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.

Day at the Beach

 

Friday, was a good day. We started at the beach and light house in South Haven. I was obviously more excited to be there than the kids, but I expected that because I'm the one that grew up going there periodically. We lakes down the pier to the lighthouse first and took pictures (a must when in South Haven). Then, we walked over to the shore, waded in the water, and played in the sand as we waited for my cousin, Sherry and her husband. 

Then, we went to a tavern for lunch with Sherry before walking around to the shops.

This was followed by another trip to Sherman's Ice Cream where we met up with my cousin, Clint, and his family. Then, we went to Kids Corner (a well known playground out there) and walked back over to the lake.

 At this point, it was finally time to go swimming. I took the kids back to our hotel (only 10 minutes away), left Sean there (at his request), and took Noel back to the lake. We swam and jumped into and over the waves for about an hour before heading back to shore to make dinner plans as Noel and Clint's girls played in the sand and weather a bit more. Then, I went back to the hotel room to shower and change before heading to dinner. 

We met at a brew pub by the harbor for one last meal before going our separate ways. 

I am very thankful to have had this day with my cousins making new memories. It was the best day of the entire trip!