A Year in S-Y, N-Y

Today we mark the one-year anniversary of our arrival in scenic Syracuse, New York. How time flies! Of course, in so many ways it seems like yesterday we finally pulled up to Westcott Street after five days on the road to be greeted by the severe heat and humidity that seems to characterize May 31 in Central New York. But I will say that I never would have imagined then, staring at the gently sloping floors of our first, funky apartment here, that we would come to love Syracuse as much as we do today. Moving into our new apartment after four months certainly helped, but it's more than that. We've put down our roots here, much as we tried to do in Montana, and much as we hope to do wherever we live, regardless of duration. It's just our way: live your life in such a way that you're always sad to leave a place. I know we'll be sad to leave Syracuse when that day comes. But in the meantime, we'll melt on the hot days, freeze on the cold ones, and enjoy as much as we can of everything in between.

There and Back Again...

After a whirlwind two weeks in Utah, we are back in Syracuse. We had a wonderful time visiting family and friends, enjoying the wonders of springtime in Utah, and packing more into a single two-week period than we had done in the previous two months. We took lots of pictures, but won't sport with your patience by posting them all here. Perhaps I'll put together a slideshow...

A few highlights from the trip:

• Clara's blessing


• Seeing all of Jeremy's sisters and their families, as well as Jeremy's parents and his Utah grandparents


• Seeing Rachel's parents, both sets of grandparents, and the ever-enjoyable Megan and Chris--not to mention most of Rachel's aunts and uncles and their families. We only wish Naomi and her family could've been there!


• Visiting with wonderful friends


• Visiting Sam's grave


• Going to the Thanksgiving Point gardens for the first time!


• Relaxing and watching movies without feeling guilty about what else we should've been doing!


• For Jeremy, going to Idaho to scout out the sites for his dissertation research


• Roasting hot dogs in Rachel's parents' fire pit


• Seeing Jeremy's parents nearly-finished condo


• Visiting good ol' BYU with Sarah, Chan, and Marlo--then miniature golfing with them later that day


• Swimming with Jeremy's family


• Going to the Hogle Zoo with Jeremy's family(Clara was enthralled...with her pacifier...)


• Lunch at Setabello's (delicious flatbread pizza) and Cafe Rio with Jeremy's family


• Lunch at the Red Iguana with Rachel's parents (oooh, yum!)


• Having an ever-full fridge and pantry of pure deliciousness to eat out of at Rachel's parents' house (we feel seriously deprived now that we're left to our own devices)


• Enjoying our beautiful nieces and nephews


• Attending the Jordan River Temple with Rachel's family


• Countless other events both great and small that comprised a wonderful trip!

Now we're back home trying to work around Syracuse's schizophrenic spring weather. Is it hot or cold, dry or humid, cloudy or sunny? Who knows? But we're happy to be home, and other than a sickness for Rachel (including Pink Eye, good grief!) and an unfortunate incident involving an exploding pyrex dish (with thankfully only a minor injury for Rachel), we are truly enjoying our summer. Thanks to everyone who took such prodigious care of us while we were in Utah! We hope to return the favor if you're ever in Syracuse.