one year

Someone told me that the churches biggest secret is how hard it is to send a son on a mission.  It is hard.  New country, new language, no texting, calls are twice a year, and by the time you hear from them and the issues and struggles they are going through and you write them back they are over it and on to a new struggle and trial that you won't know about until the next week.  I've learned to just write uplifting things that way all the bases are covered.
Today was one year since we dropped him off on his voyage to manhood.  I have a picture of James next to my sink.  It is the day we dropped him off at the MTC.  He is smiling from the top of his head to the souls of his shoes. That is what has gotten me through the past year.  That and the message he is sharing.  It is hope, it is love, it is eternal truths.  I am so grateful for it in my life.  It has made me such a different person than I would be without it.

Happy birthday house

So we officially bought our house.  Yes we did put in new carpet and paint 1/3 of it while we were just renting it but that was when the sale of our other house fell through and we were planning on closing on this house the end of April.  We have been renting it the last 3 months hoping that our old house would sell and then we would just own one house.  Now we own two.  It's complicated and if Gordon or I think about it too hard one of us starts to freak out a little but we both know that we are in the right place and that things will work out- whatever that means.

I didn't need to be there today for the closing because of the way the paperwork was set up but I wanted to get pictures of the event if this is our "forever house".  Then I went to The Chocolate and bought our house a big chocolate cake and crystal candlesticks to commemorate the big day.  That night we had a birthday party for the house.  It is a new start.  This house has been neglected or the last 10 years.  I think it is glad to have someone live here that has a vested interest in this house.

Does it feel different living here?  A little.  We will be tearing out all the shrubs this weekend so I guess there is a different mindset than just renting.

This has been a hard move.  We know that it was the right thing but uprooting all the kids is tricky.  Being called as the Young Womens president 2 months are we moved here has been hard.  Having my 6 kids in 5 different schools has been a logistical nightmare.  But there is peace in knowing that you are on the path that God has for you.  And that is what keeps me going.