Most Memorable 2007 - #2

In October Dwayne had an interview with SUNY (State University New York) Buffalo. The admissions committee invited spouses, parents, or anyone who helped make important decisions in the students life to come with. We decided that this was a perfect time to make a trip out of it. It was such a good experience to go with Dwayne and meet some of the people at the University and some of the other students applying to dental school.

When we arrived in New York, Walt an acquaintance of Dwayne's family met us and led us to our hotel. Then we joined him and he took us on a tour of Buffalo. Wow, that city is erie! It is really abandoned and a dangerous city. I have to admit, I was scared as we were driving. Buildings were boarded up, there were bars on many doors and windows, it was really like a ghost town. It is really sad too, the buildings in the city were very beautiful; there is so much potential there. (The school is actually closer to Amherst, NY which is a very safe city.) Walt took us to Lake Erie to check it out. You can see Canada on the other side of the Lake! It was pretty empty because it was shutting down for the winter. We were going to eat at a little eatery there and all they had was pastrami sandwiches and hot dogs. (or something random like that) It was really fun to go around with Walt and learn about the city.

The next day Dwayne and I were able to go to Palmyra, it was so wonderful! We went to the Hill Cumora, the Sacred Grove, we walked around the Palmyra Temple and toured two of Joseph Smith's family homes. When we arrived at the site of the homes and the Sacred Grove we got there at the same time as an older group in a bus. We walked into the main building at the same time as some of them and one of the missionaries looked at us confused and said, "are you with them?" It was actually very funny. We decided to go walk around the Sacred Grove first. It was so peaceful. What an amazing place! After walking around the Sacred Grove, we took a backwards tour of the homes that the Smith's lived in. One of the missionaries was finishing up with the second group of the large group from the bus and stayed around to tell us about the larger home. We had a personal tour and she even showed us things that she normally doesn't show people. It was really neat. She then led us to the smaller Smith home and toured it as well.

The next day we went to the interview the first half of the day. After the interview we headed up to Niagara Falls - it was AMAZING!!! We were able to go below the American Falls on the Cave of the Winds tour. I would suggest it to anyone who goes there. We wold have loved to have done more of the tours, but we got there kind of late.

We heard that the view was much better from the Canadian side, but we didn't make it down to the overlook area. We did go to Canada for dinner though. At the time we didn't need our passports, but they sure ask you a lot of questions. I thought of saying something sarcastic, but they probably wouldn't have found it funny; and we may have ended in a small room with an interrogator. We got lost on the freeways that night heading back to our motel and ended up in a not so good area of Buffalo. Walt had previous warned us of that area. Apparently it used to have armored police vehicles patrol it every night because of the gang violence. As we sat at the end of the freeway exit ramp deciding what to do and trying to figure out where we were, a car slowly went by us with the people inside looking at us. Dwayne realized that he had a red sweatshirt on and quickly took it off. We of course made it back safely!

The next our flight left at 6:30 am (east coast time). On the way to NY when we standing in line at the airport (with southwest), someone had mentioned that you can go on line and get A boarding passes in advance. So, that morning Dwayne tried to get us A boarding passes while I got everything packed. Well there were a few problems and we ended up leaving a little later than we should have. Then on the way to the airport we got on the freeway going the wrong way then got lost. Then we realized that we needed to fill our rental up with gas still. When we finally got to the airport it was about 5:45 am. The line was sooooo long!! 20 minutes later we hadn't moved that far. At about 6:10 am there was an airport worker checking tickets and sending those who were behind like us to another area. When we told him what time our flight took off he just laughed and said good luck; and that they could get us on another flight for later that day. (We really needed to be home because Dwayne had drill for the national guard that night). Anyway, we rush down to this other area and the line still wasn't short. It was shorter mind you, but there was no way we were going to make it. At 6:20 a couple came in and asked a few people if they could get in front of them that their flight was loading in 15 minutes. I chuckled and said well, ours is leaving in 10 minutes. (not loading, leaving). Everyone was so nice, all the sudden everyone was like "get in front of us", "your flight is leaving in 10 mins", "come to the front of the line". How nice were they all!! Bless their hearts! We of course had to still take off shoes and belts and all that stuff. The security people said that our terminal wasn't to far. We were at terminal 18! So we started running. I felt like the family in "Home Alone". Mind you we were on very little sleep, and I'm not in the best shape right now. My shoes kept coming off (I didn't have time to tie them) so I finally just stopped and took them off. I was exhausted, I was carrying my shoes, my bag kept falling, and I could see Dwayne getting further and further ahead of me. I laugh now thinking of how we probably looked to the other people in the airport. Terminal 18 was finally in sight yet it seemed so far away. Dwayne was standing at the door calling for me to hurry. Finally we were in our seats. What an adventure! The whole trip was memorable, but I don't think we will ever forget the flight home.

Most Memorable 2007 - #3

I have mentioned this one early in the month, but it is definately memorable for us. It will affect the rest of our lives. Dental schools can let applicants know on December 1 whether or not they have been accepted. This year because December 1 was on Saturday they were able to let students know on November 30. At 8:30 in the morning we recieved a phone call from one of the faculty at Midwestern University in Glendale, AZ to let Dwayne know that he had been accepted into their dental program. Other good news is that Dwayne was able to recieve the Air Force scholarship for dental school, in the nation there are only 40 given in a year. We have definately been blessed in our lives, and this was a great blessing.

Most Memorable 2007 - #4

Dylon's firsts with holidays is number four on the list. It was fun to have him with us to experience all the holidays for the first time. I know that he didn't even know what was going on most of the time, but it was fun for mom! Maybe next year he will get more excited for the holidays. On the 24th of July the Christensen's always get together for a Carnival. We have lunch or dinner and then have activities such as a pinata, obstacle course, a maze, fishing pond, donuts from a string and many more. It is so much fun! I can't wait until Dylon will be able to join in on the fun. Then we always have a few fireworks for the kids when it gets dark. Halloween of course was mostly for me this year. We didn't go trick-or-treating, but of course we had to dress Dylon up. He didn't last very long in the costume, but he sure did look pretty dang cute!Christmas may have been more for me too! He loved the paper more then the toys which was no surprise, but it was fun of course. He likes to play with the toys now and loves us to read him the books he got, but he has no clue about the whole Christmas thing. It was fun none the less!

Most Memorable 2007 - #5

It was a busy year for the Gentry family, two of Dwayne's sisters were married. Camille was married in June and Danelle was married in October. They were both wonderful weddings and we have two great additions to the Tom Gentry family.

Most Memorable 2007 - #6

This past summer in July Dwayne went Korea for his Annual Training with the National Guard. He was able to go back there with a gentleman by the name of Paul Holton, also known as Chief Wiggles. Dwayne always loves to go back to Korea for any reason. He and Paul made up some scenarios for the US units located there in Korea. They really wanted the both of them to come back in November to help out with the scenarios they had put together, sadly Dwayne couldn't go back because of school and work. We'll just have to go there again someday with the two of us and possibly our family. Just a side note, Chief Wiggles does a lot of good for the soldiers over seas, if anyone ever wanted to help out in any way, just go to http://www.operationgive.org/ When Dwayne went to Afghanistan before, Chief Wiggles sent a guitar over with him to leave on one of the bases so that the soldiers over there would have it to play in spare their time.

Most Memorable 2007 - #7

Dwayne was called into the Bishopric this past May. It has definitely kept him very busy along with everything else he is involved in. It has been interesting trying to get Dylon ready for church on my own every Sunday, he always seems to mess his pants right as I'm heading out the door. (And I'm normally running a little behind anyway!) I have to admire those women who have more than one child and have had to do it for many years. Especially if they have the 9:00 am church.

Most Memorable 2007 - #8

This past June Dwayne and I lucked out in getting to go to the Soul2Soul Concert. It was the best concert I have ever been to! Tim and Faith opened the concert with singing Chasing Cars - it was so amazing!! I hope you all have a few minutes to to check out this link and listen to the song. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ULuRus6VzGE&feature=related

Most Memorable 2007 - #9

Dwayne was able to become certified in canyoneering with the American Association of Canyoneering in March with one of his good friends. The best part of it all was going to the Subway though. Dwayne and Dave started at about 8:00 in the morning and went through all terrain. They were two of the first people to hike the Subway last year.

Most Memorable 2007 - #10

Dwayne and I decided it would be fun to look back at the year 2007 and list our most memorable moments. We'll start off with #10. Last February my Sisters, Mom, and I went to St. George for the Parade of Homes. It has become a tradition for us - it is a nice way to get away from the snow and cold too. Every year we seem to add another day onto our stay, before you know it we'll be staying there a full week. (Don't we wish that would really happen!) It is also nice because the kids are left home so it is just the girls relaxing, shopping and having fun.

The "BIG" Move!!

So much has happened this past weekend! First off we moved, a whole 5 - 10 feet to the north. Our new address is 1149 University Village, Salt Lake City, Utah 84018. (In case anyone wants to send us any mail, that is our new mailing address.) We have a new home phone too 585-4195, our cell numbers are still the same. We moved from a two bedroom to a three bedroom. With a baby we have accumulated a lot more stuff! We wouldn't have moved had it not been right across the way from our old place. We love it though, we finally feel like our place isn't so cluttered. Dylon's stuff was all over the house in our two bedroom, now we can keep it all in his bedroom. This picture shows you how far we moved. We just opened the doors between the two apartments and walked back and forth about 500 times. For most it would have been a horrible day to move, we got about 8 - 10 inches of snow that day, but for us it was great. On to some other exciting news, we really will be having a BIG move in the summer sometime, probably July. Dwayne has been accepted into a dental school in Arizona. We will be going to Midwestern University in Glendale, AZ. What a huge weight to be lifted from our shoulders. Now we can start planning our lives - for the next four years at least. This morning as I was scraping off 10 inches of snow from my car to get to church, it made me so excited to be in AZ next year at this time. (Dwayne was already at church for Bishopric meetings.) If anyone wants to come visit they are more than welcome. Arizona here we come!!!

U of U vs. BYU

What a disappointing last minute and 1/2 that was in the game. Two years in a row now it has come down to seconds of the game ending and BYU has taken it. Although that is the case we will stand true to the best school of the two. U of U has another fan this year, though he may have been sleeping during the last part of the game, his blood still runs red!

After the game we got Dylon bundled up and we all went roller-blading on the Jordan River Parkway. One of our favorite outdoor activities.

Mr. Magorium

Well, Dylon has now been to his first movie in the theatre. We went with his cousins, Aunts, Uncle, and Grandma Chistensen. I thought that it would go well. My brother and sis-in-law said that their kids always did well in the movies, and my friend said that her little girl has done good in two movies so far. (Her little girl Lily is 10 days younger than Dylon.) So I just thought he'll be excited to see all the colors and would do just fine. Was I wrong! As soon as the movie started, he started squiming and getting fussy. He didn't like how loud it was. I took him and walked around with him for a while, then after Dwayne had walked around with him and he wouldn't calm down at all, he decided to just take him for a ride until the movie ended. Well, needless to say, we won't try that again for a long time. It was a fun movie for kids, I think he will like it when he is older. Until then well just stick to short videos at home!

Open Wide!

Like father like son... Some may say that it is just a part of a babies development -wanting to always grab at anything near them - but I think that he just takes after his Dad. He is already showing interest in being a dentist. The mouth is the first thing he goes for when ever we talk to him. He holds on tight, opens and looks inside. So far the pricing is very reasonable, he gives us the family special. On to a new subject, he has been really sick lately. Yesterday in church Dwayne was walking around with him trying to calm him down when BLAHH...he threw up all over. Elders Quorum and Relief Society were just ending. I was talking with one of the girls in the ward and her husband came in telling us that some kid just "puked" everywhere. For a moment I thought "I hope that wasn't my child" then we continued talking. A few minutes later a guy in our ward came in and said "Dwayne asked me to come in to get you, your baby just threw up all over the gym". Since then he hasn't been able to keep much down. It is so hard to see your baby so sick and knowing that you can't do anything about it. I'm thinking that it is just the stomach flu, so we will see in a few days. He is such a strange little fella though he has been getting more fussy than normal, he still smiles his big old toothless grin. Something Dwayne and I love so much about him.

Starting Off

Well, we conformed to the trend of starting a blog. Next summer we will be moving out of state and we hope to be able to keep in touch with family and friends. Knowing how hard that can be we decided to start a blog so that those who want to know what is going on can just log on and see all of the happenings. Much has happened in the last few months. Dylon is now 6 1/2 months and I can't believe it. Everyone always says they grow up fast but man is it true. In less than 6 months he will be 1 year old. Dylon is growing every day, he sits up on his own now and is rolling over both ways. He talks (babbles) all the time, maybe even more then his mom! He is laughing and smiling constantly. Dwayne is very busy with school, work and being in the bishopric. He is so good with taking time to play with Dylon if he is awake when dad gets home. Dwayne has been interviewing this fall at different dental schools. We feel really good about some of the interviews and schools, but only time will tell. December 1st is when the schools can send out acceptance letters. We'll be waiting by the mail box that week following. We will keep you all posted on the news that we receive. Marie is staying home with Dylon and loves it. It is such a joy to see him progress daily. He is more entertainment than I could have ever have guessed for. We go to a mother and child institute class every Tuesday and Thursday which is a nice break from the normal routine. For now that it is what I will start with. We hope you enjoy this blog and we will get back with you later.