Random Pictures to wrap up 2014

It's time to get caught up, which means posting a bunch of random, finishing writing about our trip to Utah, and covering the fun of the last week or so.  

I dug through our pictures to see what had fallen through the cracks, and here are a few things from the last 3.5 months.  

Halloween feels like a lifetime ago.  In addition to our ward Trunk-or-treat that I wrote about, Hyrum's squadron also hosted a family event that we went to during the day.  Beforehand, I wondered if anyone would dress up besides the kids, but Hyrum is always looking for an excuse to wear his Superman costume so we went all out.  In the end, only a few soldiers dressed up, but Hyrum still loved telling people he'd been doing extra PT (exercise) lately to build up his muscles.  

Speaking of exercise, I think this was one morning when Hyrum was doing a PT test.  (Two minutes of sit-ups, 2 minutes of push-ups, and a 2-mile run.)  That's him doing sit-ups, his best 'event'.

During the holidays, we found some lebkuchen on sale at the grocery store and brought it home to try.  It's a german dessert that's supposed to resemble gingerbread in taste, but to me, it didn't taste enough like gingerbread and was kind of disgusting.  Tiago and Hyrum liked it though!

Tiago still has a lot of funny habits, which I'll have to write about in more detail some day.  But occasionally he'll disappear from the family room, and when I go look for him I find him chilling in the baby bouncer in his room.  He's proficient at getting in and out, despite his size.  He also discovered where we're storing the seats to our new stroller (they detatch) and will just go sit in them.  

I think I already posted this picture, but we found out we were having twin girls (at the beginning of November.)  Still no idea if they're identical or not, and we won't know until after they're born.  I had no hopes or expectations for their gender, so I'm perfectly happy with two girls.  My impression is that girl twins tend to be better life-long friends, boy twins would have had so much boy fun with Tiago, and one of each would have been great too (I wouldn't have had to buy double the girl stuff...)  Pretty soon the boys in our family will be outnumbered.

Our ward had a "Night in Bethlehem" Christmas party.  It was something else, and I still can't believe all the work that went into it.  It was only a few days after we got back from our trip to the States, so I wasn't involved with any of the planning or setting up, but hats off to those that did all the work.  There were food stalls built to distribute old world food like stew, figs, and challah bread; Roman soldiers enforcing certain rules; costumes; Hebrew lessons; and super impressive decorations.  

I did an excessive amount of baking in December.  Tis the season, right?  Probably my favorite was this cranberry bread covered in cream cheese frosting and white chocolate.  I'm no food photographer, but it sure tasted good.

Our New Years Eve celebrations were nothing too exciting.  We started watching a movie that got way too boring, so we turned it off.  In our bedroom we have big double doors leading to a balcony; with the curtains open we could see fireworks going off periodically throughout the night.  I fell asleep at some point, and Hyrum stayed up to watch the craziness at midnight.  The noise definitely woke me up, since Germans do fireworks for a loooong time.

And finally, the last week of the year we were in charge of cleaning the church.  Tiago found a vacuum in the nursery and had fun helping.

March 17, 2012: Chicago!

I didn't realize until after I'd left the house that today is St Patricks Day! 

One of our memorable St Patricks Day celebrations happened two years ago in Chicago.  It was just a coincidence that we were there for the holiday, but luckily we'd packed some green and enjoyed matching the green Chicago River while out sightseeing.  

We took the trip because Hyrum needed to deal with some nationality paperwork at the Colombian Consulate office; Chicago's office was the one closest to our house in Ohio.  Good excuse for a weekend getaway.   

 Lucky for us, there's also a temple in Chicago, so we killed two birds with one stone.  Nearby, we found a great Colombian restaurant to eat dinner.

We spent plenty of time wandering around the city.  The weather was beautiful, and so was the skyline.  We took a field trip to the Federal Reserve Bank, and topped things off with classic deep-dish pizza.  

Sadly, today will not top that.  I've been cleaning the house all day, and I'm not even wearing green.

Hidden Treasure

My story for today starts about 2 years ago...

I sat through a class on emergency preparedness, where the teacher suggested keeping some cash on hand for emergencies.  It sounded like a good idea so Hyrum offered to go to the bank and withdraw $300 in 1's, 5's, and 10's.  When I got home from work, he was unusually quiet.  Then he gave me a blank face and said, "I don't know where I put the money.  I've been looking everywhere for the last two hours, retraced my steps, and even looked through the trash.  I can't find it.  I must have either dropped it, or thrown it away accidentally."

What???  It took me a while to wrap my mind around how that could even happen.  After that experience I determined that Hyrum's mind sometimes goes on auto-pilot where he literally doesn't remember certain events.  I think my mind is much more photographic, in that I remember almost every small detail of my day.  At the end of the day though, it was just money, and we had more in the bank, so I got over it.  [Although I certainly didn't blog about it!]

Today we were sitting on the couch, relaxing and talking.  All of a sudden Hyrum was holding an envelope full of bills.  His eyes were almost popping out of his head.

What???  Where did that come from?  Hyrum randomly thought he might be able to find pens hidden in the crevices of the couch, so he stuck his hand into the frame [brave man] and felt an envelope.  Bingo.  That's where the missing money had been for all these years.  It had crossed an ocean while tucked safely in the couch.

So now we're rich.  Except that instead of feeling rich, the experience just brought back all those feelings from two years ago when we 'lost' the money:  I can't believe how differently our minds work!  It made complete sense to Hyrum how it would have ended up in the sofa.  And I couldn't even fathom how it ended up in the sofa.

I reached out for the envelope and said, "I'll take it from here."  Now its safe in its place. :)

Last July

It's amazing how much can change in a year!  Since my blog didn't exist a year ago, I thought I'd take a moment to reflect:

First, let's talk location.  Last July I was living in our apartment in Mentor, Ohio while Hyrum spent the whole summer (3 full months!) in South Carolina for his AG career training.  Not fun!!  But at least we got to talk on the phone, and I visited twice.  That was a nice perk of having two incomes for a few months.  :)

Now, we've been in Germany for 11 months.  We're at the stage of being very settled, and it feels like we've been here forever.  Life existed before this?  Really??

Last July I was still working at Avery Dennison.  I felt capable and competent and enjoyed my job.  (It's really easy to enjoy a job when there's an end in sight.  It completely eliminates the drowning feeling that sometimes accompanies never-ending to-do lists.)  I was still using Excel daily and answering hundreds of emails a week.

And now, I have to come up with reasons just to create simple Excel spreadsheets.  Fancier family budget? Done.  Pregnancy weight tracker?  Done.  Digital vaccination record?  Done.  I love Excel and clearly miss using it regularly.  I miss aspects of working, but haven't had a job in Germany for several reasons.  (I think "What I do all day and why I don't have a job" probably deserves its own blog post.)  Maybe tomorrow. [update: see post here] Hyrum is now graduated and bringing home the bacon for the family.  And I cook more.

Last July I lived less than 8 minutes from our church building (also the Stake Center.)  Now we drive 25 minutes to get to church.

Speaking of driving, last July I still had my Blazer.  And then we downsized to one car because the Army only pays to ship one overseas.  So most days I'm car-less.  But unlike last year, we live in a small town where the pool, bakery, and a grocery store are all technically within walking distance.

Last July I was wishing I was pregnant.  This year, I actually am.  (Although I loved answering the question, "Are you pregnant yet" with "Uh, no, my husband currently lives over 600 miles away.  That makes things a little harder.")

Last July I had no idea what Army life would entail.  I had SO many questions that I felt weren't getting answered because Hyrum had commissioned through ROTC and there was not a nearby Army facility to visit.  How will we be flying to Germany?  Do I need to leave from OH or SC?  What the heck is a no-fee passport and why can't I travel to Germany with my tourist passport?  Where will we live once we get there?  What's the deal with health-care enrollment?  What is EFMP and why do I have to get screened by a doctor before the move to Germany is official?

Since my first visit to SC was on a weekend, and all Army offices were closed, I planned my next visit to include one Monday, in which I ran all over post trying to get my questions answered and fill out paperwork that MUST be done in person.  (So inconvenient!)

Now I'm a seasoned Army wife.  (Hardly!)  But I at least know a few more acronyms.  EFMP refers to family members with special needs.  The no-fee passport just includes a piece of paper that lets me stay longer than 90 days.  I spent plenty of time in the housing office.  I'm enrolled in Tri-care.  I've attended a few FRG meetings (FRG = family readiness group).  I recognize more ranks than I did before.  But still not all.  Maybe next year.

Since this is a family blog, I'll mention Hyrum.  Last July he was being bombarded with Powerpoint presentations about his future career, trying to soak up as much information as possible so he could put it to good use later on.  In the last year he's learned a lot by just jumping in and doing it; now he's comfortable with his job and is getting ready for his first deployment.

Looking ahead to July 2014, I can only imagine how different life will be.  We'll be parents.  [Whoa.  Big changes ahead.]  Hyrum will be back from deployment, and hopefully we'll be off on some great family vacation!

3 years!

Hyrum and I just celebrated our first wedding anniversary together!  Which was pretty exciting, because we've been married 3 years.  Our first two were spent many states apart.  In June of 2011 Hyrum was in Washington state at an ROTC training called LDAC; he was out in the field and couldn't even use a cell phone to call me.  So that was a non-event anniversary.  Last year he was in South Carolina at an Army career course, and *lucky us* we got to at least talk on the phone.  So this year we asked ourselves What do normal people do for anniversaries?

We enjoyed dinner at a Thai restaurant around here that I LOVE.  He got off work a little early that day, which gave us the chance to spend some time together before an 8:30 bedtime.  We had fun reminiscing the time that we were dating and engaged.  We have never made a big deal of 'significant dates' before, so we had to look back at calendars and emails to figure out what day we even got engaged!

So to save us some time in future anniversaries, here's a trip down memory lane:

We met October 23rd 2009 at a birthday party of a friend of a friend.  The next Friday (a day before Halloween) we ran into each other at DI while we were shopping for costumes.  (I bought that yellow sweatshirt above to wear during my half-marathon.)  That's when he got my phone number.  

We 'officially' started dating December 20th.  My family was coming into town, and I was debating whether or not to bring Hyrum to our family get-together.  (Cause lets face it, that many Hatches can be a bit crazy if the relationship wasn't really serious.)  He clearly wanted things to be more serious, so I finally let him call me his girlfriend, and he came to decorate cookies with the WHOLE family.  And survived.  Way to go Hyrum!

Hyrum was so sweet at remembering our anniversary every month.  Here's flowers and a balloon on February 20th.  (He gave me that plant on the right on our first anniversary in January.)  He usually dropped something off on my doorstep at some crazy hour of the night/morning.  (Like between 3 am and 5 am).  He had a crazy schedule, to say the least. 

Our first military function together!  I went with him to the end-of-year ROTC ball.  Didn't know at the time it would be the first of MANY.    

The night we got engaged! April 10th.  We didn't actually take pictures at the place he proposed.  Maybe because it was a dark creepy park.  But that's a story for another day.  And for the record, the date he tried to propose the first time was March 23rd.  Again, that's probably a story for another time.  But in short, good things come to those who wait!

Winter Dream

I submit that life doesn't get better than this:  

In May, Hyrum and I took a much-needed vacation to Riviera Maya, just 30 minutes down the coast from Cancun.  From the day we booked the trip, I think I checked my calendar every day at work to see how many days, weekends, and month-ends there were until leaving.  It was definitely worth it.  The beaches in the Yucatan never fail to impress.  

We were right down the road from Tulum, where the ruins around the beach are the perfect compliment to the clear, warm water.   

The hotel we stayed at was all-inclusive.  (SO FUN!)  Hyrum ate more for breakfast than a poor latino child probably eats in a week.  For other meals, we could choose from one of a dozen restaurants with 3 course meals and fancy desserts.  

Along with the unlimited food, we got unlimited drinks.  In the lobby.  At the pool.  On the beach.  When can we go back??

While I loved the beach, Hyrum loved the soccer.  There were Latinos and Europeans that he got to play with twice during the week.  (for hours...)

Chichen Itza was a day trip away.  It was the *least* relaxing part of my vacation, as we almost got stuck in the bus station in Valladolid overnight.  That's a story for another day.  

Blast from the past

Last night Hyrum and I decided to look through some of "his pictures", aka, the pictures he brought with him to this marriage.  It's always fun to see stuff from his past.  Here are a few of the highlights:

Hyrum in 2006... before moving to the US, having fun at a YSA convention.  There was a recurring theme of really large clothes. 

Hyrum and his BFF's, back when they were all single.  Five of the guys I met when I was in Colombia last summer, and he still keeps in touch with them.  Three just got married in the last 6 months.  

Then he moved to the states, and got shipped off to boot camp.  And lost all his hair!

Along with learning to shoot guns (my bad, "weapons"), he learned how to build houses (which he's completely forgotten).

As he spent his 27th birthday alone surrounded by fresh high school graduates, he realized he needed to settle down and get married soon.  (Lucky realization for me!). 

Graduation. 

Finally back in Utah with family.  Army torture = over.  

Hyrum went back to Colombia to celebrate Christmas and visit family and friends.  Here he is, back in Turmeque, population 3000, plus three kings and three donkeys. 

Hyrum and his best friend, Johan, and wife Judith.  We stayed with them last summer.  They've been friends for  almost 2 decades!!

Notice a change?  No one could believe how much bigger he was.  Boot camp does a body good.