Cleveland, Chicago, Colombia... Germany!

Almost a year has passed by....  to make up for lost time, I'll make a list of thoughts I have over the last year, starting with our  most recent news.

-We're going to Germany!  Hyrum graduates May 12 and will commission with the ARMY the following Saturday.  Since last summer (when he was at LDAC) we knew we'd get our "orders" around March.  Until then, we had NO idea where we'd be sent.  Sometime around December or January they had Hyrum submit a list of his "top" choices-- you could put a maximum of 5 international.  Naturally, our top 5 were all international, followed by random stuff in the US.  It seems like in the US, most Army posts are in the middle of no where.  Virginia sounded nice, possibly Colorado.  But everywhere else.... Texas, Oklahoma, Southern Arizona... no thanks.  I came home from work on March 23rd (a Friday) and after a few minutes Hyrum called me into the office and showed me the computer screen.  I couldn't believe we were finding out--and much sooner than I expected!  He showed me the top of the orders, that said, "Fort Campbell, Kentucky".  BOO!  That's not very fun.  Then after a few minutes he said he was joking, we weren't going there.  (They just list KY as the 'starting point' for all people in his branch).  Then he scrolled down and we saw that we were going to Europe.  Earlier he looked up the brigade, and it's located in Sembach, Germany, an hour or so southwest of Frankfort.  WE'RE SO EXCITED!  There's a lot we need to plan for and figure out, but we're up for the adventure.

-The first people I called were Mom and Dad.  I wanted to have some fun with it, but this is how the conversation went:  "Hi Mom."  "Hi.  So, did you get your orders yet?"  Seriously?  How did she know??  She said a few minutes before, the two of them were talking about all the blessings their kids were receiving.  Courtney got her mission call, everything came through on Amie buying a new house.  They thought, "Now Heather and Hyrum will receive great orders."  And sure enough, we did.  It's funny, because many people react kind of nervous/sad for us.  They say, "wow, that's so far away, how do you feel about it?"  I guess I come from a family where living abroad is actually GOOD news, because it means everyone can come and visit.  I'm already planning our future vacations... Rome, Venice, Prague, Spain, Paris, etc.

-Like I mentioned, Courtney got her mission call in the middle of March.  She's headed to Moscow, Russia.  I never would have guessed that.  When I told her we were going to Germany, she basically said, "Life's not fair.  I hate you." And that was the end of the conversation.  Since then, I think she's warmed up to the idea a little.

-Hyrum is in his last semester of college--hard to believe this day has come.  His schedule has not been too bad, except he has a night class on Monday and Wednesday-- so he leaves here around 7:15 and doesn't get home until 9:45 or 10.  Lame since he has to wake up around 5 the next morning.  I usually go to campus with him when I can, and just hang out in the library so he doesn't have to drive alone. 

In Chicago for St. Patricks Day-- the river was green!

Chicago Pier

-One weekend in March we went to Chicago.  Hyrum had to renounce his Colombian Citizenship at the consulate there.  (That's a whole separate post...)  We decided to make a trip out of it.  I took off Friday, and we left really early.  It's about a 6 hour drive.  We walked around downtown, and went to a Colombian restaurant.  The batidos (shakes) were great--the same flavors we got in Colombia like Maracuya.  There was also a Colombian bakery next door.  On Saturday morning we drove to the temple to do a session, then took the train into the city that afternoon.  It was St. Patricks Day so everything was green-- the clothing, the river, the shakes at McDonalds. :)  The weather that weekend was beautiful-- sunny and in the 70's.  Couldn't have asked for a better way to see the city.  It's a nice place to visit-- nice parks, beautiful waterline, and it was fun to see all the people who were there for the 17th.  We visited the pier, the parks, Hyrum went to see the stadium, and we ate deep dish pizza at Dos (Dues?).  I was exhausted by the time we left Sunday afternoon.

View of the Westside Market

-We've been exploring more around Cleveland, since we realized there are things we haven't seen, and we're leaving soon!  We went to the art museum.  It's huge and we didn't get to see everything, but Hyrum in particular loved the room with armor and Knight-related things.  We visited the large cemetery downtown, and the Westside Market.  It's a big market they have indoors, and they sell food, ingredients, etc.  There's fish, mexican beans, falafal, tons of fruits and vegetables, meat (every part of the animal you could want), etc.  It'd be a fun place to grocery shop except it's 30 minutes away.  We ordered some delicious crepes for breakfast while we were there.  We also went to "Little Italy" a while back.  It's just a street-- there's not a lot to walk around and see.  But we got cannolis at a few bakeries, and ate some good pizza.  Not disappointed, but we haven't rushed back.

Jazz vs Cavs

-The Utah Jazz came in February to play the Cavaliers.  Hyrum pulled together a group of guys from the ward to go.  I would've been happy letting them do a guys night, but I know a few other wives were going, so I tagged along.  Hyrum is a pretty dedicated fan, and in the end the Jazz pulled through. 

-Starting during Christmas break, my back pain has come back, and I'm starting to learn what it's like to just live with pain.  It's miserable.  Half the time I'm at work I just want to lay down on the floor to relieve the pressure on my lower back.  Fortunately, when I'm standing I feel fine, so there is at least temporary relief.  I've been seeing a Chiropractor, but my insurance will only pay for 2 more visits this year.  I keep hoping it will go away!!

Hatch Family 2012

Suarez Family 2012

-Speaking of Christmas break, we spent time in Utah with our families.  It should probably deserve it's own post, but I'll at least mention a few things.  We stayed at Jenna's house, and did Christmas Eve at Amie's apartment a few blocks from temple square.  Everyone was in town.  We drove up to Lava Hot Springs--nothing like sitting in a hot pool when there's snow on the ground!  After Christmas, we spent time in Ogden with Hyrum's family.  Edna and Mike were able to come up for New Years.  (They now live in Vernal). All of our nieces and nephews are so much bigger then when we last saw them--particularly Emma.  She's at a fun age to play with.  There was not much snow while we were there--the weather was nice.  One day we drove to Provo to visit friends there. 

Freezing at the lake

-This past winter in Cleveland the weather was remarkably mild.  Our first winter here, I felt like there was a blizzard once a week.  I was always worried about making plans to go anywhere, because sure enough, it would always end up snowing.  I remember practically chiseling ice off my windows. In contrast, this past winter it only snowed hard a few times, and it was usually on the weekend so we just stayed indoors.  I very rarely had to scrape ice off my windows, and it wasn't ever that cold.  In fact, in February it reached 80 a few times!  Spring appeared to have come early, but then it dropped again.  The lake never froze, like it usually does.
-And just to mention it-- we went to Colombia last summer for 2 weeks!  When I finally get around to that, it will require more than just a bullet point.  I'll get to it eventually!