Thanksgiving Fun!

Katie came into town and hung out with us Thanksgiving weekend - it was fantastic! We had lots of fun (well I did, so hopefully Clark and Katie did too). All of the other pics were taken on Clark's phone or the ipad (which are both currently with Clark in another state), so you are stuck with the pics I have on my phone, all from the football game.
Saturday we went to a northwestern football game - they KILLED the other team. Last home game of the season and Clark hadn't been to one in the 4 years yet, so we had to go. Too bad it was absolutely FREEZING that day. That night we went to an all you can eat sushi place. Now before everyone gets all up in arms about me being pregnant and sushi: we (well Clark) did lots of research before and I chose wisely on what I did and did not eat.
Friday was also freezing. We planned on going ice skating, but we were way too cold for that. We walked around downtown for a bit and went to this german market near Daley Plaza. There were some cool things there and of course some yummy treats.
Thanksgiving was an absolutely beautiful 60 degree weather day. We spent most of the day with Clark's med student friends again. Very tasty as always. Although there was no Turduckin this year, we had a mexican theme going on, complete with enchiladas, ribs, turkey, and festive mexican music.
Clark took his big Step 2 test the day before Thanksgiving. So he (and I) we're very grateful he could just hang out and relax and not have to study; although that did mean his brain was fried. We watched a lot of football and he played a lot of games on the ipad.

23 weeks!

Things I have learned in the past 23 weeks of being pregnant:

1) We're having a BOY!!! I am really excited, way more than Clark was actually. Although the first thing he said was (seriously), "Are you ready for wrestling matches?" ha - let's hope he at least waits long enough for the poor child to be able to hold up his neck on his own.
2) I finally stopped puking (oh please, oh please!) 2 weeks and counting. Wow do I feel 100% better when I'm not puking and nauseous every moment of everyday.
3) The cold REALLY hurts the chest area...serious pain, I don't like it.
4) Sneezing causes things to happen that are uncontrollable and inconvenient, also something I am not a fan of.
5) Baby stuff is expensive, it's disgusting
6) Baby really likes music, it's kind of funny. When I turn on music or when there's something really loud going on (like watching 007 in the theater) he starts kicking like crazy.
7) I was hoping baby was going to solve the lactose problem I have, instead he's made it worse :(
8) Baby is causing leg cramps to the max. Waking me up every night, multiple times a night; also not a fan of.
9) Urinating is my new non-favorite thing to do. I think 1/2 of my work day is spent in the bathroom.
10) I still can't believe we're going to have a child! It's crazy feeling something move inside of you. But the more I talk about it, the more excited I get, which is good because it took me awhile to give the ok to start trying to have kids. I know it's something Clark has wanted basically from the moment we said "I do" or "yes" in the mormon world.
oh and 11) Our child is as big as a large mango this week...these weekly emails crack me up.

Catch Up...in 13 pictures

Ok, I know, I know, I know...yes I haven't blogged once since we came back from France, I'm sorry, I have a good excuse though. To redeem myself, here is a glimpse of what we have been up to the past 4 months.

1 and 2: BYU vs Notre Dame Football Game. Two of my friends from MN came in town and we rode triped with two friends from Chicago to South Bend, IN -- home of the Notre Dame football team. The weather was awesome, very nice for an October game in the midwest. Sadly, the Cougars lost, but we led most of the game until the 4th quarter. The fans were pretty nice, I only heard "F all mormons" once, so not bad.
3 and 4: Stupid car was broken into :( They stole everything from our trunk (mostly useful things if you had a car, nothing you can sell). They stole our air mattress though and that's what I'm mostly sad about. They attempted stealing our radio but couldn't get it out..HAHAHAHA. Don't worry they were caught on our apartments video survalence, but don't worry, the cops could have cared less. Direct quotes from them: "What do you want?" "We aren't CSI." "You will not get your stuff back." "This video survellance isn't going to be looked at." Wow, I love Chicago! The muffler finally broke through, I decided for $100 I would fix it...shouldn't have because it officially died and I'm through. Anyone want to buy a car that has a brand new muffler on it :)
5 and 6: Wright Family Reunion. About 2 days after I got home from France, my family had a reunion in St. Louis. Clark unfortunately couldn't come, but I had a great time. It was crazy at times, but it was great seeing the family.
7 and 8: Went apple picking in WI with 2 of our friends. It was nice weather, and the donuts were delicious (we ordered 3 dozens...there was 4 of us--we are gluttens!), but the apple picking was definitely not the highlight. The apples were terrible and mostly so high up on the trees I couldn't even pick them.
9: Chicago Air and Water Show. I would be so sick if I flew in one of those planes. They did some crazy looping.
10: dishes, dishes and more dishes. Ug - Clark and I are so lazy, then it turns into this, disaster, but I'm too sick and tired to care.
11: Happy Halloween! I didn't take any pictures of us (we were Newsies), only of my pumpkin that I carved at work.
12: Primary Program: for my church, I am in charge of the children ages 3-12. We work all year on learning songs and teaching them things about the church and Jesus. For one Sunday during sacrament meeting, the kids sing songs and give little talks about what they have learned. These are the kids...they are so cute and so fun....and make me tired most Sundays.
13: THE BIG EXCITEMENT - We came home from France and found out that we are expecting!!! Due date: April 1st. I have been unbelievably ill and puking my guts out, it's been miserable. I didn't even know some things were possible (I'll spare you the details). I mostly drag myself out of bed, go to work, and come home and go to bed, with numerous trips to the bathroom in between. I finally am slowing down in the puking aspect, so I feel like a human again and I have the energy to blog.
We find out in one week what the gender will be.

Au revoir Strasbourg!

Well we head to Paris today, then Chicago tomorrow. It has been a fantastic adventure! Some good, good memories and great times.

Hottie European

Check out my hottie hubby sporting all his new European clothes!

African feast

We have made friends with a girl who is trying to do a medical rotation in Chicago. She invited us over for dinner last night. I don't know what I ate, but it was delicious (couldn't understand in English or French). It was enough food to feed an army though. Dessert was blueberry pie. I think Clark ate half the pie, the mom kept bringing out more and more. His tongue was so purple by the end.
Every African I've met is unbelievably nice. We have a few in our Chicago ward and their testimonies are unreal. I mean who drags a bed out in the hallway for some random people who look like they're homeless?! Clark met a lot of Africans on his mission in France. He talked a lot about the culture with our friends mom last night. I think she fell in love with him :)

Friday night

Last night consisted of horse steak, Michael Weston and the opening ceremonies. You are jealous of us aren't you?

Obernai

Went exploring on Monday to a near by town. Heard there were great souvenirs and just a fun place to walk around. It was definitely a cute place with delicious gelato.
I have discovered there are churches in every town, not just little ones either, but huge cathedrals. Every one of them is a little different, but all the organs inside are incredible.

St. Odile

Last weekend we went on a hike to a monastery that was for a Catholic saint called St. Odile. Her story is pretty cool. She was definitely blessed by God. She is loved here in Alsace (area where we live).
It was about a 90 minute bus ride to get there. And then a three hour round trip hike. The hike up was a little rainy and cold, but the way down was beautiful. Man am I out of shape, it is a little pathetic!

Germany!

Top three things I learned about our trip to Germany:
#1 no Amazing Race for us, I want to still be married (maps are pointless when streets aren't labeled).
#2 speed limits don't matter (Clark was driving 30km over the speed limit and we were still getting passed numerous times).
#3 castles are really cool (even if bad people owned them).

Germany was a great little adventure for us. Clark's resident let us borrow his car, which saved us hundreds of euros. The weather started out terrible Saturday, but was beautiful on Sunday. The main cities we went to see were Baden Baden and Heidelberg. We were even able to go to the English speaking military ward on Sunday; I never appreciated English church so much. I really related it to all the sisters around me. It gave me a lot of appreciation for them living in a country where they don't speak the language.
Clark and I have similar thoughts about Germany. I guess World War II has tainted our view. We tried going to a Nazi amphitheater but we never found it. There is a concentration camp not far from where we live in Strasbourg, but I just can't get myself to go.
Heidelberg was breathtaking. Honestly incredible. We hiked up to this castle and looked out over the city, words cannot describe the view. The pictures don't do it justice.
All of those mountainous hills you see, I think we hiked every inch of them. I was exhausted by the end of the day. My knee was killing me.
We spent the night in Baden Baden. We stayed at this cute little house looking hotel. The 2 German workers inside were so friendly to us. They made us a special breakfast, that really was a feast. Allowed us to not have to buy lunch on Sunday.