MaRyLaNd

Nate is currently working at a lab on campus where he designs, creates and flies UAVs (Unmanned Arial Vehicles or remote control airplanes).

He LOVES working here. He comes home nearly every day and has some exciting news to share about how airplanes did/did not fly... Usually it's how incredibly bad one of them crashed.

He was lucky enough to be on the team making a "Quadrotor" to take to a competition in Maryland. Here is what a quadrotor looks like for all of those out there who, like me, would normally have no idea what was coming out of my mouth:

 So you can see that it has four propellers and four motors making it a Quad-Rotor. 

Their's was the only quadrotor entered into this competition. Usually USU brings a fixed-wing UAV and gets 1st but they decided that it was time to challenge themselves - and boy, was it a challenge. There is so much that goes into making something fly and it gets way more complicated when you add 4 motors - not only that, but when you take it to another part of the country, you have to re-tune it to the current climate/elevation. The process was pretty frustrating for Nate and his team because it just wasn't working for the first 3 days of the competition. Miraculously, they got it to do some things that they didn't expect they would and ended up doing pretty well in the competition considering they brought such a hard UAV. 

After the competition, we celebrated by eating some awesome sea-food and going to the beach.

We also took a trip to Washington D.C. which was awesome. I have been here once when I was in 2nd grade and it was fun to go back. We started with the Museum of Natural History. I could have stayed for HOURS but they only gave me one.

But they got to spend FOUR HOURS at the Air and Space Museum! 

This was Nate's face as we walked in:

Wow right? That something so nerdy makes my husband so excited... Yikes.

I got to learn a lot of information about certain spaceships and planes there but I've forgotten it all now...

 I had a great time with my hubs and his team. It was really hard not to feel like Penny on The Big Bang Theory... And I did learn just how much of a nerd I married. I knew he was one before but I saw IT ALL on this trip. And guess what, I love him even more for it. :-)

New Bike

So ever since we got married, Nate has been wanting a bike. Now, before you think I'm a horrible wife for not getting him one sooner, I have to tell you that he doesn't want just any bike - he wants a GOOD bike. And as any of you that are bikers know, good bikes aren't cheap. So we haven't gotten him one because we haven't really been able to afford it.

I have recently taken up biking myself. I have a bike that we got when were first married for $100. Nothing fancy, but I love it. I decided that I would start riding my bike to work because it would save on gas and help me get into shape. I have enjoyed it so much that I want to bike everywhere I go but the problem with that is I didn't have any way of taking Ryker with me. 

Thus began the bike trailer shopping.

I had been shopping online for bike trailers for quite a while when I went to Sunrise Cyclery in Logan. It is owned by a friend of ours and I thought I'd go to just look at one in person to compare it to the online ones I found. Needless to say, I fell in love with the bike trailer that they had. It was more expensive than a used one on KSL but I knew that it was a lot nicer. I talked to Nate and we agreed that we would get the bike trailer. 

Ian, the owner of the Sunrise told me that the following weekend they were having their memorial day sale and everything would be a lot cheaper. As I geared up to put down some money for the bike trailer, I felt sad because I would have a bike but nate wouldn't so we wouldn't be able to go riding together. 

Thus began Nathan's bike shopping.

I wanted to surprise him but I also knew that he is NOT a spur of the moment spender so I had to give him a few days to shop around just to make sure he knew what he wanted. So I told him that I had a anniversary, birthday and graduation gift for him. He got SO excited when I told him I was going to get him a bike. True, not as cool as bringing the bike home and having it there but I had NO idea what kind of bike he wanted and like I said earlier, he is picky and wants a GOOD bike. 

 That weekend we went to Sunrise and he pretty much knew exactly what he wanted. I was trying to steer him towards a cheeper one.... But he is a quality that last a lifetime kind of guy. Luckily, Ian was really nice to us and gave us the awesome Memorial sale plus a discount for buying the bike and the trailer together. 

We've been on several rides together and Nate loves his bike and Ryker loves the trailer. 

It stays in our room with us because we have nowhere else to put it and he wants it kept inside and he lovingly, almost annoyingly babies it to make sure it stays perfect - hey, I'm not complaining. Hopefully it will be the only bike we will buy for a long time.