The Big Move

Sorry it has been a month since I last posted! We have been busy moving to Minneapolis Minnesota. The move went very smoothly and we feel so blessed with how well it went. Here is how it went:

First we had a party with my family up Provo Canyon as a last hoorah. We did a little BBQ and played games.

Mike just observing the festivities.

Love that beard!

I love the river.

My momma.

Yeah, we are the coolest siblings ever!

Man I miss those mountains!

My sister's family was also there, but I forgot to get photos when they got there. This little trip was one week before we left.

Over the next week we packed and cleaned our apartment. Pedro's parents and Elisabeth came down to help and to send us off. It was so fun to have them there.

Getting ready to load the Pods.

We used ABF moving to get our stuff to Minnesota. They were fabulous and I highly recommend them, especially their pods! All we had to do was load up the pods then have them picked up and delivered. Our stuff actually got to Minnesota before we did so they have speedy delivery and their customer service is so helpful.

Our travels started out with a 3 1/2 hour drive to Vernal, UT where we stayed the first night. We then went to Dinosaur National Monument the next morning. I loved it! The bone quarry is so cool.

That is one big leg bone!

There was a part of the quarry wall where you could touch the bones. Pretty saweet!

These are the dinosaurs that haunt my dreams.

uhhh...Colorful?

Colorado side of the park.

After that, we drove through Rocky Mountain National Park. It was amazing! We got to drive right up to the tops of the mountains and down over the other side. At the top we got out and hiked up a little ways to the very top. It was so beautiful. Because we were 12,300 feet up there were no trees, but beautiful meadows and amazing rock formations. It was super windy {enough so that you could lean in the wind and it would hold you up}. There was a herd of Elk there too. Glaciers spotted the mountains, which was a really great sight. In the winter, snow drifts can get up to over 30 feet high due to the wind. What baffles me is that people go up there during the winter to find that out!

We saw a moose!

gosh I love the mountains!

These poles are to mark the road during the winter when the snow gets really high.

glaciers

6 ft deep.

No trees

It was actually super windy during this photo, but you really can't tell.

On the way out of the mountains we stopped at the Stanley Hotel for a little tour. This hotel was featured in "The Shining." It is huge, old, and beautiful. I didn't get any photos, but here is one off of the internet.

{source}

Next stop was Wyoming for Devil's tower. What a cool formation. This sucker just juts right up in the middle of no where. While we were there people were climbing it. I would be scared out of my wits to do that!

There is a pretty bird on the bottom of the tree

Prairie dog city

After a visit with the devil we went to South Dakota to see Mt. Rushmore. On the way there we saw a really cool cemetery where fallen soldiers are buried.

We rolled into Mt. Rushmore just in time for their night ceremony.  The next day we were able to walk around the memorial some more.

The rest of this day was spent driving through the amazingly flat South Dakota. That evening we pulled into Minnesota and then in to Minneapolis at 11:30 pm.

Our whole trip was just over 1,600 miles and we had a great time! We have now been in Minnesota for 2 weeks and already have tons of friends. It helps that there are several couples that are in our ward and in the MHA program as well. We love our new home and will have pictures of it up soon. It has been very hot and humid here. we did not have an a/c unit until Tuesday and I was dying! It is so nice to have a/c and I am so grateful to be able to have it!