Day 4: London, England (Monday, August 11th)

It felt so good to get a decent amount of sleep last night! We were up and ready to eat breakfast this morning by 8 o'clock so we could be out the door by 8:30. Breakfast was provided by the hostel and consisted of a bowl of cereal and toast. Can't complain considering it was free dollars! 

Our first stop of the day was a tour of the Buckingham Palace. I'm not a history wiz so I learned a ton of things I probably should have known already. For example, I never knew that Princess Diana is Prince William's mom and I was also under the impression that Prince William is next in line to the thrown when really it's his dad, Prince Charles. I think I thought his mom, Princess Di, was Queen Elizabeth's daughter rather than daughter-in-law which would have made Prince William next in line. Okay, enough of a history lesson!  All you probably care to know is what we thought and we loved it! I thought it was great. Pictures weren't allowed inside but we were able to get a few afterwards. 

Pictures from the back of the palace:

(Photo idea goes to Tom!)

Following the tour we stuck around for the changing of the guard. We didn't get a great viewing spot so the pictures aren't too good but this was taken right as they were finishing up: 

After the changing of the guard we walked toward Westminster Abbey. There were so many great pictures to take along the way:

The rain started to come down at this point so we found a little café called The Chunnel Bar and ate lunch there. The food was okay but the highlight of the experience was watching two women attempting to catch the eyes of some British men and writing notes on napkins to them. We were quite entertained!

We then headed back to the hostel to make plans for the evening and get some much needed R and R. We're slowly starting to feel adjusted but all the walking can be pretty draining!

After our power naps we made our way to the Queen's Theater area and had dinner at a diner with my padre! 

Thanks for treating us, daddy-o! After dinner it was time for Les Mis! I had been so excited to see this for the longest time! I can't even describe how amazing it was. I loved every bit of it and so did the others. I had such a special moment at the end of show when Jean Valjean was about to die and he was talking to his daughter, Cosette, for the last time. That conversation reminded me of my strong desire to live a life that Eli is proud of so I can one day live with him and God again. I loved Les Mis more than I thought I would and can't wait to see it again!

That concludes our second day here in London! I'm excited for another day in this great city tomorrow!

Weather Today:

Once again, the weather was quite nice again today! As expected, we had a bit of rain bit when it was raining it was pretty warm. Hopefully tomorrow cooperates as well!

Tomorrow: 3rd day in London

Day 3: London, England (Sunday, August 10th)

After a 4am wake up call and only a few hours of sleep, we made it to the airport just in time to catch our flight to London! I typically can't sleep on planes but I was exhausted and slept the entire 3 hour flight. This jet-lag business is no joke. We're all still pretty tired but I'm definitely feeling better!

From the airport we took a train to Hyde Park and nearly ran from the station to make it to a 1 o'clock sacrament meeting. It was so neat walking out and seeing this right in the middle of London:

I love that no matter where in the world you are, going to church always makes you feel right at home because of the sweet spirit there. The chapel we were in is extra special for me because my parents had many conferences and baptisms there during their missions. I loved being there!

Because of our early start, none of us had eaten a proper breakfast so we were all starving and needed something ASAP. Tom was familiar with a yummy place called Nando's so we were excited to try it. The ten or so minute walk to lunch was great because we were able to get our first true glimpse of the city and it didn't disappoint! I felt like we were in a movie rather than actually walking around a place I'd seen so many pictures of. As we were walking, we were commenting on how perfect the weather was with just a few clouds and a slight breeze when out of nowhere it started pouring! The rain stopped shortly after and it was quite nice the rest of the day. I guess we were just getting a true welcome to the city!

After lunch we took a train and bus to check out our hostel and drop off our backpacks. Welcome to The Crown!

It's actually a cute little place above a bar and we have the lovely pleasure of sharing it with 15 other people!

Once we got settled in we took off to Piccadilly Circus and walked up and down the streets for awhile and through some of the shops. I loved all of the neat architecture of the buildings and I'd venture a guess that Logan's favorite thing was constantly seeing cars like this: 

He was in heaven! It's easy to see the pure joy on his face as he watched the cars as long as he could:

As we walked, we saw so many interesting people including these two...

After walking around for awhile (I tried enjoying as much as possible without taking a picture of everything we saw), we decided to walk through China Town and find a restaurant to eat a late dinner at. After walking by each restaurant for what felt like hours and even sitting down in one before leaving, our fatigue got the best of us and nobody wanted to make a decision about where to eat so we settled for...Burger King! Yes, we came all the way to Europe and ate at Burger King. At least it was cheap.

On our way back to the train station I saw this sign and couldn't help but take a picture:

Anyone know where in Harry Potter you hear that name? Gotta love being in Harry's neck of the woods!

Aside from the one brief rainstorm, the weather really was quite nice today considering how miserable I've heard it can be here.

Well, that's it for day three! London was as great as I hoped/thought it would be and I can't wait for tomorrow!

Tomorrow: 2nd day in London

 

Day 2: Keflavik, Iceland (Saturday, August 9th)

So far so good! It's still hard to believe we're actually in Europe and living this dream of a trip we've been planning for so long. Our flight from Salt Lake to Denver was super quick but the next one to Iceland obviously wasn't as easy. It actually wasn't as long as many flights to Europe--only 7 hours or so. As expected, it was much tougher sleeping on the plane than we hoped. I got about 2.5 total hours but it definitely wasn't good or consistent sleep. We landed around 6:30am, picked up a car at the airport, and took off for the day!

Iceland was wonderful! I had heard a bit about Reyjkavik but didn't really know what to expect.  When we pulled away from the airport, Logan's comment described exactly what our first impression was: "It looks like we're on the moon!" It totally did! All of the flat land and lava rock definitely didn't make for the prettiest first sights. After driving further into the city the scenery completely changed, as did our opinions of this place. 

**All of these pictures were taken with a phone and sometimes through the window of the car so forgive the lack of quality!**

There's something in Iceland called "The Golden Circle" that's popular for tourists because it consists of several neat things to see. We didn't visit every attraction but we saw a few of them and they were so cool!  It truly is beautiful here!

It was nice having a car so we could do everything at our own pace and most things we did were free so that was great too. We started with breakfast at a cute café and it was delicious!

This was a very traditional Europen breakfast that we shared and loved. On the right is a super soft bagel-type bread with ham and cheese and on the left is a cinnamon pastry with a caramel like glaze. Naturally we were talked into getting the chocolate milk which topped it all off nicely!

After breakfast we made our first stop on the "Golden Circle" to the National Park, Thingvellir. On our way there we started discussing whether or not Iceland is part of Europe. In the end we settled for the Google explanation: 

Also on our drive we came across this funny little stonehenge lookout:

At the park we were actually able to see where the North American and European tectonic plates split. We technically walked from one continent to the other today. Super cool! 

After visiting the park we went to the geyser called Geysir. It was funny watching everyone sit still for minutes at a time hoping to catch the perfect picture. 

A giant waterfall, Gullfoss, followed the geysers. It wasn't quite as big as Niagra Falls but it really reminded me of that. The mist hit us as soon as we got out of the car. 

After seeing the waterfall it was just about time for dinner so we decided to save some money by going to the first grocery store we saw and buying something cheap. I'm not sure what the odds were but we just happened to find the Iceland version of Costco (they even sold Kirkland brand)! See this Tide you would find in the states?

That price is the equivalent of $78.00! We even looked up the average income and it's not very high so I have no idea how anyone can afford to shop there. It really helps you feel close to home when you walk in and see everything American at the store! We definitely didn't stay there for dinner but drove down the street to find some gourmet PBandJs.

Our after dinner activity was by far my favorite! We drove back towards the airport and swam in the geothermal pools Iceland is famous for. 

It was quite chilly outside and the water is the perfect temperature so you can sit in it as long as you want without getting too hot but you still stay warm. 

As a way for us to remember what the weather was like, I'm going to post a screen shot of it each day. 

Weather Today:

The 57 degrees wouldn't have been too bad if it hadn't been so windy but unfortunately the wind made it quite nippy!

Our hostel is...an adventure! 18 people sleeping in bunk beds and sharing bathrooms is not my type of ideal but it's what we signed up for! Poor Tom drove us around all day so he didn't get a single nap but Logan, Chelsie and I all got a power nap which I couldn't have lived without. We have to wake up around 4:00am tomorrow so fingers crossed we can sleep on the plane in the morning!

Overall, we loved Iceland! We would definitely recommend everything we did to anyone that asked and even agreed we could have used another day here to see things like the Volcanoes and Glaciers that were a bit further out. Maybe one day we'll return but until then, so long, Reykjavik!

Tomorrow: London, England

Both my mom and dad served missions in London so I can't wait to visit the city where they met!  Even better: My dad is leaving to guide a church history tour in England tomorrow and his "free" days just happen to be the same days we'll be there!  I can't wait to see him on Monday!

Day 1: We're Off! (Friday, August 8th)

I can't believe we're finally on our way!  Getting out of the house was a bit chaotic but not as awful as I thought it would be.  When we bought our backpacks I thought they were huge and could fit the world in them.  I definitely changed my opinion after attempting to  pack last night!  I had to cut my clothes by quite a bit and sacrifice several things I was hoping to bring but in the end it all worked out well.  The weight limit for a carry-on bag in Europe is 22lbs and we're both closer to 24 but we're hoping they don't check the weight too closely.  If they do, we'll take some advice we heard and just put on a few extra layers of clothes! ;) 

Logan's mom picked us up from our place and dropped us off at Tom's house so we could all head to the airport together.  Tom and Chelsie (and soon Russ and Ellen) are going to be so much fun to travel with!  Chelsie and I will be in Europe for the first time but the boys all served missions in Germany at the same time so they'll be great tour guides, I'm sure!

Logan and I have fantasized about this trip ever since he got home from his mission and we seriously started talking about it last Summer so it has definitely been a long time coming!  When we booked our flights in January it felt like August was light years away and would never get here or that the world would end before then or something.  I'm so excited our trip is here and can't wait to experience everything we will have the opportunity to see and do!

Tomorrow: Reykjavik, Iceland

We will arrive in Iceland around 6:30am (local time) tomorrow and will do our very best to sleep on the plane so we can stay awake for the rest of the day and somewhat adjust to the time change.  

My goal is to blog at the end of each day but I'm not positive what our internet situation will be like so I'll do my best!

Let the adventure begin!

IVF Blessings

Stage 1 of IVF is complete and we couldn't be more thrilled to have it behind us!  It's hard to believe that for the last 12+ months we knew we'd have to go the IVF route so that was often the bulk of our conversations and now the main portion of it is finished.  What a relief!  I am so happy we chose to do a cycle before our trip to Europe.  It is so comforting having a clearer picture of our future and I know I will be able to relax and have a more enjoyable trip now that our cycle is in the past.

All the details of our cycle are in the "IVF Journal" tab so I'm not going to share many of them here but I will recap this crazy ride we've been on the last 6ish weeks.  After regulating my body with birth control for a few weeks I started my first shot--Lupron.  Lupron keeps your body from releasing your eggs so they can collect as many as possible during the retrieval.  I was super anal about giving myself the Lupron right on time otherwise I'd have these visions of all of my eggs flying out of my body.  Haha.  Overall, the Lupron wasn't a big deal at all.  The needle was tiny and I didn't feel too many side effects from it.  Physically I handled the Lupron just fine but man was it rough on my emotions!  Poor Logan hadn't seen me that hormonal in a long time and he was such a champ with it all.

After taking the Lupron for two weeks, I added two more shots--Gonal F and Menopur.  Both of these meds stimulate your body and help the eggs get ready for retrieval.  Gonal F was simple and Menopur stung a little but overall wasn't a big deal at all.  Each of the three shots individually were just fine but it got old giving myself three shots every night pretty quick.  The bruises on my stomach are almost all gone though so that's happy!  The first five or so days of giving myself three shots weren't too bad but by the time my egg retrieval came around I was feeling pretty uncomfortable.  My doctor warned us that I would probably stimulate quickly and that I was also at risk for hyperstimulation so I wasn't too surprised when it happened but that didn't make it any easier to handle.  For about ten days after my retrieval it was a roller coaster of feeling sore and nauseous but I'm pretty sure I've turned a corner for good and feel myself again!

Now for the exciting news: Logan and I were incredibly blessed throughout this cycle.  We have had such positive results and know that all of the prayers that were said on our behalf made a huge difference.  26 eggs were retrieved, 14 of those eggs were mature, 13 of them fertilized and 8 made it to the ideal blastocyst stage where they could be biopsied for testing and then frozen.  We were so thrilled when we got the call telling us that 8 of our embryos would be tested because we knew we had a good chance of having a few healthy embryos frozen for future transfers.  There is a 25% chance of recurrence with SCID so we expected at least 2 to be affected which would leave us with 6 and then we figured a couple more would have some other genetic condition that they were testing for.  4-5 healthy embryos is what I hoped for and would have made us happier than we can describe.  

I should have known better than to set such concrete numbers in my mind because that often leads to disappointment when it really shouldn't.  Yesterday the clinic called and told us that of the 8 embryos, 3 are recommended for transfer because they are SCID free and chromosomally normal.  I was shocked that 5 of our 8 embryos weren't viable and would have to be discarded.  Initially I was pretty discouraged that less than half of our embryos could be used.  2 of the 8 have SCID (exactly 25%) and 3 others have missing or extra chromosomes which would have lead to a different genetic condition or would have stopped the pregnancy from taking altogether.  After allowing the information to sink in I started to realize the endless number of blessings that came from this cycle despite not getting as many embryos as I hoped.  We have 3 embryos that will hopefully turn in to 3 healthy babies!  I know perfectly well that 3 is better than 2 or 1 or 0 so if those are my options then I will absolutely take 3.  I know many people that have done multiple cycles and never gotten any embryos or the embryos they did get weren't great quality.  Our 3 embryos are all grade B2 which is really good (B1 is the highest grade).  It is such a blessing that our doctor encouraged us to pay for the extra testing (PGS) otherwise we would have saved those 3 embryos with missing or extra chromosomes and either had unsuccessful transfers or other genetic conditions to deal with.

Because we did genetic testing, the lab and clinic know the gender of all of our embryos and asked us if we wanted to know what they were.  I'm so glad they asked before just telling us because we definitely didn't want to know.  Many people I talk to are surprised we don't want to know but it just doesn't feel right knowing to me.  I feel like we know as much as we need to as far as the SCID goes so I don't want to know any more than that.  If we changed our mind they can tell us at any time but I like the idea of finding out just like everyone else during an ultra sound a few months into the pregnancy.

We get the same two questions pretty often so I will do my best to answer them here for anyone that's curious.  1) When are you going to do a transfer?  I can honestly say we don't have a date yet.  We didn't want to plan anything too definitive until we knew whether or not we have any healthy embryos.  Now that the cycle is behind us and we know that we have some healthy embryos ready and waiting, we can start discussing a transfer.  We want to go to Europe and not worry about any of that and just enjoy our trip and then we'll probably start thinking about it.  Each of these steps we've taken with IVF have been a huge hurdle in the healing process and obviously having a baby is going to be the biggest one yet.  We are going to take our time with all of it and not rush each other and when it feels right we will move ahead. 2) Since you'll be transferring multiple embryos, does that mean you'll have twins?  Let me clarify something: We will NOT be transferring multiple embryos.  Our doctor strongly encourages SET (Single Embryo Transfer) because fortunately we have strong embryos.  Obviously a transfer is not guaranteed and there's a possibility it doesn't work but we will only ever transfer one embryo at a time.  So, to answer that question, we still have a possibility of having twins just like anyone else because the embryo we implant could divide but we will not be transferring multiple embryos.  As fun as twins would be, we wouldn't choose to take on that task!

 Looking back, the cycle went way faster than I thought it would and overall was much easier than I expected.  The shots went really smooth so that was a pleasant surprise and I felt much more patient than I anticipated so that was a huge blessing as well.  I knew it would be important to have Logan's support during all of this but I had no idea how helpless I would have been without him!  We took turns giving me the shots, he was by my side every time I threw up, he hugged me when my emotions got the best of me and he has taken such good care of me during my recovery.  This cycle was absolutely just as much about Logan as it has been about me and I'm so grateful we've been able to experience it together.  Thanks, babe, for all you've done an continue to do for me and our little family!

Many, many thanks for all of the prayers and support we received during this crazy ride!  Logan and I couldn't do it without each of you cheering us on.  We know many couples that have chosen the same IVF route as us with not nearly as much success so we are completely aware of how blessed and fortunate we are to have had these positive results.  Thank you for traveling this journey with us!

Ps...I just realized this is a LONG post without any pictures!  For some odd reason I didn't take a single picture during all of this.  One of my friends videoed my first shot which I will try to post but other than that I don't have anything to show.  Fortunately I kept good written notes of everything that happened!

Fourth of July

What a fun holiday!  I love all holidays but the 4th always seems to be one of many peoples' favorites, including mine!  My oldest brother's birthday is on the 4th but unfortunately he lives in Minnesota so we weren't able to celebrate with him.  I hope you had a happy birthday, Paul!  We miss you and can't wait to see you in a couple weeks!  Like a lot of you, our day was busy from the moment we woke up bright and early for the parade to the minute we went to bed after fireworks sometime around midnight but it was all so much fun and definitely worth it!

I have to admit, this holiday was one of the toughest for me since Eli passed away.  I know Thanksgiving, Christmas and birthdays are bigger deals than the 4th of July but most of you know that I loved dressing Eli in new outfits and the fourth is the perfect opportunity to do just that.  Last year when he was still in the hospital I bought him the most adorable outfit (shoes included!) online hoping he'd be home or at least able to wear it but unfortunately that didn't work out.  I saw some of the cutest little outfits I could have put him in this year so it was definitely a tear jerker for me but I made it through and all is well :) I was able to see pictures of some pretty stinkin cute kids in their outfits so luckily I got my fill!

Logan and I woke up early so we could make it to the Murray parade with his family.  Moving out of Murray has made me appreciate the parade so much more because I hear so many people that live in other cities talk about how they don't have a parade or how small theirs is.  We were happy to go back!

 

After the parade we went out to breakfast with Logan's family and it was delicious!  Following breakfast (which really happened closer to lunch time) we visited our little man at the cemetery and put flags near his headstone.  I love visiting Eli any time but holidays are extra special.  After visiting the cemetery we went to see How To Train Your Dragon 2 with Logan's family.  I wasn't a huge fan of the first one but I thought the second one was great!  I would love to have that one in our collection at some point.

After the movie we met up with my family at the home of some of our dearest friends for a BBQ and swimming in their pool.  Later that night we all went over to the fireworks in Holladay and they were actually quite impressive!  The song choices were a little odd but the fireworks were really long so we loved it.  For some reason I didn't take a single picture but we had a blast.  There's something so great about spending quality time with friends you've known since the day you were born.  We had such a good time and are so grateful to the Neff family for being so wonderful to us.  We sure love you guys!  

Late Friday night my brother's wife Staci went into labor just a couple days past 36 weeks.  Around 10:00am on Saturday morning they did a C-Section and their little Liam Blake was born happy and healthy at 6lb 2oz and 18in long!  He is doing so well and we couldn't be more grateful and excited to welcome a new member to our family!

Lily loves Liam already and is going to be a great big sister!

This little guy's name is pretty special.   My brother Blake served his mission in Ireland and most of you probably know that Liam is Irish for William, which is my dad's name, so it has always been one of Blake's and Staci's favorites.  Congrats to you both!  We are so happy for you and love that little man to pieces already!

 

Third Anniversary

Happy three year anniversary to my sweet husband (tomorrow)!  I talk about this often, especially lately, but time is a funny thing.  I feel like we've been married ten years, not three.  I know you couples out there that have been married much longer than us will probably laugh when you read that but I attribute it to two things: 1. Logan and I have been friends since we were 12 and have dated since we were 18 and 2. We've gone through far more than I expected we would during our first three years of marriage.  In some ways it feels like our wedding just happened and in others it feels like a lifetime ago.  Either way, it's so fun celebrating this special time and reflecting on how grateful I am for my temple marriage to Logan.  

I don't want to forget how we celebrated our first two anniversaries so I'm going to very briefly recap them.  We spent our wedding night at the Grand America so for our first anniversary we spent the weekend downtown and stayed in the same room we stayed in on our wedding night.  It was a simple and fun but very relaxing weekend!  For our second anniversary last year, we decompressed from the excitement of things and went to Jamaica.  I don't think we'll be able to beat that celebration very easily!  In about 6 weeks we're taking off to Europe so rather than spend a lot of money on another extravagant vacation for our anniversary this year we decided to head to Park City for the weekend.  We found a Groupon for a resort in Deer Valley and spent the weekend relaxing, eating yummy food and of course shopping!  Logan and I were both able to get off work a couple hours early so around 4 o'clock we headed East to the Chateaux Deer Valley.  Talk about amazing mountain views and a cozy, cabin-like room!

We drove up roads like this one for quite awhile which was so great because the resort is tucked away in the mountains which gives it a very secluded feel.  We loved it!  Even though we were only 45 minutes from home, it felt much further.

Below are a few views from the pool which was just outside the patio to our room.  Ocean views and being at the beach are amazing but in our opinion, it's hard to beat these views too.

We have stayed at some pretty neat hotels and resorts but we loved our room at this resort because of the cozy feel it had.  The angles in our room were awkward for pictures but I was able to get a few decent ones.

We were even given a nice card from the staff with anniversary well-wishes:

Rather than drive down into PC for dinner we decided to eat at an Italian restaurant at the resort.  Unfortunately I didn't take any pictures but it was delicious!  After dinner we relaxed in the hot tub, watched a movie, and talked and laughed.  It was a simple night but it was just what we needed.  

We loved the thought of being able to sleep in but unfortunately our brains woke us up at 6:45 sharp.  We went downstairs for the breakfast that was included in our stay and it was amazing! We had a lazy morning and finally got ready to check out around 11 o'clock.  Our next stop was the Park City outlets which is easily dangerous.  Many of the stores were having 50% off sales so we were able to find some great deals.  We don't splurge on ourselves too often so we had fun finding a few things.

Because we had already spent a few bucks, we decided to take it easy for lunch and treat ourselves to Taco Bell.  It actually tasted really good for some reason!

Logan's sister and brother-in-law recently bought a cabin in Oakley and were driving out to do some work on Saturday afternoon so we decided to tag along since we were already halfway there and we wanted to check out their new buy.  Their cabin is a fixer on a great lot and is going to be so much fun when they're finished!  We're hoping to learn some new skills ourselves by helping them out with the renos.

Overall, the weekend, while short, was perfect and just what we needed.  It was so nice to escape from the daily demands of our lives and enjoy being with just the two of us for awhile.  We can't wait for out next stay at the Chateaux Deer Valley!

I am so grateful for Logan and the happiness he brings to my life.  Despite the challenges in our past and the ones I know we have yet to face I find great comfort knowing I have him by my side.  He's such a wonderful father and husband and I can't wait to watch him magnify those callings in the days ahead.  I know year four will bring just as much happiness and growth as the past three years have and I can't wait to experience it with my main man!