Moving moving moving

Well, we are moving!!! So many thoughts and big big feelings. I'm so sad to leave my ward. I look around and these people have been my family for the past year. They are my neighbors and friends. I will keep in touch with many of them through social media, luckily, but it will be hard to not see them every day/week. And this beautiful chapel and ward building!!! What a blessing it has been. I remember our first Sunday here. We had just moved in the night before and were wrinkled and sleepy and so many people welcomed us. That night, the Bishop Garbett and Duran Lucas came and visited us. We felt so much peace and hat we were in the right place. The house we have lived in has been wonderful. It's cute and fun and has served every purpose. My children have been kept safe. We have enjoyed this beautiful neighborhood, walking to the temple and temple square all the time, seeing it every day. Waking up to the captiol building outside our windows and exploring the buildings and playing on the grass, and going to fun events like yoga and movies at the Capitol. We have loved being so close to Collins work and having him home so early.

We have a bucket list for the next week and a half to do all our favorite things and a few new things before we go.

I know God brought us to this area for a reason. 

We are so excited for our new opportunity and home in Sandy. We will have a big yard with trees and a garden and a neighborhood with tons of families and children. We will be within walking distance to two parks and close to a library. We will be farther than I'd like from Freddie's school and music school, but I have learned for myself that it is Gods will that we move to Sandy. I had to pray hard and then to God and let his will be my will.

This is what I read in answer to my prayers. I was wanting to be closer to the school and feeling the weight of moving... Feeling it was and would be too much work...I prayed for clarity. 

3 Nephi 27: (Christ talking to the Nephites)

11 But if it be not built upon my gospel, and is built upon the works of men, or upon the works of the devil, verily I say unto you they have joy in their works for a season, and by and by the end cometh, and they are hewn down and cast into the fire, from whence there is no return.

14 And my Father sent me that I might be lifted up upon the cross; and after that I had been lifted up upon the cross, that I might draw all men unto me, that as I have been lifted up by men even so should men be lifted up by the Father, to stand before me, to be judged of their works, whether they be good or whether they be evil--

I feel peace and excited about this change. I know it will be hard work to move and hard work to get my kids to all their activities and hard work to raise them in the gospel. But I know I must find joy in his season of my life. I am so blessed to have children to take to school. What a nice time we will have together traveling, talking, growing closer, eating, sharing, sleeping. I will try to stay positive!!!

Now to pack up our whole crazy house, change and set up utilities, changed our address everywhere, and MOVE. 

life lately

Freddie started Primary and Sunbeams! The weeks leading up to the change were looking great. He was excited. His nursery teachers said he was "so ready!" He went in to Primary a few times and loved it. Then the big day came and he was ALSO asked to give a talk on his very first day! It went great! It was about how God is the father of our spirits and he was super cute and only got nervous once and had me deliver a line, but then did the rest himself. BUT THEN....the next week came and he FREAKED out. and with each week it got worse and worse and worse... it was breaking my heart. He would cry and tell us he didn't want to go to church or primary or sunbeams and said he didn't want us to leave him and that he didn't like his teacher. (It didn't help that he had a different teacher every time for a few weeks while they sorted things out and that the teachers were never sitting there when he got into primary..but I know how hard it all is so I don't fault anyone!!) He went through something similar to this when he first started nursery though, and after a few hard months, he became a pro. So we stuck with it. Week after week it got harder and harder to leave him though and once I just stayed with him the whole time. And then the next week I was ready to leave him but was asked to stay and sit with his class as the teacher was not able to be there. That was horrible because Collin was home with the flu and Hattie was going nuts. I was honestly about to leave church and stay home till they graduate but I stayed and stuck it out and was blessed. He had a breakthrough. The primary chorister is so sweet and came out in the hall, where we were, and said she had a special job for him and that she didn't want him to miss it. He stopped crying, took her hand, and went in! And again the next two weeks, he went right in without being upset!!!! They got all the teacher stuff worked out and it's been consistent for a few weeks now, too. I couldn't feel more happy or blessed. I had been praying hard that it would work out and that Fred would feel happy and confident and I feel like my decision to stay at church that day when ALMOST all hope was lost, was a huge turning point. I know I made the right choice. It's hard to have little kids at church and sometimes it seems pointless, but I know it's important. I know Heavenly Father is aware of me and loves and blesses me. uggg...remind me of this when Hattie goes into nursery in a few months.....

lots of walks through the neighborhood. Sometimes it's like this and sometimes these two are running wild through the streets. I love our double stroller.

Collin and I have been attending the temple. One of us goes in and the other stays at the temple with the kids or at home. I got to go to the Gilbert temple for the first time (besides the open house) and do sealings. It was such an incredible experience. I felt the Lord strongly call me to repentance and that I am not living up to my potential. I need to pray more...and not just go through the motions, but actually have a conversation with my Father in Heaven. Talk to him and trust him. I have felt my marriage strengthen as I have tried to do this. And then Collin went away on business for a while and I let it all go, and let loneliness, insecurities, and fear creep in. So time to regroup and try again.


pottys in our house. Everywhere. We had to order another for Hattie because she loves to sit on Freddie's and they kept fighting over it. (we AREN'T potty training her by any means....just like having pottys for them to sit on and develop a positive relationship with while they are little.) Thank goodness for this $7 potty on amazon..and free 2-day shipping...and AJ Money's account.... :)


 

HE DOES EAT....now and again....


Lots of fun stuff at the Children's Museum of Phoenix

Very dear friend, Carla Frick, got baptized last month! It was a beautiful day!!!

We got a rocking chair. $30 from criagslist. I love it.

FHE, Uncle Jojo's basketball games, parks and heart museum

Work trips for Daddy all over the country. Collin now manages the social media for the AAA Delaware region. He is blessed with awesome coworkers.

we are so glad when he's back!!!

Together again; together forever

Collin spent most of this week in Las Vegas at the amazing humongous CES conference. (More about that here.)
While I know he missed us and we missed him like nutballs, I'm so glad he got the awesome opportunity to see some sweet technology, meet great contacts and cool cats and eat at Fleur by Hubert Keller. (lucky dog.)
We kept busy by visiting family and playing outside a ton in the gorgeous foggy overcast weather.
Now I'm just glad CS is home and my boys are snoring next to me. I love those dudes. They had the best reunion ever!!!!! Fred just got giddy as if he were "tickled pink," and then started laughing hysterically like a madman and hugging and kissing commenced.
Then...playing in Fred's room and telling every single intricate detail of each of our weeks (which I loved)...having dinner...(trying to) play guitar hero (w a toddler) is impossible but still fun...watching the Bachelor (I LOVE THIS SHOW SO MUCH!) and eating grilled cheese and tomato soup.

yesterday was tooooo lazy

Today is a day of PRODUCTION!

Also, I'm loving that this month's Ensign talks about missionary work for the 3rd month in a row. It must be important, I guess! I love that it talks about missionary couples and that it's the best time they've spent together: in service of their fellowmen. That's far away, but I really can't wait for that time. I just love spending time with Smith. I just love him. He really takes care of me.

Out with work friends!

Impromptu Christmas party dinner at Buffalo Wild Wings

Anna and Ben

Brad and Alex

Sophia, too!

Keerie and Heidi

Cute demon/Carrie and ANNA!!!!! Anna does my hair.<3

Smiths

Christmas treeeeeeeeeeeeeee!

I love them!

all good stuff

Tuesday Morning means I'm at work and I'll be here till this afternoon. Then I'll walk home, deposit our checks, mail some letters, then go home to my Collin. Don't forget to check in online! Tomorrow we'll pack and I'll work in the evening, after which my good friend will drive us to another friend's near the airport. We'll stay the night there, and then at 6AM....IT'S ARIZONA TIME!!!!!!!!!!

-AZ

-MOM!!!

-JOE, DAD, SNEEK!!!!!, Mickey!

-MEET TOM AND HugGGGGgggg MORGAN's FACE OFF

PARTY/WEDDING TIME!

This will be excellent.

Work party in the woods

Today we had a work meeting at Tyson's Corner, Virginia. It was actually awesome, and I got recognized and won an award for doing a good job, yahoo! Then we went over to a nearby park to BBQ and eat and play. My boss grilled Moroccan burgers like a champ, and not 1 hour later it was POURING rain. We rain to our cars, but I got soaked. Fun day.

Plus, Collin got a well-paying-month-long gig through the temp agency. I can't help but think that this is so right for us right now, and that Heavenly Father has something amazing in store for our future...

Back on the hunt

So friends, just to let you know, Collin is back on the job hunt. He was let go because the small company he was working for could no longer fund his position.

But it really is a blessing. Overall, he wasn't happy there; it wasn't a good fit.

But let me tell ya, it was a shock for both of us, and humbling! He called while I was at work. He told me and my first thought was, "good thing we have our savings." Then I felt immediate calm and peace, knowledge that we'll be okay. Never once have I felt fear or anything negative--miracle in-of itself, right?

Honestly, I'm so grateful for the Prophet's guidance and the commandment to have a savings and food storage. :) But don't worry about us; we'll be juuuuust fine! He will be paid through the next few weeks, I still have my job, and he is already on with some temp agencies.

Collin and I have both learned so much from this experience...(& I'm positive there's quite a lot of learning left to go). He needs to be involved in something creative, and have ownership in his work. AND not have a 2.5 hour commute, thank GOODNESS that is over!!

Basically, we are happy; we know this is Heavenly Father's plan for us; we know there is something better out there for Collin, and we look at this as yet another ADVENTURE!

Collin, I love you my best friend, darling, husband, lover, hardest-worker, creative, interesting, wonderful, amazing man.

getting in at work

Crazy night for the Pure Privilege machine.

Chakra

I am attracted to having harmony. That means I'm lacking that in my life and I'm feeling depression, loss of connection, and lack of caring.

It's true. I hate missing weddings, not yet meeting friend's boyfriend-&-potential-husbands, Joseph's last day of elementary school, the Phoenix dry heat, doing stuff with my mom, adventuring with Smith, watching movies at AMC theatre, and having lots of friends.

Seriously, I feel like having a girls slumber party. I feel disconnected from so much. And I hate that Collin and I separate and work all day in different states. There has to be a different option when it comes to growing up!

Well I sprayed Chakra #1 in the middle of my chest, and Chakra #4 at the bottom of my spine, so hopefully that'll work. Plus, I suppose I need to count my many blessings and endure and not look back! Okay! I'll try!!!

Be... something something

I love Thursdays because we get a new shipment of products into the store. I love putting away brand new Aveda products. They are so clean, and beautiful and pretty smelling and the plastic is so smoooooooth.

I want to get all of these things. And I want to get a manicure, pedicure, massage, and my hair done. I'm finally a girl. But alas, I'm supposed to wait a month more. I bet old Daniel is a softy and let's me early.

This post just isn't getting formatted the way I want it to. Pretend it is symmetrical.

DUN DUN DUN

Have you heard?????????????? THERE'S BEEN A HUGE BLIZZARD IN DC!!!!!!

We're surviving. :) Actually it has been pretty fun. Everything in the city has shut down because no one can get their cars out of the driveway and the metro can't run above ground.

It was pretty crazy! Last weekend, as the storm was hitting, we stopped by the grocery store for a couple of things. There was NOTHING there! The shelves were mostly barren. No milk! No Eggs! No chicken!!! No tomatoes!!!!!! The place was a madhouse. Kind of scary to think this was just a snow storm. What will "the end" be like? Don't you worry though, we had enough food and were able to get stuff from our farmer's market on Saturday.

Sunday, church was cancelled again, of course, so we had a mini church. Then we went on a big walk. The sun was out; the sky was blue; we had so much fun, but it was still FREEZING! The wind goes like 15-20 mph and cuts your face into bloody pieces. Phew.

Other than snow walks, we've been watching lost of movies and the Bachelor and LOST on hulu. We haven't seen the B this week yet, but Jake! Get rid of ALLY!!! YUCK! LOST is the greatest show ever to air on Television. Period. End of Story. That first episode last week had me SCREAMING with fear the whole time. I LOVE IT!

ALSO: I got a job! Daniel from Jouvence Aveda called me about the application I turned in a couple of weeks ago. He invited me to talk today, and apparently he liked me because I start training on Saturday! I'm kind of nervous, but really excited for free hair cuts, manicures, products, and MONEY, woo. It should be fun. ???? I hope. I don't die.

PS. Daniel is the President and is from Paris. He is awesome. So suave. So intimidating. I told him my husband served a mission in Paris and that they'll have to speak French together sometime. He laughed at that. He also laughed when I told him my hobbies were documenting, being with friends, and playing board games. Not sure if laughs are good or bad. Ha!

We're getting 10 inches or more right now. I say, BRING IT ON! BUT! Please let me go to church this Sunday! I really really miss it.