We've moved to Utah

Moving day, car was jam packed with the rest of our things.

The last month or so has been hectic. I am now feeling like we are getting our heads on straight. Before moving to Utah we had to say goodbye to a lot of amazing people, places, and our beloved Buster and Lucy. We were unable to take our cats with us, but were fortunate to give them away to a loving family. We are so grateful for all of the kindness offered to us in the hardest times in our lives.

We moved on Nov. 13th and were able to make it to Utah on the 15th. We had an ABF truck drive our things out. That was a huge lifesaver! We planned on arriving the night before on the 14th, but I-80 closed due to black ice. So we holed up at a Little America. As much as we wanted to just get the trip over with, we enjoyed just relaxing and not worrying about getting to Utah quickly.

We were very busy looking for a place to live. We tried to find an inexpensive place. We got so sick of looking at ghetto/dirty apartments and rentals. We saw a lot of horribly dated apartments with awful carpet and disgusting toilets. Ya think you can rent the place out with brown in the toilet? We even saw an apartment with the closet shelf held up with a jimmy-rigged hangar suspended from the ceiling. Really? So we upped the rent another $50/month. Amazing. We found a place that had almost new carpet, granite countertops, and new fixtures. We are pretty pleased.

The only problem we've run into is our neighbors above the "Stompies." (I don't think they have any cushioning on the bottoms of their feet.) Also, two days ago they had a toilet flood that leaked into our bathroom, that Sean helped unclog. Disgusting. The bowl-like light fixture was completely filled with yellowish liquid. F.Y.I. Don't flush feminine products!

Being in Utah has been pretty fabulous. (aside from the lack of available jobs) We have really enjoyed being with family and friends. It has been three years since we've been able to spend Thanksgiving with Sean's family.(they have some of the best food) Plus we never would have gone swimming on Thanksgiving in St. Louis. That was really fun to do with my family. We also got to go the Mormon Tabernacle Choir Christmas concert last weekend. It was a very memorable experience. (plus how often do you get to sit right behind Elder Holland and former Gov. Leavitt? right? It was interesting to see them in person, it felt normal to see them. They are faces I grew up with.

Another great thing about being around family is that Claire has actually been interacting with kids. She has finally started walking, mostly. She also is getting in her top teeth including a canine. She probably realized that she needs more than two teeth.

We have felt a lot of emotions these last two months. Bittersweet emotions really. Gratitude towards friends in St. Louis, sadness to say goodbye, and humility in our circumstance. We had so much help from ward members, neighbors, and Claire's Audiologists. We were blessed so much to live there and to meet so many wonderful people, and experience such a great city.