On the Road

 At the end of June we packed up our family and drove 2,250 miles from our home in Connecticut to Utah. Just an FYI, driving cross-country is totally overrated. It was as crazy as it sounds and something that I never want to have to do again! We have since traveled back and forth from Utah to Arizona 3 times this summer (twice with kids, once with just Ryan and Mary-Ann and I to meet the movers and set up our new home here). We should dub this last month "The Summer of Driving." Here are just a few photos of our adventures.

Maddie and Davis, somewhere in middle America.

Isaac and his orange chicken.

Chrissy and I have been friends since Isaac and Alec were just months old. I'm so glad we were able to stop on our drive and spend some time with them one morning. We each have four kids now so a lot has changed. 

Nathan and Ryan at one of our many outdoor lunch stops. 

This picture more than any other sums up our trip. The older kids were champion travelers. Nathan, on the other hand, just couldn't understand why we were continually torturing him. He screamed just like this about 70% of the time, stopping occasionally when he got distracted or fell asleep (usually for 15 min. power naps, where he gained just enough strength and energy to start screaming again).

Once we detox from all our time on the road and give the kids a break for awhile, Ryan and I have decided that we need to make a trip to southern California with the kids before the year's end so that we will have traveled from coast to coast in 2014.

Back to School, Baby!

Maddie on her first day of 1st grade. She was so excited about the day that she woke up before 6am and started getting ready, then stood by the clock and counted down as each minute passed ("It's 7:35, ten more minutes until it's time to leave!...Now it's 7:36, nine more minutes until it's time to leave!"). 

Isaac on his first day of 2nd grade. He was cool as a cucumber all morning. I hope and pray they love their new school and their new teachers and that they make great friends. 

A Favorite Photo

I have many many photos to upload and share over our adventures from the past month with the move and our trip to Utah and our family reunion, but here is just a sneak peak of one of my favorite pics from our travels. This weekend we were able to get together with almost all of Ryan's siblings (we missed our California family!) as well as his parents. One afternoon in particular we did work at the temple for Mary-Ann's ancestors (including sealing both of her parents to their parents---such a neat experience that I hope I never forget). Here Ryan and I are with Shannon and Matt. We miss Utah and our family already.

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.