Our New Home

We Made It! It was a long trip, but we survived. It is so beautiful in Maryland...very, very green! We have a great ward and we made new friends already. Devin is looking forward to starting work tomorrow and I am going to see the Doctor. Our house is still in a mess, but it's coming together. I will post pictures of our new place when it is cute and all put together. So far so good...wish us luck!

Look how FAR we traveled to get to our new home! :)

But we finally made it! We were SO blessed! We made it in two and a half days. We didn't get swept away down the Mississippi River or get blown away in any tornados! The day after we drove accross the Mississippi, it flooded and all the roads were closed. We know how truly blessed we were to arrive here safely with NO set-backs! Here we go!!

A street named after our family! It didn't have any wild-life anywhere near it, so I think it was misplaced!

We didn't stay here, but I thought it was pretty exciting to know that we have a hotel named after our family. I was just telling my G & G Stevenson that they needed to do their geneology...I guess this is a start. (Springfield, Illinois)

Devin's New Office!


The Washington D.C. Temple (our stake temple now!)

Great Food, Great Friends!

I had a great shower in Utah before we left. My cousin Amie, Aunt Christy and my Moms did a great job. The food was FABULOUS and it was so great to see so many good friends. I have so many memories of growing up in Deweyville with such great people, and there were many, many who came to the shower and supported me. Thank You all! Brooklyn was a great helper with the presents as you can see. It was so hard to leave those girls (okay..all my family), but Brook has a tender little heart and I am not sure if she cried more, or if I did. All in all I am so glad that we were able to spend a little time at home before the big move. I got my hair done (finally), my mom rubbed my feet for me and made them all smooth and we all laughed and shared some tears. I already miss everyone, but I am looking forward to what's ahead!
OK my face is ridiculous in this picture, but it's because I am crying. My sister Kaylee made a blanket AND a matching diaper bag for the baby. It is SO cute and she made up the pattern for the diaper bag all by herself. (She is 15!) It really meant a lot to me that Kaylee would take the time to make something just for me (and the baby). I love it, and I can't wait to use it! Love you Bug!!

Lindsay (my best friend from college) even came to the shower. I was SO excited to see her! She is super funny and lookin' so good. I have missed spending time with her, we had some crazy times together. Thanks for coming Linds!!

Chad's finace...Natalie. (Nice face Taryn ! :0 ) She gave us the CUTEST diaper bag. We can't wait for her to be in the family!

Brooklyn the Helper

He Popped the Question!!

Well....He did it! Chad Popped the question! My "little" brother is getting married! I almost couldn't believe that he actually committed. I knew it was serious though when he said he wanted Devin and I to go to dinner with them. So when we were home over memorial day we went with them. It was way fun! Her name is Natalie. She is from Avon,UT (it's by Logan-she is NOT a mail order bride) and I really do like her. I am excited for them. Last I heard the date was August 19th. I don't think I will get to be there (Due to the fact that the baby will only be a few weeks old), but I am excited for them. I am not sure what temple they have decided on either. Maybe I should have got some more details before I posted this. Oh yea, and that cartoon above is totally Chad. He is so tight, I hope this girl really knows what she is in for!! Congratulations kids! We are so excited for you!

Moving Buddy...

We Did It!
We finally decided where we should move to...well, more like we took the offer that we had :)
This is our new home.....move over Hillary! That's right! We are moving to Washington D.C. I am excited, scared to death, nervous, anxious, scared to death, happy, sad and SCARED TO DEATH! We went to the temple on Friday, and when we left, I just knew. I have known ever since Devin got back from Washington state for his interview with Amazon. He didn't say hardly anything positive when I talked to him during his layover. I hung up the phone and although I was a bit disappointed (and did I mention scared to death), I knew that if it was the right thing to do, we would figure it all out and make it work. So that's what we are in the process of doing; figuring it all out. We are going to have to fly out there to find a place to live before we actually move, so we have been looking at flights, moving vans, moving pods, you name it, we have been looking into it. The good news is that Devin does have family and Maryland that have been helping us and even offered a place to stay while we are there looking for a place to live. He also has a brother in Connecticut so that will be fun. It will be a drive to see them, but they will be closer than before. All in all: Everything will be new. New place to live, new side of the USA, new baby boy , new job for Devin, and I will get to stay home for the first time in our married lives. I gave my notice at work today and even though my Doctor was upset, I felt like a whole new (scared to death) woman. Wish us luck!

The other member of the fam...

This little dog is Charlie. He lives with my Mom and Ray. He is like the third child in our family. He gets whatever he wants, and if you hang around him long enough, he will talk to you. Sometimes he says mean things, but usually he is a pretty good dog. Devin loves him, and he loves Devin. He likes men better than women (hmm...) and favors Ray over my Mom. He "Tolerates" me and little kids, but would rather chase birds and cats. Devin wants to get a dog like Charlie, and I can't wait. I think every little boy needs a dog. Schnauzers don't shed, so they are easy to keep in the house. We love you smalls!

Bittersweet

Well, He did it! On Friday, Devin graduated from Thunderbird. It was such a great day. The actual graduation was long, but was so good and in a wierd way, uplifting. The CEO of Forbes' Magazine was the keynote speaker and he was so good. He talked a lot about how making goals and keeping them is essential in life. For those of you who didn't know, coming to Thunderbird was a goal/dream of Devin's from the very beginning of his undergrad at UVSC. While he was going to UVSC he always talked about T-Bird, and how great it would be to go there. Thunderbird is THE #1 International Business School in the World!!! So when Devin found out he had been accepted, we cried. I am not kidding he called me in tears and I was freaking out until he said, we are going to Thunderbird. We have love, love, loved Arizona. We have made great friends, learned even more about each other, and Devin has so enjoyed his time and Thunderbird. During the ceremony on Friday one of the speakers really stressed how much family and friends helped the graduates. Devin looked over at me, and we cried together again. This was literally a "Dream Come True" for us both. Now, for the job hunt. Devin was offered a position in Washington D.C. working for the Department of Labor. He is also flying to Washington (the state) on Monday for an interview with Amazon.com. So we will be moving, but we have yet to see where. We will be praying, and looking for answers as to what we should do. We are excited...and yet a little nervous. I am so proud of Devin and I look forward to going with him, wherever he will go!

3D!!!!!!!!

It is hard to believe that we are two-thirds there but here he is in 3D. It has been said that Devin has a big nose and I would say that the baby might be taking after Devin in this department. Amazing what techology can do. We hope to have more 3D images the next time we go to the doc.

Sad Day

Devin and I received some sad news today. Devin's Grandma Ure passed away early this morning. Although she has been ill and without Grandpa for more than six years, we will miss her. She gave us a beautiful quilt for the baby that she handmade. It will be one of the last great-grandkids that will get a blanket, and we feel blessed to have it to share with the baby. We will be going to the funeral over the weekend, and look forward to seeing our families. We love you Grandma!

"Captain"

This is my "little" brother, Chad. I felt a little guilty about not posting a photo of his ugly mug on here. This is not the greatest picture of him either, but that bow around his head "makes the green in his eyes dance." I love spending time with Chad. He is so funny and I am not kidding when I say that my sides hurt whenever we get together. He did a lot of mean things to me when we were younger, but I am working on forgiving him in my counseling sessions right now ;) He's a great brother and for the record he's: SINGLE. So for all my friends who have little sisters or any girl in general email me...I'll get you his digits!!

Just Us Girls

This is another Easter Picture. This was right before we went to Easter Brunch at El Torito. Which by the way is the BEST brunch EVER. They have everything from waffles and sausage to enchiladas and tacos. Its so good and we have made it a tradition to go. We went last year and then again this year. It really isn't a GREAT idea given that both years we have skipped out of church early to go, but I doubt that will stop us next year...if we are near an El Torito. For those of you who have been complaining that I don't have a picture of my belly yet..look closely, it's a lot chubbier than I want to talk about in this picture, and that was a month ago. I promise to get one posted as soon as I have something to get dressed up for. Think about it: Everyone looks a little pregnant in scrubs, which is my wardrobe Monday-Thursday!