It's Official and reflections

We are ending one chapter in our lives and beginning another.  Marcus recently accepted a new job in Utah. 

Marcus is super excited.  He can hardly contain himself.  His job will include both engineering and business skills.  The cherry on top will be working with China again.  He is thrilled.  In all honesty I don't know how he will finish the next month at work.  It is great to see him excited about work again.

The rest of us are on the fence.  We are very excited to live close to family again.  It will be wonderful to be a part of family gatherings, get to know cousins and maybe, just maybe, my kids will get to visit their Darrington grandparents home for the first time in their life.  We are thrilled to live in a place that has the best climate of anywhere we have lived.  We love seasons and Utah does not disappoint.  I am personally excited to see some friends more regularly that I dearly love.  Having Jackson grandparents 10 minutes away is the best part of all.

The downside?  After one of the hardest times in my entire life (literally) we finally feel okay here.  Coming back from vacation the end of this past summer Marcus and I both commented that it was the first time we didn't drive back with dread.  Minnesota has not been our home until just the last few months.  We have had something like 13 families move into our ward in the last 6-8 months.  It has been heaven sent.  Our family has been praying for new families to come for 3 years.  Ainsley has kids her own age and friends!  This is a big deal since there was her and one other child her age for most of the last 3 years.  She is in a little preschool trade that she cherishes.  Reagan is loving school and has a good friend.  Will has an entire group of boys his age and is finally excited to be in nursery.  For me, the last few months have been wonderful.  I no longer feel as if the loneliness here will kill me.  Instead I am surrounded by women that I respect and love and treat me the same.

A big lesson was learned.  A very hard lesson.  A testimony altering lesson.  Never before in my life have I had experiences that I have had here.  Never before have I dreaded attending church.  For the first time I found myself an outsider.  I have always had friends.  It has never been a challenge in my life.  Looking back, I can see the growth and knowledge such an experience has provided.   It has also been eye opening as to what kind of woman I want to be and what kind I don't.  I had an amazing visiting teacher through the worst of it.  I knew she was praying for me.  I could feel it.  She would randomly show up on the very worst days, when the loneliness felt as if it would consume me.  I will always cherish her for showing me kindness and caring about me.

In the end the kids and I are nervous.  For me it is scary to go somewhere new again after the last move was so hard.  (It sounds crazy considering we have moved a ton and have lived all over and had great experiences everywhere else!)  Reagan wants to stay in her school.  Ainsley is okay to move as long as her friends move with us - this just about breaks my heart as I know this will be hard for her.  Will just likes his home (his familiar place).  We will all adjust and have decided together to support Marcus. 

So that is it.  Our house is on the market and the transition begins.  Wish us luck.  We are going to need it in the next few months!