Movin' to IOWA.

        It's official.  We're moving to Iowa City, Iowa on August 17th so Brian can pursue his dream of attaining a doctor philosophiae (PhD), which is quite an admirable feat.  Plus, it sounds good.
        "Dr. Brian and Lady Natalie Green, please enter the court!" (Herald taps his staff three times). We'll probably meet baby Prince George someday.
        The Brain will attend his grad school orientation on August 20th, and begin the journey to a Chemical Engineering Degree.  I'm thrilled for him.  I remember him and I sharing our goals in life on one or our first long runs/dates back in '09.  I wanted to complete a half ironman before I die, and he wanted to get a PhD.  I think he'll complete his goal first, this baby is a real triathlon dream killer, but I can wait.  She's cute.

         We got to experience a 10-week sabbatical in Iowa City last summer.  He interned for the Chemical Engineering Dept. and assisted/observed a graduate student with his research, and I worked as a lifeguard and swim instructor with a bunch of undergrads who loved to party.  It was a win-win.  We really enjoyed ourselves, except for the two weeks we melted from a suffocating, humid heat wave. We got to go to some cool cities, bike some mildly hilly terrain, go inside the Nauvoo temple, and watch a LOT of Food Network.
        I get asked, "Are you excited/sad/nervous to be moving?" So, because I love how tidy and effective lists can be, I recorded my thoughts using them--complete with descriptive titles and poor punctuation.
       

Things Nat Wants To Do In Utah Before We Move (You Are Invited To Be Involved).

 

Sell the Toyota. It's red and great and I think we're asking $2,300.

 

Hike Ben Lomond --hopefully August 3rd.

Go to Bear Lake

Go Swimming.  I gotta teach my baby how to back float.

Get my cowgirl swimsuit from Weber State's pool.  Do you have it McKell?

Go biking with my Hubsand.    

Go to Dan and Nicole's Wedding--August 6th.  MAZEL TOV!!

Get a Hair Cut

 

Go to Lava with Jeff and Abby....
 

 

Things Nat Will Dearly Miss in UT

 

Sunday dinners and games with my family.

 

Competitive badminton with Renae (especially when she cries when she loses).
 

Cool kids on a family hike on Conference Sunday.
 

Scarlett's G-parents, aunts, uncles, and cousins loving her for being alive.

 

My job. I'm a Medical Technologist at a small ER in Roy (I run samples and interpret results in the Laboratory), and I've finally got the hang of phlebotomy. I have a weird satisfaction when I draw blood, and I love the patient interaction, as well as the nursing staff here. And my schedule is so wonderful. 7 on 7 off swing shift, you were perfect, you will be missed.

 

Zupa's café and Costa Vida.

 

The dry climate (less mosquitoes, perfect summer nights, finding solace in shade).

 

My sisters, sisters-in-law, and girrrrl friends.

 

My ward and all the cute kids we taught in Primary.

 

Our parents. They do so much for us its crazy...

 

Things Nat is Looking Forward To in Iowa City

 

Being on our own. I think it'll be good for our growing family to create our own home vibes and traditions.   Also, we'll have to branch out of our small bubbles and make friends to replace the void our big famdillys left.  Brian and I are out of practice, and we tend to just hang out by ourselves or with family most nights, so this might be a challenge.

 

Scarlett getting bigger.  It doesn't matter where this happens, but its tickles me to think about her walking and talking.
 

 

The yummy restaurants.  There's this burger joint called Short's and Brian and I are planning on going there many a Monday Night for the 6 dollar burger and fries.  I'm not really much of a burger person, but these are so fresh and spectacular.

 

The Road Trips.  I want to visit Chicago and Minneapolis and Nauvoo(again) and St. Louis.  Brian wants to see when the Jazz play in one of the big cities and make a vacation out of it.

 

The University Campus Recreation.  I'm so excited to get my student spouse gym pass and go to classes and use the pools and courts at our leisure. 

 

The Iowa City Married Student ward.  I just loved them.  They were quick to welcome us and give us callings and made us feel like we were apart of them.  They were our family. I think that's my greatest  comfort--knowing we will a ward family wherever we go.