Cause Breaking Up Is Hard To Do

Today was our last day in our ward before we move.  Sad.  As excited and happy as I am to move, I’m really going to miss this ward.  There was just something special about our ward here.  From the time we moved here, we’ve loved it and we instantly felt at home.  I’ve never been in a ward that was so close knit.  In our time here, I have had the opportunity to make some of the most amazing friends.  I know we’ll meet lots of great people and enjoy whatever ward we’re in, but boy was it hard to say goodbye today.  The other thing I’m really going to miss…..hanging out with these guys every Sunday.

I’ve never worked in Primary until we moved here, and I can’t think of anything else I would have rather done.  We might have driven each other crazy at times, but they always made me smile….and they gave me plenty of great stories to tell Mark after church.  They are a great group of kids, and I’m so glad I had the opportunity to be a part of their lives.

Our lives here were great.  I’m so happy with all of the friends we’ve made, things we’ve learned, and opportunities to grow that we’ve had.  And here’s looking to the future and the great things in store there. 

Now I have to go finish packing that last of the random stuff that didn’t fit in the other boxes.  The moving truck comes tomorrow and then we’re off to Idaho!

 

The Good. The Crazy. The Ugly.

I’m taking a break from packing to catch up a little on blogging.  Because I want to, I can, and I probably have way too many blog posts in my google reader right now.  I’m a little scared to look.  So, here’s what’s going on.

The Good:

Mark was offered the job he was interviewing for!  This is a huge relief and we are both really excited for this job opportunity.  Mark will be working for a company that provides in home care and hospice care.  He will be the guy who communicates with hospitals, doctors, and sometimes the families about the services they can provide.  The company and everyone Mark has talked to so far seem great and he’s really excited for this change.   

The Crazy:

Mark starts his new job right after the 4th of July.  Which is awesome and we’re thrilled about.  But….instead of moving about a month from now, we’re moving next week.  As in Tuesday.  Which brings me to….

The Ugly:

We’re up to our elbows in boxes and packing.  Cardboard boxes are totally the new cool thing in decorating right?  If they are, I totally have the coolest house around!

And then there’s the stack of all our stuff waiting to be moved into the truck.  At least there’s some part of out house that is organized.

And now, I’m off to finish packing up our pantry.  Boy those boxes are going to be fun…with all of our canned food and all.

I Could Really Use A Few More

Once again, we’ve planted our little garden.  With all of our focus on moving and such, we really aren’t giving it the attention and care we did last year.  Thank heavens that didn’t stop these from growing. This year we got adventurous with our garden and we tried something that we’ve never grown before.  Strawberries.  We only planted a few strawberry plants and now I’m wishing we would have just filled the entire planter box with them.

Mark said that he read that they can actually grow in Idaho….’cause you know….not everything can.  I really hope so.  Because if he’s right, I just might have to go a little strawberry crazy next year.  I love going out and checking on them every few days and picking a couple.  Yum!

The Skinny. The Lowdown. The 411.

The last few weeks have been kind of crazy and full of unexpected turns.  It’s almost hard for me to wrap my head around everything that’s going on.    So, lets start at the beginning and I’ll explain.

A few months ago Mark’s company announced major layoffs.  This announcement didn’t come as a huge surprise to us.  We knew they were coming and in a crazy way, we began to hope that he would be one of the ones to get laid off.  I know, right?  It sounds absolutely crazy.  But it really was what we were hoping for.  We were just ready to make some big changes in our lives, and the severance package they were offering would really give us the financial ability to do that. 

When we found out that Mark was selected to be laid off, we were actually excited.  We viewed it as the open door to make a move we’ve been wanting to make for quite a long time.  Now we could start making plans.

So, we put our house up for sale.  Five days later we had an offer come in and we were able to secure the sale of our house!  That in and of itself is truly a miracle.  Seriously.  We were so mentally prepared for it to take FOREVER to sell our house, because let’s face it, houses aren’t exactly selling like hot cakes right now.  The fact that it happened so fast is amazing to me.  It’s almost hard for me to believe that it actually happened…I’m still kind of in shock.   

What’s next in this big plan of ours?  Well…we’re moving to Idaho.  That’s right.  We’re going to the land of snow, wind, and potatoes.  Do you think they’ll let me in even though I hate potatoes?  I sure hope so. 

We are really excited about this move.  Most of my family has gradually made their way out there and for the first time since we’ve been married, we will live near them.  I’m actually going to be able to hang out with my sisters and my parents any time I want to….and that makes me so happy.

Mark actually left me here in Oregon and headed out to Idaho as soon as the official layoff notice came.  He’s been staying with my parents and hanging out with my family.  I’m super jealous of him right now!  Really, he’s been working hard to make contacts, follow up on leads, and find a new job out there.  Considering he’s been out there less than a week, things have been going really well.  He has a big second interview lined up for Thursday that he is really excited about.  We’re crossing our fingers and toes on this one.

We truly feel blessed with how quickly everything has happened.  This isn’t an easy move for us to make and we are working really hard on our part to help make everything come together.  It is so easy to see the hand of the Lord working in our lives right now.  Doors are being opened for us and the way is being prepared.  I don’t know exactly what the next few weeks and months will bring, but I know we’ll be just fine.  As my friend, Marie has always said, “The Lord provides”. 

Car Cruise

What on earth could cause all these people to sit out on the side of the street on a Saturday night?

Well, they definitely weren’t there to see Mark and I drive down the street…that’s for sure.  They are waiting for the annual car cruise to start.  It’s a pretty big deal around here, so Mark and I decided to check it out.  The city closes down the main street going through town and people register their old cars so they can cruise through town.  That way everyone can see and admire their cars.
 

It was actually quite entertaining to sit and judge the cars.  There were cars you thought were cool….

Cars that made you laugh….especially when they through incense out the windows at people.

There was a pretty rad, old fire truck and a car covered in flames.  They kind of go well together.
 
And then there was my favorite car of the night.

I love that it’s pink. 
I love that the license plate is Lil Pig. 
And I totally want one.

I feel like we’ve taken part in something that’s a pretty big deal in our little town and I like that.  We are really trying to soak in everything that we can right now.  Especially since there are so many changes happening in our lives and we will be moving in a couple of months.  It’s crazy, but good, and that is a whole ‘nother post. 

And So It Goes

Have you heard that old joke about living in Oregon?  It goes something along the lines of…..it only rained here twice last month.  The first time was for two weeks and the second time for two weeks.  Yeah, that’s not too far from the truth. 
A few friends and I have been trying to go out on a short hike every Tuesday for the last month.  Unfortunately, it was always raining and we never went.  Until this week.  We actually had a break from the rain for half a day.  I’ll take it!
I guess if I had a good attitude about all the rain, I would recognize that it is what keeps Oregon so green and pretty.  Like this…

 
Maybe it isn’t so bad after all.  Summer will get here eventually, right?  I hope so, because we’ve got big plans to check out some more hikes in the area.  They are so pretty, and a good workout too.

Besides, this is so much more fun than spending the morning with my treadmill.  I’d choose this any day.

Got Marshmallows?

Out of all my nieces and nephews, this guy is my all time favorite 7 year old named Orion.
His brother and sister are pretty awesome too.  Not that I’m biased or anything.

 

Saturday was Orion’s 7th birthday and he had the coolest party ever.  Seriously, I don’t know a single boy…young or old…who wouldn’t love a party like this.  It was an army themed party.  Steven was the drill sergeant and he had drills and an obstacle course for all the kids to go through.

    

Then, once everyone was sufficiently trained and warmed up it was time for the highlight of the whole party.  The marshmallow gun war.

They could have stayed out in this field shooting each other all day long.  I think the big kids had just as much fun as all the little kids….actually they probably had more fun than the little kids. Happy Birthday Orion!  You are the coolest 7 year old fella I know.  Hands down.