New Adventures

If anyone had ever asked me if I would move out of Utah, I would give an absolute NO!! Last year in February of 2011, Ryan was contacted by an out of state company looking to recruit him. He said sure, why not, had a few interviews with them and then I got sick. This company was located in Colorado and I said, never in a million years am I leaving Utah now. We figured that would be the end of it.

As I was heading to my final radiation treatment in September, this company called Ryan AGAIN!! I was so shocked with the timing that I said, you better see where this will go. My intentions were that he would interview for the job, be offered the job, let Boart know he had an offer, Boart would counter, and we would stay in Utah....or so I had hoped. As this job interview process went along, we had so many experiences that were letting me (and Ryan) know that the Lord was planning on us leaving Utah. Skyler was so against the idea of moving, Nathan was so for the idea of moving, and Drew really didn't care one way or another. As the time approached and we knew Ryan was going to be offered the job, I really freaked out. I DID NOT want to go to Colorado. I wanted to stay in Utah with our family and friends. On fast Sunday in December, I prayed that I would know if this is what we were suppose to do...I had the most amazing experience during church that day. Our lesson was on Going forward with Faith and the teacher said that he believes that their is no such thing as coincidences. I had never before felt so strongly in my life that I had received an answer to my prayers. I left class and found Ryan and asked to go for a drive. I told him that I knew he would be offered the job and that we were to go. However...just because I knew it was right, it did not make it easy to do it!!!

Ryan was offered the job right before Christmas and I prayed with every ounce of my being that Boart would counter. If they would counter at ALL, I told the Lord I was staying. When Ryan told his boss, he said, absolutely we will counter, I'll get right back to you...come to find out...Boart was not willing to counter. The Lord spoke to me loud and clear and I knew it was final.

The next step of house hunting. I knelt on my knees and told Heavenly Father, this is obviously your move. I must know exactly what house you want us to live in, because He must have something particular in mind. We thought we would end up in Parker, Co so we planned a weekend trip there to house hunt. We looked at 4 houses there and nothing felt right. I started crying and got so mad. Ryan said, fine let's just go home and I'll tell them nevermind. We had scheduled two more house in Aurora and I said we needed to meet with them because they were planning on us. We walked into the first home in Aurora and I felt like I had found the home...I could move. We got in the car and i said, "I don't even need to see the next home", but we went anyway.

Ryan and the kids loved this second home! When we got home on Sunday, I just felt I needed the first home in Aurora. Monday morning we called the landlord and told him we would take it and he preceded to inform us that someone came 30 minutes after us and they took the home that day. I was devastated!! How could this happen?? Ryan, in his unwavering faith, said not to worry, the Lord knows where we need to go and that was apparently not it. We called the landlord about the second home we saw in Aurora and that is where we ended up.

We have now been here since January 19th. I truly thought this would be harder on me than my cancer!! I did not know how I would survive without my family and friends. 2 months into this adventure and I am great!! I know that this is the home we are suppose to be in! This is the ward we are suppose to be in! We have met amazing friends already and it's only been 2 months:)!!! The kids have all done so well adjusting. Skyler is loving his school and from what I hear from a lady in our ward whose daughter is in Skyler's grade, he is already well liked:) And according to Skyler, this school has so many "hot" girls.

Drew has struggled a little more than Nathan. He is much more nervous and wants me at the bus stop, walking him to the bus, and doesn't want me to leave much. Nathan is loving it!! The have both made new friends and are liking not wearing school uniforms. And Abbey is Abbey. She is a ball of fire and has made several new friends. She loves her new Methodist Preschool, tap/jazz dance class and gymnastics. I sure miss Jolley's gym(that is actually the hardest thing for me to not have here:)), but Abbey hasn't thought anything of it. We have had so many family and friend visitors that I think it has really helped me not be too homesick...so thank you to those of you who have helped with that!!

Several people have asked for pictures of our home. So here are the pictures. It is a really fun home. Our backyard is on the 16th hole of the golf course. So now on warm Sunday afternoons, we sit out back and watch the golfers. Thank goodness Ryan doesn't love golfing or it would kill him not to be out there playing. The kids have loved it! The basement is completely unfinished so it makes for the perfect place for the kids to ride their bikes and go karts during the cold winter!

Here is to our new adventure in Colorado!!!





This courtyard is in the dead center of our home. It seems like it will be a pretty fun thing in the summer:)







Looking down into the courtyard from the upstairs window. I like that you can see into the family room and kitchen as well

Upstairs Window looking over the courtyard.

Drew and Nathan's Room

Abbey's Room

Skyler's Room