MOVING...

Well, it is official, we are moving to Utah. This is both exciting for me and a little sad at the same time. My kids are thrilled and excited to be closer to cousins. I am hoping to get my house on the market in the next week and see what happens. I hope it doesn't take too long to sell as we are missing Justin and he won't be coming back here to live. He officially starts his job on the 4th of January so until then he is a temporary employee. He will be home for Christmas and we are all happy about that. This is a great opportunity for him and his career and we are all happy that this has finally happened! There are some things I will miss about Houston. I try not to think to much about it because I tend to get weepy. So here is a small list of some of the things I will miss...

* the ability to drive past my childhood home even though no one I know lives there anymore it is still a comfort

* the great family and church friends I have and have made since living here for the past three years

* the area of town we live in has been wonderful and we have had great neighbors and kids for my kids to play with

* I will be sad to leave behind my vinyl business and the contacts and customers I have made and become friends with. I know that I will still be doing this in Utah however I have several regulars that I will be sad to leave. And I am not sure to what level my business will grow there since there are so many already doing vinyl there

* I will miss my quarterly "Girls Night Out" with my high school buddies, we were very close in high school and even though we only see each other every few months it is sooooo fun to catch up and give and gain advice on marriage, parenting and life

* My house, I have really made it my own...okay I am sniffling now...and I hate to leave it since it really says who I am.

* Los Cucos but I am looking forward to Cafe Rio

* My brother, I don't see him all that often but I will miss our visits

* the ocean...I have always said people are either ocean people or mountain people...I am an ocean person moving to the mountains. I will learn to adjust.

* My sewing job. It is a no brainer and great money.

* The way I know my way around Houston...Utah has that grid system that seems so strange to me.

I am sure there are many other things but these are the things I have thought about recently.

There are things I am excited about moving to Utah and being close to my sister tops the list. We plan to stay with her a little while while we are house shopping. It will be so nice to actually see her regularly rather than talk to her several times a day on the phone. Justin also has some family there, a sister and her family and a brother and his family. We are happy to be close to them as well and be able to share fun things like holidays and birthdays and Sunday night dinners. I am anxious to see how it all turns out. I am hoping that my house sell quickly and that we can head to Utah in January some time.

We will miss you Katy, Texas (Houston) but Utah will be lucky to have us!!!

Good Fortune

So we are still waiting for a job offer. They have extended Justin's temporary position until the offer comes or until the position ends. So I guess that still doesn't answer the question of whether or not we are moving. But a funny things happened to us the other day. Justin was home this weekend and we grabbed Chinese for lunch. He got the best fortune I have ever seen pertaining to someones life. It read:

"A good job and a comfortable salary will be yours."

All I have to say is bring it on...and hurry.

A cute one from Dylan...

Just to start Dylan wears glasses...

The other day the kids were watching a movie with a friend. Dylan walked over to the TV and stood close to watch. The friend said, "Dylan you'd better sit down or your going to go blind." Dylan replied, "I already am blind."

Funny!
Posted by Stephanie at 9:11

Ready for an Answer!

I'm quite nervous and excited about this week. I'm expecting a job offer to move my family back to Utah. This move is a little different than the one that took us from Seattle to Houston and I've really struggled with my emotions because of the stresses involved with work and of being away from home.

Since I've been here the company has made several "organizational changes". Every one of them has affected me though. The day after I got here they let one of the 2 buyers go, so instead of working on managing inventory I had to slide back into a buyer role. That was a totally stressful situation since I was buying commodities that I wasn't familiar with and for a product that I knew nothing about. Not only that but I had been away for my family for only a week, so home sickness and loneliness only compounded my emotional state.

Then just 2 weeks ago they let my 2 bosses go, the purchasing manager and general manager....both of whom had an instrumental role in getting and keeping me here. So now I'm totally alone and confused with only an unhappy controller and a distant wife to confide in.

I've been able to escape into the confines of my brother's house, which is in the middle of the Uintah Mountains at the Flaming Gorge National Park. The drive is not the most scenic, but there is abundant wildlife and abundant time for me to occupy my mind. In driving home today I was surrounded by snow covered peaks, deer, elk, pine trees, hay fields, rivers, streams, historic markers, geological phenomenon and lots of sagebrush. The thought came to me that this was the same area that I grew up in and would love to have my children experience. I think I came to the conclusion that this is where we need to be.

So how do you determine what's best for your family, I ask? Is it fasting and prayer? Is it common sense or familiar surroundings? Or is it both? I know people get their answers in different ways and at different times. For me it seems to come as I immerse myself in daily life and activities.

With Samantha being here with me last weekend I felt impressed that she needs to be close to her sister and that my kids need to be closer to their cousins. I've been telling myself that I want to be closer to family because I feel like we've been left out and/or forgotten and right now this is where most of our family is. It isn't the most convenient place for us, but Texas sure isn't.

Needless to say I'm looking forward to spending time in the Temple this week and to finally bring this soap opera of a "short term, temporary" job assignment to a close. And as I proofread this post I can only wonder if I've already made my choice and if it's the right one.

Can't resist...Alex is the funniest kid!

So I am on the home stretch with the Super Saturday wood cutting. Alex was helping me wipe the saw dust off the blocks and then he started counting them. He made it over a hundred then quit. I told him there were about 350 blocks and he patted me on the back, then put his head on my side and said to me..."WOW, you must be one tired woman!" :)

One more...

After all our morning chores Alex says he is "poofed!" As for me I am pooped!
HaHa!

One more "Alex"ism

Today when we got in the car it was really hot and they boys asked me to turn on the air. I turned it on Hi and I heard Alex in the back say, "Now this is the life!"

I love him! He can always make me smile!