Welcome to Utah

So leaving Forest Grove I have to say was one of the hardest things I have done! Saying goodbye to all our friends was torture for me! I think I cried for like an hour in the car driving away! Then we stopped and said goodbye to Grandma Chloris and Nate who is going on a mission- And That ridiculous. I have come to love the Mullins family just as much as my own! I hard a really hard time saying bye even though I will see them again! I will miss every holiday at there amazing home. After 2 days of driving in the van with 3 kids by myself I was ready to GET OUT!!! We drove through Salt Lake City and I asked where did all the tractors go!!? I have never lived in a city so SLC was a little shocking. We pulled up to our little duplex and I fell in love! Little blue house with a red door! PERFECT... and we have a back and front yard which we have not had yet! BEST PART we are 5 blocks from my sister Jaclyn's house and 20 mins from my other sister Natalie!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Best thing EVER! The moment we got to SLC anyone could quess... all 3 kids got sick.... and I thik there has been a week since we have been here that everyone has been healthy... we have been here 6 weeks. But that is not surprising! Jac's kids have been sick too so we just hang out anyways and Natalie doesn't care so we all just combine coughs and enjoy life!

One of the first things we got to do is get together with all of our college friends that live in Utah!!! How fun that was. It felt like we never left!!!

Then lucky for us we got to be with Caleb, Monkey's brother and his beautiful wife Lexi and my sweet niece Mariah for a bit before they moved to Driggs! We did a lot together. Belle and Cash's favorite thing to do was fish with Uncle Caleb! Haha not my favorite! Paige was probably bubble bath with Mariah that sweetheart! I loved having the opportunity to be around caleb's family! I love them all so much and I am so sad they had to move. So awful but happy for them!T

We have had so many days and nights at and with Natalie and her darling family!!! It always seems we end up at Nat's house- Thats the place to go if you need to get away from it all and just feel happy! So we are there A LOT! Tyler and Ryan my cousins and their families come too! It is so hilarious to be hanging out with RY and Ty again! I am loving being around family!

I got the opportunity to watch Nickson, Jac's son for 2 days!!! I call him my second son. I have such a soft spot for him! We are definitely buddies! I feel like if I don't see him everyday something is very wrong and I miss him so much! So having him in my home for 2 full days was so great for me! We did so much and I got to know Mr. Niks so much more. He is so full of life! He is funny and so smart.... blow you away smart! He melts your heart and makes you feel so special... because of all the times he whispers he loves you!!

So first date Monkey brought home water colors and we painted each other and didn't show each other till we took the first picture!! HAHAHA I have not laughed that hard in soooooooo long!!! It was so fun! Monkey is my favorite!

Now this was a tease!!!! We got to see like our best friend Vanessa and her kids for like an hour! Jimmy her husband who is one of Monkeys BEST friends did not get to come. We were seriously so sad we didn't get to see him.... so terrible! But seeing Vanessa was so needed. I love her sooo much! I wished so badly their family could have stayed for months!!!!!! But I am so glad if only an hour we got to see her and her kids! I got to meet her youngest Colten for the first time.... sooooo cute!!! And Brynlie and Braden are just like I remember... heart breakers! I love them! I miss the Telfords so bad! It was so fun seeing them!

So Utah has been hike after hike and this one was one of my favorites! Monkey and I found a trial and the kids were complaining haha the whole time.. But the end we got to the top and the view changed everyones attitudes! Then all of a sudden the youth of the our LDS church were doing a trek, so we moved down hill and watched them walk up the mountain. Belle and Cash had a thousand of questions... I started talking about the pioneers and stories of them walking through snow, loosing children and loved ones, being hungry, and we all got emotional talking about everything. Belle especially was very concerned. We looked out and saw the whole Utah Valley and all the temples dotting the land and Monkey and I expressed how we felt about the gospel and it was really a tender moment for our family. After Caleb and Lexi met up with us and we went to This is the Place monument and I felt so grateful for what we have and for the gospel! I take the gospel for granted sometimes... But seeing all the temples lit my heart on fire! I am so blessed to be apart of the Gospel of Jesus Christ!

Salt Lake has been awesome! Monkey is loving his rotation in the VA clinic and he says he feels more like a doctor than a student...... which s so happy and exciting for him! I am amazed at him everyday!