Daddy's Little Girl

Pardon me while I get sentimental... but one year ago today, I gave birth to my first child. She was a such a tiny person wrapped in a hospital blanket, and I still remember how surreal it felt to be a new mother.

We lucked out. She was such a good baby. Slept through the night, almost from the time we brought her home from the hospital. Rarely cried. Ate like a champ. Always seemed to have a peaceful smile on her face. She was perfect in every way.

When I thought about what to get Katie for her birthday, I realized that the most precious gift I could offer her, was already given---the day I married her father for time and all eternity in the temple.

Jonathan is the best father I could ever ask for. He brings the power of the priesthood into our home and is always attentive to his family. Katie's face lights up whenever he walks into the room, and he is always able to make her laugh.

Looking back on his years in dental school (pretty much our entire married lives) I've watched him work and sacrifice and sweat and slave to earn his dental degree. Those years were intense for both of us, but I've never been more proud of him than on his graduation day. He has paid the price to be who he is today, and it will bless our family for generations to come.




So, when we sang "Happy Birthday" to Katie, I gave Jonathan a big hug. He is the best birthday present a little girl could ever ask for!

Arachnophobia

For Labor day, we went on a 3 mile hike through a state park called Paynes Prarie which is 10 miles outside of Gainesville. It was hot and muggy outside, but we were up for a little adventure, or so I thought...

We came across one of these. It was the biggest spider we'd ever seen.
It spanned Jonathan's hand. It made my skin crawl

Sidenote: The reason I'm looking off in the distance is that I heard sudden rustling in a swamp 25 feet away. We had just passed a sign that said:

"Don't feed the alligators. $500 fine"

If the previous photo was a little too disturbing.

Here is something to calm your fears.



Awwww. Butterflies in Love.



Eeeek!

In high school biology I was assigned to collect insects and mount them.

This little guy would have been the envy of the class.
Guaranteed "A+"



Halfway through the hike we looked up, and to my horror, spiders were hanging from the canopy of trees right over our heads. They were in all directions. We had no choice but to walk under them.

I began shrieking. Jonathan rolled his eyes.


"You're overreacting," he said.




He counted them. 35, 36, 37....gigantic spiders.
"Awesome!" He exclaimed.

I thought I was going to faint.


Now, to be fair, I was expecting Florida to be buggy, and it isn't.
To my surprise, there are many lizards and bats, but until now, I haven't seen anything unusal or an overpopulation of creepy crawlies or mosquitoes.


We finally made it out alive and survived to blog about it.
We had the summer of a lifetime. Hope yours was great too!

Orlando Temple

We are grateful to live near a temple.

The Orlando temple is about 1 1/2 hours from Gainesville.

Even though the most "magical place on earth" is in town,

I think this place is pretty cool too!

The temple district covers all of Florida, Southern Georgia, Barbados, and Guadeloupe.
I'm sure that those who take a boat to get here are excited for the new temple announced in Fort. Lauderdale.

Scalloping

This isn't the best resolution pic, but it captures J's first scallop.

We went scalloping several times this summer.

They sit on the bottom of the ocean, and you scoop em' up and saute them with butter.

Our friends' 6 year-old son speared his first fish.


Our friends call their boat the "Big Red Ugly" but I think any boat with a view like this is pretty amazing.


We were off the western coast of Florida in the Gulf of Mexico.
The water is clear, warm, and shallow for miles.
We saw all kinds of fish and sea creatures.



Trying to hang on at 40 mph.

Might I add that the name "Marissa" means "Goddess of the Sea"
That would probably be applicable to me if I liked seafood. I don't.



Jonathan with his scallops.
He likes to eat them cooked or raw.

Princess of the Sea

Lovin' Florida

Beach

We went to some gorgeous beaches on the west coast in the Gulf of Mexico.

Maderia Beach in St. Petersburg (near Tampa) and Sarasota Beach.

Jonathan putting on his snorkeling gear.

The water is as clear as glass when the water isn't turbulent.

We stayed in a cabin on a bayou about two miles from the beach.

Several birds paid us a visit including heron and egrets.

Enjoying the scenery

At first, Katie only seemed interested in Dad's flip flop

She was a little hesitant to crawl onto the sand, but when she finally ventured out, I couldn't keep up with her.

I love the feeling of being wrapped up in a warm towel after swimming.

Katie was tuckered out.

Katie finds some seaweed and a seashell:

Sunshine

According to several sources, it has been rainy in Boston and Utah this summer. We also have family in Alaska, where it rains all the time. We are sending you some Florida sunshine.....along with a long distance hug!

A lot has happened in the past few months, and I just sent a mass email with this blog’s link. So, if you are just tuning in, here is an update on our family:

Jonathan—Graduated from Tufts dental school in May. He started a one year general practice residency at the VA Medical Center on July 1st. He loves dentistry and is excited to own his own practice someday. He dreams of becoming scuba certified, deep sea fishing on his million dollar yacht, and discovering his own personal island while sailing the Florida Keys. In the meantime, he is relieved to be done with school and have his life back. Facebook is his latest pastime, along with snorkeling and practicing his Michael Jackson moves.

Marissa—I don’t know what to do with a husband that works regular office hours and has a fifteen minute commute. I’ve become accustomed to being a “dental student’s widow,” so having him home at 4:30 in the afternoon is a refreshing adjustment. Right now, I don’t have any outside obligations or church callings. I’m enjoying the extra time to myself, my family, and to make new friends. We’ve already had several adventures here in Florida, including trips to the most gorgeous beaches ever.

Katie—Turned 9 months old. She is crawling everywhere and it won’t be long before she is walking. It is a delight to have her in our home, and we feel lucky to be her parents. She continues to have a happy personality. Its fun to watch her discover the world around her. She totally brings out the kids in us, especially when we go shopping at Toys R’Us.


We are happy to be here in Gainesville. Our new ward is friendly with a good mixture of young student families and more established older couples. The city has wide, well maintained roads, on a grid, complete with bike lanes. (My Bostonian friends will appreciate that). There are 30 parks and plenty of open space to enjoy. Cost of living is affordable. It isn’t crowded, but the locals are diehard football fans. Go Gators! We live about 90 minutes from the beach and Disneyworld. And, yes, its hurricaine season. Bring it on!

Nature Hike

We went for a nature hike near our home called Devil's Millhopper.

We walked along a wooded trail and down into a deep geological sinkhole that is filled with fossilized remains of ancient creatures and trickling streams.

It is exciting to explore the unique vegetation and animal species that are native to this climate.

Sometimes it feels like we live in a different time....Jurassic Park!

Gainesville's climate is defined as humid subtropical. Temperatures range from an average high of 80 degrees in the summer, 70 in the winter. It rarely freezes. There are frequent downpours in the summer that usually only last for a few minutes and its rarely overcast.

On this particular day, it was record breaking heat of almost 100 degrees. Even the native Floridians were complaining. Obviously that didn't deter us as we went on this hike in the middle of the day....although I have a renewed appreciation for air conditioning.

We are excited to enjoy the sunny outdoors all year.