Friday, March 10, 2017

Settling In

We got to my parent's house Sunday evening just in time for an amazing sunset.
Our family has moved 8 times, and we do it ourselves every time (shocked gasps from every person in California...) but never in any of those times has our stuff moved out of the truck and into our house faster than this.
People showed up out of the woodwork to help.
I literally had to leap out of the way of my piano being heaved into the house.
These are people used to working that were helping.
The first couple of nights Ben and I slept in sleeping bags before we could find some sheets:) 
We are staying in my parent's house while they are on their mission for another year. 

We were greeted with this:
Never has there been such a welcome sight. Moving is just stressful and partly because you have no means of getting food when you need it!
 The snow timing was perfect. It snowed the day after we got there.

Unlike the rest of Utah, the kids were beyond thrilled!!!
After some intense "how to put on snow clothes" lessons (who knew snow pant bibs were a. necessary, and, b. went under coats) and long explanations of how "snow is frozen water and can make you wet," they played in it for hours.
It made unpacking a little easier:) 



Our ward here is awesome. We've already been visited by the bishop, the primary presidency, the stake presidency, and the elder's quorum, and had a relief society meeting, and we haven't even been here a week.
Fruit Heights isn't called the "City of Good Neighbors" for nothing. 

Macey thinks snow is SOOO awesome because she can stop and eat some whenever she wants.
We taught her about clean and dirty snow, but I still have a feeling she's going to either get sick or a really strong stomach. 
She eats icicles like lollipops. 


After watching them for a while, I decided snow is like the beach coming right to your backyard. 
And there's no sand clean up afterwords. 

This is about .5 seconds before Cody's face was smashed into the snow
and this is about .5 seconds after that.
It's a little like watching a movie from the window.

We've all come down with some little colds and coughs and I made this funky broth the other night. I feel better today and who knows if it's from this. But I feel better today.
(This is not my picture...but someone has a smashed finger!)

 Of course we had to visit Cabela's, even if Macey is vehemently opposed to the stuffing and killing of animals. She loves the live fish.
 And Ben needed new waders for FLY FISHING
his second favorite thing in life. 
The kids have been getting their fill of animals lately 
we even got to hold the baby chicks. 
We sold our car.  I'm not going to lie I shed a few tears. This car got us through vet school and the years following. We rocked it in California next to all the Porsches, Lamborginis and Bentley's, and it never ONCE had a problem. We recently got new tires and had all the major maintenance done on it, not intending to sell it. But it went to a high school student who took out his first loan and obviously comes from a good, honest, hardworking family, so I think it was a good fit. Hopefully he appreciates it as much as we did and never takes it for granted. I know we didn't!  
I think Utah is going to offer us opportunities we never could have had in California. 

 Stay tuned for my 50 favorite things about Utah.
You can bet that sunsets is going to be on the list.
I never saw a sunset from my house in California, it was physically impossible to see them. But my parents have an amazing view of the sunsets from their house.
I started putting this list together when I got depressed about moving here.
Because, California is so warm. And the beach.
But I think it's going to be perfect here!! 



Wrapping things up

The day before we left the kids played at the park. I figured this is the last time they would do it in a while, since...
this is what greeted us the day after we got to Utah.
But let's rewind.
I'm so happy my sisters came to visit and go to Disneyland. The kids absolutely loved it. Now when they think of Disneyland they'll think they like it (before that they weren't sure!).
If I had to choose a week to show my house with strangers and realtors walking through every day, it wouldn't have been the week we had company and were going to Disneyland every day.
Ironically, they found a renter the day after everyone left to go back home! It worked out!
I felt like this was a month of good-byes. It kinda drug on to be honest (but it gave us time to get rid of everything we owned and never used!).
The kids finished up all their activities. Mackayla had her last game of soccer the week before we left. We had several birthday parties thrown into the mix, which was a fun way to play with a bunch of friends before we headed out. Cody finished up basketball and had a party at Big Air. Macey and Mackayla finished up gymnastics. Cody and Macey finished up swim. We'll miss all those awesome programs, but I'm sure we'll find some more fun things to try.  
Mackayla did so good at soccer and now claims she does not want to do it, she wants to dance and do gymnastics. I think it's great, I just know nothing about that world.
This is the vet truck Ben drove every day for work, with the vet box on the back. We said goodbye to it.
Speaking of cars - that little ZERO in the bottom right is how many miles I have left of gas before I run out. It changed to zero RIGHT as I drove up to the gas station.  That was intense.
Macey was the most concerned with moving because she was going to miss her friends so much. She still does, so much, but this picture makes me smile, because she could literally make friends with a statue and I knew she would be just fine when we got here. But I understand, it takes TIME to make good friends and she truly loves her friends she left behind.  
 Mackayla and Claire were the cutest little friends.

 We started taking everything off the walls and I snapped a pic of the state we are going back to!
Ben's work announced his coming:)
 On Valentine's Day we went on a family date to Active Culture in San Clemente. I wish I could take this restaurant to Utah with me. It's my favorite restaurant ever. 
 Ben does not pose for pictures when he's hungry. 
 Love these succulents and my cute little model. 
 Their acai bowls are AMAZING.
San Clemente is such a casual beach vibe city. It's not hyper and crazy like some, just totally laid back and relaxing. Active Culture and Tuvalu (home decor) are some of my favorite places along Del Mar -  a super fun place to go if you're ever in the area.
 I want this top sign
 and this one (it's like five feet)! How fun in a girls' room.
Some sweet friends threw me a goodbye park party.
 Just missing Tiffany nursing her baby behind us and a few stragglers:)
We lived right next door to such a great park. I'll miss park days with friends. Luckily Jennille is from Utah and comes to visit:)
  
It was a really wet winter in California. There was a storm with some pretty strong wind that knocked trees down all through the city. The roots don't go down that deep obviously, but these were huge trees.
 We are going to miss going swimming and hot tubbing at night.
We went at least once sometimes multiple times a week. The clubhouse we always went to is beautiful. 


 
 Mackayla came to Utah with one less tooth:)



Ben said goodbye to everyone at work.
The clinic he worked at was at the site of a boarding facility in San Juan Capistrano.
There were somewhere around 300-400 horses there.

 This is a terrible picture showing stall after stall after stall...
 Dr Secor, Ben, Robyn, Michelle and Lauren.
They each wrote him the most sincere and complimentary goodbye cards.
It was kind of an emotional day for everyone. It was an incredible place to work for Ben and I'm sure he'll miss it.
 The kids had to say goodbye to Bobcat Otis

 And Wyatt.


I ran in to this little Cafe right next to Mackayla's preschool (she insists it's NOT preschool, it's KR - kindergarten readiness. I get corrected all the time.) It's the best. If you're ever in San Juan Capistrano...



Every time the kids see these pictures they burst into tears. 
They LOVED their teachers this year.
I did too.
 

 Goodbye cute house.


Halfway there




 We made it.