Hershey Park

If you ever get the chance to go to Hershey park you've got to check out their new ride Fahrenheit.  One word - AWESOME!  And so flippin' scary I thought I was going to die.

And to make it all the more thrilling we sat in the front row....AUGHHHHH!

Not only did we go straight up, but we took a 97 degree dive on the way down.  I know you can't really tell, but those two little heads at the front of the cart are ours!

A Weekend for Grandma

This past weekend we flew out to Pennsylvania for Grandma Jacobs funeral.  Losing someone is always bitter sweet.  It's hard to see them go and yet knowing that we will see them again is such a comfort.  When we talked about the plan of salvation in seminary this morning, having so recently lost a loved one, my testimony of God's wonderful plan was reaffirmed.

During the funeral Shane and his dad were able to share some thoughts and memories along with their testimonies and it brought such a sweet spirit to the gathering.  After the funeral and luncheon we went back to the graveside with Shane's parents and sister and Shane's dad dedicated the grave.  We then proceeded to spend the entire weekend doing things that reminded us of Grandma.  We went to the Green Dragon, a giant Amish flea market and bought whoopie pies, we spent the next day at Hershey's Park, and we topped off the trip with a ice cream from Mack's (Grandma always ordered a scoop of peanut butter ice cream).  It was a wonderful way to spend the weekend and remember some of the memories that we've made with Grandma Jacobs.

Whoopie Pies!

Beginnings...

Today was the first day of seminary for the new school year.   This summer has been such a whirlwind of events that I was kind of dreading the start of seminary- not the teaching part, but the part where my alarm clock goes off at 4:30 AM.  Yeah, that part!  Crazy as it sounds, now that it's here I'm actually feeling a sense of relief.  I'm looking forward to establishing a normal routine, getting organized, and feeling grounded.  It reminds me of the scripture found in Doctrine and Covenants 88:119 "Organize yourselves; Prepare every needful thing; and establish a house...a house of order, a house of God;"  

I guess that's why I like beginnings, they force me to get organized and when I'm organized I feel a sense of peace and a closeness to Heavenly Father.  I'm thankful for beginnings- without them my life would be a mess!!

Goodbye to Grandma Jacobs

Yesterday, my Mom and Dad called to inform us that Grandma Jacobs passed away in York, Pennsylvania on Sunday, August 17th. We were visiting my brother Todd and his family (Tamara and Preslee) in Missouri when they called. It was a very sad call and we are praying for my Dad now that both Grandma and Grandpa Jacobs have both passed on. Since we have lived in Chicago, we have been able to visit her 3 times, most recently in April. We always love to visit with her, take walks through her nursing home and get spoiled by her snacks that she wins during bingo. She liked to save them up for us when we would come and visit. We will miss her constant smile, giggles and generosity.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MEREDITH!!!!

Happy Birthday Meredith!!! As many of you can agree, Meredith is one of the truly special people in the world. I am so lucky to actually have her as my wife. She has brought so much happiness and joy to my life and I can't wait when we can share that with our children.

I love you Meredith!

Double Decker Bus Tour

We've had so much fun spending time with Shane's parents this week. Our favorite activity was doing the double decker bus tour in downtown Chicago. Although we go into Chicago all the time, we'd never done the bus tour. It was a blast! We were afraid the rain would get in the way, but it just added to the experience. Plus we got to wear cool ponchos that basically screamed "tourist" to everyone we saw. It was great!

Nauvoo

Shane's parents helped move Todd and Tam to Missouri this week so we all met up in Nauvoo for the weekend.  It was so fun to be together and without even knowing it our trip coincided with the Nauvoo Pageant so we were able to see that too.  We loved it!
You know how most events really hike up the refreshment prices...not in ol' Nauvoo!  We got a bag of popcorn and a sno-cone for $1.50.  What a deal!

Here we are in front of the Nauvoo temple.  

Welcome to the Midwest!

Shane's brother and family moved to the Midwest this week and we are so excited to have them close!  Even though we're a 5-6 hour drive away, we plan on seeing each other a lot!  Welcome to the Midwest Todd, Tam, and Pres!