Well, my goals are slipping away! Preparing for a move is a full time job and I have had to let some other things go.
Some highlights of the past month:
1. We found a home in Utah! 3 house hunting trips later, we found the perfect house for my parents and us!! We ended up buying in Riverton. 3558 New Private Drive. This was by far the hardest house hunting trip for us. We looked at so many homes. We really wanted to live in the Davis County area, but nothing worked out for us. We put an offer on a beautiful home in Kaysville, and they broke our hearts giving the home to someone else. I took it so hard! I can laugh about it now, but I was moping around like my boyfriend broke up with me or something! The Lord is so merciful, so kind. He more than made up for it. I feel so at peace and EXCITED about our home. Although Riverton wasn't our preferred area, we are seeing the benefits of living there and just can't wait. It brings me so much joy to provide just what I felt the Lord wanted for my parents. They have an independent space- 2,000 square feet. A big living room, a spacious and updated kitchen, 3 bedrooms, bathroom and all the windows are above ground which provides plenty of sunlight. They have their own doors so they can come and go as they please. As for us, we will have 2800 sq. feet of beautiful, functional space. The floor plan was designed for our circumstances. And we will be on 1/2 acre of land! We feel so very blessed.
2. Selling our home here in Texas was stressful and heart wrenching. The buyers did some very unethical things to our contract. We lost out on money and were hurt by their actions. There are some very greedy and dishonest people in this world!
3. Tyler started a new job at Continuum. He is excited to work with this small company. Our friend, Matt Harward, offered him this new position to work the West territory. He was also accepted into the U of U Executive MBA program which he is so excited about. We are still prayerfully considering. It would cost $70K, which is a huge chunk of money!
4. Something really fun that happened was that Tyler and I, in typical fashion, got ourselves in a predicament. When we were in Utah house hunting, he took me to the airport to fly back home. We realized right when I was getting out of the car that he forgot his car key for me to drive it home from the airport. We were freaking out because I was landing at 11:30 at night! I told him I'd figure it out and ran inside to catch my flight. Before getting on the plan, I put a shout out to my RS friends on Facebook: "Attention night owls: (I explained the situation). I will provide a pedi for anyone who is willing to come pick me up." Within 1 minute I had a response from Michelle Howard that she would love to come get me. Then another friend jumped on saying "no fair, I wanted to do it". I was relieved and grateful that I had a ride and my phone battery died. When I landed Michelle was there, and so was Patrice who saw the message and wanted to come along. When we pulled up to my house, there were 5 other women there with a box of donuts to greet me. Apparently, the thread continued on FB and one friend mentioned a yummy donut shop near the airport, and others chimed in saying they wanted to party that night, so Lei Strueling drove at midnight with her teenage daughter 30 minutes to pick up these donuts and arranged with the other women to meet at my house. They stayed with me until 1:30 am chatting. I will never forget this fun, loving act of kindness towards me!
It will be hard to say goodbye to our dear friends here in Austin. We have really enjoyed living here. We will miss our ward, and boating on the lake as a family.
I am grateful for the experiences of moving and knowing so many different people in my life. Each place I've lived I have connected with people that have taught me so much and impacted my life for the better. It will be interesting to see what the Lord has in store for us in Utah. I've been so focused on this move in regards to my parents, that I hadn't really thought about my own little family- besides finding a good place for us to live. My dad gave me a beautiful father's blessing when we were in Utah house hunting (my sweet parents met me there to help look). Through that blessing I realized that our move to Utah is so much more than just providing a dignified home for my parents. My little Mons family has a purpose there as well and the Lord has a work for us to do. It was one of the most powerful blessings I have received.
The theme for my life seems to be, "I Stand All Amazed". As Tyler and I grow and progress, we look back at our life experiences as individuals, as a couple, and as a family, and we can see how the Lord has woven and shaped our lives into something so beautiful. Even through our hardest of times. The Lord is so good to us. I truly stand amazed at all of the details he is involved in our lives. He has blessed us so abundantly. He has stood beside us through every step. He is a loving father who cares deeply and intimately about each of us!
