Grammy and Grampy's house

So because Grammy and Grampy are in Florida I'm staying at their house watching their menagerie. Two birds, Tweety and Merlin, and a Yorkie named Teddy. Eh em, excuse me, Ted E. Bear. Its nice that now, because I've stayed here so many times I'm starting to get use to it. Every house has their own noises and I've finally gotten use to this house..s.. houses'.... I've finally gotten use to the noises of this house.

I figured out that sleeping on the couch works way better for me. Mainly because they have a clock that shines on the ceiling in big red numbers. I lost many hours of sleep cus i couldn't stop staring at it. OH MY i just saw a spider.

The other cool thing is that they have pretty much every movie known to man. Its really like a little vacation but i don't lose my daily routine.

The birds are adorable. I STILL haven't gotten them to give me kisses, but they will soon enough. Teddy is great too, minus the piddle pad (UCK) Its pretty disgusting. He acts so proud too.. ew... well whatever keeps him happy and me inside when its cold.

Anyway, next post will be a continuation of my trip. I have so many pictures, still haven't figured out how to do a slide show. So I will have to narrow them down which takes some work, but it will be done.

Chapter 1- Airports, Latios, and a cabana

So since I still haven't figured out a better way to show my pictures (cant figure out how to do a slide show for the life of me) they are displayed below my post.

Tyler and I started out early in the Minneapolis Saint Paul Airport eating burger king excited to get on our way.

I suppose the little dog needs some explanation ^ That is Latios. Gavin's stuffed Pug. We decided to bring him along and take pictures with him for Gavin. So he will show up many times in the narrative and pictures. We arrived at the Miami airport starving so we stopped for a bite of fish and chips. After checking our mail, charging our phones and laptops and going on a UNENDING search for sunglasses we waited for our plane to be ready to go to Nicaragua.

Brandi and Grady picked us up from the airport and we drove to Laguna De Apoyo where we stayed in this cabana. It was soo much fun! The night we got there we played Farkle and had chex mix, beer, and rum & cokes for dinner. After a late night swim to the floating dock we fell soundly asleep. Except for Brandi who couldn't sleep because she wanted to hear the howler monkeys so bad.

Tyler and Latios hanging out waiting for the sun to come out.
Brandi and Grady

We sat and read on the dock all afternoon.

We also went intertubing on the lake. Super relaxing. The lake is in the crater of a volcano and is 600 feet deep.

More chex mix and wine while reading and relaxing.

Latios with a stray puppy that loved to attack people while they're swimming. ( i know i had the scratches to prove it.)


The Monkey Hut. After a day of sun and warmth we set off for Brandi and Grady's hometown Leon, with high hopes.

Nicaragua- Rambling Prologue

Tyler and I just got back from a trip to Nicaragua to visit our aunt and uncle. It was amazing! I was trying to think of stories that I could tell and their really isn't much. I considered this for a while because when I went to Greece I had a TON of stories to tell once I got back. I finally figured out why. Before I left I had been super stressed with all of the new changes going on in my life right now. We had the Pioneer Session and then the Assembly right before we left, and everything seemed so overwhelming. Even pioneer school seemed scary and like work to me. Once we got to Nicaragua I was just kinda going through the motions. Finally when we went to the beach about 3 days in I relaxed. We walked on the beach the night we stayed there and it was all so beautiful, relaxing and invigorating. I was finally able to sort out my thoughts and feelings about everything that is going on. I got my strength and excitement back in a flood. So the whole rest of the trip I was super relaxed. It was mainly Tyler's trip I was just along for the ride. Besides that Brandi and Grady made everything sooo nice, we didn't have to worry about anything. We were just able to hang out and have fun. Isn't that how vacations are suppose to be?

Anyway I'm losing my point. I don't have as many stories because we were so relaxed nothing really went all the bad. Except for missing our flight home but that was taken care of and it was back to relaxing. We did a lot of things but I haven't figured out a way to tell people about them and have them still be interesting. A lot of it was you had to be there stuff. But I will post up some pictures and try my best and story telling. More to come soon.

Gavin

Gavin is my little brother. He is 9 years old and amazing. When he was 2 he knew how to use a computer better than most people. Now that he's 9 he does awesome in school and reads as much as he can. And not just little books either! I am incredibly proud of him and I cant wait to see how he and where he will end up. We were heading home from hanging out one day, it was pretty late and we saw this awesome view. So we took a picture of it. This is Gavin and my picture. We both agreed that it really captured how silent, peaceful, and pretty it was that night.

One other thing about Gavin that I think is adorable is his love for our dog Tallula. He does so good with her and she has him wrapped around her paw. She can look at him and he melts.

Ice Skating

Omg I love ice skating! Last Sunday Jenny, Gavin and I went to Centennial Lakes. Dave and Nathan joined us later. But omg it is soo much stinking fun! Once you get the hang of it and your able to skate without worrying that your gonna topple over at the slightest breeze or bump, its a ton of fun. Me and Jenny decided that the you need to be in a certain frame of mind when you skate. If your thinking hey I'm doing pretty good, looking pretty cool, then it happens.... the wobble. The wobble makes you look uncool, even though everyone does it. As soon as you start concentrating on how good your doing it happens. It is when your just skating along and all of the sudden throw out your arms and feel like your about to fall for no apparent reason. This really happens to the best of us. So beware new skaters of the wobble!

Here are some pictures of us skating. It was the perfect afternoon. It was snowing those huge flakes that look so picturesque. We rested on convienent snowbanks thats why were so snowy.

Btw. Jenny if you want me to take this video off I will. ;)

Landscapes of Minnesota

These are some of the pictures that ive taken over the last couple of months that I think really show the beauty of Minnesota and the real reason why we live here despite the bitter cold. Many times the cold is not the only thing that can take your breath away.

Effects of cold weather.

Effect #1 Lots of warm beverages are consumed. Even tea when you don't like tea (Tyler feels very weird)

Effect #2 The overwhelming desire to bake things comes over you. Not a good thing when your not getting any exercise either.

Effect #3 You slide around corners and end up doing a 180 with traffic coming. (thankfully there was no damage!)

Effect #4 Apparently you are suppose to kick off all that snow that gathers in your wheel well while its warm out (lots of "w" words). If you don't you end up staying outside in -17 weather kicking it off when its really just a solid brick of ice. Then you break your scraper because you were stupidly trying to use the end to chip it off. So you end up using the broken handle. Alas! To no avail. After about a half an hour and 1 metal shaft the guys from the shop (oh because your doing this at work) take pity on you and chip away at it for you. So nice of them!

Effect #5 Your car doesn't start and gives a pathetic little gurgley sound when you try to start it. Happily your able to go back inside and eat breakfast and have some tea before your sweet Grampy comes and gives you a jump. Afterward you gladly stuff him with tea, in fear of him getting frostbitten and/or hypothermia.

Effect #6 Taking out your dog results in 3 trips with intervals to warm up when they start standing with their paws up and glaring at your through their adorable puppy eyes.

Effect #7 Your plants die. From the cold... not from any lack of water....

Effect #8 You get many useful things done around the house. For example, cleaning and getting all of your graduation thankyous finally mailed out.

Effect #9 You start watching American Idol because there is nothing else on and all you want to do is sit on the couch wrapped in a blanket.

Effect #10 You start thinking, "hey, maybe getting a snuggie would be a good buy!"

Effect #11 You start to critique the way that you write until you spend hours online trying to find your own writing style that actually reflects you.

Those are all that I can think of at the moment, possibly more to come. Feel free to add some.