Ode to Connecticut

These ladies became some of my dearest friends over the past three years. They were aunts to my children and sisters to me. I miss them so much!

Another one of the crazy clan. Notice how Davis is sitting with Becca, not me. An auntie to him, I tell ya.

These two ladies have been my workout buddies during my time in CT. This was our last workout together. I always thought of myself as a loner when it came to exercise, but starting my mornings with them has made me a changed woman! I learned so much from them and get teary-eyed just thinking about how much I miss seeing their faces each morning.

Becca and I at the top of East Rock Park with a view of the ocean in the background.

Highlights (in no particular order) of our three years in Connecticut:

• The birth of our baby Nate. What an experience. He has brought so much joy (and countless messes now that he is on the move) to our life.
• Meeting Elder and Sister Holland (twice!). Having a calling as an institute instructor at Yale (his Alma Mater) has it's perks. 
• Teaching institute. It's still my favorite church calling ever. 
• Living just minutes from the beach, close to the history of Boston, the charm of Rhode Island, the energy of the Big Apple, and the beauty of New England. I feel lucky to have called it home.
• Seeing my two oldest children start school. Both of them had fantastic teachers that I will always be grateful for.
• Residency. Ahh, residency. While I am truly overjoyed that Ryan's medical training years are behind us, I owe a lot to his residency program. He learned how to be a great doctor these past three years while I learned how to be strong enough to get along on my own much of the time. It has made both of us stronger people, and i like to believe that it has helped our children build character as well
• Fall in Connecticut. There is not a more beautiful place on earth to experience my favorite season.
• Fruit farms and apple orchards. Who can forget when my kids ate 11 cups of blueberries in the time it took me to feed a newborn? 11 cups!!!
• I will always hold the friendships I made in Connecticut close to my heart. They taught me everything from how to be a more patient mother to how to can applesauce and bake a killer pie crust to how to serve others with love. I'm so thankful for my east coast sisters.

Davis with his east coast besties.

We Made it to the Desert!

This beautiful building is the closest we have ever been to a temple--it sure beats the two hour drive we've had for the past seven years.
I have so much to catch up on the blog, but life is going well. We are surviving triple digit heat and looking forward to all that the desert has to offer.