Politics, Culture and Bats...OH MY!

On Saturday C and I ventured to Austin (highly anticipated on my part.) First we hit the state capitol and caught up on our Texas history.....which was decently intense since Texas was once its own country...and truth be told still wants to be a little.

Then it was off to BATFEST 2008 for some live music, local arts and crafts, food and of course the largest colony of bats in North America...true story.

I found Austin (as expected) to be a great city...though we only experienced the downtown as we drove through it I could just hear all the little restaurants, cafes, and music venues calling my name! The only downside? The HEAT! I mean seriously....my always reliable Hawaiian sandles got so hot on the pavement that I could have sworn they were cooking my feet from the ground up. And the humidity? I've reverted back to mission mode and carry a handkerchief with me AT ALL TIMES to pat off my face, neck, and other humidity-stricken body parts. I kept thinking "how can people really live here?" I know what you're thinking.... "Hil, you do REALLY live there..." It's true, I do.....but in my heart there will always be four seasons!:)

Watch the skyline for a serious bat exodus....afterall, everything's bigger in Texas.

Catching up...the bearer of good news...and the BIG move...

On August 15th C was hooded and declared MASTER via the mighty BYU. Despite the craziness of trying to pack and graduate (at the early hour of 8 am) all on the same day we all really enjoyed the graduation ceremony. It was fun to celebrate C's accomplishments and to feel some closure to our time in Orem.

In other good news Bronwyn had an MRI on August 11th and got another clean bill of health! After telling us the day before that the doctor was going to see if she had a brain (later she said he was looking for a brain rumor..ha) we had the following conversation when she got home from the hospital:

Me- What did you do at the hospital Bronwyn?
Bronwyn- The doctor took a picture of my brain.
Me- And what did the doctor say?
Bronwyn- He said it looked good!

And just as exciting was the news that she is doing so well that she doesn't have to have another MRI for a year!
We had a great last week in Orem with friends and family. We even enjoyed packing for the most part....afterall it's just Tetris for adults.





And then we were off to TEXAS!
All in all driving the U-Haul wasn't near as bad as people had made it sound...granted I didn't technically "drive" the U-Haul...in that C did ALL the driving...but we had a good time driving through Utah, Colorado, New Mexico and Texas. As you'll see we were quit the load, but C was a pro and after 2 1/2 days of driving we pulled into the town we'll call home for the next few years.

Sorry for the extra long post...I vow to write more often and therefore have shorter, and thus easier to swallow, posts.
Pics of our apartment and adventures coming soon!
Ya'll come back now ya hear!

Wedding bells, goodbyes, and northern skies...

August 1st found us celebrating Ty and Connie's wedding...and what a wonderful day it was! A cute couple + the temple + perfect weather + family/friends = one great party. Loved it. Love them. Love being related to the McDonald's. It's a small world after all. We also had a great pre-wedding bash in Logan. With such a good reason to celebrate we celebrated often!



The days following the wedding consisted of the very beginnings of our packing to move. Then we tearfully said goodbye to Laura and Marty as they started their journey to North Carolina and headed North to Canada for a quick trip to see my fam. We had a great time visiting the Percevault clan. For only being there for three days we certainly got in some sights, shopping, and as always lots of good food.

Never a dull moment C and I headed to a bbq with my beloved scrollies IMMEDIATELY upon returning from Canada. It was so great to see everyone and to feel the ease of true friendship. By this point in time we're all pretty used to saying goodbye to each other, and happily confident in our lasting relationships.