I graduated with my Bachelors in Sociology!! My family was there the whole week before to help us pack and get ready for our big trek to Oklahoma! I don't know what we would have done without them! My dad had a gastric bypass in January, so if you don't recognize him, don't feel bad. He'd lost almost 100 pounds by the time we got to see him in July. He's officially down 130 pounds now and feeling incredible! His life has finally begun, is his new favorite saying. Not wanting to be bigger than her husband, my mom has also slimmed down almost 50 pounds, the natural way. So, go family! I'm so proud of their hard work!
I can't remember who pointed this out to us, but we thought this was so funny! It's eVan's moving truck!
This is my ultra artsy picture depicting the beautiful trip we had over the mountains and through the plains!
Bridge 0.000 meant that we were just an 1 and 1/2 away from Stillwater!
And we made it! It was a very, very long trip and we were so glad when we saw the light at the end of the tunnel... and then we opened the back of the truck and realized that we were no where close to being done with moving!!
Overwhelmed is definitely a great word to describe how we felt. But, school was three weeks away and I didn't have a job yet, so we pumped things out and now our apartment looks great! We still have those lingering boxes that may just never get unpacked :)
Another big event that we celebrated was our 1 year anniversary, August 16th! Can you believe time has passed so quickly? I know many of you are reading this and thinking back on your 1 years... I know, I know... Evan and I have a long way to go :) We'll looking forward to every step and bump that's along out journey together! So! To celebrate, we got back in the car and took a trip down memory lane, visiting Evan's old mission territory: Arkansas!
This is Evan's big grin outside of the Mean Pig BBQ, our first stop :) He refuses to eat pulled pork anywhere else. Now I understand why!
To those of you who picked Evan up from his mission, this may be a trip down memory lane for you too. He also took me to the old mill that was apart of the movie "Gone with the Wind". It was absolutely picturesque!
I took most of the pictures while Evan played by the turtle pond! He was trying to reach through the water to get one "this little" (see photo above) but we were both afraid that he was going to get his hand bit off by the huge guys waiting protectively under the steps for stupid tourists :)
We traveled around the city more, checking out the capital building and the Clinton library/ museum. However, we were tuckered out after all that driving and decided to call it a night.
Now in keeping with some promises he made me, Evan surprised me and we went camping instead of staying in a hotel! I know, who wants to spend there anniversary in a tent... well... me. So, thankfully I have a wonderful husband who's willing to make compromises... you guys raised him right :)
For some reason we decided it would be an excellent idea to get up as soon as possible and hike up a mountain... It was absolutely spectacular with the morning's light. It was also extremely challenging and exciting to push ourselves up such a great obstacle. Perhaps it was even very symbolic hike for us.
Maybe not so healthy and symbolic is what we decided to have for breakfast after our hike... We decided to eat at Waffle House! If you haven't heard Jim Gaffigan's comedic sketch about it, please check it out asap. It definitely proved to be an adventure :) And the adventures weren't stopping there, the whole day was incredible!
Our next step was an alligator farm/ petting zoo. Yeah... yeah... it was just absolutely and wonderfully backwoods! It is home to over 200 alligators.
These little guys reminded me of some crazy alien movie... it was just creepy/ cool looking. There were, what seemed like, hundreds of them in a glowing, murky pool of, what I'm guessing is just, water. The larger alligators looked like animatronics, truly bizarre.
Of course we had to spend some quality time with the massive turtles they had at the end of the tour. These are big loggerhead turtles and can grow to be 800 pounds and almost 4 feet long!
Next we visited a huge horse racing track. I'd never seen/ been to one before. The track was closed, but the betting floor was open. It was just incredible to see so many people there. Definitely a cool thing to experience, if you ever get the chance.
Our last stop was in Hot Springs, AK. There is literally a street lined with old bath houses that are supplied by natural hot springs. We spontaneously decided that after a hike up the mountain and a day of fun we needed a bath! So, we got some swim suits, found one that was still in operation, and took a dip. It was such a cool experience! Especially thinking about the period of time in which they were the political and social centers of that community. Again, if you ever get the chance, please don't pass it up.
As always, the sun set on a splendid day and we were home again home again jiggity-jig. Hold on tight readers, I'm just about done... I promise!
Here's Evan showing off on his first day of school. He wanted to look super cool and fit in. He pulls it off, yeah? Random fact: not only do the students wear bright orange almost every day of the week, so does everyone else in Stillwater! If you come visit, make sure you only pack ultra-bright orange shirts :)
And here I am ready for a wonderful day at my first real 8-5! I'm a secretary for a non-profit that helps handicapped adults find jobs in the community. If they aren't able to work in the community then they do simple projects on site. Its not super challenging, but it's a really good foot in the door, as my goal is to be the director of a non-profit (preferably the United Way).Besides school and work we spend most of our time with some new friends: Steven, Natasha, their 18 month old Elliot, and unborn son Malcolm (who's coming any day now!). They moved here from Rexburg just six months before us. Out ward is fantastic! We've already babysat for a family with five kids, I've given a talk, and Evan's taught Sunday school. I also have a calling, I'm the primary teacher for the 9 year old's. I never realized how many plain and simple truths have slipped from my mind, so I'm really looking forward to going over them with my class.
Or we can be found supporting the greatest football team ever! GO COWBOYS! We went to the opening game and saw T. Boone Pickens in the flesh! The stadium, named for its biggest donor, holds 60,000 people and is very state of the art.We're having just a great time here and look forward to seeing all of our Bagley family members during the Thanksgiving season!
