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Catching up

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 It's been more than a year since I've written on this blog and that is a very sad thing. I think I'll have to do multiple posts to avoid skipping over anything.


We just hit a year in our new home. Our home is so beautiful. Our neighborhood is quiet. And somehow, we've had multiple miracles that have helped us afford this home.

When we were moving I was terrified. I kept running the numbers and I was absoutely positive we would be in big, big trouble. I started going to the temple as often as I could. I needed that peace in my life. I needed the blessing the temple gives: Clarity, peace, strength.

Out of the blue we had people approaching us, asking us about new potential business opportunities. We met several people who would be in the new ward and they told us over and over again how great of a ward it is. We had all these small moments, convincing us that we were going to be OK. 

So we moved and we were OK. None of those business opportunities panned out, but Brendon received two significant raises in a row and somehow, month after month, it has all worked out. Twice now we've had random checks arrive in the mail--for various reasons that we never expected. 

We built a pool in our backyard and we've slowly been adding paint and decor to the walls.

Brendon felt connected to the ward right away and Kaybree made friends pretty quickly, but I've been struggling to feel connected. This summer, I was called to be Camp Director for Girls Camp.

I've always loved girls camp. I love the friendship, the no-judgement atmosphere and the chance to be a girl. I was excited to plan it, but also really nervous about having the right support. I know the Young Women's president pretty well, and love her, but I didn't know the other leaders. I didn't know any of the girls and our YCLs were so busy they were pretty much MIA for any planning meetings.

But I planned the best I could--going off what I thought would be fun, which was mostly a bunch of crafts! 

A family in our ward owns a camp just outside of Globe and they offered it to us to use for free and let me tell you, it was magical.

I was the first to arrive, with my car full of stuff. All the buildings were locked and there was zero cell service. Luckily, our camp cook arrived and after about 40 minutes, the owner of the camp got there to help unlock and unpack. 

From the moment the girls arrived, I never felt like anyone was bored or in a bad mood or didn't like me. It was like a party right away. The girls unpacked, we did some crafts, we ate food, and we just had fun! Every night was like a sleepover. No one went to bed before midnight, even though all the day's activities ended by 9 p.m. They stayed up talking, playing cards games, making bracelets and painting. The entire time I felt like I could jump into any conversation, join any group, and that was perfectly acceptable. 

I watched all the girls cheer each other on! They swam, they fished, we all got lost on a hike. It was great! 

For the first time I felt really connected with the ward. I felt like one of them. It felt like a miracle. 

To be honest, there have been a million miracles this past year with this move. A year ago, it felt like such a big deal. Now, it feels like home.

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