Long Time Coming

Too much has happened since I last wrote to begin to detail it all. So, here is a brief summary and some pictures of some of the changes.

 After finishing my last rotation in medical school, we were fortunate enough to be able to travel to UT to visit family. It was so good to see everyone again. We went on a walk to UVU to support Necia in Color Me Rad. Charlotte did a very good job walking home - making it most of the way home all on her own. This was quite the task considering it was up 800 South in Orem which is a steep hill for most people let alone an 18-month-old. Asa Alex was good enough to accompany us.

 The main reason for the visit was to attend two weddings: James and Caroline/Philip and Chelsey Ann. Charlotte got really sick one night and refused to lay down. She kept itching her feet and was really warm. The next morning her feet had broken out in a rash. We kept her as far away as we could from others but with all the celebration, she graciously passed on Hand-Foot-Mouth to some cousins. So nice of her. I felt so bad for her, she really was miserable. The boy she got it from also passed it on to his mother. She told us her hands and feet felt like they were on fire and were very painful. It made me think twice about how painful and uncomfortable the common childhood illness can be. Sorry, Charlotte and cousins.

 After returning home, Momma and Papa Nielson flew out to visit us in Maryland for Graduation from Medical School. I enjoyed my time in Maryland and the truth is that after 3 weeks in Las Vegas, we both miss Maryland dearly, mostly our friends. But some of our closest friends are also in the military and were moving to a new duty station soon after we moved, but our memories still keep us longing for their friendship.

We took Mom and Dad downtown to see the major sites and had a great time. The World War II and Vietnam memorials are spectacular. We have many ancestors/predecessors to thank.

 We did not see all the sites, just the main ones. Outside the Lincoln, we stopped for lunch. We sat next to a woman on her 'lunch break.' She was dressed in running attire and let us share her table but had little to say. Her choice of food? Popcorn and beer. Interesting no? I guess when your boss is out of town, taking a 2-hour lunch for running, beer and pop-ed corn (quick Megamind reference, Fist Pump!) are doable.

 Charlotte tried to enjoy herself. She kicks her legs up a lot these days. Especially when she is in her high chair for dinner. It is a struggle right now to get to her recognize that table manners are a reality.

 Not only are we the only active-duty medical school, but we are the only school that does a rehearsal for graduation. It was a hassle but definitely cut down on the craziness of graduation a day or two later. 

After the rehearsal, Jari brought mom and dad to campus (after taking them to the DC temple) for a tour. I hate having my picture taken, but I was glad this one was taken as we went 4 years without ever taking our pictures at USUHS. 

 Graduation was held at Constitution Hall in Washington DC (Daughters of the American Revolution). It is a great building that is perfect for a military graduation ceremony. A friend of mine who is a dentist in the Peruvian Navy had been studying at USUHS for the past 2 years obtaining a Masters of Public Health also graduated with me. I went out to eat with him a week previously to see how things were going and had a really fun lunch. He is a great guy and I wish him the best. Good luck to you Dr. Larru.

 Here are my beautiful girls! I was so happy to have them there. Mom and Dad as well as Jari's Dad and sister, Erin joined us for the celebration. Rebecca also wanted to join us but could not get out of her military obligations. We will miss you all, thanks for joining us.

 I was worried about Charlotte enduring the 2 hour ceremony but she did so well! She loves to clap so every time a name was announced she would shout for joy and clap. All 200+ names. This picture taken from where my family sat is of me (and the rest of the Air Force members) taking our new Oath of Office as Captains in the US Air Force. James and Diana watched the graduation also via the internet. Cool! Thanks for your support.

After graduation, we went across town to my friend's apartment (belongs to his In-laws) where we had Cafe Rio (new to the area) cater lunch for our families. This is a picture of me in front of the Capital building taken from the roof of their condo common area. 

 After graduation, moving was the next big step. Gratefully the Air Force paid to have companies pack, move and unpack us. It was stressful but we got it done. It was fascinating watching them pack all the bags and boxes from our condo to the truck using only a strap and their backs. They worked hard and did a great job. One less move for the Elders Quorum to help with :)

 We will miss our condo in some ways. We loved our kitchen, but we were looking forward to having a garage. Going from 890 Square Feet (including the balcony) to a 4 bedroom house in Las Vegas was a big but welcome change. Still bigger than we really needed, but anything smaller was either in areas we did not want to leave or lacked the room we wanted so we could have people over. (This is a plug for visitors)

 Jari flew to Boise for a week and my dad drove with me. First stop: Gettysburg, PA. We originally thought to stay only a few hours but once we got there, I knew we would have to change our plans as Dad is a Civil War guru and would want to stay there and explore the battle field. This is at the visitors center. In my opinion it is one of the best National Parks Visitors Centers we have.

We decided to walk out to the cemetery from the Visitors Centers which was enjoyable. Warm but not too hot yet. It is a beautiful area. 

                                              

Surprisingly, many of the tomb stones at the cemetery are not from the battle, but from Vietnam and WWII. There is, however, an area in the shape of a semi-circle around a large monument that is organized according to states (Armies from each state in the Union). The bodies which were not identified (I assume) were buried here.  The blocks above are some of them with only numbers.

The following pictures are from the large paining in the Visitors Center. It is about 40 feet tall and 380 wide wrapping in a 360 view. It was created by a French artist and depicts several important parts of the battle. They use lighting and high quality sound to make this piece of artwork come to life. Watch the sun rise and the artillery fire blast.

There are lots of cannons around. It is neat to see them all. It makes me wonder what it must have been like to have to load this under enemy fire.

This is a view of the field where the South made their final charge (Picket's Charge). The original battle line spread out over 1 mile running north and south. As the fire from the North made holes in the ranks of the South, they simply closed ranks and sped up their march. No cover at all. It must have taken an incredible muster of bravery to be able to make that march.

 This is dad with the Peach Orchard to his back, gazing over the Devil's Den looking at Little Round Top on the South end of the battle field.

 A view of the rocks at Devil's Den looking up at Little Round Top. You can see between this picture and the next (looking the opposite direction) that as the South attacked, there was no cover and they were pinned down  to be slaughtered. So sad.

Dad walking the base of Devil's Den.

 From Gettysburg and on it was steady driving as Dad needed to get back for work. Dad likes to drive and so I let him. I downloaded a book to the kindle (The God of War, a book about a high tech war jet whose pilot goes rouge) and read to help the time pass. Because I don't own a kindle, but rather a smart phone, it meant that the book was some 12,000 pages long on my phone so I had so swipe or tap for the page the same number of times. Kind of annoying but a very convenient way to buy and store books!) One stop we did make was in Terre Haute, IN to visit family. This is Kaila and Chris Kesner and their son Aeden. Thanks for dinner guys!

 Middle America is mostly Christian for those of you who live on the coasts or in Blue States and believe that many Americans no longer believe in God.

 This was the surprise of the trip. Cheyenne, WY on the last day of the trip, 6 am and 37 degrees. We started up over the mountain and ended up inching our way through the fog. Despite the fact that there were two lanes the guy behind us in the big white van decided it was safer to go as fast as he could, on our tail. It was a very stressful leg of the journey not being able to see much more 50-80 feet at a time.

 Before meeting up with Jari, I decided to take Asa Alex up to the Orem Recreation Center were we scheduled 30 minutes on the range but when no one else showed up, we stayed for about 1.5 hours. I helped Asa hold the 9 mm (Rugar SR9) and had him tell me which way to aim and then helped him pull the trigger. Not a bad shot! Way to go ASA!

 Being that I am medical, there are not too many ROTC friends that I have been able to meet up with. Luckily, Evan Norman was in town as he just finished his 4 year ROTC commitment and has moved back to UT. He is now Army and doing lots of cool things with the reserves. To him and all who have served, thanks for all you have done for our country in keeping us safe.

 Before moving on to Las Vegas, we stayed a few days with Jari's Grandfather who was undergoing some surgery. Charlotte had a good visit with them all and on our last day there, she finally opened up and started talking to them. It is crazy how much she has developed over the past 1.5 months. It is like she went from baby to toddler. Her vocabulary went from 10 words (vocalized) to 100. Jari sang Happy Birthday to her one time in preparation for my birthday and the next morning she started singing it on her own "Happy Burf-A oo you, happy burf-A oo you..." Crazy smart. I know all parents say that but she really is smart. In fact she just held up her hand and said "High Five?" Yup, that is her.

Bill decided to give me a parting gift, a Thompson 1911, 40 mm pistol with a case. I have no idea how old it is. He said it was a gift to him years ago but he did not want it any more and wanted me to have it. I felt bad taking it from him but he insisted. So now I own a Thompson 1911.

We have not taken many pictures yet of things here in Vegas. But the first month has been good. I have been able to ride my bike to and from work many times already. It is hot in the afternoon (105-ish) but still not too hot to keep me from riding a bike. We will see if we can continue to share a car like we would like to to.

Well, more to follow. It is time to go to the park across the street to let Charlotte swing for a minute. Hope all is well with all who read this wherever you find yourselves. Fred, Jari and Charlotte.