Corn Don't Grow at All on Rocky Top...

David and I have moved...again.  Hopefully, we will stay in one place for a while!  We love Tennessee and our beautiful surroundings.  I also love our hew home.  I am really enjoying "nesting" as David calls it.  More on this later.

There is not much to catch up on since my last post.  I continued working as a secretary until David graduated in December 2011.  I am so proud of him for all his hard work.  He graduated cum laude and passed his Fundamentals of Engineering exam and Fundamentals of Geology exam.  He also accepted a position with Arcadis US as a Civil Engineer.  He is doing geological engineering work and gaining valuable knowledge and experience.

I am so excited to be closer to family and friends.  We had a wonderful Thanksgiving and Christmas.  We are excited for the new year and what it holds.

Simplicity

Before moving to Missouri from Utah I felt a great desire to simplify life.  We are really slowing down and enjoying life together here.  We have been ejoying a beautiful spring and are quickly welcoming summer.  I am truly grateful for the green trees, rainy days, warm afternoons, chirping birds, blooming honeysuckle.  I missed so many of these things living in the west.  Utah was beautiful in its own way but I missed much of what spring and summer always brought to me growing up in the Deep South.  I love the hum of the bugs, green everywhere and yes, even humidity.  You may think I'm crazy but I have lived without and I prefer moist skin to dry.  I can remember many summer evenings spent on the front porch hammock swing reading and enjoying sweet smells, warmth, and the constant hum of the bugs.  I miss that!  Missouri is not quite the Deep South that is dear to my heart but it is much more like Alabama than Utah.

We are currently growing lots of tomatoes.  I always think about the movie Steel Magnolias when I think about growing tomatoes.  Shirley MacLaine playing Ouiser Bordreaux is asked why she grows tomatoes if she hates them so much.  In response she says something to the effect of that is what old southern women do.  We have already enjoyed a few cherry tomatoes and they were tasty!

our container garden of tomatoes

yummy cherry tomatoes

We have also been enjoying fresh strawberries.  A family in our ward lives down the highway from us and have been sharing the bounty from their patch.  I have really enjoyed picking strawberries with David.  We made Homemade Fresh Strawberry Ice Cream and we have been able to freeze some of them as well.

the taste of summer: fresh-picked strawberries

Here's to a summer full of lush green growth, cool rivers, warm nights, fresh fruits and vegetables, lightning bugs and wildflowers.

In Progress...

I am working on an update...you know, the bi-annual update.

Updates

We are now living in Rolla, Missouri.  We arrived on Monday, August 9, just in enough time to set-up our utilities account and pick-up the keys to our apartment.  We chose this apartment online and signed a lease through email/fax.  I was very apprehensive, but we really had no other choice.  The apartment is very different from our last but, we have made it home.

David is fully engaged in his classes at Missouri University of Science and Technology(MS&T).  I am adjusting to life in a small(er) town.  I am also adjusting to a new job.  It was a long process but, I finally received a full-time position at MS&T as a department secretary.  I am enjoying it so far and I am learning a lot.  This university is mostly made up of aspiring engineers.  I did not know that there were so many different disciplines within the engineering field.  The department I am working in is for all freshman students who are planning on declaring an engineering major.  There are 15 different disciplines of engineering that these students can choose from after completing general courses their first year of school.  David is pursuing his second bachelors degree in Geological Engineering.  It is a perfect fit for him and his interests.  His department just so happens to be in the same building as mine.  He doesn't have any classes in this particular building but, he does homework and studies there very often.  It is nice to see him at least once a day at work.

Our ward here is surprisingly large.  Coming from Utah we were expecting a much smaller congregation.  We were happy to see some many families and students attending our ward.  The ward boundaries are quite large.  I have received a calling in Primary as the CTR 3 teacher.  I typically teach about 4 boys.  They are challenging and lots of fun!  David received a calling in Elder's Quorum as a teacher.  We are still getting adjusted to our new ward family.  It will take some time to get to know everyone.  It is harder especially now that I am in Primary.

We(mostly me) are very excited to be so much closer to our families.  It will make our visits a little more frequent and our stays a little shorter.  We are looking forward to going home for Thanksgiving.  This will be the first Thanksgiving home since being married.  The 9-9 1/2 hour drive is not very bad at all.  It is much cheaper and much shorter than flying with Southwest.(although I will miss the cheesy jokes and peanuts)

I will post pictures of our new home.  I hope you enjoy the update and photos.

Front of Apartment

Back of Apartment

Entry

Bedroom

Upstairs Bathroom

Office

Living Room

Kitchen

Laundry Room

Downstairs Bathroom

Happenings

What a year it has been!  I just wanted to add some pictures of things we have been busy with this year.  Since I last posted, it has mostly just been day to day stuff.  Work is so exhausting...I ususally don't want to get on the computer or do much of anything.  David and I went home for Christmas, but I forgot the camera.  The beginning of the year brought some changes, but mostly the same ole stuff.  Anyway, I know that everyone would rather see pictures than read my ramblings...so here goes!

David's Oma (Myrle Swicegood) came to Utah to visit in March and we went down to Moab/Arches National Park.  She is 80 something and totally wore me out...she's great!

This was a crazy gas station that David saw on a trip down to the desert somewhere in Utah.  It is in the side of the mountain.

Aaaahhhhh...Miramar Beach, FL May 2010

We actually went down to Florida with my sister Emily's family.  This is my husband David playing in the sand with our nephews Isaak and Brett.

That baby melts my heart...those cheeks!  He loved the beach and had two handfuls of sand at all times.

Jack-May 2010

Not a great picture of me, but it was the only one we got together...sista's!

Pool Fun-Brett

Handsome lil' man in his hat.  All the boys had hats for the trip except Jack.  He kept stealing Danny's.  David and I found one at Target for a dollar.  It was so cute!

Love these boys!  They enjoyed the sidewalk chalk on the back patio at the condo.

Danny, Emily, Isaak, Brett, and Jack Hatcher after a round of Mini Golf.

They made it so fun!

And then we came home this little bundle of joy...Roma Lynn Messervy.

She is the newest member of the Ford Clan...we love her so much already.  She was such a good baby (at least while I was home).

We went camping at Mt. Cheha State Park with David's family...fun times!

After David came home to Utah for school, I got to stay in Bama for another week and a half.  I must have lost my camera because no more pictures were taken.  I had such a wonderful time seeing baby Roma being blessed at church, visiting with Sara and her family, and spending time with my mom and dad.  I already miss everyone tons.

Good news though...David and I are moving to Rolla, Missouri in a few weeks.  I am madly trying to find a job and he is finishing up on his classes.  He is transferring to Missouri University of Science and Technology.  He will continue pursuing his undergraduate degree in Geological Engineering.  He should be done December 2011.  We will finally be done with college at the age of 30.  I am excited to move there because we will be 9.5 hours away from our families.

MST Miners...this is hilarious.  A miner with surveying equipment and a rock hammer.  I am only comforted by the fact that David will be an Engineer when he is done.  Hopefully he won't look like this though...you never know, I guess.  HA!

Well, I guess that is enough catch-up for now.  I will keep everyone posted on our whereabouts.

Reflections

Here are some pictures from the last two or so years of our life...

Wedding November 2007

First Apartment/First Christmas December 2007

Chillin' Together December 2007

Sledding Winter 2008

My 26th Birthday (@ Joseph Smith Mem. Building) July 2008

Glacier NP August 2008

Snowshoeing Winter 2009

Las Vegas (Lake Meade/Hoover Dam) April 2009

Yellowstone NP May 2009

Seattle August 2009

Working Septmeber 2009

Family Photos October 2009

I hope you enjoyed the "snapshots" into our lives. Stayed tuned...

Beginnings

So, I guess I finally gave in and I have started blogging. This obsession actually began quite some time ago. I began by reading a friends and some family...then it just got crazy. Everyone has a blog and well...I just have to read them on a regular basis. It is like reading gossip magazines sometimes...especially when they don't really know that you are keeping up with their blogs. I digress. So, here I am to share, with those who care, a little of our life. I hope you guys enjoy seeing into ours lives a little!