Arrival

We made it to Texas mostly unscathed. I only cried twice on the plane. Props to me. Apparently exhaustion, congestion, and cabin pressure can reek some serious havoc on a one year old. The first leg of the trip I was on the last row sandwiched between two 40 something year old men. Screaming baby, crying woman, those poor men deserved a medal for their patience and understanding.

My sister-in-law and her cute family drove up from Houston to help us move in and pick me up from the airport. Aaron and his Dad arrived shortly thereafter. We spent lots of time hanging out with the family which made the trip seem a lot more like a vacation than a move.

My first observation about Texas, it was extremely flat. I wasn't too sure what to expect before I got here. But, it reminds me of the valleys in Utah. Take Utah, cut off the mountains and you have Texas.

Second observation: People here are ridiculously nice. There are nice people across the nation, but here strangers are nice to other strangers. You say "thank you" to someone and they usually respond "my pleasure." Everyone holds doors open and waves thank you when you let them cross the street. It's fabulous.

Third observation: It's really hot (and it's only October). People keep warning me about the summer. I have somehow convinced myself that it won't be as hot as people say. AKA severe denial.

Fourth Observation: There are two things that reign supreme here. Football (the Dallas Cowboys) and Dr. Pepper. They have Diet Dr. Pepper on tap everywhere. It's heavenly.

All observations aside, there is one thing that I love, without a doubt, about Dallas. Chick-fil-A. There is one on every corner it seems like. I have been there no less than 10 times. I'm pretty sure the staff people know who we are.

We're almost done unpacking

and we're diving into house hunting.

But overall, we're happy and healthy.

Leaving You with a Little Somethin

The moving truck is being picked up at 8:00am. Amongst all of our belongings both precious, and not so precious, my computer will be tucked away for the long three day drive. I'm not sure when we'll have the internet up and running, so I thought I would leave you with some pictures for your viewing pleasure. These are mostly of Grace, I know you're not surprised.

Whenever I take out my camera Grace pulls this face. Maybe she thinks she is smiling. But seriously, I have about 20 pictures with her making this face.

She has been going through the getting-appendages-stuck-in-her-crib phase. However, I'm not sure how she got both legs stuck. She's talented.

"Yarrrrr I be stealin' yur booty."

Another Grace face. Complete with doctor head disc thing.

I love this kid

Goodbye California. We will miss you.

In a few days I'll be a Texan. Crazy.

See you on the other side.

My Life in Boxes

My life is being overrun by cardboard right now. There are boxes as far as the eye can see. Due to my current blogging you can tell I'm avoiding said boxes. Everyday this week has blurred into the next. I feel like I'm packing a lot but making very little progress.

Sometimes I think that if I close my eyes really tight that the boxes will magically come to life and start packing themselves, Beauty and the Beast style. No such luck though.

There is one perk to having boxes everywhere. Grace seems to be pretty entertained.

However, I'm not sure how helpful Grace's consumption of packing paper and her constant unpacking of boxes really is.

There have definitely been drawbacks to the packing. AKA disturbing the slumber of tiny beasts while moving furniture and filling boxes. Thankfully good friends like Shannon are there to actually do something about the situation. I just screamed girly girl style and stood behind her while she waged battle with Magnormitron the Spider King. Please note that she took him down with disinfectant spray and had a magazine on hand just in case. There may have been a cup involved which I convinced Shannon she needed in order to shake the spider and stun him before we flushed it down the toilet. It was a traumatizing experience.

With the good and the bad we're still making progress and moving forward.

We might even be having fun during the process. Fun used very loosely of course.

Back to packing...

Texas

For those of you who are not on facebook, I am pleased to announce that Aaron was offered and accepted a job in Dallas, Texas starting at the end of this month. We are really excited for this new adventure.

You may have some questions. Not to worry, I'm here to answer them.

Why Texas?

Texas has been on our radar, amongst other places (mostly places where our family members live). When we got married, it was always an option due to the fact that Aaron grew up there and really enjoyed it. It was never a pressing matter, more of a "maybe" or "eventually." This past year, however, the idea of moving to Texas kept popping up in our minds and it felt right.

How did he get the job?

Aaron explored his options, his main one being transferring within the company he currently works for, which, unfortunately, didn't work out. Aaron's friend, Brigham, got him in contact with a recruiter in Dallas for the company he works for (Ernst&Young, another accounting firm). I'm not sure if it was just right place right time but the interview process went at lightening speed. From the first interview with the HR person to Aaron accepting the job it was about 3 1/2 weeks.

When do you move?

We'll be moving in a week and a half. We've already started packing and my apartment is a hot mess.

Are you going to miss California?

I won't miss the overpriced rundown apartments, the taxes, the traffic, and crowdedness of the area. But I will miss the incredible people here. I have never met so many genuine, down to Earth, caring, friendy people all in one area before. The people here always made me want to be a better person, think outside the box, and stretch myself in the best way possible. I've made some of my best friends here. I'm going to miss the Young Women that I worked with. I'm going to miss Grace's playgroup chalk full of 4 girls and one very lucky boy, and the fact that Grace is being taken away from her best friend Aubrey. It breaks my heart to think that I won't see these people on a daily or weekly basis. Aaron and I grew up a lot here, changed for the better here, and most importantly our beautiful baby girl was born here. Leaving is going to be so bittersweet. I'm trying hard not to think about saying goodbye.

Are you excited?

Yes. Very excited. We're looking forward to growing roots and settling down somewhere, raising flocks of children and taking them to the rodeo. We're really excited about the prospect of buying a home.

I hope that satisfies your curiosity.

The Mr. Nutter Adventure.

Mr. Nutter was nestled in Virginia, probably the closest thing this little dude could get to his natural habitat (despite being made of clay), when he was snatched up once again. My brother, who was in town for the weekend interviewing with some dental schools, was the culprit. He left this message and the following picture.

"The license plate may say Virginia but Mr. Nutter is definitely a resident of Utah now."

I hope you packed a jacket Mr. N.

Well played Matt, well played.

Vulnerable

I'm doing something that makes me feel very vulnerable. But I shouldn't be scared to do it, even though I am just a little. Here is the most important part of who I am.

Why am I a Mormon?

Because I feel it. I feel it deep in my bones and heavy in my heart. I feel it with every fiber of my being right down to the tips of my toes. It's wonderful. It's real. The closer I bring myself to the gospel the happier I feel. That joy from the gospel seems to find its way into the smallest most insignificant moments of life. But that joy makes those insignificant moments seem magnificent.

Although I was born into the gospel I still had to learn what it was and figure out if I believe. It's been a life long process. It's been hard. I felt like I had to fight at times to really figure out the truth. Really figure out who I was and what I wanted to stand for. I have definitely had moments where I wavered and battled with doubt and uncertainty. But those clouds of doubt forced me to question and, ultimately, draw nearer to the spirit and to the real truth. I'm still learning and fighting at times, but the foundation that I stand on is solid. I know without a shadow of a doubt that it's true. It's true. The gospel is true. That's definitely something worth fighting for. My feet are glued to that truth like they are stuck in cement. No amount of personal doubt and ridicule from others could make me deny that it's true.

It scares me sometimes to tell people about it. I don't want to push people away or make people feel like I'm forcing my beliefs on them. Sharing the most sacred thing that I have makes me feel extremely raw and vulnerable. I, unfortunately, worry about what other people think and what other people might say behind my back. But if I had something so amazing, something that brought me so much joy and happiness, wouldn't I be selfish in not sharing it? So here I am, open and vulnerable telling the world about the most incredible piece of my life, my testimony in the gospel of Jesus Christ.

I know that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter day Saints is the true church. I know that we have a Father in Heaven that loves of so much that he gave us the opportunity to come to this Earth, to partake in the amazing emotions, learning experiences, and struggles that would make us, as individuals, grow and stretch in ways that we wouldn't have been able to if we stayed in heaven. I know that He loved us enough to give us agency so that we might choose the path to walk down, that we could choose what to fight for. I know, so much so that it makes my bones ache, that Jesus Christ is our Savior and Redeemer. He took everything upon him so that we could repent of our mistakes and return, once again, to our Heavenly Father. His life and example on the Earth blazed a trail for us to follow. I know that the scriptures, both the Bible and the Book of Mormon, with their unique language and their tellings of people from different times, house some of the most incredible truths. Cracking open those pages and reading just a verse or two causes the room to fill with the spirit and knowledge to come spilling in. The principles and doctrines from those two amazing books are true, are worth fighting for. And most importantly, I know that the Gospel, the one that Christ established, the one that was taken from the Earth, was restored. It was restored in the most humble of settings by a boy who was young, a boy seeking the truth, and a boy willing to fight for what he knew was right. Joseph Smith felt it the way that I feel it. With every cell of his body. People ripped him from his home, stripped the shirt from his back, poured hot tar on his skin, then laughed as they threw feathers on him. But he never denied it. Because he couldn't. Because it's true. It's real. And it's worth fighting for.

Why am I a Mormon? Because I feel it. Because I know it. Because I can't deny it. It's true.