Showing posts with label utah. moving. Show all posts
Showing posts with label utah. moving. Show all posts

Sunday, March 17, 2013

My Fairytale life!




Before I married, I envisioned my married life to be similar to the traditional small town life I grew up in.  I saw buying a house, living in a friendly neighborhood (decorated with sidewalks and mailboxes), having kids, and visiting relatives during Holidays as part of the whole experience.  
Well, that scenario didn’t take place.  We took a very different path.  We never bought a house, instead we moved  to the opposite end of the Country-which most the time didn’t have side walked neighborhoods or even mailboxes on the street!
So, we adopted Grandparents and family all along the way and made due with sharing walls, stairwells, laundry machines, and elevators with strangers.

As my family began to grow older (and bigger) my heart ached for what seemed to be my fairytale scenario.
Sam's success provided wonderful opportunity for our family with each move we made. Looking back, I can see the Lords hand has been in each accomplishment.  I
 knew we were where we needed to be, but feeling like a fish out of water, I wondered how long it would be before I felt "at home"   I wasn’t in a place filled with memories of my childhood or family traditions.  
The Lord always comforts me by sending great friends and opportunities to feel valued. 
Recently, He has shown me again, He is aware of my desires.
Last year (almost to the date) a series of events took placed that gave us a gentle shove toward Utah.    
 We took the bait and here I am walking into my fairytale life near family.


 This weekend we bought our first home!!! 
Gone are the high rise apartments, small spaces, and Landlords!  
I’m in denial. 
Is this just a dream?  
It totally is!  
I’ve been dreaming of this day for 14 years.  




Sunday, March 3, 2013

New kid on the block-Sunday version



Today was our 1st Sunday attending our new Ward in Utah.
These days we are having a lot of "1st times."

"1st Time" experiences can be ugly, especially when your going to be surrounded with your audience for some time.

Being the "new" family at church is tricky.
I think each Ward has their own set of unspoken rules.
Everyone knows the front row is occupied by the same family each sunday.
It's their VIP award for daring to sit there.  They don't have to place bags to save their place.  It's there waiting for them and no one takes it.

When a newbie arrives and messes things up... they are starting off on the wrong foot.

I can't tell if today was a success or a flop.
Having Abi pee all over the gym floor and my lap didn't feel like a good omen.



*I'm not positive on the date of this post.  I am posting it months after writing it and it had no date.

Wednesday, February 27, 2013

Stranger at Home




Sixteen years ago I left my hometown.  
I was an 18 year old girl ready for change! 

Last week I returned to find change moved in when I moved out.

 A visit to the Christiansen’s brought us to Hurricane, (the place where the majority of my life experiences and memories were created) but this wasn’t the town I remembered.

Spotted here and there I recognized buildings and houses that triggered memories but for the more part I was a stranger in my hometown.  
This visit, I viewed Hurricane through a different lens.  I understand today how little I knew then, but still yearned for that youthfulness.  

Nothing was the same.  Houses seemed smaller than I remembered them, the schools I attended were not the schools I saw and the streets my friends and I ruled were replaced by strangers.
Those friends, that life, and this town aren’t mine anymore.

I felt sad as we drove away.   
I felt as if  my memories and relationships didn’t really exist.  

I wondered if car racing through the streets, high school sports,  or missed curfews ever happened- 
then I looked at Sam and remembered they did.

Monday, October 8, 2012

My love affair is ending...




I’m in love.  I’m being seduced every second of every day.  
This love affair is messing with my emotions...

My seducer... Fall in Connecticut.  I never tire of the colors, the chilly air, or the constant blanket of leaves on the ground.  Each year the same trees display a different show.  I drive more slowly, take more walks, and carry a camera in my purse during the month of October.  I’ve observed the “BEST” display of colors is around the 15th of Oct.  Most the leaves are at their peak color and haven’t fallen yet.
This time of year I believe I live in the prettiest place on Earth.

Winter has it’s perks too but they are short lived.  The first fall of snow is beautiful in a majestic way but near March it has overextended it’s stay.  By March I am depressed, gravitating to the sun filled window searching for light and warmth like a cat.

In my opinion, Spring doesn’t exist,  April offers a few teasing warm days but the jackets aren’t put away till May.  The dull branches that use to be a source of my adoration are frail and the flowering buds are shy to be revealed.

Summer arrives just in time for school to be out in June.  The trees are dressed again in deep green.  It’s like living in the Garden of Eden. Our days are spent at the pool while we anxiously await the return of our friends from their Global vacations.  
We mostly do “Stay-cations”, which Jace has renamed “Boring Activities.” 

Summer after summer I wish we were in Utah to go camping with the cousins, have sleepovers with Grandma, and enjoy summer fun.
In November I wish we could have Thanksgiving dinner with people we were related to.
In December I wish we could attend a family Christmas Party and enjoy family traditions
but these events have never happened!  Not once!
In January were snowed in and love sledding in our backyard but wouldn’t it be fun to share it with cousins?
With Sam’s work schedule and the fact that you can’t spend the night anywhere without dropping $$$ we stay at home.
Winter break is spent at home.
Spring Break is spent at home.
And Labor Day weekend (along with most 3 day weekends) we stay at home.

We have enjoyed road trips to most Church History sites on the East Coast.
We’ve lived here for 10 years and have exhausted all low budget and local activities.

I’ve missed weddings, funerals, babies, baptisms, cruises, birthdays, Mother’s Day, and reunions!

 A single trip to Utah for the 6 of us is out of our budget.
Instead I settle for “Get Away” trips where I sneak away without the kids and spend time with my family.  

My kids don’t know their cousins.  
They don’t know their 6 Uncles, 5 Aunts and 20+ cousins. 
They don’t know what Grandma’s house looks like and they don’t know their grandpa. 
They get gifts and cards from Sam’s family but don’t get the chance to put the face to the name most the time.

It’s been said that a child who is loved and supported by other adults, along with their parents, is more likely to have greater self worth. 

I would love for my kids to spend time with extended family.  

When I’m in Utah for my get away trips I feel like I can breath again.  I don’t realize how wound up I am here until I go there and it feels like time slows down and I can breath again.  I find myself jealous of the cost of living, the big sky, the close proximity to Temples and family lifestyle that exists there.Returning home is always hard.  

I am in L-O-V-E with the beauty of Connecticut.  But I would give it up to be closer to a family centered life.
The colors on the leaves are tugging at my heart strings but I’m going to let them go.

We are moving to Utah...soon

"Psst"...the kids don't know.  Please don't spill the beans till further notice. :)