American Idol - Ever heard of it?

Those of you who have served LDS missions (especially foreign missions) will understand the feeling I am describing. You come home after being completely cut off from the American media for years and at first you don't even realize that you missed anything. Then you hear some song on the radio and you think it's brand new until your friends tell you that it's old news. That doesn't matter to you of course, because you still feel like you've discovered the coolest thing since sliced bread.

That is what I have been experiencing the last few weeks with American Idol. I had heard about it, but a serious college student doesn't have time to watch a 90 minute show 3 times a week! Luckily a sick pregnant woman has plenty of time! Now I feel like I did when I discovered the Beatles and told my parents about this awesome band from the 60's. I love American Idol. Andrew and I are becoming addicted (which is fine because it makes the sick evenings pass enjoyably). So for those of you Idol fans out there, don't be shy. Let us know who your favorites are!

Of course there is David. As Andrew said, "Wow...I think I'm an Archuleta fan....wait, I don't want to be the guy who has a favorite on American Idol!" He still in denial. But who could forget this performance:

http://youtube.com/watch?v=NIuMcL4Kz44

Oh, and it's not just slow songs ladies...check this out:

http://youtube.com/watch?v=oYcuwp9gtW8

Andrew and I decided to research the history of American Idol and found this favorite from the British version. It's quite amazing. He was a simple cell phone salesmen the week before, now 2.5 million people have watched this video,

http://youtube.com/watch?v=NLF9iEXnBRo

And for those of you who might of missed this one like I did...he won the whole thing. Well, I might be a few years late in declaring this, but I'm an American Idol fan and proud of it.

Med Prom!

How many people do you know that get to go to prom into their late 20's?! Andrew and I squeezed into our dance party clothes last Saturday night (I squeezed a lot more than he did) and went to the annual Med Prom sponsored by the medical school. It was a night of dancing and guilt-free gambling. I'd like to add that I kicked his butt at Texas hold 'em. Vegas watch out! :)
Here are a few of our fellow-promers:


This lifetime student thing has its rewards! Can't wait for next year!!

Check out the baby bump:

Stacey Milestone: Birthday in September

It's true. September 1st!

For a while I thought Lauren was just sick--and insanely hungry--at the same time. After a month I began to think she had conjured up a way of beating our freezing cold apartment by getting in bed at 7pm. Then, one night, around 3 or 4am, I made my way to the bathroom and was greeted by a pleasantly displayed plastic device with a big blue plus sign! Oh, I thought, Lauren must have a fever.

I awoke to a very angry wife.
"You didn't even react!"
"Oh, um...see... I guess I didn't know what it meant." (That's actually the truth)

Though our excitement was almost indescribable, the blue plus sign did little to convince me; I have had too many courses about Type I error rates. So, like Zechariah, my pride refused to believe (that is a Biblical reference for all you uncultureds), and, like the ancient priest, I was momentarily struck dumb when Lauren came home from her first appointment with this,



(I can already see him (or her) throwing TD passes, can't you?)

I am still bitter for having missed that appointment. You'd think a med student would know that the OB can take a video of the baby even in the 2nd month.

We are both excited and grateful, though the latter bears most of the weight. We are excited to prepare ourselves and our home for a child. We are grateful that God has answered prayers and has given us such a great blessing. E' un miracolo!

"There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle." -Albert Einstein

- Andrew, Lauren, ______

Feliz Navidad

For Christmas, Andrew and I thought we'd like to warm up a little so we went to Puerto Rico. The sun was vibrant, the water was warm, the flora was lush, and the bugs were hungry. We thought we'd share our little journey with some of our favorite pictures. Enjoy!





First, the food. Obviously the fish in Puerto Rico is fresh and wonderful. They also eat a lot of plantains (in the banana family). They deep fry them, boil them, put meat inside them...you name it, they do it. You can see our tasty plantains at the bottom right.

El Yunque Rainforest. This little treat is the only rainforest on U.S. soil. The water isn't snowmelt, so we took the opportunity to jump right in.




The next stop was Isla de Vieques (above). We took a ferry to the little island and spent most of our time here. The beaches were wonderful and mostly uninhabited as you can see here. This is Blue Beach.



This is Red Beach, one of my (Lauren's) favorites. The palm trees offered the perfect shade to relax and read on the beach (without getting my usual sunburn).






This is Media Luna, our favorite beach at sunset. It had the most perfect white powdery sand.



This is a fort on the island of Vieques. It is on the top of the hill and overlooks the whole island.


Are those honeymooners??!! I actually left my wedding ring at home so I wouldn't have to worry about it. So we felt very scandalous everywhere we went.



Ponce de Leon's house in Old San Juan. Pictures don't do it justice.



More of Ponce de Leon's house (well...his gardens). He was the first governor of Puerto Rico.



Old San Juan. Very cool. Look closely and you can see the blue cobblestone streets.
This is El Morro fort that sits on the the edge of Old San Juan. This is also why we usually take our own pictures.

If you look closely, you can see Andrew standing on the wall of Fort Morro. You can also see Mars.



We didn't notice at the time, but we were standing in the way of a photographer who was kind enough to email us these pictures.


Andrew was reminded of the piazzas in Italy. Old San Juan has squares where people gather to eat and chat.

Our Prophet

Andrew and I have felt a supreme amount of loss combined with gratitude at the passing of our Prophet, Gordon B. Hinckley.

When I was a child, I thought of him as the the funny apostle. When he spoke in Conference, I perked up and eagerly watched, waiting for the lighthearted humor that was sure to come. When he became our Prophet, I remember being excited that he would speak more during Conference and liven things up a little. I may not have had the right attitude, but there is no doubt that President Hinckley always stood out to me as someone I could relate to.

As many of those our age, he has been the prophet of our youth and adulthood through which time we have made some of the most significant choices we will ever make in this life. Andrew and I are especially grateful for his counsel and testimony that strengthened our own and his example that inspired us to become better.

I remember after news of Sister Hinckley's passing years ago, I was walking back from a religion class on BYU campus. I ran into Andrew (this was during a non-dating period) and he and I spoke of the news as he walked me home. My first reaction was the thought that President Hinckley could never live without his wife for long (as he had recently said from the pulpit) and would soon follow. I cried inconsolably at the thought of losing our prophet. It seemed too soon. I wasn't ready. Andrew, ever the optimist, was sure I was overreacting. I'm grateful for the years since then that President Hinckley continued to press forward and lose his life in the blessing and service of the Saints. I'm grateful that he lived long enough to sign my mission call and that I had the opportunity to reply and pledge to him my full effort in preaching the gospel. Even years later, it still feels too soon; however, he has left us with so much that although we feel loss, we could never feel empty.

I recall testifying of our Prophet to countless people in Japan. I remember wishing that they could just meet him, fully expecting that if they could just be in his presence, they would know for certain that he was a prophet of God. I don't think anyone I testified to ever had the chance to meet our Prophet, yet it was enough for many of them to feel the Spirit as he spoke in Conference and they felt sure that he was a special witness of Christ.

For all those who may read this-and at this point I wouldn't be surprised if no one reads our blog- nevertheless, we would like to state that we know that Gordon B. Hinckley was a Prophet of God. We know that God loves us all so much, that he has blessed us with servants on the Earth who guide and direct us to lead full and remarkable lives. We know this because we have felt the Holy Ghost testify and bring feelings of peace and hope as we hear the words of his chosen servants, including our beloved Prophet. We are grateful for the faith, humor, and optimism of President Hinckley. His relationship and love for us all has helped me better understand, even if in small way, the love and compassion that our Savior feels for us. I hope that we will be able to share his influence and wisdom with our children, that they too may be strengthened and remember the heritage of their Faith.
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