Aquarium? (more catch up)

The weekend after graduation we wanted to go on a family outing while Grammy was still around. First we planned to go to Hogle Zoo but the weather had other plans. We finally decided on the Aquarium in Sandy and drove out there Saturday morning. We pulled up and all agreed they had turned an old Albertsons into this now "Aquarium." Johann and I peeked inside to see if we thought it'd be worth it but we couldn't see much anyway and thought, what the hey, we're already here anyway.
Once we got inside we realized how packed it was. I think my frequent moan that there is "nothing to do in Utah" is given some merit by the fact that people are going to this "Aquarium" in droves. Maybe I'm making it out to be worse than it is, but it definitely isn't that great and really only good for 5-10 year olds, if even that. Anyhow, we enjoyed it as best we could, Henry liked looking as some of the fish (the bigger ones scared him until he realized there was glass between him and the fish) and we saw some neat water creatures. But if it hasn't already been made apparent to you, I would not recommend going to the grocery store aquarium. = )

The touch pool

Seeing the sharks with Grammy

Some pretty fish

The concerned look Henry wore on his face until he realized the fish couldn't get him.

Catching up (yup...a frequent title for posts on this blog)

Mid-April was pretty hectic time for me in school (final papers, projects, and, well, finals!) so it was nice when I learned Johann would have a week off of work during the madness. Having him home gave me more time for studying than ever before and also provided some nice family time. Of course the weather was beautiful for most of the week because I needed to be inside studying but at one point it was just too nice so we took Henry to the park and I brought my book (yeah, brought, but thats about all I did with that book while we were there).


Henry doesn't do too terribly much at the park yet. Mostly he just likes being outside , walking around and poking things with his index finger. The funniest part is that he has a very serious look on his face the whole time we're outside. Park time is not fun time. It's serious study time. Apparently.


At the end of Johann's week off and the end of my reading days we went with our friends Lev and Elena to Sundance. Johann and I had never gone and it was one of the places we wanted to see prior to leaving Utah. It was still a little chilly and the lifts were still closed so we meandered around and as always, Henry loved being outside.
Not too far into the area there was a "nature center" so we decided to see what was inside. We found all kinds of weird stuff made out of some kind of playdoh-ey substance and random animal bones (ick...bones creep me out). Well, the seven year old in all of us kicked in and everyone had to take a picture with one of the nature center paraphernalia:

Johann's raccoon print

Lena's creepy little unidentified animal skull

Lev's moose print

They peer pressured me into holding the moose (or elk?) skull. I wouldn't touch it with my hands though.

*Speaking of moose, one of the fellows who worked there came in as we were looking at everything and rattled off some facts to us, among them a fact that has made me fear the woods. Apparently moose can run up to 30mph in TOTAL SILENCE. You will never know what has hit you. Eeek!*

Back to the nature center:

Here the boys regressed from 7 to 4 as Johann offers Lev some clay "poop" on some random bone "platter"

And of course, Johann had to have Henry hold the fake poo.


Stopping for a family picture.
A good day.

Graduation

Yup, the big day has finally come and gone.
Henry looks like he doesn't buy it. haha.

One thing we'll miss

We're really grateful to have Natalie (Johann's sister) and her husband Bryan around and for their willingness to watch Henry for us, especially for those longer nights when we want to attend a session at the Temple. Tonight was another one of those times and it is a little sad to think we won't be just a few blocks away from the Temple anymore. We realize that so many people have to sacrifice for years and years to be able to attend the Temple even once and knowing of their dedication and sacrifice is a strong reminder for us to not get lazy with the advantage we have of being so close and hence we have tried to start taking more advantage of that.
After attending the session we returned home where Natalie took us into Henry's room to show us this:


An all tuckered out little Henry. I guess he was not wanting to go to sleep in his crib but pulled down the nursing pillow, cuddled it and went to sleep...and of course his Pavaratti dvd is near (in the first picture). He really is a funny little guy. Coming home to this was just another reminder to us of the blessings the Temple holds for our family. How grateful we are to know this little boy can be with us forever.

Oranges

It may be right up to the deadline, but at least we have finally made the decision: Johann will attend Chapman and therefore come June we're moving to California.











Johann signing his "Intent to enroll" letter for Chapman!

FIGHT FACE

He's small so I guess he decided it'd be good to learn the art of intimidation. The best part is when he realizes he might have provoked me, relinquishes the whisk as a weapon and hides with Daddy.

Gaskell v. Dickens

So I don't mind Charles Dickens' novels, I loved A Tale of Two Cities and I could stand Great Expectations but his female characters were always so one dimensional, Lucie Manette...need I say more? For that reason and the whole "Angel in the house" Victorian ideal I was never really interested in getting into that time period of novels until just recently with the discovery of Elizabeth Gaskell. We had to read North and South for my women's history class and I enjoyed it so thoroughly that I didn't mind that I had to stay up until 4:45am to finish it in time for class. Granted, there are some passages that are...hmmm...how shall I explain this...very, well, Victorian but its still worth it despite those. Her male and female characters are equally well developed and it is a great book for anyone interested in any of the social history of the mid 19th century.
So after reading it and going to class and seeing a clip from the BBC miniseries adaptation I wanted to check that out too. Unfortunately none of the video rental places had it so I decided to use the birthday money I got from my mother-in-law, to just go ahead and purchase it, thanks Trixie! =) I think they do a pretty fair job in the film and I am mildly obsessed with the book and film now. Thank you Gaskell and thank you BBC! I now have a new addition to my "comfort food film collection" ;-)

Apples and Oranges

So it finally happened and when it did, it made our lives a lot more confusing: Johann got accepted to his top two grad programs, Chapman and BYU.
We knew about Chapman about a month ago and we were just waiting to hear about BYU. A couple weeks ago they invited him to interview and we just kept saying if he didn't get into BYU it would make our choice nice and easy. This past Friday he interviewed and they said they would let him know by the end of this week. Last night Johann started reading the email they sent him aloud and initially it sounded like a rejection letter, "we have had so many wonderfully qualified applicants..." blahblahblah and then "we are pleased to tell you we will be recommending your acceptance" etc. Then as he read on they also told him they will be offering him a paid research assistantship with one of the professors who emphasizes in some of the areas he is interested in.
Ah.
So now the people that constantly talked of just getting the heck out of Utah are confronted with a very difficult choice. Here are some pros and cons to each, add some in if you like:

Chapman:
Pros-
1. Close to family.
2. In California, ie the mountains, beach, Huntington Library, numerous museums and activities EVERYWHERE.
3. Johann would get his EdS and MA in 3 years.
4. Different school for his grad than he did for undergrad.
5. Lots of possible schools for me to go to in the area when its time for grad school, (UCI, Claremont etc)
6. Evening classes 3 days a week.
7. Better job placement possibilities

Cons-
1. COST OF LIVING, ie housing.
2. Cost of school ( about 4 times that of BYU)
3. Transportation issues (only one car, campus not in walking distance from where we'd mostly live).
4. All the normal moving things like not knowing anyone in Orange, not having near by sitters available, not knowing a good Dr. or pediatrician.
5. "Hands off" faculty- don't work as closely with students.
6. No research opportunities.
7. No offered jobs.

BYU:
Pros-
1. Very affordable program.
2. Opportunity for research.
3. Work closely with professors.
4. Part time job already offered.
5. Within walking distance.
6. Cheaper housing.
7. Familiar Drs. and pediatricians.
8. Some family and friends very close by.
9. People who are willing to babysit.

Cons-
1. FREEZING WINTERS.
2. Program is full time/day time classes (ie less opportunity to get another job).
3. Possibly issues with job placement in California
4. Very far away from most family.
5. Same as undergrad.
6. No grad programs for me to go into, though the opportunity to take post bacc classes for cheap.

Okay, so those are the main ones that we have thought of. There are some more but they aren't ones that are for sure things so I left them off. So...what do you think?