Our Summer

This summer Michal & I had a lot of fun adventures. Here is a summary of the fun things we were able to participate in this summer...

Two of my favorite people in Pennsylvania made their way out to Salt Lake City to visit. We took them all over to show them Temple Square.

Liang was one of the last people that I taught in State College. He was the first person to introduce me to Chinese food that I liked. He also had the neatest confirmation blessing that I heard my whole mission.

Liang was so funny when he came out to Utah - he said... "I don't know how you cant find a wife in Utah, there are SO MANY girls in Temple Square. If you ask one out and they say no, you just ask the next one that comes around - eventually one will say yes. I suppose that 1 out of every 100 you ask would say yes." What made me laugh is that Liang was referring to all the sister missionaries that are serving on temple square. This was one reason that I love Liang so much.

Mama Swope - her name perfectly describes her. She was a second mother to me out in Pennsylvania. Her husband was our ward mission leader in York and they took good care of me - including -

- making sure I had enough Peaches to make it throughout each week

- giving us rides to wherever we needed, whenever we needed it

- showed us all the sites and cool things we never would see as missionaries on our Preparation days

If I were Catholic, I would say that this woman would receive sainthood for how much she takes care of missionaries. Michal & I have talked about how when we move "out into the missionfield" that we want to take after Mama & Papa Swope's example. Truly because of them missionaries are having an easier transition and have a little piece of home in their hearts whenever they are around.

(We had to take a picture in front of all the flowers because Mama Swope is an expert Gardener)

I was able to go out to L.A. (My first Solo trip away from Michal) to visit a girlfriend getting married. We were able to dance and sing and pretend like we were freshman in high school. Everyone (including the bride - Torrey Smith) looked so beautiful. Sometimes when you find good friends, it is important to never let go of them and I am so grateful for them.

Michal & I took a lot of driving trips around the State to find unique landmarks or fun places to explore. This specific Sunday we made our way to Ogden's Train Depot and we spend FOREVER there because Michal is obsessed with Trains.

It was so much fun watching Michal while we were here. It was like he had to inspect every inch of these engines and had to climb over every single one. I can't wait until we have a little boy and Michal will spend hours playing "trains" with him.

We had another wedding we attended in St. George over a weekend in June. Amanda & Jared got married and it was really fun to go to the St. George temple for the first time and watch them seal the deal.

Then Michal & I were able to make it out to Pennsylvania, where I served my mission, and visit those that I love. Here are some people that I was so excited to see...

The Mastracola's. Michal & Michelle have the most unique relationship - it started out arguing over politics - and ended up loving each other because both are so passionate about discussing politics. Michal had to wear his OBAMA t-shirt just for Michelle. They are both such good sports and she cooked us such delicious homemade pizza!

Karis, Austin & Teagan Miller. I feel like these guys are more like little a little brother and sisters or cousins than friends in Pennsylvania. They are so much fun and I get so excited to go to Pennsylvania to know that I will get to see them. This particular time we were there the 4 of us decided to play a joke on their grandparents and switch all of their family pictures around the house and see how long it would take them to notice. Michal had fun chillin with Teagan while Austin & I went to go get a pedicure!

Austin also decided to have another fun little side-adventure with us when she passed out at a restaurant. Instead we were able to spend some time with her & grandma Becky in the hospital. Austin was so patient with everyone there, she wanted to leave so badly - but was kind and we had hours to catch up on things instead. Michal all helped ease the tension with his fun humor.

I seriously love the Miller family. They feel so much like family to me that I feel at home when I am around them. The spirit is so strong in their home and they exemplify such wonderful qualities of the Savior. I feel so blessed to have served in Palmyra, PA so that I could meet this family. I tease "Brother Miller" that I get to talk at his baptism when he decides to get baptized. He is such a good sport. Michal really likes him to - he loves re-telling stories that "bro" miller shared with us.

We also got to visit Jeff Gochoco. Jeff has such a special place in both my & Michal's hearts! He is an amazing person and I hope that one day I can become half of the person that he is. He has such a wonderful testimony of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He is so christ-like and so positive. He is always willing to give you whatever you need, even if it is the shirt off of his back. He has strengthened my testimony in so many ways that I am so grateful for him and what he has shared with me. This is just one reason why he has a special place in my heart.

And Pennsylvania wouldn't be a good trip unless we visited the Swopes. They are seriously such amazing people (as described above). They took us out to a yummy lunch.

After visiting Pennsylvania, we headed to DC to visit a few friends there...

The PETERS! Thanks to Brother Peters, Michal listens to Bluegrass - NON-STOP!!! But it was so good to see them, especially Jessica & her cute new precious Baby. She is one of my bestest estest friends! I am so grateful for her and her friendship ever since Kindergarten.

Courtney Hasting - another one of my bestest estest friends since Freshman year of college. I love her so so much also, and I am SO grateful for her friendship and how she has always been there for me. Even when she has trials in her life, she is so positive and is always there to help me see the positive side of things and become a better person.

Lael - Michal's Bestest estest friend (Since I don't know when). He truly has been such an asset in Michal's life and I love Lael for how good he is to Michal. He is such a blessing to my husband. P.S. Thanks Lael for taking us out to dinner at such an awesome yummy place! We love you!

Washington D.C.

We were also so excited to go to D.C. & walk around and see the sites - but we were so tired that we look so awful in all the pictures that we took. The humidity and the heat wave made it so hard for us to hit all the sites that we wanted to see. We hit all the monuments except the capital - so I feel good about it.

Now my favorite - OBX (Corolla, Outer Banks, North Carolina)

We took a vacation here with the whole family - including - Mom, Dad, Grandma, Grandpa, Michal's Mom, Sam, Bridgett, Ben, Michal & I. We had a lot of relaxing time. Michal made it a point to go out in the Ocean with me every day.

I really had so much fun, I gained a little bit of color (even though I used SPF 60 every day), and I was able to release so much of my stress. I can see why people go on beach vacations instead of running around visiting sites like michal & I usually do.

Here are some pictures of what we did while we were there...

We relaxed in the pool (with Ben Planking)

We gutted crabs for dinner one night

We went sight-seeing (here @ Kitty-Hawk)

We went Shopping... only Ben found the fun items

We played Dominoes, Dominoes, Dominoes with Ben.

We read...

... and read...

... and read.

We put together puzzles (well - mostly me & mom)

And My favorite... We went hunting for sea-shells on the beach every morning - literally every morning Michal & I got up at 5:45 and walked about 5 miles and found all sorts of treasures... listed below.

Blue Crab (Michal was trying to put it back in the Ocean so that it didn't die)

I found a clam still intact (but no treasures inside)

Michal & I found a conch shell - although it was small it made me so excited to find one!

Sand Dollars were scarce - but they were there! We probably found about 14 total between all of us. It was the most fun when the old folks found them and got so excited about it.

This house, I consider as one of the houses that I have lived in during my life. It is the house we always go to when we visit the beach. I absolutely love it there and I can't wait until I have children and can take them to the Outer Banks and share this experience with them. Thanks Mom & Dad for such a wonderful vacation! I loved it!

And that pretty much wraps up our summer. Our Fall looks a little Boring, the only exciting thing that has happened has been Ben getting engaged to Fatima. We are excited to have her as a part of the family.

2 Years Full of Statistics

As of today, Michal & I have been married for 2 years.

Since we have been married, these are the fun things that we have shared together...

• Lived in 2 places
• Been to 4 countries
• Have lost together 31 pounds
• Visited 4 states
• Have seen 3 operas & 1 musical
• Have not had a TV for 7 months
• Went 5 months without going out to eat 1 single time
• Ran 5 races (Michal - 5, Katie - 1), 1 together
• Been to Las Vegas 4 times
• Been to 5 different Temples together
• Seen 16 movies at the movie theater
• Had 0 cavities between the two of us
• Flown first class 2 times
• Traveled 225 kph on 160 miles of the Autobahn
• Have been to 4 museums
• Have been to Catholic Mass 2 times
• Been to 2 Rodeos
• Went to 2 Jazz Games, 1 Salt Lake Real Game, & 1 Grizzlies Hockey Game
• Participated in 4 parades
• Went to the Festival of Colors 1 time
• Received 0 traffic violations
• Have read a total of 59 books between both of us
• Had 3 different cars
• Katie cut 22 inches off her hair off, with how often Michal cuts his hair - he probably did the same amount too!

In addition, Michal & Katie have fallen in love with Indian & Thai food, Michal has taught Katie to enjoy the gym, Katie has been able to finally meet all of her in-laws, & Katie has discovered Almond Milk.

Our trip to Greece

A few weeks ago we figured out that with Michal's work schedule changing, he would be able to take 5 days off of work, but really only have to use 1 vacation day. We thought that this would be perfect to go on a little trip. I had been searching airfarewatchdog to find great deals - and we just figured that we would go on a "weekend getaway." This website tells you which airlines are offering super cheap prices for that weekend only, in order to fill up their flights. It was a gamble and a risk - but we thought it was well worth taking. Instead... Michal came home the Monday before and told me that he booked tickets. He made me guess where... I figured it would be someplace like San Francisco or Pennsylvania... but instead he told me that we were going to be going to Athens, Greece.

To say I was excited would be an understatement! It has been one of my dreams to visit this country. I put it on my bucket list of places to see one day, and I was trying to "talk Michal into going here" knowing that it was a little beyond our reach. One reason I wanted to visit this country so bad is because the Greek Art & Architecture class (in my Art History Major) was my absolute favorite class. I wrote the most brilliant paper in that class. I combined my Math Major into writing about the proportions and golden ratio seen in the Parthenon. Not only did I learn so much about the Parthenon, but the teacher that I had who taught this class was incredible and one of the best professors I had at BYU. Her love for the Art History rubbed off on me and I wanted to take every course that she offered. Ever since graduating with my Art History major, I knew there were two places that were top on my "must see" list: the Mayan Ruins & GREECE.

Michal knew how much I wanted this and he gave me the best surprise!

We left on a Saturday morning & arrived in Greece the following Sunday morning. We dropped our bags & the first place that we headed was to the Acropolis. Everything is free on Sunday & we sure wanted to make sure we didn't miss out on that deal!

I was so excited to be there, and so excited to be off of the plane (17 hours of traveling) that Michal & I just couldn't stop jumping.

When we first started doing our "jumping pictures" everyone else there was pointing and laughing at us. I can only imagine that they were saying we were "Crazy Americans," but then as we would walk off, we noticed that they were all copying us and also doing our jumping pictures. We hope we started a revolution.

Here are our jumping shots in front of the Parthenon.

This is a picture of me in front of my favorite building atop of the acropolis: the Erectheion. (Ἐρέχθειον)

Here are a few other favorite pictures from the Acropolis...

After we were done, I was trying to figure out where to go next... Michal teased me for always having my nose in this book - but it saved us big time because we knew where to go for free on Sunday - and we knew what time sites opened & closed each day.

Later we wandered the streets of Greece & did a lot of site-seeing & market hopping & window shopping. I thought that we would crash by now because of jet lag, but we were trying to make the best use of our time. So we visited...

... Parliament

... the Agora -

(but it closed before we got to see the Hephaisteion - the only thing I felt like we

really didn't get to see in our time in Athens)

... the Tower of the 8 winds

... we wandered the streets and admired the architecture

... grabbed a bite to eat. One thing that I love about Greece is their food! One thing Michal loves about Europe is their Nutella w/Banana's Crepes. So I got a crepe that had olives, peppers, feta cheese & tomatoes inside. It was really yummy. Another food item I wish was in America is Magnum white chocolate ice-cream bars & green apple Fanta. Every time I go to Europe, I am not shy in making sure I have at least one of these items with every meal of mine!

... & visited as many churches as we could.

I was really excited to visit these churches from the Byzantine Art & Architecture classes that I took.

However, I was a little disappointed because the churches either were closed or looked like the one above with lots of scaffolding - inside & out. The outside architecture of all the different churches was amazing. Michal & I loved it. I swear he took like 100 pictures of just buildings while we were in Greece.

By the time that we had dinner & our day came to a close, we were pooped & we slept well that night. But (thanks to Jet-Lag) we were up early & I was out planning on our balcony the next morning about what we could do that day & where our adventures should continue.

Here is a picture from our Balcony.

Day Two started with a visit to the Temple of Zeus - where we met some new friends who were from Germany.

We tried to teach them how to take jumping pictures, but they failed miserably at it. They were terrible. But even though they weren't good jumpers, we became friends on facebook!

We then visited the Olympic Stadium, which was originally built during 300 B.C. but later restored for the modern olympics (in 1896). At this historical site they gave you these headsets and you could listen to a narration which had lots of interesting facts about the place. I found it interesting that in the 2004 Athens games the runners (who started in Marathon) ended up finishing the race in this very stadium. When compared to BYU's stadium, it's very tiny - but considering how OLD this place is - it is very impressive.

Michal even got his chance to run on the track. I laughed because he was working up a sweat because I kept on making him "re-do" the picture because I couldn't figure out how to work our new camera, but in the end - we got a good shot of him.

Our last stop of the day included a trip to the National Archeological Museum (where there was a turtle walking around in the museum that scared the crap out of me because I almost stepped on it). This place had all of the artifacts in one building that I learned about (including: Zeus/Poseidon, Mask of Agamemnon, Mycenaen Daggers, & Minoan Octopus Vases, Dipylon Amphora, and rooms which housed "The Spring Fresco", "Two Antlers", & "Boxing Boys.") I got to be Michal's tour guide - and I like when he lets me tell him all about the artworks & artifacts because it makes me feel like I actually learned something in college.

Even though this museum was a definite must for visiting Athens, I was disappointed because about 1/3 or maybe even 1/2 of the museum was closed when we went through. It was a bummer because there were so many more things to see, but were closed from the public the days that we were there.

At the close of this day we were too tired and just went home and crashed. But we planned out the next day - which was an adventure we will never forget. Michal & I decided to rent a car. It was crazy, but there were a few things that we wanted to see that were just far enough outside of the city - that you couldn't get their by metro or rail.

We first went to Delphi. I'm surprised that we figured out our little GPS & that it took us to the right place. But we made it and had such a delightful time there. This place reminded me a lot of Rock Canyon Park in Provo. It was really scenic and Michal & I appreciated the tiny hike that we were able to go on while being able to look at an ancient city unearthed.

Our next stop was to Sounio where we visited the Temple of Poseidon. They keep this site open until Sunset - and you can see why. It was breathtaking. I was caught up in the beauty of the place and felt so grateful for the opportunity that we were able to go on this trip. Everybody that we met was so friendly & kind to us, and our trip went so smoothly... and this being the last place we visited - it was definitely worth the hassle of a rental car and making our way down here - and out of here.

On our way back to Athens, we ran into some trouble. Apparently some protestors decided to block the highway because they were upset about a landfill which was going to be built in their city. We got caught right in the middle of it. The protestors surrounded our car - but they were friendly - and wanted to let us through - unfortunately there was dirt & concrete piled 10 ft high so we couldn't get through. The Police kept on telling us to find a dirt road and go around, but everywhere we drove brought us back to the same place. We were lost!!! Finally the police blasted their way through the blockade and they let us pass. It took two hours to finally make it through. This story made the headlines of the Greek newspaper the next day. I got a newspaper, hoping that someone on the plane would translate for me, but I forgot.

Overall, it was a fun trip to Athens. Definitely one of my favorite places! I feel so lucky to have gone & so happy to have experienced the people & culture there. The Greeks are such wonderful & kind people! It made our trip so much more enjoyable because of how they treated us there. I can't wait for my next adventure with Michal.