Update and our Va-K

Israel finished his second year of medical about a month ago, and for us that meant a move from Kirksville, Missouri (I just barely mastered the spelling of that word, and now we don't even live there anymore....) to Trenton, Michigan. The first two years of his school were done at the site of the school, and were basically all class work. Now he begins his rotations, which means he'll spend six weeks each with all the different kinds of doctors. It's a pretty exciting move for him. For me it was kind of sad, it means starting all over with making friends and finding things to do. It's also farther from "home." Funny, but I grew to love Missouri so much that it feels like home too. I sure to miss everyone there. Anyway, thanks to everyone who helped with our move - especially Katherine and TerriLynn for helping with our kids - and my mom and dad for helping with everything else. I have been blessed with such great friends and family. Anyway, we got here and the house was gross - seems to be par for most of us moving to Michigan. I actually thought to myself 'should we just keep the truck loaded and go look for something else right this minute?'. After several hours of cleaning and scrubbing (thanks for that too mom) I started to feel like we could make things work out. Now we're settled and enjoying our new place. I'll write more about that later....maybe.

Israel had almost an entire month before rotations began, and after we kind of settled in we started to get board. Most people in our situation headed out west to visit family, but we hadn't made any plans. It started to feel like we were just "spending" days, but not really doing anything or having any plans or purpose. I hate that feeling. So on Wednesday morning I told Israel he had 24 hour notice - we were going on vacation. We've never really gone on vacation before - anyone who knows me knows that I don't even count our honeymoon to Alaska as a vacation. So we spend that day looking at our atlas and deciding what to do. Here's what we came up with:

Our first day we drove from home to a little town called Carlisle, Pennsylvania - aka Charmingtown USA. I am in love with this place. We chose it because I got a good deal for the hotel on hotwire.com, and it was close to where we wanted to visit Friday - Gettysburg. I am so happy we found this little place, just by chance. I loved it. I would have stayed there a week, but we kind of ran out of stuff to do there. Anyway, it really reminds me of England where I served my mission. Here are some pictures. I hope that we go back to Carlisle sometime. (Besides - Carlisle is one of my favourite Twilight characters.....)

So the second day of our trip we visited Gettysburg. I was surprised by my experience there. I enjoy history and historic things - and can you get much more historic than Gettysburg? We stopped at the visitors center and bought a cd that you can use to have a guided tour in your car. Then we drove around the battlefield for the next couple of hours listening to a dramatization of the events that took place there. The longer I listened, the more I just felt sorrow. So much pain occured in that place. So much life was taken - for a noble cause, I know, but it is still sad no matter how noble. I can't help but think that if I had lived in a different time, those stories of suffering may have involved my Israel, or my Max. When we visited the gift shop, and I bought a bag of candy, I couldn't help but feel that all these people, talking soo loud and acting so lightminded were desecrating a place that that should be hallowed and sacred. In the Gettysburg address Abraham Lincoln said "We have come to dedicate a portion of that field, as a final resting place for those who here gave their lives that that nation might live. It is altogether fitting and proper that we should do this.
But, in a larger sense, we can not dedicate -- we can not consecrate -- we can not hallow -- this ground. The brave men, living and dead, who struggled here, have consecrated it, far above our poor power to add or detract. The world will little note, nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here."

The Devils Den, where the worst of the fighting took place. Got it's name because it was like a Hell on Earth.

After this experience we needed something a little lighter, so we spent a couple hours in Hershey Pennsylvania - yep, the home of the chocolate bar. It was fun - and we got the most delicious piece of cheesecake. Quincy enjoyed her cupcake.

Ok, it's late, I'm going to have to make a Part II to this post.