Graduation Trip - Third Leg

 On Friday, Chad and I headed on our way to Provo to visit with my parents after doing an endowment session at the Rexburg temple. I wish I had remembered to take pictures at this temple. I loved it there! Going to Provo from Rexburg was our shortest drive (about 4.5 hours). This stop was also the most relaxing of all of the stops. We mostly stayed at the house hanging out with my dad and stepmom. The first night, I just laid on the bed exhausted for an hour or two waiting for a migraine to subside. Then, I got to talk to my dad for a few hours before going to bed. 

The next morning, my dad made us breakfast before we headed to the Provo City Center Temple to do another session with my dad this time. I love this temple. It is so unique because it was a historical building that had fire damage. There are elements of this building that are original to the building making it one of the most beautiful buildings I have had the pleasure to be in. 

Later, Chad and I finally had ice cream at the BYU Creamery. It was ok. Ice cream is always good, if you get the right flavor. I just didn't understand the hype. Now, I know it is just like any other ice cream place, so I don't have to keep wondering.

We left to go home on Sunday and stopped to see my dear friend at her new house on the way. We finally arrived home around 6:30pm, just in time for dinner. 

I am so thankful that I was able to make this trip! It was a long trip. The stops were further apart than I would have wished them to be, but I don't regret doing it. It was a good way to celebrate me receiving my Bachelor's degree. 

Graduation Trip - Second Leg - Day 2

Thursday was graduation day! Upon arriving at campus, I put on my cap and gown and found the perfect spot to take pictures: the chapel. 

The next step was graduation! I got to have my name called as I walked across the stage. It was such a surreal experience. I had worked on this goal for almost 10 years. I couldn't believe I was finally on stage getting my degree. As my name was called and I shook hands with various professors, tears welled up in my eyes. I deserved this. I officially have documented proof that I am smart!

After graduation, we took pictures and went to lunch before Marleah and her kids made their way home, and Chad and I headed back to the hotel room to rest a bit and plan the rest of the day. 

Later in the day, Chad and I went to Bear World. We heard of Bear World from my sister's co-worker. Originally, we were supposed to go with her family, but it was too pricey for them. It sounded like fun, so we went before dinner. Bear World is a sanctuary of sorts in which we drove a windy path at 5mph and watched the bears sleep and play. It took about 5 or 10 minutes to driver through. When we were done, we went to the petting zoo and gift shop (we are suckers gift shops). Overall, I would say that it was fun, but it was not worth the price. If it had been about $30 per car, it would have been totally worth it but charging that much per person was a bit of a rip off. I'm glad we didn't have anyone else with us, making it cost even more. 

Graduation Trip -Second Leg- Day 1

 Our next stop was in Rexburg, Idaho, which is a small town that really only has BYU-Idaho and a few other things in it. We stayed in a hotel just on the other side of the highway from the town. It was nice, simple, small town. 

The main thing in Rexburg is the university. That was ok because the main reason for our visit was to visit the BYUI for graduation activities. On Wednesday, we started the day going to the school to pick up my cap, gown, and sash as well as verify my address. This was my first time on campus. I was so excited to see it and walk around the campus!

After leaving, we went to a place that I have heard of many times and wanted to see what all of the hype was about: Swig. We don't have places like this really other than a coffee place that sells dirty sodas. I ordered a Cherry Bomb which was a Pepsi with coconut water and cherry syrup. It was ok, but I was a bit disappointed. For something called "Cherry Bomb," it tasted nothing like cherry. There was so much coconut in the soda that it was all I could taste. I'll go back to Ziggy's any day before I go back. I guess it would have been wonderful had I wanted something specifically coconut flavored. 

Around lunch time my sister and her kids arrived in Rexburg, and we went for pizza. Then we went to the Legacy Flight Museum.

We were there for about an hour before heading back to the hotel to nap before dinner. We had a quick dinner at Applebee's before going to Grad night in which the president and his wife spoke to us and answered questions. At the end, we were able to get a picture with them. As we walked out, Chad got a big cinnamon roll that was almost as big as his head! Then, we headed back to the hotel. I dropped him off and picked up Marleah to have dessert and one on one sister time. 

Marleah and I went to Chocolate Plunge, a cute little dessert shop in which you can order a variety of things dipped in chocolate and covered in things such as nuts and drizzled with sauces like caramel or marshmallow. I had a soft serve ice cream cone, dipped in chocolate, rolled in peanuts, and drizzled in caramel. It was very good! Unfortunately, it was so big that I had to throw some of it away. Marleah had cheesecake dipped in chocolate. I'm not sure what else she had on it. We agreed that we wished there was something like this in each of our towns. When we were done, we went back to the hotel and agreed on what time we would meet for breakfast in the morning. 

Graduation Trip - First Leg

This week, Chad and I are doing a trip for my graduation in which we are going to St. George, Utah, to visit his mom and uncle for the dirty part. Then, we will head to Rexburg, Idaho, for my graduation and to see my sister and her kids. Lastly, we will go down to Provo, Utah, to visit my parents and see my stepsister before heading home and stopping to see one of my favorite people. 

St. George is a bit different than I had imagined. I thought it would be a lot more open with less people. However, it is beautiful! We drove in Sunday night, arriving around 8pm at Chad's uncle's house. That night we got settled, had a bit of ice cream, and went to bed. Monday morning, we did the tourist thing and walked around the St. George temple grounds. 

Then, we went to see Chad's mom at her apartment. She took us on a tour of the community, introduced us to her friends, took us shopping for my birthday, took us swimming in the fitness center, and took us out to eat. It was a full day, and we were ready to go to bed early. This morning, we went to the Red Cliffs temple with Chad's, aunt, uncle, and mom to do sealings. 

Then, we went on our way to head up to Rexburg, taking a detour to a ghost town about an hour away which was totally worth the time it took to get there and walk around.

Cruise Report

This last weekend, I went on a cruise with one of my best friends. I loved it! It was one of the best experiences of my life! I enjoyed it so much that Chad and I are planning to go on another cruise in a few years for our 15th anniversary, and my sister and I are hoping to book one once her kids are all grown (probably in about 10 years).

We rode on the Margaritaville at Sea Paradise. It was a nice ship. All of the crew members I came in contact with were very friendly. 

They had fun activities and great shows each day.

We mostly ate from the buffet. There was such a good variety of food. My favorite part was the cheeseburger bar. I also had soft serve ice cream after each lunch and dinner. They had pretty desserts other than the ice cream. I tried a few, but I'm not a big cake fan, so I didn't eat much of them. 

The view of the ocean was amazing from almost anywhere on the ship. Our favorite place to go was the deck at the back of the buffet, especially at sunset.

The best part of the trip by far was our stop in Nassau, Bahamas.  After the planned excursion was canceled due to a boat malfunction, we booked another excursion directly through the Sand Dollar Resort. Rather than just going snorkeling with the turtles and over the coral reef, we were able to go snorkeling over the coral reef, swim with the pigs, go turtle watching, and enjoy a wonderful lunch of barbeque chicken and rice with spices and beans for the same price. (We were refunded by the cruise line for the original excursion.)

What would I have changed? I would have packed as soon as we got back from the excursion and gone to the show the last night. I liked the shows and should have just gone alone since my friend was too tired to go. I would have also spent more time at the pool. We went one morning and didn't go back. I would have gladly not gone to some of the trivia events and gone to the pool. The last thing I would have done is go to the restaurant that was included in the price other than the buffet. I wanted to see what they had to offer with the hope of having something a bit different. I enjoyed the food we had, but it would have been nice to check out something else for one meal. 

Overall this cruise was a great experience, and I can't wait to do it again. Maybe I'll book a longer one when Chad and I go.