car and even set up the tent. Then we decided that we should probably go to church so we ate dinner then packed everything back up and came home.

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In Springfield, not far from where our apartment is, there is a nature center with walking trails and a little exhibit in the building. We told our Realtor that we really liked hiking and being outdoors and she kept telling us that we should go to the nature center because we would probably really like it there. So on Labor Day (right after I got back from Utah) we went there.  It was my first experience outdoors since we moved to Missouri and so we were pretty excited.

We got to the nature center and started on the Long Trail. The first thing that we noticed was a weird mushroom/fungi by a tree stump. We kept walking and saw a little creek with fishes the first thing I said to Jordan was, “look there are fish in the water” it reminded me of Aspen whenever she would see water she’d say “fishes in the water” of “fishes live in the water”.

We walked on a bridge and there was a really cool spider web with a scary looking spider that we tried to get pictures of, but we couldn’t. I guess we need to learn how to use our camera. The nature center is really neat because it has a forest on part of the trail and then a prairie on another part of it. It even has part of Lake Springfield too. There were so many sunflowers on the prairie part. We walked on a path to a lookout of Springfield Lake and we passed some deer. I even got a picture of one of them looking at the camera!

We kept seeing lots and lots of squirrels. I was hoping that we could get a picture like that couple with the squirrel right in front of the camera (just kidding). We did get a couple of pictures but the picture that is the closest up makes the squirrel look demonic (I didn’t want to change the red eye so you can get the full effect).

Once we hiked on the trail, we went into the actual nature center; this was a little more crowded than the trails. There were lots of families that decided to visit it on Labor Day. There were some cool animals that were there. There were snakes, spiders, and a huge centipede. They were only cool because they were stuck behind glass. There were also these really weird turtles that looked like a villain off of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles they were called Alligator turtles.  Overall the nature center was a lot of fun. We’re for sure going back to visit.

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So, Jordan and I wanted to buy a house before December 1 so we could take advantage of the $8,000 tax credit that is being giving to first time home buyers this year. So we’ve been saving for a big down payment and just getting ready to buy a house.

Before we moved to Missouri we started looking at houses. Luckily houses here are very affordable and because of the buyer’s market, we had a lot of houses to choose from. So, a couple of months ago I signed up on a website to look at houses in the Springfield Area. The website happened to be built for our Realtor, Susan. So she contacted us before we came out here and I (along with my brother Jared) met with her to look at houses. I told her that we were trying to take advantage of the Tax Credit and she said that we could probably close in time. The other thing that I wanted to make sure was that she wouldn’t let Jordan buy a house while I was gone (if you keep reading, you’ll understand why this is funny).

So, the week I was in Missouri I looked at houses pretty much all day every day, and I made Jared come with me. I’ll tell you, it is amazing what some people do to their houses. Anyway, we looked a ton of houses and actually saw a couple that I (and eventually Jordan) liked. So we would look at houses, then pick Jordan up and look at the houses that we liked in the evening after Jordan got off of work. So things went along like for most of the week. I really wanted to find a house before I left so Jordan wouldn’t buy one while I was gone. So we found some that we really liked, and some that we didn’t. So, we eventually narrowed it down to two houses and picked one that we really liked.

The day before I left Jordan and I put an offer on a house. We went through the house a second time and really liked it, but really didn’t love it. We really liked the closets and the layout of the house, but we weren’t sure that we really wanted it (there were also train tracks right behind the fence in the back yard). Anyway, we decided to put an offer on it. So we put a full price offer in with closing costs and we signed the papers at Susan’s (our real estate agent) office. We drove home and felt pretty good about it, until we got home. We started looking at other houses and our real estate agent told us that they had countered verbally and wanted full price but not paying all the closing costs. Jordan and I thought about it, and as we were looking at other houses, we found one that looked amazing on paper. So we withdrew our offer on that house. Then we called and asked if we could look at it right before I left with Jared to go back to Utah.

The next morning, we looked at this house, and it was AMAZING we loved it. There were hardwood floors, no one had ever lived there, the bedroom was huge, there was a big kitchen, etc. There wasn’t anything wrong with it, and it was in our price range. Jordan and I could really see ourselves living there. So the next day (after I had flown back to Utah) we put an offer on it. Well, they countered, and we countered and this went on all week until Saturday. They finally countered back at $2,000 above our asking price but with a closing date of September 15. We counted back and then they took another full price offer on the house. Jordan called to tell me and I was pretty upset. I really liked that house.

So after that we got to start all over. Except this time it was Jordan looking at houses instead of me. So I would look them up online, put them into a spreadsheet and Jordan would look at the houses with Susan. He got pretty discouraged the first day, but the second time he found a lot of houses that he really liked.

So, he found one that was PERFECT, that he liked better than the house we both loved. We talked about it, and decided to put an offer in on that house (without me ever seeing it). So we did, and eventually we accepted their offer. So right now we’re under contract. I got to look at the house when I got back and loved it.  Last Tuesday we had the inspection and there were a couple of minor things wrong (leaky faucet, squeaky floor, etc). There was one major problem: the air conditioner was broken, but they are going to fix it. If everything goes according to plan, we should have a house by the end of the month. We’re so excited! Our closing date is September 30, so really soon!

These are the pictures that were on the internet. Once we actually move in we’ll take some better ones.

Friday night we took Jared to see Star Trek in the cheap movie theater here (kind of like the dollar theater in Provo). It was great, it made Star Trek look cool.

So, I’m certain that someone is going to comment on the first picture, so let me explain. We went to Bass Pro Shop the Saturday before Jared and I left to go back to Utah. As we were driving there we pulled behind the car in the first picture. I told Jordan that we knew we weren’t in Utah anymore because of the window decal.

Jordan, Jared and I went to Bass Pro Shop before Jared and I left to go back to Utah. Jared mainly wanted to go to tell my dad he’d been there. The Bass Pro Shops are headquartered in Springfield. We went there and we were kind of disappointed. Usually there are a ton of exhibits and big tanks with fish. There’s usually even a waterfall. However, when we went there was barely anything. They are having some major renovations, so hopefully the next time someone comes to visit there’s something. There were a couple of things that were still open. We got to see the cute turtles and a big fish (a pike maybe?).

There was a really big tank that was open and there was a duck with a blue beak. I didn’t get a very good picture, but the blue beak was really cool. By the ducks there were these really funny shirts. The first one that Jordan found said “I went camping and burned my wiener” it had a picture of a guy with a burnt hot dog on a stick. The second one was a picture of a guy with a rope and rock on top of him that said “Rock on Dude.” Jared got the second one although Jordan tried pretty hard to persuade him to get the first.

We woke up and went to eat breakfast. When we came back to our room, there was a really weird bug by our door, which was the first of many weird bugs I have seen since we got here. The first thing that we noticed about Nebraska that morning was that it was a lot more humid than Utah. We started driving at about 7:30 (central time). Oh, so here’s where we figured out that North Platte is not half-way. Jordan and I turned on the GPS, to put in the Springfield Hotel’s address, and it estimated our arrival at 4:30p.

We drove for a while and we saw this bridge over the freeway, so we took a picture. The bridge is called “The Great Platte River Road Archway Monument”, I don’t know any more than that. There was so much construction everywhere; I guess summer’s that time for construction.

Jared and I saw a sign for York county and we had to get a picture for our dad. He never has anything with his name on it, so now he does. The best part about it was that we needed to stop so we took a picture of the water tower and got a free pamphlet on York County. It was cold and raining most of the way through Nebraska.

We briefly passed through Iowa, and we barely missed the sigh, so that’s the picture of the sigh that you can hardly read. Then we got to Missouri. We thought the green sign was the state sign, but it was actually about a half mile later. Jared started to take a lot more pictures of the scenery. The picture of Menards is for Erica, she used to work there.

In Kansas City, we were totally stopped on the freeway. Guess what it was? That right, more construction! Traffic went from 5 lanes down to 2 then down to 1 then a bridge. I didn’t like being stopped on the bridge, especially because they were working on it. Jared took some pictures of Kansas City while we were on the bridge crossing the Missouri River. After the bridge, traffic got pretty bad, so we didn’t really take any pictures. When we finally got out of traffic, we started to move a lot faster (the GPS told us our ETA was 5:25).

As we were driving we kept seeing signs for Fantastic Caverns, not just a couple either, like one on each side every half mile. On a side note, we looked them up when we got here and they are really expensive (21 per adult). Oh, the funniest thing that we saw on the way there were these signs that said “Share the Road.” It’s not like we’ve never seen them, but usually they have a picture of a bicyclist, but these ones have pictures of a horse and carriage, it was pretty funny.

We finally got to Springfield and the Odometer said 155552. I really wanted to take a picture when it said 155555. So we did, when Jordan was driving. You’ll also notice the check engine light was on, never a good thing.

Jordan was so excited that there was a Culver’s in Springfield so we went and ate there. That was the only time we ate out while we were moving. We ate burgers for dinner. Jordan got a concrete shake chocolate something. I got a mint cookies and cream shake and Jared got mango smoothie.

After we were done eating, we drove by Jordan’s new work so we could see where it was. Then we went back to the hotel and slept.

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Ugh, moving, what else I can I say? I really don’t want to repeat it. It wasn’t that bad, I just don’t really like driving so much.

The first day we left at 8:30a. Jordan was driving the truck and Jared and I were following in the car. We drove and said goodbye to the mountains and got into Wyoming pretty quickly. Wyoming feels like it goes on forever, there’s not much to see there. We wanted to make it to North Platte by the first night because Google Maps told us that it was about half way and we made a hotel reservation there before we left. We figured out pretty quickly that it was not half way (thanks to our GPS).

Wyoming was…interesting… there really wasn’t much there. Jared took a lot of pictures of the wind-mills, and we kept seeing semi’s with windmill parts on them, but not much else. It was amazing how much the landscape changed from Utah. It kept getting flatter with less vegetation. The first part of the day was really nice; Jared took some really good pictures of the clouds and scenery in general. Eventually it got cloudy and started to rain, but it made it a lot less hot .

Jared took a picture of a weird Lincoln head in Wyoming, I’m not sure what it was for, but it was interesting. We got into Nebraska pretty soon after and it was so flat, and it just got even flatter. We passed by the Cabella’s and made sure to take a picture for my dad to tell him we passed it. There was even a water tower.

It was raining a little, but we got to see a beautiful rainbow. Only one of the pictures turned out okay (that’s what happens when you are trying to take a picture while a car is moving). So we didn’t get a picture of the double rainbow, but it was really pretty. After it stopped raining, the sunset looked beautiful with the clouds.

We kept passing signs for “Buffalo Bill’s Ranch” my dad kept telling us that we should go and visit there if we had time. Well, we kept driving and finally got there at about 9:45p local time (8:45 Mountain time). We checked into the hotel and went to sleep.

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Just in case you were wondering, no, Jordan and I did not take the pictures while we were driving, Jared did.

Well, this is a bittersweet post. We had a great last day in Utah, we got our truck, and started to load it. Loading didn’t take that much time because everything was packed and labeled. My parents were so nice to invite everyone that helped us over to their house for a barbecue.

It was so exciting to know that we were leaving the next day for our new adventure in Missouri, but really sad to know that it would be a really long time before we would see our family and friends (not too long for me because I went back).

My Parents set up the kiddy pool and a sprinkler for the kids to play in and they had a lot of fun. Ronan had a great time spraying people with the sprinkler and Aspen keep calling the neighbor’s dog a kitty.
Dinner was great and we took pictures with our friends and family. The sunset was beautiful that night; we took some pictures of it too. The sky was orange and purple. At one point it even looked like it was on fire.

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This year I decided that we were going to plant some tomatoes. I knew that we’d be lucky to have a couple before we moved, but I thought it would be good practice. Anyway, we planted them and took care of them all summer and guess what? We got a ton of tomatoes before we moved. I even went back after we moved to get more (when I was in Utah).

I planted 4 plants and we got so many tomatoes before we moved. I picked all the ones that were remotely red or orange. Last week I bought some tomatoes from Wal-Mart and they were not nearly as good as the home grown ones. I’m so excited that our house has a big backyard so that we can have a big garden next year. I’m already thinking of what we can plant .

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So the Provo’s Farmer’s Market isn’t really a farmer’s market exactly. There are a ton of things that people sell there that are not produce. Anyway, it was Jordan and my last Saturday in Provo and we wanted to do something as a family. We all met at my parents house and decided to go to the farmer’s market in Provo. Jordan and I, and Nicole and Nate drove over and met my parents there. Jordan found a straw hat at my parents house and insisted that he needed to wear it.

The first thing that Jordan did when we got there was buy a snow cone; he said he really wanted a snow cone. I got a huge cotton candy for only a dollar. There was a lot of jewelry there, and I got some great earrings for really cheap. I think that I got 5 pairs for 8 dollars. Jordan’s favorite part was all the food. There was this tent that made these wonderful donuts, they were so good. I got a dozen donuts holes and went to pick out some earrings and like magic only 4 were left…hmm…I wonder who ate them. .

We stopped by this great tent that had really good Mexican food. They were quesadillas that had some kind of meat mixture on them (I’m not sure what it was). Anyway, it was good with the fresh salsa, guacamole, and limes. I was really excited about it (you can tell from the picture).

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