New Mexico, the trip to: Day 1 8/31/2010

We started out Tuesday morning bright and early.  Rather than hit the freeway David mapped out a more scenic route and it couldn't have been better. 

I won't bore you with all the details, but here are some pictures that pretty much sum up the drive.

We started by going through Logan canyon to Bear Lake.  A beautiful way to start a trip!

Even Wyoming has it's pretty spots. Actually it has quite a few, we just weren't anticipating any on this trip.

Forgive the hair and overall "ickiness" to my look. We got up at 5 and left at 6...ish. Gotta have a road photo though.

Driving by Flaming Gorge we came across this bridge and I loved the way the yellow of the flowers stands out against the rust color of the bridge.

We got a new camera and I LOVE what I can do with it!

Seriously love this guy! He is just so dang much fun!

Finally hit I70 for a full 105 miles of the trip.  We did highways the rest of the way. Little traffic, more relaxed. Loved it.  This is the tunnel going through parts of the mountain.

This just reminded me of the Incredibles.  I kept on expecting to see Elastigirl swing up and over.

This was along the highway in Southern Colorado, oh so close to the New Mexico border.  The sun was hitting everything just right and it looked like a golden highway.  Beautiful.

Close of day 1.  I would have taken more pictures to take you into NM with us, but.. it was dark.  The end.

We're Not in Kansas Anymore Toto

Location:  Toas I Diner in Toas, NM

Purpose: To eat wonderful New Mexican food that will make me crave more

Players: One waitress in black leather with a very high side ponytail.  Very skinny, but quirky as well, and David and myself of course.  Oh, and the guy who sat us down was also wearing black leather, he was pierced in several places along the center of his face and had those big black spacers in both ears that stretch them out like native Africans.  He didn't really play a part in the exchange but was very interesting to look at.  Extremely cordial as well.

Lora: I would like the enchiladas with green chile.

Waitress:  Would you like chicken or beef?

Lora: Not sure, what do you recommend?

Waitress: Well, the beef is organic free range beef, completely grass fed and sustainable because it is locally grown as you can see by our table top flier.  (As she speaks of the beef her eyes light up and sheer joy eminates in her every word) The chicken is not local unfortunately but it is still 100% natural, it's just not completely organic. (this is said almost apologetically and a look of concern that I won't judge her too harshly for having non-local almost organic chicken.)

Lora:  Um... okay?  Which one do you think tastes better?

Waitress:  Oh, I don't really know.  (pause with look of deep thoughts) Green chile and chicken sounds pretty good though.

Lora: Chicken it is.

What I Love, thoughts from vacation.

There’s so much that I love right now. The way the light falls on the trees. The way the cool breeze feels against my bare skin. The sound of the creek making it’s gurgling music. I love vacations. Not just vacations, but the right vacations.


David and I are in Red River, New Mexico. It’s a ski town so naturally we’ll never be here to ski, but we will be partaking of the late summer activities that abound just when school begins and the snow hasn’t starting flying.

For awhile I was thinking that September was the worst time to get married, with school starting up and both of us being tied to it. It was the better of the two evils so to speak. We didn’t want to wait till Christmas break (I was in school at the time and besides, a birthday and a major holiday in the same month is enough) so we opted for labor day weekend. With 8 weeks to plan and execute, I think we did fairly well. And we didn’t think it would matter in the long run. I would graduate and then school would no longer be an issue or an hinderment to vacation plans. So naturally David decides to go back to school and I take a job at the University.

Every anniversary now is surrounded by the start of school at USU making it that much more difficult to feel good about taking off for an entire week. Yes, I know, a week off is fairly excessive for an anniversary, but it’s really the only vacation that we plan and take. Totally our choice. We did it for our first anniversary and it’s become tradition ever since. Besides, it’s a good excuse. The “are you out of your mind” look goes away when you explain that “yes, I am asking for the first week of school off because it’s our anniversary.” “Oh, well then yeah, that should be fine.”

However, being the fifth such trip since the blessed occasion of our wedding, I’ve come to look forward to our September time. Not just because I get to leave the catering world all to itself for the first week of school, but more and more because this time really does suit us. We are here in beautiful mountainous place with no tourists to compete with. Actually, that’s not true. There are a few senior couples here as well. But for the most part, we get to enjoy the cooler weather without the crowds. It’s ideal for checking out new places and being able to relax at the same time. And extra special bonus perk, no obnoxiously skinny perfect bodied women to compare myself with in the swimming pool! (that could almost be double bonus points don’t you think…)

So all in all, this really is a great time for us. Neither one of us are big crowd seekers. We’re the quiet, take our time type. I don’t like to be rushed through a vacation. That’s usually when I need to take the extra time to recuperate when we get home.

Did I mention that I love the way the light is hitting the trees right now? The ones in the front look all drenched in gold while the ones in back sit in the shadow content to let the smaller ones shine for now.

Yep, love vacations.

Yellow again.

Yellow. I couldn’t help but think of him as David and I were driving through parts of Wyoming. I was dozing off and that’s usually when half forgotten memories strike. That’s what Yellow mostly is right now. A half forgotten memory.


We had gone on a road trip, 6 people total. Yellow and the German.  (I've never mentioned the German before, but oddly enough they shared the same name.  It was the best way to differentiate between the two in conversation.  One was Yellow, the other the German... on and he wasn't really German.) YellowI was head over heels for. The German I just had fun with. It was a 10 day road trip to Nauvoo and back. We were checking out all the church history sights and visiting some people from my mission. I had invited Yellow to come and my little twitterpated heart was just thrilled as could be that he said yes. Because we had a “thing”. It was something that didn’t need words. It was conveyed in a glance, a touch here and there. The occasional opening of our souls.. or was that just my soul? I was sure he felt the same way for me as I felt for him. No need to clarify, to vocalize. This was born of instinct, of need. Clarification would just muddy the waters.

Wyoming reminded me of the trip back. The portion without Yellow. He decided to catch a train and try to make his way to New York and visit Palmyra and the rest of the church sites there. He was like that. Kind of a free spirit. He seemed to think differently than everyone else. For me it was part of his charm.

The German, the one that I had fun with, the one that I actually did talk with… he tried to warn me. He told me to be careful with Yellow. I hardly remember what he said, I mostly thought it was kind of rude on his part but endearing at the same time. I thought he was trying to be a protective older brother even though he was younger than me.

I found out later that Yellow didn’t really catch the train to go to Palmyra. He went to Chicago. There was a girl there that he met during the road trip that he thought might be “the one”. He let me get up early and see him off at the train station with a supportive but disappointed heart. He let me hug him and wish him well. He gave no indications.

That summed up a lot of our relationship. I was there for him. To give him a boost when he needed it. To be that faithful supporter, the one that laughed at semi-funny jokes. The shoulder to lean on. That was me. Always giving but never getting in return.

Sadly it wasn’t until quite a bit later that in the two years that we had known each other that I realized that he still didn’t know me. After all that time, all those conversations, he still didn’t know the first thing about me.

Potty training does not last forever.

Today's Sunday School lesson was about Job and his many, many trials.

We talked about how we deal with trials and more importantly, how we prepare for them.  So much of life seems to just hit you when you're not even looking for it.  I couldn't help but wonder where the crystal ball was to help you know what you are to prepare for specifically.  I don't recall any warnings that dating and spouse hunting would be such hard work.  Or that once the right guy was found for the job infertility would place such a large roll.

But then again...

Looking back I can see how much I have grown from these experiences and how David and I have grown closer together through it all.  We've never put off having kids (well there was the first 4 months of marriage but that was it I swear!) and we'll welcome them with open arms just as soon as we figure out how to get them.  And yet we have been so very blessed.  We have been able to buy a house, which we were certain we wouldn't be able to do for at least another 5-10 years.  We have been able to meet wonderful people in the places/wards in which we have lived and even keep in contact with them still.  We have been able to get to know each other better without any of those distractions, though they would have been welcome.

There really are silver linings if you can step back and take a look at the big picture.

As as one wise woman said in Sunday School: "Potty training does not last forever! It may feel like it, but take a look around.  You are surrounded by adults who don't have any issues with using the bathroom."

And one last word of wisdom, the scriptures are filled with things that "came to pass", nothing ever came to stay.

Survey says...

There's nothing wrong!

Yep, you heard me correctly.  We met with Dr. Hatasaka today to review the test results of blood, timing, and every other little thing, and well, it seems we're just fine.  Which does nothing to explain the whole no child, no pregnancy, no person to feel guilty about putting us in the rest home when we finally lose it. 

Sigh.

Some would call this good news.  Others, myself really, would call it bad.  Although it's good in a way cause... well we know there's nothing wrong... k, so at least we can move on to...  Nope.  Still bad for me.  I was hoping that these tests would say "Hey Lora, here's the problem!  It's been here all along you just needed to do this."  Or "Oh, now I see it.  Clearly there's nothing to do now but this." 

Verdict:  Unexplained Infertility
Plan from here: 4 rounds of Clomid and IUI (in utero insemination) If that doesn't work they bring out the big guns.
Foreseeable complications:  If I have a cyst... deal off.  New plan: get rid of cyst.  (stupid cyst)

I confess it took me a bit to get comfortable with this idea.  I really was hoping to forgo the Clomid thing and jump right into IVF.  It's probably just me but I think that's where we are headed anyways, so why not just skip the preliminaries?

But then again, maybe I'll be surprised.  Perhaps this is just where we need to be.  Perhaps this was part of the plan always.  Perhaps...

On a brighter note, I have an amazing find for book lovers everywhere.  It's called Jenson Books and it's by the S.E.I. factory outlet here in Logan.  I got these:

For $7.00!  Not $7.00 each, $7.00 for the whole shebang!  Seriously, where has this been all my life!  I like to just sit and stare at it.  It makes me happy.

Every day really does have a silver lining if you look hard enough.

Goodbye Barry White.

I know, how could we possibly do in the Barry White Princess room!

We laughed at it, we cried at it, and now after one whole week, we're done with it.

Barry White has been moved to the living room.  Doesn't look so Barry White there.

Lest any of you get worried, that's not the way the curtains will look in the final stages.  We are having our windows replaced on Tuesday so I thought why bother trying to make them look good when I just have to take them down again.

WE'RE GETTING NEW WINDOWS!! WO-HOO!

Just a little excited about that.

Something about windows that shut and don't give me the heebie jeebies.

The windows have pulled through and have made me happy about the tree.  

Thank you Allison for contributing to my insanity!

I like it better.

A lot better.

I almost feel like an adult.  Almost.

Still need a headboard.

There will be more color.  I'm still playing around but I want to do a quilt that looks something like this:

Still working on the border.  I have put this quilt together in my head 5 gazillion different ways, but I think this one is going to stick.

Sigh.  Who knew decor would be so difficult.

Sunday

What a beautiful day, what an entertaining week! Here are some of things that make it lovely... in no particular order and with no particular sense.

1. It's currently 59 degrees and lovely.


2. We have a pet spider named Howard. We keep him around to eat the hobos. He lives in his own room.

3. We have a lot of hobos.. a lot. They turn up on the spider traps though and that makes me happy that they are doing their job.

4. I just ate 5 large chocolate chocolate chip cookies and I want to throw up.

5. That was a lot of sugar.

6. I just beat David at Settler's of Catan... a game I formerly hated but can actually stand if I'm winning.

7. Who knew?!

8. Really I knew, but don't tell David. I can handle games better if I win.

9. I don't like teaching Sunbeams. I substitute taught today.  Really I was last minute moral support.

10. Does that mean I would be a bad mom?

11. Does it really matter?

12. David is reading this over my shoulder and eating a lemon drop.

13. His breath now smells like medicine.

14. He says "At least it doesn't smell like chocolate chocolate chip cookie dough"

15. Since when does medicine smell better that chocolate chocolate chip cookie dough?

16. Unless it's like Flinstones vitamins. I used to love those.

17. I want to take a photography class. Anyone know of one in Logan not at the University?

18. We have a new camera, we named it Harley.

19. Our rather large television died last week.

20. We've replaced it with another free tv that is... well less than. but free is good.

21. It's silver.

22. It's smaller.

23. It's better than the laptop hooked up to the dvd player.

24.  David had to talk in church today.

25.  Since I lead the music we sat on the stand together.

26.  This is nothing new since he's good and sits on the stand with me anyways.

27.  But it was better because he had to stand up this time.

28.  And I like the view.

29.  We leave for vacation in 9 days.

30.  I love vacations with David.

Here's wishing you all a lovely week.