Two Trips

Hey Everyone!

I want to write more, but sometimes it doesn't happen. I don't know why, I have plenty to write about. That means this post is going to be split into two.

Happy 4th of July a little late. You know what they say in Iowa: Knee High by the Fourth of Julio. :) OK, that's what quarter Mexicans in Iowa say. Enjoy this picture of Iowa's wealth from the field of dreams right outside the factory I work at. If you are from the Midwest, I hope you are laughing at that last sentence.



Looks like the corn is doing well, huh?

Alright, now on to something interesting. For the 4th of July, Megan and I went to Toronto, Canada! I know some of you might be thinking, "Canada for the 4th of July?" Well, yes, it was awesome! It was weird going to a foreign country where the national language is English. We arrived late on Thursday night and went straight to the hotel. We got a deal on a nice room at the Holiday Inn next to the airport on Hotwire.com. It's normally $100 a night, but we only paid $54! Not too bad, huh?

Toronto is a very diverse place. We saw Africans, Chinese, Indians (from India), and Pakastanis. I think I saw a few Canadians. :) It seems like Canada has become what America used to be when it comes to immigration. We saw the CN Tower, the Harbour, and Chinatown. This is the best Chinatown I've ever been to! We ate some good food there. I loved it.



My favorite experience was when we were eating lunch at a restaurant and some Chinese people next to us were speaking Taiwanese. I've never heard it spoken outside of Asia! It was really cool.

On the 4th, we went to Niagara Falls. I thought they were cool, but nothing life altering. I think the waterfall on Maui was cooler. However, watching fireworks at the Falls were really amazing. It's weird to think it was our first 4th of July as a married couple. What a way to start, huh?

Before we went to Niagara Falls, we stopped at a little town called Niagara-On-The-Lake, Ontario. It's mostly overpriced, but it's a nice, romantic place to walk around for couples. The ice cream at Cows (reportedly the best ice cream in Canada) isn't anything special, so don't get fooled. I think Ben and Jerry's is better.

The view at the lake is wonderful. You can even see the Toronto skyline on the other end of the lake.



On Sunday, we attended church twice. The family ward we attended in Mississauga, Ontario had 5 missionary companionships there: 2 Spanish, 1 English, and 2 Chinese! It was so diverse and the testimonies were great! We attended a singles' branch and it was more of the same: diversity and testimony. I really liked it.

That afternoon we drove to Buffalo, NY for our flight home. We had to eat the mango we bought in Mississauga's Chinatown before we got to the US and barely finished before arriving at the border crossing. When the Border Patrol guy asked us if we had any food items, we told him, "We have a bunch of garbage from the stuff we just finished!" Haha.

Overall, we loved Canada. Yes, its taxes are high and a bit different than our taxes here in the U.S. but at least their roads are nice and crime is lower than here. I never felt nervous in Toronto. They did have a garbage strike crippling the city which was pretty gross, but I've experienced worse living in Taiwan. I'd definitely recommend going. Yes, I know Americans make fun of Canada a lot, but it's really pretty nice and you might end up liking it too!

Well, there's a long awaited post. I'll let Megan post the next one about our trip to Chicago and on anything else she wants to comment. Thanks for reading.

Jordan

More Midwestern Fun

Sorry for not writing more often. Iowa is much more fun than I expected. We are lucky because Davenport is pretty close to a lot of fun places, so Megan and I often take weekend trips.

A couple weekends ago our mothers flew into Midway Airport in Chicago. Megan and I spent the day riding trains and buses all over Chicago and loved it. The highlight of our trip was visiting Lincoln Park Zoo in downtown Chicago. For those of you who don't know, Lincoln Park Zoo is completely free! Now, many of you may be saying, "I bet it's a ghetto place." Well, it's not. Much nicer than SLC's crappy Hogle Zoo for sure. We enjoyed our time there.

After the zoo we went to the top of the Hancock Building. We were on the 96th floor at a lounge with overpriced drinks. Everyone who goes up there is supposed to buy a $6 Coke, but we just took pictures and went back downstairs. The view of the lake and the rest of downtown was awesome. Here's a picture for you!




Overall, I think Chicago people are much friendlier than people give them credit. Many people just started chatting with us on the train or bus and a lady even helped us find the train station. We ate dinner at an Indian restaurant in a neighborhood a little north of downtown. I loved the neighborhood with people of many races walking their dogs or just strolling. The food itself was really spicy but I liked it.

After dinner we rode the train downtown and switched trains to get to Midway Airport to pick up our moms. Due to the fact that Chicago does have a lot of crime and drug use, there are very few public bathrooms. That meant I had to hold it from Bryn Mawr to Midway Airport (about an hour!) Once we got to the Midway station, I saw our moms and said hello as I hurried into the airport to use the bathroom. My advice? Make sure and go the bathroom whenever you have the chance!

After Chicago we went to Nauvoo with our moms. I had been before, but it was nice to visit. If you haven't been, the Temple just appears while driving through "downtown" Nauvoo. We got some good pictures there too.



The temple is to our backs when we took this one.

This past week we went to some sights closer to home. We traveled a few miles north to the town of Maquoketa (that's pronounced "Ma-Coke-A-Da"). Just outside the town is a state park known for its underground limestone caves. I would have never guess that such a place exists in Iowa.

We took our dog to the caves and loved going underground where it was cool and the water was clear. While we could have explored dozens of caves, we stuck to the ones with overhead lighting and didn't require getting on all fours (or stomachs) to explore. Walking on top of the hills felt a lot like hiking in the mountains and I loved it.

Another picture, I think dogs just love getting dirty.



And finally, after the caves we drove across the Mississippi into Illinois. We drove to a small town called Galena. Ulysses S. Grant grew up in Galena and now it's a tourist town designed to feel like President Grant's time. While it's pretty and very relaxing, I don't care about the shopping for girly decorations like my mom would. I'm so thankful that Megan doesn't care either! Instead we walked to a city park that overlooked a stream that runs through town. During that walk, we unleashed Edward who enjoyed chasing birds and being free. One injured bird couldn't get away fast enough and Edward made sure it wouldn't escape. Megan picked up the bird and I held Edward back much to his dismay as he watched his catch get away! So funny.

One final picture:



Galena is only a few miles away from the Wisconsin border and I had never been before. Another one to check off my list! 34 states down, 16 to go!

The weather has been wonderful! Not warm or humid at all. I forget it's June because it's cold in the morning. I doubt it will last forever, but I like it now!

Well, there's some of our adventures, hope you enjoy them!

Jordan

Iowa and Favorite Movies

Hey! We are officially in Iowa. I started at John Deere on Monday and am getting used to my new life in Davenport. Today I traveled to Dubuque, Iowa for work. It is a small river town about an hour north of here. It is a pretty little town set amongst hills along the Mississippi River. The rainy weather today reminded me of a trip to a Kelso, Washington which sits next to the Columbia River and frequently has rainy weather.

I enjoy going through these small towns because I find each of them interesting. Why does it exist? Why do people stay here? Why is there such a large, new parking structure in an old factory town on the Mississippi that isn't growing while Provo is in dire need of new parking and can never seem to repair its decaying curbs and roads?

Well, one thing I do miss are mountains! I know that Dubuque's hills sure help, but I need some mountains in my life! My supervisor at work is a self-proclaimed small town girl, and I am a definitely a West Coast boy. Oh and $1.49/gallon milk! I don't know why milk costs $2.30/gallon here, but it's cool.


Another new area in my life is the fact that we have restarted our Netflix subscription again after a break these past few months. Megan is awesome because she lets me pick a lot of what we watch. If you know me well, you know I haven't seen many movies. I find most movies really boring and predictable and a waste of time and money. However, Netflix lets us find movies we normally wouldn't be able to find.

Last night, Megan and I watched "Not One Less." It is in Chinese with English subtitles (which is good because their funky accent, lazy pronounciation, and sloppy tones make it hard to understand at times). I don't want to give it away, but it is one of the best movies I've seen in a long time! Then let me know when you've seen it so I can talk to more people about it. I really enjoyed the scenes where two Chinese people would argue and I would think to myself, "That's exactly how it works! It just goes in circles and the same things are said over and over!" I was also very honored to know that such arguments exist between two Chinese people and not only between a white person and a Chinese person! I wasn't being treated differently for being a missionary.

I love foreign films because the kids are cuter and the predictability is much less than an American film.

I've rambled enough, I'll let you go.

Jordan

Hawaii

Hey Everyone,

In case you didn't know, Hawaii rocks. Maui rocks more, and it rocks the most if you are married when you visit Maui. We had an awesome time and went to the top of a volcano, went snorkeling, hiked around and in waterfalls, cliff jumped, relaxed, ate good Hawaiian food, attended Stake Conference on Maui, and met some funny people.

In all, I loved it. I forgot what day of the week it was, didn't care about my grades being posted, and forgot 98% of everything I learned this past school year. :) If you are looking to go somewhere on vacation with your husband/wife, let me know, I found some cool spots.

Here are some pictures.




I jumped off this cliff, it's much taller than this looks.

I'll post more later!

Jordan

Hello Spring?

Well, I thought we welcomed spring last month. It was here, I just know it...it must have gotten scared. It's April 16, 2009 and it snowed yesterday and all night long. Just look at the pictures...


Hawaii is about a week away and I'm really excited! But, to tell you the truth, I'm more excited to go to Iowa. I know, I know, Iowa seems boring...especially when you compare it to the likes of a Hawaiian vacation...but it's normal life that excites me. I'll be with my husband (the best one in the whole world...yes, I'm biased) and we'll have our dog Edward.

We'll have a normal life of work, play, and no homework! I like simplicity and Jordan's grateful for that.

Life is pretty good when you live well within your means and allow yourself to enjoy what's right now, what's simple, and what's real. For a long time I was convinced that it was normal to allow the views of others to determine your actions but as I grew up I realized that that kind of thinking is exactly what gets America into a whole bunch of trouble. Why can't Americans be happy with what they have? Is there a rule that says you have to keep the "Jones" family as your best friend and best competition? Who ever said you have to keep up with them anyway? Screw the Jones' stuff...I don't need what they have and I won't let myself believe any differently. (Unless they have two+ dogs...then I'll have to convince Jordan that we do need what they have =].)

I suppose I'm done with my rant...and now, on to the glory...of NO CLASSES UNTIL FALL SEMESTER!! Well, I suppose that's not entirely accurate. I'll be taking an independent study course or two but it's nowhere near as intensive as getting up to go to class every day. I'm so glad I don't have homework and there are only four tests to study for. I'M ALMOST DONE! How glorious is that? And a vacation coming up too...what more could I want at this moment? ...maybe a chocolate orange...

Big News

Hey Everyone,

Good news! School is almost over. I have some good news! Nope, we aren't pregnant. I met with my tax professor today and he told me I've been chosen to be a part of the Deloitte Tax Team for BYU during the summer and next fall! If we do well, we'll get to go to Florida for a couple days and compete for a $2,000 scholarship. Not too bad. I was honored to be picked from among 260 students.

2 weeks from tomorrow we are going to Hawaii. You know we'll be posting pictures.

That's all for now.

Jordan

The Greatest Compliment Ever

So, my wife is taking a class that I took a year ago: BusM 371R. It's supposed to be about entrepreneurship but it is more about how being financial responsible allows you to be free. I loved the class and the teacher so I had Megan sign up for it. She loves it too. Craig Wilson is the best teacher ever. Not only does he teach good material, but he actually lives it!

After class on Friday I went up to him and talked to him about my frustration in trying to get my friends and family to follow the easy lifestyle he promotes (and we live). We describe how people give so many excuses to not listen to us and then wonder why they are broke and unhappy. He compared it to a mission when you hope that at least a few "convert" after talking to a large group of people. Well, he has us as converts.

I love living the simple life. Being happy with what I have allows me to not worry about expensive new toys and instead use the money to travel! Megan and I are going to Hawaii in less than 3 weeks! I am so excited and even happier that we are paying cash for the whole trip. We eat out perhaps once every 3 months (and then do it cheaply: Can anyone say Costco Polish Dogs?) We don't go to movies, we don't watch TV, and now we get to go to Hawaii because of all the money we saved.

The best part of our conversation with Craig was when he said, "You are packing light, my friend." He teaches that the way to hike or climb mountains isn't to have 100 lbs in the pack but only the essentials. Such a method allows the hiker to enjoy the trip instead on concentrating on all the stuff on his or her back. Not too bad, huh? I was so honored that he said it to us. Craig is such a great hero to have and an amazing teacher if you have an open heart to learn and change. So if you are at BYU, take BusM 371R with Craig Wilson, it will change you life!

Jordan