Apartment, Sweet Apartment

Recently I have asked myself, "why do apartment leases in Kansas expire at the end of July?" Doesn't anyone know that the end of July can be terribly hot and humid? Well, if you can't guess our lease expired the end of July and I found myself going through our things (I don't know how we accumulated so much only being married a year), donating a lot, selling things on craigslist, and packing up the rest. I love purging our apartment of unnecessary things but I don't enjoy packing or moving that much. 

Our new apartment is really close to campus, so we can get to class in a matter of minutes. However, we moved into a 1 BR when we were used to a 2 BR. Therefore, the task of making 2 adults and a baby-on-the-way fit into 1 BR becomes the challenge I'm faced with. Luckily, Sam's parents are letting us store some of our "less used" items in their basement (they are so kind to us). 

Here are some pictures of our place before we moved in. 

Our kitchen has all new appliances and granite counter-tops and tile floor, which is really nice. 

Our living room is pretty big and long with a huge window (left picture), while our bedroom (right picture) is quite cozy and small. Overall, this little place has grown on me since I've started making it our own and hanging pictures up. 

Sam the handy-man

Sam and I discovered a great summer project: making furniture! We got the idea from Lowe's website (http://www.lowes.com/creative-ideas/organize-store-and-move/rolling-cube-tables/project). They are rolling cube tables that can be arranged to fit your needs and they double as storage.

So Sam and his brother-in-law got to busy creating plans, measuring, cutting, drilling, nailing and gluing. 

Sam really loved using the nail gun. It made the process go so much quicker. 

Now we are in the process of priming and painting. Doing this project has been a lot of time-consuming work but we (mainly Sam) have learned tons. However, now we are short on time as the summer is over (classes started on the 26th) but we are still determined to finish them up. Stay tuned for pictures of the finished product!

The Windy City

Sam and I took a trip to Chicago to celebrate our 1 year anniversary and we had such a great time! We stayed with some friends, ate delicious food and explored the city. We decided to drive there so we packed up our car, got some books on tape and were on our way. I love road trips and being able to just spend one-on-one time with Sam. Chicago is big and traffic is crazy, so we walked almost everywhere. 

Chicago is a beautiful city with lots of parks, museums, architecture and things to do. I think it would be a great place to take our kids in the future. It was hard to pick only a few things to do while we were there because there were so many interesting places. 

We went to the Shedd Aquarium and were able to stick our hands in a pool of swimming stingrays and touch them. I was nervous at first but they seemed really gentle (and their barbs were removed).

This was the highlight at the aquarium for sure!

We met Sue the T-Rex (the largest and most well preserved T-Rex ever found) in the Field Museum. 

We went to the Museum of Science and Industry and saw a lot of things. From Tesla coils and experiencing 80 mph winds to how cows are milked and seeing the German submarine (U-505) captured by the US during WWII. 

My first deep-dish pizza. All I can say is WOW!

We saw lots of great architecture too!

Then we went to the 103rd floor of the Willis Tower and stood out on the SkyDeck. It was so high! My heart was beating so fast when we stood on the glass and looked all the way down!

At the Art Institute of Chicago we saw American Gothic, works by VanGough, and Monet, just to name a few. 

Here I am in front of the Bean with my best friend in the whole world!

And what could be better than stopping for a treat here? Yum!

We saved the best for last by stopping in Nauvoo, Illinois on the way home. 

The temple is so beautiful. 

Then we walked along Parley Street on The Trail of Hope at dusk. 

It leads to the banks of the Mississippi River, which the Saints had to cross when they had to leave.

It must have been daunting for them to leave everything behind and begin their journey with only a few belongings. Yet they had such great faith and hope and that Heavenly Father had even greater blessings in store for them in the future. It made me think of how we all have a wide Mississippi River in front of us at some point, but we can cross it with Heavenly Father's help. 

The future is as bright as your faith.