School, and Starting a Family (sorry, no pictures)

So, after we got back from our camping trip we started yet another year at school here at BYU-Idaho in Rexburg. It was to be my last semester, and I applied for graduation in December. Richard would have one more year. Early in October, I had a suspicion that I was pregnant, so I went to the store and picked up a cheap pregnancy test. Well, I don't recommend the equate brand even if it is cheaper, because after two unsuccessful tries, getting unreadable results, I finally just went down to the health center and for two dollars (which was cheaper still) I found out for sure that I was indeed pregnant. That was our 8 month anniversary. I put off graduating for insurance purposes, and took a few classes that Winter. Richard took on a few more responsibilities working two jobs on campus (as a TA in the English dept. and a tutor in the reading lab) and going to school full time. It was a long, cold winter. We did however get to celebrate our one year anniversary in a special way. First, we did sealings in the IF Temple, which was really special, and Then we splurged and spent a night at Destinations Inn in Idaho Falls. It's a really cool place with themed suites; each one based on a popular place like The Congo, Arabia, NY, England, Egypt, Alaska, Thailand, etc. I picked Venice, Italy. It was so neat! They really went all out with the decorations. There was a water feature in our room! Half the floor was under two inches of water, with a gondola shaped hot tub in the middle of it. On the far side surrounded by murals was a little veranda with a wrought iron table and chairs where they left us a bottle of sparkling cider and some cheesecake. On the other side of the room was a raised structure resembling a famous bridge in Italy where there was a king sized four-poster from which we could watch a movie on a huge drop down screen with a projector. There was also an aromatherapy steam shower, but since I was 5 mos. pregnant, I couldn't use it. The next morning, they brought breakfast to our door of parfaits and huge fresh cinnamon rolls. It was great! We figured we needed to do this before it got too late, (i.e. kids coming along, tight budget, etc.) and I'm glad we did. When school got out in April, we had some free time and we spent a week watching Richard's sister's four boys for a week while she and her husband went on a much deserved cruise. I was seven months pregnant, and this was no easy task, but it proved to be a defining moment in our marriage. It was really hard, and yet it taught us more about ourselves than we could ever imagine. It was so good for our marriage, and we grew immensely. After that, Richard had to go back to Jackson for work and I was stuck here all alone in Rexburg to be close to my doctors. Luckily I had family nearby. I was very grateful especially when I got put on bed-rest for my high blood pressure. It was a little nerve wracking having Richard so far away, but everything worked out in the end.