Baby Shower!!

Yesterday I was blessed by the ladies of Lighthouse Christian Fellowship with a baby shower! Very first time for me to be the center of such attention! And it was a lot of fun to open all of the gifts with all of the baby clothes and other such things.

Here's a picture of all those wonderful women (and a few of their lovely daughters too). Baby Brewer is going to be a well-dressed little fella, I can tell you that for sure. Only 9 1/2 weeks 'til the due date, and as we all know that means the baby could show up anywhere from 7-11 weeks from now! Exciting and hard to believe the time is drawing so close. At least now I have a few diapers, baby wipes, clothes, and even a bouncy chair & bassinet. Hooray!

Angel Lake Hike

For my Sunday off this week I decided to go to Angel Lake for a hike and just to enjoy the afternoon. Lara came along with me and we drove out to Wells, then up a sketchy, skinny road to the lake. No guardrails and a drop off made for a bit of a nervous drive for me, since I still have a little of that fear of heights.

We decided to hike up one of the many trails in the area, this one leading to Smith Lake. As you can see, there was a bit of snow on the trail yet, which made it slightly treacherous. At the second snow patch we turned back since it was getting late and because we didn't want to risk sliding off the side of the mountain! Plus I was hiking in sandals... yeah not the best idea. Too hot for boots though.

It was a beautiful, warm, sunny afternoon, and the bugs weren't even out. I was glad to see the renowned Angel Lake and had fun looking at the cool rocks. Yes, once a nerdy geologist, always a nerdy geologist. By the time we got back in town, it was time for bed!

Gallivanting around Twin Falls!

For the Fourth of July weekend I took some time off work to travel north to Twin Falls, ID! I left after hitting the pool for the midday swim on Friday. It was a nice drive, a little on the warm side but not bad!

I enjoyed myself and pampered myself on Friday night by going to the mall and watching a movie, Monte Carlo, which was a great fun comedy to watch (and admittedly a bit of a chick flick). I was amazed at how happy I felt when I arrived in Twin Falls to discover stores galore, especially one of my favorites (Target!) which was part of the plan anyway. After my evening I bedded down for the night and got at least a little rest - I wanted to hit the trails early in the morning before it got too hot!

So Saturday after a fabulous breakfast at Idaho Joe's, I made my way to Shoshone Falls, which was certainly beautiful. I made a morning of it by biking around on all the trails on the canyon rim and down to the nearby lake. It was a lovely day to be out on the bike! I did manage to wear myself out a little bit with the sun and the heat, so I was only too glad to get back to town and treat myself to a cherry limeade at Sonic ... mmm... wish they had one of those in Elko, though it's probably a good thing they don't!

Resting on the day off :)

I'm taking it easy for my day off today ... I actually skipped work Monday because I was so dizzy that I could hardly get out of bed. I went to the doctor and discovered that I was dehydrated, so I am making a big effort to drink plenty of water! Have to take care of this baby! Today is my only "day off" before I work the next 6 days straight, then I will have 4 days off for the 4th of July. I am planning a trip to Twin Falls and Pocatello, ID, to do some shopping at "real" stores and to visit Wheaton friends! I am excited for the weekend, I think it will be a great mini vacation from work. After I get back, there will be only 6 weeks left of my internship. Crazy how time flies!

Is this where it gets hard?

No new pictures, sorry everyone :) It's been one of those weeks that I am only too grateful to make it through. I had food stolen from me twice, and today at church a woman was kind enough to tell me that "you look awfully large for only being 6 months along". Thanks a lot, lady. That is the last thing you tell a pregnant woman!

It isn't that things are so bad ... the sun is shining and life is good. I just find myself missing my husband and my friends back in Rapid City terribly. And I know that I cannot complain because I have chosen this for myself. I just keep telling myself that it's for the better that I'm here to give Josh space to work on his thesis. I keep believing that this must be where God wants me, otherwise why would He put me here? But then the doubts start creeping in, and I can't help but wonder ... did I hear God right? Or did I just talk myself into this? Am I completely crazy to spend my summer pregnant with our first child in a completely random, lonely Nevada town? Is this REALLY God? Or is it me? I don't know. And at this point I can't turn around and go back, I'm in for the long haul. So all that I can say now is that I will be spending the summer in prayer, on those long bus rides at 4:30 am when I'm trying desperately to sleep but my mind won't stop churning...

Life is so strange. It doesn't often end up where I expect it to be, in fact it is usually very different. And as much as I long to settle I almost wonder if God will just keep us moving from community to community. Whatever He's got in store, I've got to keep remembering that He knows best. Sometimes, it's just hard.

Enjoying Sunshine and Flowers :)

I thought it might be nice to give my picture an explanation ... I spent my Sunday (only "day off") at church, the laundromat, and I also went up on the hillsides for a little bike & hike.

I got a nice sunburn from my time enjoying the sun, but it was well worth it! The mountain flowers were blooming and the weather was picture perfect. I hiked when I got to some steep sections that I could no longer bike up. Behind me is the "city" of Elko laying in the valley. A typical day in Nevada, and a good way to spend a day off!

Week 2 Disappointment

My second week of work started off Monday with the expectation on my part that I would receive underground induction training. However, that plan was quickly halted as my supervisor and the head geologist pulled me aside. I am officially banned from the underground mine, due to the fact that mercury exists in vapor form underground and I am pregnant. I was hugely disappointed and also felt excessively guilty that I did not forewarn my supervisor of the pregnancy part, but they were extremely nice about the whole thing. I had no idea it would be such a big deal ... I guess that Barrick is playing on the side of caution. Even if there is not imminent danger, the possibility exists for mercury exposure and they would rather not have the possibility of it harming me or more specifically the baby.

So while everyone else trained, I hung around the office and read some geology papers. The week rapidly improved towards the end, when I was shown how to log chips. At least I could feel semi-productive! And I will get open pit hydrology / geology exposure throughout the summer, so I won't miss out on everything. It's still hard to be left behind when everyone else is going underground!

All in all, I am thankful I still have a job, excellent coworkers, and a great learning opportunity. I worked Tuesday - Saturday, so I even got an extra 10 hours this week. And my supervisor is happy to let me work as much as I want to, so that will be good for the bank account, especially considering our current financial circumstances! There are blessings even in the disappointments, and I think it will be a good summer after all.

I went up to Lamoille Canyon again to visit and found lots of snow and sunshine, so I hiked up next to a waterfall and hung out for a little bit reading my book. It was a beautiful afternoon!