a year-kept secret

So, I have a secret... this mostly for my family, but it's still funny all the same.

Last Christmas I almost went home with John for a few days before going to my family's house.

It started out as a little flirty suggestion, then a joke, then a consideration, then a serious thought that I did want to go home with him for a few days. I didn't want to be away from him for two weeks.

However, the plane ticket had already been bought, and I couldn't miss my flight. Otherwise I would've been a big surprise for John's family when we walked in the door. Merry Christmas!

Instead, we texted each other unceasingly, he called me at midnight on New Years and we talked for an hour or so, and we read a book together. Well, we raced each other to see who could finish it first. Of course, he won.

This Christmas is a little bit different... I get to spend the whole break with him, and even *gasp* share a room with him!!!

beardies

Bearded dragons are AWESOME!

John and I want one. They are so cool!

They're smart, like to be handled and even beg for it sometimes, are fun to watch, like to take baths and showers, and are loyal to the owner. They're also awake during the day, unlike Ricky. They're super gentle, and kind, and are even really good around children. More than you can say for a lot of animals. It gets about 2 feet long, tail included. That means I can get it a leash and walk it around.

The only problem is we don't have a big enough cage. We were planning on getting a smaller cage for Ricky and putting a Beardie in Ricky's cage, but that one is only 12" x 24" and a Beardie needs a cage that is 20" x 40"... so I don't know how we'd swing that. But, I already picked a name for our Bearded Dragon, so we have to get one now.


I like this picture because it looks like he's smiling in the picture at the bottom.

Speaking of reptiles, Ricky is doing really well. He's a lot bigger now! He's still growing, though. (He is only 9 months old). We still love him and feed him lots of big crickets. He graduated to the larger crickets, which is nice because we don't have to buy as many. Instead of eating 7 or 8 little crickets, he eats 3 or 4 big ones. So that's really nice. He's lost a lot of his spots and gained some strange orange splotches of color. I can't find my camera, otherwise I'd post some new pictures up. Once I find it I'll take some.

Oh, and in case you're still wondering, we are going to name our bearded dragon Rumbleroar.

it's christmas?

John and I were driving one evening listening to Christmas music on the radio when a song came on that neither of us had heard before. I reached to change it until I heard the lyrics... It was a terrible song! Why on earth would someone play this for Christmas?




After we got home, John looked this up to see if it was real or not. We couldn't believe someone would turn this into a song. He found out that this was actually a number one song when it first came out. How? It was so bad we were actually laughing. Not because abuse is funny, but because we didn't expect to hear it. It is pretty ridiculous.

I hope this doesn't make me sound heartless... but it's just so... not Christmas.

the number one men's chorus fan

BYU Men's Chorus has one more concert left this semester. I've been to all the them so far, mainly to watch John, but I've loved every moment of them. I also have been continuing to go to almost every rehearsal. Those boys are just so amazing! I've talked to Sister Hall a few times and she thinks it's so cute that I go to support my husband at rehearsal every day, and said I'm the number one fan.

However, the last performance is at the MTC for the Christmas devotional this coming Sunday. I've known all semester that I wouldn't be allowed to go. Sister Hall, the conductor who is the sweetest and funniest lady ever, announces every year (in a British accent), "We're going to the MTC and it's for the elders and sisters. So, gentlemen, no girls! You may not bring anyone with you."

I was really sad that I couldn't go, especially since I've been hearing the choir rehearse all of their Christmas songs, and want to hear them in performance. So I spontaneously and boldly went up to talk to Sister Hall today.

"Um, Sister Hall..."
"Yes?"
"So, for Sunday, I was thinking that you'll need someone to go and check the guys' uniforms, and sew on buttons? Um, can I do that?"
Sister Hall's very loud laughter. "Yes!"
"Wait, so I can go?!"
"Yes, of course you can."
"Really!!!"
"So, will you bring your own sewing kit?"
"Of course! I can do that!"
"Oh good, then I won't have to."

When I went up to John right after, I smiled and said, "I guess I get to go with you on Sunday."
His response, "I can't believe you conned your way into our Christmas concert! That's awesome!" I may be the first girl to go to a "no girls allowed" Men's Chorus event. Now I get to find out about all their secret, cult-like, men only rituals...

I have a very smug smile on right now.

why i will not miss the cougareat

As none of you know, I will not be working at Teriyaki Stix next semester... or at the Cougareat at all. I am happy. I will list reasons why I do not want to work there anymore.

1. I am just tired of working fast food after a year.
   
2. I have crappy pay.
   
3. I feel that many (Not all. Many are awesome) of the student managers (SMs) think they have more power than they do...
4. ...and I often feel like they think I'm stupid, or that I can't do my job.
   
5. I didn't get the pay raises I was promised when I was hired.
6. I work around a lot of incompetent people. I wish they would use common sense or learn what I try to teach them.
7. Holley still scares me.
8. I don't like smelling like food/grease all day after work.
9. Hat hair
10. Rubber gloves... ew.
11. "Hi, what can I get for you? What kind of rice would you like with your chicken? That'll be $5.91. Would you like your reciept? What name can I call? Have a good day." 150+ times every day.

Shh! Some Cougareat secrets...

1. That point system... the ones that act like demerits... mean almost nothing.
   
2. It's pretty impossible to get fired. Until you get like 9 permanent points/27 points/54 warnings...
   
3. No one notices if you're late to work. Well, unless it's by like, an hour or something. Or if you're supposed to be the first one at the store. But if you work with a large crew of people, no one notices you're not there a little late. (Side note: I never was consistently late. This is just an observed fact.)
4. Spanish is the number one language spoken in the kitchen for Teriyaki Stix. Good luck in back if you don't speak Spanish. Last year there were three employees that didn't speak Spanish.
   

Unfortunately, if one day I need to return, I'm not turning in my two week's notice. I'm not quitting. I'm just taking the semester off. I'll still be on the roles, but won't have a shift. There are things I liked about working there. I just am happy to leave for now. I need a break!

soy una gringa

In my Spanish class today we read two poems that were in Spanglish and talked about them. Afterward, my teacher had us all write a Spanglish poem about ourselves.


Soy una Gringa

I am a Gringa,
in awe a la cultura bella de México.
Quiero ser accepted de los gentes,
s e p a r a t e d by el color de mi piel.

Beautiful:
familias
comida
lengua
música
tradiciones.

Alienated by my heritage.

priorities

I've decided to rearrange all of my priorities. From now on, I am going to only ever go on the internet once a day, in the evening (unless homework requires it), for no more than 30 minutes. This includes but is not limited to Facebook, Blogger, MLIA, Failblog, etc. It's time I start living in the real world other than the cyber world.

Allison E. Jeppson
(Typing your name here is the same as signing a legal document and will be treated as such.)

trick-or-treat!/let's play "good news, bad news."

I had so much fun on Halloween! John and I dressed up as Han Solo and Princess Leia. If I can say so myself, we had pretty rockin' costumes! I ordered mine online, and it came with the dress and belt. Then I wore high white socks and white flats (the boots didn't quite work out... we bought green ones and tried to spray paint them white. Well, we also sprayed the zipper shut and I couldn't get my foot in!). Since I'm brunette now, I just twirled my own hair up in two side buns. Then we spray painted a Star Wars blaster we bought at Target, and I had a full Princess getup!

For John's, we bought black canvas, and I sewed a vest for him. He also found the perfect pants at DI, and we attached a red ribbon down both legs. Then, we altered a white turtle neck to make a V neck, and dyed it with Postum. We had a lot of fun making these.

*************************

Bad news: I had a really bad cough yesterday, and mucus... well, I won't get into that. Only old people talk about their ailments in detail to everyone that will listen. So I didn't go to church. Then I went to Spanish this morning, and felt way worse. So I took a trip to the Urgent Care. And I found out that I have Bronchitis! No wonder I couldn't stop coughing!

Good news: The doctor wrote me a note for work getting me off for the rest of the week, so I have written proof that I am sick. I feel better about not going in now.

Bad news: I'm not contagious! Dang it. The best part about being sick is spreading the fun to other people!

Good news: It's not Swine Flu!!!

Bad news: My cough is going to last for at least 3 weeks.

Good news: The coolest part about Bronchitis is that it sounds like a dinosaur name. Rawr!!!

Bad news: John has a concert tomorrow, and I'll be quite a distraction coughing every 10 seconds. But I refuse to miss it.

Good news: I'm getting quite the ab workout. I'll have a six pack by the time I'm done with this.


Quote of the Day:

John: "I love my mom."
Me: "I love my mom, too. Except when she gives me stupid advice like pouring water up my nose."

mind boggling!

I can't believe it! John (the relies on spell check Microbiology major) taught me something incredible about English today!

It just blows my mind.

Did you know that when typing something- anything- you're supposed to put TWO spaces in between sentences??? TWO! It's an official, written, first result on Google fact!

I just can't believe it... I'm still in awe at this fact. I've never heard or seen it before.

Teachers... you have failed me. It's good I have John.

the time for change

**I realize the first link I posted didn't work... thank you, Rachel! So I found the actual video and posted it right here for you to see it! :)

Obama promised change, change, change. A new America. But... I want you to take a look at this skit by SNL that totally explains it ;)



Will America finally admit that the only thing Obama has so far been all talk? (Besides getting the country into way more debt...)

Anyway, I thought this video was hilarious! Enjoy :)

these are a few of my favorite things

There are a few websites that I have to check out everyday, or multiple times a day. They keep me very entertained.

1. MLIA- (My Life is Average) People write in funny things that happen to them in an average day. They usually involve dinosaurs, Harry Potter, or little kids.

2. FAIL Blog- Pictures and videos of, well, people failing at things. There are a lot of driving fails, people doing stupid things, or ironic things.

3. Ugliest Tattoos- Ever wanted to get a tattoo? Don't. (Warning: there can be sexual tattoos on here every once in a while. You know how trashy hicks are...)

4. Not Always Right- I love this, especially since I work in food business. It's stories about stupid customers and funny experiences that employees have at work.

5. Emails from Crazy People- Just like the title says- and there are some REALLY crazy people out there! "I NEED THE CATS. YOU ARE CRAZY, BUT GIVE ME YOUR CATS!!!"

And I just want to include this one because it's fun and I just discovered it.

Google Fight- Type in two key words, and Google bases a winner off of how many search results it has. So far, Ninjas win over Pirates, Darth Vader wins over Luke, Gandalf wins over Dumbledore, and Dinosaurs win over Asteroid. That last one makes me question history...

Have at it!

español

Yo quería escribir esto blog en Español, porque tuve un examen para eso clase ayer y hoy, y para práctica. No sera perfecto...

Tuve examenes en tres de mi clases. Primero, mi clase de Nuevo Testimento. Mi profesora dio el examen a Jueves, pero no tuve tiempo a completa este fin de semana. Lo haré mañana porque necisito completirlo para Jueves.

También tengo un examen en mi clase de Inglés. Estudié con mis compañeros de clase. ¡Para dos horas! Yo prepararé completarlo mañana.

Finalmente, tuve dos examenes para mi clase de Español. El primero tuvo un examen oral y el secondario es un examen escrito. Tenía el primero en Lunes, y el otro hoy. No recibo a mis notas todavida.

Cotizaciones para la día:

After a study group in the library for a few hours
Classmate: "You know we've been here too long when we start talking about tasting your brain, and that the Holocaust never happened."

sorry, i'm married

By John's request I am telling this story.

After my English class this afternoon, I met up with John and we headed to the Cougareat to grab some lunch before Men's Chorus. He went to wait in line while I scoped out a table. I found one, and got out my computer to work on an essay. A few minutes later, a guy approached me and asked if he could sit. Without really looking up, I said, "My husband will be here in a few minutes. You can totally sit if you don't mind sharing with us." I didn't think anything of this, since the Cougareat was packed and there weren't any tables open. I've sat with strangers many times before.

A few minutes later John came over and sat down. Then, moments later, the guy got up, said thanks, and left. I observed that he ate really fast. I was surprised he was done so quickly. A little while later, John and I finished, and cleared our table to leave. A boy sitting at the next table stopped us and asked what was up with that guy. I just replied that he only wanted somewhere to sit. Then he went on to say that he had come up to ask if he could sit with me, and when I mentioned my husband, he got flustered, and embarrassed. Then I offered him a seat anyway, and he took it not wanting to look stupid, he sat down and scarfed his food as fast as he could. He said that was the one of the greatest things he had seen all day. That's when I realized what had happened. I am so oblivious sometimes. Plus, I was a little busy with an essay. John thought it was hilarious, just like the time when a BYU rugby player tried to ask me out.

A few weeks ago I stopped by the window of the BYU bookstore to watch a clip of the championship rugby game. There were two guys and a girl next to me. After I stood there for a while, they huddled up in a corner talking. I just ignored it and kept watching. I then noticed that, after they broke their huddle, the guys were talking about what positions they were playing in the game. I then said to one, "Oh, are you on the team? Is that you playing right now?" and before he could answer, the girl replied, "Yes! He's the star player. And he's single!" The guy got a huge smile and looked at me. I laughed a little and said, "Sorry, I'm married," and pulled up my sleeve to show my ring. Then the guy blurted out, "See! I told you she was probably married or something!" and the girl yelled, "How was I supposed to know? I was helping you out!" AWKWARD. So that's what they were huddled up about. I laughed a little and a few minutes later discreetly left in the crowd.

Either I'm more appealing as a brunette, or less intimidating than I was as a blonde. Either way, I kind of like being able to say, "No, sorry. I'm married," and know that I am blessed with the BEST husband in the whole world!!!

score

I know I haven't posted in a long time. I've been more than busy. I've been crazily trying to do so much lately!

John and I got some more furniture this weekend (yahoo! Thanks mom- and dad-in-law!) We got a nice wooden desk for the living room, a filing cabinet, a little cupboard/desk thingy, and some storage shelves. I love the desk! It is very badly needed. We put some of the shelves in the kitchen to use for food storage, pans, pots, etc. And, since we don't have a lot of counter space, we use the top for a prep area. We're putting the cabinet in the bathroom, since we only have two drawers and one cupboard in there.

It was so fun seeing my in-laws this weekend. Mom, Dad, and Beth came up to visit us, bring us the furniture and the rest of our wedding gifts, and go to the football game. I was so excited to go to the game! It was the only home game this season I will be going to. BYU played CSU. We won pretty easily, but it was still fun to watch.

And John and I had a nice surprise!!! I was surfing on Craigslist (oh, how I love Craigslist) and was searching through the electronics. When, lo and behold, I spied a perfect condition working 30" TV for only $75! We already had a TV, but it was only like 18", and the sound is pretty bad. The screen was too small to watch movies. So we called the guy, and he still had it! So we went and picked it up. I was very excited, seeing as new 30" TVs are around $500. Of course, this isn't a flat screen like those ones, but it's perfect. It fits in our entertainment center perfectly.

Well, work has been fun. Weird, huh? After switiching the whole menu, how we cook things, the line, everything, we switched it back to the old way late last week. People were complaining that their favorite items were gone, and Teriyaki Stix was losing a lot in sales. So, since everything is determined by income, the owner decided to switch it back. It's a lot easier for everyone. I work with John at the same time, and the other girls I work with are really fun. We all have a good time.

I wrote a poem about Teriyaki Stix last Friday when it was a slow time and no one was ordering. Then I read it to the owner who was there helping us out, and he loved it. He wanted his own copy, and he's going to send it to all the owners of TS! I told him that he really didn't have to (no, really, I didn't really want him to), but he loved it so much he insisted. So, maybe this'll get me a promotion, no? He likes me a lot, too. He says he's impressed with how I am with customers. Score!


Quote of the Day:

While eating Transformers fruit snacks.
Me: "It's a Decepticon! Ahh!!!"
John: "Are you eating another package?"
Me: "...and?"

fall

And so begins a new semester.

Well, a short update...

John and I moved into our new place! It's bigger, brighter, and better than the old, stinky basement we lived in. We're almost all unpacked! The living room is finished (minus our couch which we're getting today, and hanging all our pictures), and the kitchen is all done. We just have to unpack our bedroom... Which will take forever. We have two dressers, but all our clothes are still in bags and suitcases. We've been a little busy with school this last week.

I'm taking Spanish 1, British Literary History, American Literary History, Music Civilization 1, and New Testament. I like my New Testament class, and my music class. The professor of the latter is so funny! He makes class way fun. And the first one is wonderful. I love going and learning about Christ's ministry and reading the gospels. I've already learned a lot.

The others... well, I like Spanish, but I don't exactly understand everything that my professor is saying all the time. He teaches in Spanish. But I get it enough. And my lit classes are boring because my professors are boring, and my classes are filled with Look-At-Me-I'm-So-Brainy show-offs that talk in class and use big words I don't know. But hopefully it'll get better!

Quotes of the Day:

Amanda: "What kind of meat is pepperoni?"
Me: "A conglomeration of... crap... and every meat imaginable."
Amanda: "I can live with that."

and

Me: "I was disappointed with this movie."
John: "What are you talking about? He flew around in an iron suit and blew up crap!"
Me: "Well, he didn't blow up enough crap."
John: "I never expected to hear you say that."

amanda

These quotes are all from Amanda. And they all came in about... 10 minutes.

Amanda: "Maybe I shouldn't base my facts off of fictional movies."

and

Amanda: "We should make a movie that combines Lord of the Rings, Star Wars, and Chronicles of Narnia. Let's throw in Napoleon Dynamite, too."

and

Amanda: "Why did they have to fix him? Why can't someone else just take the ring?"

and

Amanda: "Why didn't they just kill Voldemort first, and then find the horcruxes? That seems like a much easier way to do it."

and

Amanda: "At the end of the third movie, Frodo says, 'I can't walk anymore!' So Sam carries him up the mountain, and then when they get to the top, he just gets up and runs. He could've been walking the whole time! What a d-bag!"

and

Amanda: "Honor means you don't have legs?!"

and

Amanda: "Legolas is now a werewolf."

and

Amanda: "'Elves' is the answer to everything! Ask me a question."
Me: "Why does the earth go around the sun?"
Amanda: "Elves."
Me: "How did Obama win the presidency?"
Amanda: "Elves. Who said the British were coming?"
Me: "Elves."
Amanda: "What is Boromir doing?"
Me: "Elves?"
John: "That's what she said!"

milwaukee

After our last few hours in Nauvoo, we jumped in the car and drove a few hours up to Milwaukee, Wisconsin. John served his mission there, and I've always wanted to go with him. We didn't spend much time in Milwaukee, but I loved visiting a few people he taught, and seeing some sites of John's famous mission stories (like the corner where he was mugged at gun point, the salon where he'd get his nose hairs waxed, and the best restaurants.)

When we first got there we visited a sweet lady, Lola. I had heard a lot about her, so I was excited to finally meet her. She was a convert to the church, and the missionaries would go see her regularly. She has a very injured back, so she can't get to church on Sunday very often, so they'll also bring her the Sacrament. She told some stories about her life, and told us how she's feeling lately. She is just the funniest, sweetest lady.


Right after we visited another family. We didn't stay for very long, but long enough that the Sister cooked a bunch of quesadillas, and gave some to us. I'm not exactly sure what she and John talked about... the whole conversation was in Spanish. It was neat to hear him speak it again.


In the morning, we saw John's mission president and his wife at the mission home. We visited for a good hour and a half. It was nice that John could catch up with them, recall memories, see how the mission is continuing, and, of course, they loved meeting me. They had me tell the story of how we met, and all that jazz. They also gave John a mission: getting all his friends married! I was very flattered that they said John did very well marrying me and that they were impressed with me.


After that we had lunch in John's favorite Mexican food place, Artegas. And it was good! They had the best horchata I've ever had. It was delicious, and a really fun place to eat. It's Sister Artega's restaurant, and we got to meet her and say hi breifly.


Then we drove around downtown for a bit. They had some very beautiful buildings, like the Basilica and the public library. It was actually cleaner there, and I felt safer. The other parts we had been in were a little iffy... I didn't leave John's side. But downtown was very nice. The "Repent Mobile" drove by. There is an old guy that drives around with his car blasting fire and brimstone talks out of a speaker, and has scriptures and other do-dads attached to his car. It was funny to see. We also stopped and got the best frozen custard ever. It was amazing!


Our last stop was Lake Michigan. It was a pretty dirty looking lake, but it was neat to see the Milwaukee skyline. It was nice to be out there for a bit.


After our short trip, we headed back down into Illinois to Chicago.

nauvoo

John's family and I went to Nauvoo, Milwaukee, and Chicago last week. It was so fun! I loved going to Nauvoo and learning more about church history.

First, we left the Boise airport at 6 A.M. (early!), but I think most of us slept on the plane. We landed in Chicago, picked up the rental car, and started the drive up to Nauvoo. It was beautiful! And the Mississippi is huge. I had seen it before, but I forgot how big it was. It was drizzly the second day we were there, but we just picked up some umbrellas and walked around anyway. And we had a surprise! The Whitakers, my friends from Nevada, were in Nauvoo the same time we were! We met them for a show, and ran into them at dinner, and a few other places. It was really neat to see some friends.

We did a bunch while we were there. We saw some shows, a bunch of old houses where the Saints used to live before the exodus to Utah, and old stores. We also did some pioneer activities and watched the pageant.

One of the first things we did was a session in the Nauvoo temple. It was beautiful. The original temple was burned down by arsonists shortly after the Saints left. And, a little after that, a tornado came through. After both events, there was only one wall left standing. But, recently, it was rebuilt and re-dedicated in 2002. It looks almost exactly like the old temple. There are beautiful star windows and sun stones. I loved it.


One of the houses we went to was the house and workshop of Jonathan Browning, the man who invented the repeating slider rifle. He and his son and grandson made many of the guns that people use today. It was neat to see where he worked, hear about his history, and see some guns on display. And, of course, the boys loved it.


We also went to the blacksmith shop. We learned how the pioneers built the wagons andwheels, and how much work it took. It's amazing that they made such sturdy ways of transportation out of wood and iron. Then, the missionary there demonstrated how to make a horseshoe, and he gave it to John! It's a tiny little thing, but it was really special being able to take it home. We also went to a little workshop where we did various pioneer activities. We learned how they baked bread, made rugs, spun wool, and made barrels. That's where Beth and I got to help make some rope.

We went to a bakery, the brick yard (where we got to take a souvenir brick that says "Nauvoo" on it), the post office, and the general store. In all of the places we got an explanation about how they all functioned, what life was like in the 1840's, and how they all bought and traded.

We went on a two carriage/wagon rides. I loved them! We rode all around Nauvoo, and the forest outside of it. It was beautiful, and I really liked the horses. We also saw some oxen that were pulling a cart. They were humongous! I had no idea how big and beefy they are.

We took a small drive out to Carthage to visit Carthage jail. I had a hard time seeing it. It was neat, in a sense, to see it, but I don't know if I necessarily liked it. It just had an eerie feeling. I saw the cell downstairs where the men were originally kept, the upstairs cell that was usually used, and the jailer's bedroom where Joseph and Hyrum were martyred. The bullet that killed Hyrum had gone through the door, and the hole was still there. It was hard to see the window that Joseph fell through as he was shot, and to stand on the ground where he laid. But there was a nice statue outside of Joseph and Hyrum that was beautiful.

We toured through the homes of Brigham Young, Lucy Mack Smith, Heber C. Kimball, John Taylor, and Wilford Woodruff. Most of the houses were rebuilt on the existing foundation because they had fallen. Some were restored with what was left of the house after years of disuse. A few had objects that those people had owned, and had other things from that era. We also heard about their life and what they did while in Nauvoo.

The Community of Christ church (formerly known as the Re-organized LDS church) owned all of the Joseph Smith sites. We saw the Mansion house, the Red Brick Store, the Smith family cemetery, and the Nauvoo house with one of their tour guides.

The Mansion house was where Joseph and Emma lived with their children. It was also used as a hotel for people that came through Nauvoo, or those that were moving there and hadn't yet built their own house. Right outside the Mansion House is where Emma said her last goodbyes to Joseph before he was arrested and taken to Carthage jail.
The Mansion House

The Nauvoo House

The Red Brick Store was owned by Joseph Smith, and it was also the main meeting place for church business, since it had the biggest room in all of Nauvoo. That room was where Joseph passed the Keys of the Priesthood to the Twelve Apostles before leaving for Carthage.

I liked going to the cemetery. Joseph, Emma, and Hyrum were all buried together. It was just nice being able to see it, especially after going to Carthage.


A really neat thing I learned while I was there was about my ancestor, Seymour Brunson. He lived and died in Nauvoo, and I got to go visit his grave site in a little cemetery. There was also a place to look up the info about any of the people that lived in Nauvoo in the mid-1800's. Seymour was good friends with Prophet Joseph, and even died in the prophet's home. Joseph spoke at Seymour's funeral, and that was the first time baptisms for the dead had ever been introduced to the church. A sister missionary in the center had researched Seymour Brunson, and knew all about him. It was neat talking to her and hearing what she had learned. She told me that the church recently put up a new monument on his grave and dedicated it, and that she had been there to see it. She told me exactly where the grave was, so we drove over to see it.

At his funeral on August 15, 1840, the Prophet Joseph Smith publicly introduced the doctrine of baptism for the dead. 'Else what shall they do which are baptized for the dead, if the dead rise not at all? Why are they then baptized for the dead?' 1 Corinthians 18:39

Seymour Brunson.
Veteran of the War of 1812.
Missionary in Ohio, Virginia, and Kentucky.
Captain in the 59th Regiment of the Missouri Militia.
High Councilor in the Commerce-Nauvoo Stake.
'Seymour Brunson I have taken unto myself: no man taketh his priesthood, but another may be appointed unto the same priesthood in his stead.' Doctrine and Covenants 124:132

The sister missionary also helped me find Seymour's plot of land, and we drove over to see it. It was right next to the Mississippi, on the corner of Cherry and Water, and had a beautiful view of the river. One of the craziest thing is that John's ancestor lived right across the street from the Brunsons! And another one of his ancestors, Thomas Grover, served with Seymour on the High Counsel in the church. I know that they're all up there chuckling, because they must have been friends, and the two families have finally joined together.

The land behind us is the 4 acre plot that the Brunsons owned in the late 1830's and early 40's. It now hosts a water treatment plant for the city of Nauvoo.

The view of the Mississippi from the Brunson land

One of my favorite things we did was watch the pageant. It was wonderful. We did some activities they had out for people before the pageant. My favorite was the dancing. John happily did some polka with me, and a waltz, and some other round dances with everyone. We also learned a Scottish dance.

I have no words to describe the pageant. Obviously, it was about the saints in Nauvoo. When they got there, the work that they did, how happy they were, the death of the Prophet Joseph, and the exodus. It was just very touching, and I was sobbing by the end of it. They had a huge replica of the temple that the actors built during the whole pageant. It was really cool.

On the last day we walked the Trail of Hopes, which was the last road the Saints walked in Nauvoo before crossing the Mississippi on their way west. There are plaques lining the road with quotes and stories from the people who left. Some of the missionary actors were there, standing by the plaques, and telling stories from the people they were portraying, and singing hymns. It was a really reverent experience. The Trail as the last activity we did in the city, and after touring through Nauvoo for a few days, I was starting to fall in love with it. It was just very spiritual to be able to walk that road very last before leaving, just like the Saints did.

At the end of Parley Street, the end of the Trail of Hope. Shore of the Mississippi.


Quote:

Jake: "Oh no, I am marriage cooties!"

surprises for my hubby

One day I was struck with the inspiration to do a Google search. And, 5 days later, that landed John and I in Southern California.

We are going with his family to Nauvoo this coming week, and John had mentioned wanting to try and catch his favorite Jazz singer, Kurt Elling, at a club in Chicago where he usually sings. But he found out that Kurt was out on tour.

Then, last week, it popped in my head to search and see where Kurt was performing. And I found out that he would be in Hollywood the following week, then off to Europe. This could be John's last chance to see Kurt live for who knows how long. And I wanted to see him, too. John introduced me to Kurt Elling when we first started dating, and I've been addicted ever since. I hadn't been a jazz fan before, but I love it. Besides, John sang one of Kurt's songs, "The Beauty of All Things," to me at our wedding.

On another note, John has been wanting to go to Disneyland for a long time. His family went while he was on his mission, and he was sad that he missed the vacation.

What is right next to Hollywood? Anaheim...

After a few hours Googling hotels, ticket prices, (airline flights... I can dream, right?), I found a wonderful steal at a hotel right next to Disneyland, $25 tickets for Kurt's show, and discovered it was only 9 hours south of Provo.

Wanting to surprise John when he got home, I said, "I need you to pack a bag for three days! We're leaving on Tuesday," right when he got home. Then I remembered that John doesn't like surprises, and I can hardly keep secrets when they're this fun. So I spilled. And John liked. And we decided to make a car trip to California.
John standing by Frank Sinatra's handprints.

We got there a little early. I had predicted bad traffic, and gave us an extra two or three hours to travel to Hollywood. But we didn't hit any, so we were early. But we walked around some shops, saw the Walk of Fame, Grauman's Chinese Theatre, the Kodak Theatre, and Hollywood bums. It was fun.

Kurt's show was AMAZING! He sounds even better in person than on his CDs. And he was hilarious, and such a nice, chill guy. There were two shows, and we went to the earlier one, because we had to drive about 30 minutes to Anaheim to get to our hotel that night. He played with his pianist, Laurence Hobgood, and a bassist, drummer, and Ernie Watts, who plays sax. Ernie played for Jay Leno on the Tonight Show for years before Jay left. Then Ernie joined Kurt Elling and his band to tour around.

Ernie Watts playing a solo

Kurt singing "You Are Too Beautiful"

They played a bunch of songs from their new CD, and just "jammed." A few times I didn't know if they had practiced everything, or was just making it up as they were going along. But it was all amazing. After the show, John and I went over and talked to Kurt for a while. He was such a great guy, and we got a picture with him. Then he invited us to stay for the next show! We talked to the restraunt host, and he said we could just stay and not have to pay for the show if we order a few drinks. So we got some orange juices, and stayed to watch the next show. It was amazing, as well! It was totally different, with new jokes and songs.

Me, Kurt, and John at Catalina Bar and Grill on Sunset Blvd.

The next day we were off to Disneyland! The hotel we stayed at was just a few miles down Harbor Blvd. from the park, and they had a free shuttle right to the front gate. It was wonderful, because we didn't have to drive. The shuttle started an hour after the park opened, but it gave John and I a chance to catch some more sleep and it was worth it to not have to pay for parking.

Amazingly, the park wasn't crowded at all when we got there. We stopped in to Town Hall first and picked up some buttons that we wore all day that said, "Just Married." It was so fun! All of the workers and some guests of the park congratulated us all day. We went on all the best rides (Pirates, Haunted Mansion, Indiana Jones, Splash Mountain, Thunder Mountain, Mr. Toad) all within the first two hours. It started to get crowded around lunch time, but with tricky fast pass skills we managed to not wait more than 10 or 15 minutes for a ride all day. We had a wonderful time!

John in front of the ticket booth before we bought our tickets

Entry tickets!

In front of Indiana Jones.

John screaming for joy, and me screaming from terror on Splash Mountain. "Laughing Place," my butt.

Thunder Mountain Railroad

Me and my favorite goats. I think they remembered me.

This is me with a goat last time I went to Disneyland.

There is a new ride, Nemo's Adventure, where the old submarine ride used to be. For that reason, we both wanted to go on it. We got there, and saw that the line had a 45 minute wait, and we stood there debating about if we wanted to ride it. As we were staring at the line, one of the Nemo workers came up to us and said, "I see you just got married! Congratulations. That's sweet. As part of the Disneyland experience, we want to make your stay magical! So why don't I get you to the front of this line?" We were so shocked and surprised! We went right up to the front of the line and boarded the very next submarine! It really made my day.

The bride and groom

IT'S A TRAP! (Click here, here and here)

He couldn't do it...


The whole trip was SO much fun! We had a fabulous time, stayed in a giant, warm, cushy, king sized bed (We had a hard time leaving it), and enjoyed seeing California. Now we're off to Nauvoo! Ciao!

~Allie J.

Quotes of the trip:

Kurt: " Hey, do me a solid, take a picture."

and

Kurt: "You gotta be awake for that whole, living thing, to happen."

and

Me: "I wanna ride the Matterhorn."
John: "That's what she said."