VEGAN CAROB CHIPS, ANYONE?

So last week I made the mistake of letting Zach do the blog, and just my luck- it tapped his inner creative side and he loved it.  How many other wives have to compete with their husbands to write their blogs?  Of course, when I was convincing him to start it it was a "we" thing, but that was before I knew that he'd actually WANT to post.  Control is a hard thing to relinquish.  But obviously this is a chance to "build our marriage relationship", so we'll be tag-teaming this one.

For those that need catching up, we're in Boulder, Colorado for the summer for our internships.  I'm working at the University of Colorado at Boulder (try chanting THAT one at football games) in their Facilities Management Offices, charged with the task of "saving the world" (direct quote from my boss).  Zach has managed to avoid the 8.2 million medical marijuana "pharmacies" and is interning at one that actually distributes medicince (Walgreens). 


This is Folsom Stadium, where my offices are located.  Have you ever seen such a beautiful sports arena?



To give you some perspective on size, that's me by my office doors.

The only way I can describe our new apartment in the University of Boulder's Family Housing is as "an adventure."  It begins with an elevator that I am sure is part of the original 1965 building that will take you up to the 5.25th floor and then, after the doors open, will drop down to the 5th floor.  The apartment itself is similar to our Wymount home, complete with lack of air-conditioning, no dishwasher, and cinder-block walls.  It also adds its own little flairs such as an all tile floor, suspended pipes along the ceiling, and a magical shower whose knob combinations never produce the same temperature twice.   Zach: Actually, the problem is its propensity to produce ONLY the same two temperatures: scalding hot or penguin cold.  (Clarissa has given me permission to edit with impunity, heheh.)

Our favorite apartment feature is the bathroom door, which we made the mistake of closing on one of our first mornings here.  Zach watched my struggle to exit with amusement for a few minutes before gathering his manliness to aid his damsel in distress. Soon all manliness was replaced with fierce gorilla strength as he bowed the door in with his efforts.  After many grunts from Zach and creaks from the door we learned that you have to push down and in before pulling out.  The poor missionary that came to our place for dinner tonight was stuck for quite a few minutes before we realized his plight.

What the apartment lacks in aesthetic appeal or utility is definitely made up for by surrounding Boulder.  We're lucky to have a beautiful trail running along Boulder Creek directly behind our complex that leads out the plains in one direction and up the canyon in the other.

I can take the trail straight to work at the University, which consequently, is the most beautiful campus I have ever been on because all the buildings follow very strict architectural guidelines, which unlike BYU, gives it an extremely nice uniform look.



Zach's guess on where we'll serve our Senior Couple mission



If you come across a huggable globe...



and of course, this being Boulder, all the trash receptacles include "the right choice" in close proximity.

All in all, we're enjoying our new home and look forward to sharing our hippie experience with you this summer.