long overdue post

Holy cow it's been six weeks since my last post. Well, a lot has been going on.... umm.... I just don't quite know where to begin... School for me was over on the fifth of June so the next day I flew out to WA to spend time with my family and let Ben finish studying for Boards. He then flew out and spent a week and a half out there with me. We got to go to the Olympic Rainforest on the WA peninsula which was absolutely amazing. Some friends from his school and my sister (with her friends) were able to come too. We backpacked for 5 days (roughly 35 miles) along the coast and inland. We didn't pay too much attention about the tides and had to climb over huge boulders for two days with 30+ pound packs on. Then these "ascents" Ben kept talking about were huge inclines and even cliffs we had to scramble up or use a rope/ladder system. Sooooo tiring but soooo cool. Besides not being able to tighten my pack around my waist tightly - I didn't feel like I was hindered with being pregnant. Below are about a million pictures from our trip.

This was our last day - we were SO happy to be finished and go take showers.

View above and below from one of our campsites.

One of our climbs.

We had to put our rain gear on for a day or so. That's Ryan (friend from Chicago) and my sister.

My sister and I passed some of the time (when it felt like the miles would never end) by talking about our favorite foods (we were living off of cliff bars and dehydrated meals) and playing name games using famous people.

I loved coming to ascents or descents when they provided a ladder and rope! That's me above and Laura, my sister, below.

Julia, Ryan, and Melissa (all friends from Chicago).

Laura, her friend Crystal, and I.

Before we could begin this little expedition we had to stop in Forks to get permits and bear canisters. NO, I did not get giddy about being in Twilight-ville, but YES, I took many pictures =)

Dang fine berry cobbler.

Forks was so ghetto. No wonder they didn't film anything there. But the town definitely took advantage of tourism (yes there were many people there that traveled specifically there (one family from TEXAS!) for the "sites"). Everything had signs attached about the book/film.

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Now we're back in town. I'm teaching summer school and Ben is in his third year doing his first rotation in Pediatrics. He was finally able to go to a doctor's apt. with me on Monday where they did an ultrasound and checked the heart rate (138). This was the first time Ben got to see the baby live. Then he talked to the doctor (who might be his attending during his ob/gyn rotation) in language I didn't understand - for too long - b - o - r - i - n - g. 

TUESDAY - we find out the gender!