When we arrived in Rexburg it was freezing cold, windy, and snow was covering the ground. It pretty much looked like a desolate wasteland. We got bundled up and went on a tour of the campus with Hannah and Jonathon's sister, Tiffany. They showed us around the campus and through many of the buildings. They have many beautiful outdoor spaces and buildings, including a very cool greenhouse full of amazing, exotic plants. Once I got passed the weather, I was actually very impressed with campus. The last place we went was to the library. We saw a lady working at the Printing Press and asked if we could come look at it. It is a working replica of the Grandin Printing Press from Palmyra, NY that printed the first copies of the Book of Mormon. The kind lady working on the press showed us how it worked, and then let us print our own Christmas card on it. Hannah and Jonathon got to ink the letters and work the press. She also took time to explain about the different pieces and how to set the type. It was really neat, but unfortunately, when we left, I forgot my bag that contained the brand new hoodie sweatshirt that I bought just 20 minutes before. I didn't figure out that I had misplaced it until hours later, and by then everything was closed.
Then we met up with my mom and dad and our friend, Tom and went to an early dinner at Frontier Pies. We had a delicious meal (clam chowder and cornbread for me!), and finished it off with a slice of pie. It was fun to be with everyone and get to experience a little of the area.
Next it was time for graduation. The Spirit at BYU-I is very strong. The ceremony was very nice and I was impressed with the speakers and the lovely building (The I Center) where it was held. After the main ceremony, they held the specific college convocations. Hannah graduated in the Life Science and Agriculture college with a major in Agronomy: Plant and Soil Science. We got to see her walk across the stage, get her diploma, and receive a rose from the department. I was so glad that I could be there to support her and enjoy such a wonderful occasion.
After graduation, we went back to Hannah's apartment for ice cream and to chat, and then headed to the hotel to spend the night. Mom and Dad were nice enough to let Jonathon and I stay in their room in the extra queen bed, so it didn't cost us any extra. The next morning, we packed up Tiffany's stuff and headed home. Tiff will be at home this semester, so it worked out great that we could bring her home since Mom and Dad were watching our kids.
*And the story of the missing hoodie has a happy ending. When we got home, we received an email from the lady in the printing press saying that she found my bag. We had signed our names in her guest book, and she was able to track us down through Tiffany's BYU-I email address. I was so grateful and offered to pay all the shipping charges to get the sweatshirt to my brother for Christmas, but she said it was no big deal and that she would be happy to ship it for free and wished us a Merry Christmas! The quality of the university and the people at BYU-I was top-notch. It was a great experience.
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