Boston in the Fall

Very long post about our trip to Boston... just fyi.

So last Thursday Jennifer and I flew into Boston via the JFK airport. This was my first time in the great state of Massachusetts. We flew out at 11:55pm on Thursday and got into Boston around 10:30am on Friday. It was an insanely long flight on very few hours of sleep. We got into Boston and we decided to drive around a little bit and see the wonderful sights of the Fall. We were both exhausted so we headed back to the hotel and decided to take a little cat nap. This cat nap of ours ended up being a little longer than we intended. Once we got back up we went out driving around again and decided to eat at T.G.I.Fridays. Yes, we ate at a chain restaurant when we were practically in the seafood capitol of the world. The food was still tasty though. Then we again head back to the hotel.

So on Saturday we got up early to have breakfast at the hotel. Then we headed to the Cranberry Harvest. We met some very nice BYU fans while walking to the buses. I was wearing a BYU shirt and they stopped us to talk. (BYU football won Saturday's game- 59-21... just random side note.) We rode a short bus, yes- a short bus, to the bogs! It was so fun to see the bogs. Jennifer was so excited during the entire time. We watched them take cranberry's out of the bog and into a very large semi-truck. We also saw a puppy running through the water filled cranberry bogs. We thought it was very funny. Then we went through and got all the tasty treats that were for sell. We purchased the MOST AMAZING seafood chowder. It seriously had entire lobster claws of meat chunks in it. Along with lobster meat- it had shrimp and scallops. It was SO good. We also got some caramel puffcorn and root beer flavored popcorn. We also got a tie for our dad for Christmas- it has state maps all over it seeing as he loves to travel. It was a very fun start to the day. After that we drove all around Massachusetts. We drove down to the southern end of the state to see if we could see Martha's Vineyard without having to get on to the $70 per person ferry. We saw a little bit of it but I would have liked to see it. We weren't able to see Nantucket. Then we drove out to Cape Cod. It was so pretty and FREEZING!! We decided that if we were on Cape Cod we should have a seafood dinner then. Jennifer got a surf and turf dinner and I got a lobster shore dinner. It was served with drawn butter, clams and a baked potato. Lets just say I had tons of fun with the lobster bib and playing with the lobster itself. Jennifer took lots of pictures of me. I ended up driving part of the way back to the hotel because Jennifer was exhausted. (Yes, I drove the rental car... shhh, don't tell anyone.)

Sunday, we didn't end up going to church but drove around and headed south. We drove around Boston and found Trader Joe's and looked for the one thing that I love from that place- Dark chocolate covered Cashews. They didn't have them. I was so disappointed. We also saw crew people in the river that was by Harvard. I had the biggest smile on my face. Then we headed south on 95 to head to Rhode Island. It was small and it didn't take long for us to drive through it. Then we got to Connecticut and headed to New Haven. We weren't able to see the campus of Yale but it seemed like it was a very nice place. Very pretty. We visited with an old co-worker of Jennifer's and had dinner with her and her roommate. I played with their very cute dog- Tinkerbell. We started to head back to Boston and we drove through Hartford, CT and Springfield, MA. Once again I got to help drive us back. It was so fun.

Monday was our flying back day. We had to be up around 4:30am. Our flight was supposed to be a non-stop flight back to Salt Lake. We got on the flight and I didn't really feel good. I almost immediately fell asleep on the flight and I got woken up by my sister telling a flight attendant that she was a nurse and that she could help. At this time I was kinda freaking out. I had no clue what was going on. Jennifer finally comes back and she explains to me that we were going to be making an emergency landing and that we were about 2 hours out. She told me that they thought that a man in the back of the plane had had a heart attack. So we finally got down on the ground and we are trying to figure our where we were landing. So the EMT's and the police officers came on the plane and I was trying to read their patches to see what city we were in. Finally we figured it out that we were only in Buffalo. That's it. Just Buffalo. 2 hours into the flight and we were in Buffalo. And then we were on the ground for another 2 hours waiting for the EMT's to do their jobs and then the mechanic had to come check out the plane, the emergency equipment had to be replaced. We finally took off again and we had another 4 hour flight to Salt Lake. Let's just say if my stomach hurt before it was 100 times worse at this point. My stomach was cramping. But needless to say we made it back to Salt Lake only about 3 hours later than what we were supposed to do. I missed both my classes on Monday but I was so happy to be back in Provo to see my roommates who had an awesome weekend without me.

Oh and our rental car was a very hot, very bright yellow Eclipse. It was HOT!!

Surprises!!

So on Sunday as my roommates and I walked out of our door to head to ward prayer I looked down and I saw a package of candy corn by our door. We were so confused. So we decided to put them out that night at Linger Longer that we co-hosted for our ward. We were pretty sure it was from someone from the activities committee as a thank you for doing what we were supposed to do that night at ward prayer. So we asked Cait and she said it wasn't done by her but she wished someone had done that for her. So after that we were more confused.

Today, Sam gets home today and there was a box of popcorn in front of our door.

So our curiosity grows even more. We want to know who is putting these wonderful little snacks in front of our door, for what reason and if it is for one person or for all of us.

So we are going to be looking more closely at our front door and see if we can figure out who this person is.

Do we have a secret admirer? And if so, who does the secret admirer like? Or is it just a nice person in the ward?

Conference

This past weekend was General Conference.

I feel so blessed to be out here because I have had the chance to go to the conference center at least once for every conference.

This past weekend I was able to go to the Saturday afternoon session, I always like going to that one in particular because that's when all the Brethern and officers of the church get sustained and I get to be apart of that and hear one of the counselors tell the Prophet that from what he can see in the Conference Center it is an affirmative. It's such a cool experience to be that close to the Prophet and the Apostles and to feel of their wonderful spirit.

I was able to go with my 2 roommates, Charlie and Sam and my sister. It was Sam's first time and I am so happy that she was finally able to go. I hope it was a special experience that she will remember for the rest of her life. I always find it funny that as soon as you walk out of the conference center there are tons of protesters. Sam got a kick out of one of them that was talking about sharing your husband with your mother. (A guy and about 10 girls were dressed up in pioneer clothes and had signs around their necks saying that he was Joseph Smith and the girls were wife #1- #23 or something like that.) She laughed out loud... it was pretty funny. If only people gave our religion a chance they would see how true it really is and how we believe in normal things just like everyone else.

I love conference because it seems like it rejuvenates me and makes me want to be better at everything.

My favorite talk given, by far, was Elder Jeffery R. Holland's talk. He is so powerful and he doesn't leave anything out and he tells you how it is and doesn't hold anything back. I always look forward to hearing him speak.

During conference I was still anticipating hearing Elder Wirthlin's name. And it saddened me when it was never spoken. How I miss that man. He always had such a sweet spirit about him and very inspirational stories.

A new Florida temple was announced!!! It is going to be in Ft. Lauderdale. It will be amazing to see Florida with 2 temples now! That was a very cool and surprising announcement. I am happy for those that this temple will serve.

I just love General Conference. Charlie tivo-ed it so we can watch it as much as we want now. And with that we will have to wait another 6 months before it comes around again.

Oh, and Charlie and Sam's brother Adison got his mission call on Friday!! I was able to be apart of the family 5-way phone call. It was amazing to hear him read his letter. He will be serving in the Cordoba Argentina Mission and will be reporting to the Provo MTC on January 27th. From what I know about him- he will be an excellent missionary and will serve those people in the best way he knows how!! So my congratulations goes out to him!!! Serve well and return with honor!!