{Utah}

Well, here it is. The post that you have all been waiting for.

It is official, we are home owners in the great state of Utah. Now it is time for the novel.

When I came to visit in January, I had ONE day to find a place to live. I had searched and searched online but actually visiting houses was a one day event. Greg was still in AZ so our bro-in-law Michael came with to be my voice of reason. (Thanks Miguel) I think that we looked at over 30 homes.

The 2nd to last one was one that was not even on my list. It had been but it was a "short sale" and I had decided to scratch those off of my list due to the lengthy process they normally took. We looked at 2 homes on the same street and decided to check it out for kicks. Lucky for me, we did! I really liked it. It is funny because outside and in are not what I though "my style" is. But it really felt like home at that initial visit. It had no carpet, landscaping or mirrors in the bathrooms but other than that, it was perfect. I called Greg and emailed him some pictures that I took and we decided to make an offer. Site unseen for Greg!

Yes it was a short sale but the bank had already negotiated a price and it was about in our ballpark and actually a great deal compared to other houses in the neighborhood.

A few weeks later our offer was accepted and we had until March 27th to close. That meant we had to get to UT pronto to pick out carpet because it had to be installed before we could close.

We drove up the first weekend in March and were planning to stay just a few days before heading back down to AZ. The drive was nuts with the two monsters. Gavin especially didn't love it much so it took us much longer than anticipated. Once we got there and picked out the carpet we decided that I should just stay with the kids rather than drive them back to AZ and then back to UT again just 2 weeks later. Greg is brave. It was really his idea to go back alone and pack us up.

Greg did nearly all of the packing-up on his own while the kids and I were being catered to by his parents. Thankfully they love my kids because I think we destroyed their house but they smiled the entire time and were an enormous help.

My dad drove back to AZ with Greg in his van and then turned around the very next day with my computer, our TV's and a few other things that would have been rough to fit in the Uhaul.

The carpet was laid and we were making progress with the loan. So we thought. Due to the new strict mortgage regulations the seller and we were being put through the ringer before getting a final approval on the loan. Needless to say we ended up closing 24 days PAST our deadline.

Greg's dad flew down to AZ to help Greg load the truck and cats and then he drove the Uhaul all the way to Salt Lake. They got to Utah March 29th & 30th. Greg pushed through in his car with the cats on Sunday because he was dying to see his kids. They had a party from about 12:30 AM - 1:30 AM. Yes, they were all awake in the middle of the night. It was So cute to see both Alexa & Gavin loving on their daddy. They missed him so much. Dave stayed the night in Hurricane, UT and got home at about 1pm on Monday.

As some of you have figured out, the Uhaul arrived on Monday March 30th. We didn't close for nearly another month. Obviously we couldn't keep the Uhaul that long and we did not want to pay for storage. Especially since it was the lender that was taking so long with the approval. What did we do you ask? The seller and their bank agreed to let us move into the home a few weeks before we closed. They were all SO nice and we were very lucky that we didn't have to unload into a storage facility then get another Uhaul just to move into the house. We were officially "squatters".

We moved in on April 2nd.

I had decided not to tell people that we were moving until we knew FOR SURE that it was happening. But, since I was in the Primary Presidency I had to end up telling them but it was still "supposed to be" low key. With in hours I think the whole ward knew what was happening. Then I decided I wouldn't BLOG about it until we knew FOR SURE. Actually until we closed. This explains the last post. I have been DYING to move back home for so long, I didn't want to jinx it.

Now, many people could not believe that I didn't go back home to officially say goodbye to my friends. Here is the thing, I HATE goodbyes. This was my opportunity/excuse to not have to cry over and over again. I did it several times on the phone with Brit weeks before I even left. I couldn't do it with all of my friends. Sorry everybody.

What will I miss about AZ? Everything!

I absolutely, positively did not want to move there (6 years ago almost to the day). I hate the heat so why would I want to move to the hottest place in the western US? My attitude soon changed, I love Arizona.


I LOVED that Greg and I got to have 3 good years to be newlyweds completely on our own there. It was so much fun. I loved our 2 little apartments and 2 great homes. I loved running from my air conditioned car to my air conditioned office or house because of the constant hair dryer effect in the summer. I loved that I overcame my fear of being a "sales-woman". I loved the beautiful winters and wearing flip flops year round. I loved my many church callings while there and the great kids I was able to meet. I loved my doctor and my kids doctors and fear that they will never be able to be replaced. I love the shopping and the many outdoor malls.

I will miss driving by the hospital where my babies were born several days a week (now I am crying). I'll miss Miss Colleen and the music class that we started when Alexa was just 6 months old. I'll miss our wonderful music class friends. Even though it ended over a year ago, I'll miss passing treats, eggs, flour, baby monitors and other fun things over the back fence to/from Bettina and our daily morning walks. I'll miss the 10 pm house painting sessions and the many interior design tricks I learned from Jana, her delicious meals and mostly her friendship. I'll miss our very first AZ friends Brian & Kristy. I'll miss seeing my clients especially John & his almost un-seen but darling wife Kristin. I'll miss Grandma Bev & Grandpa Gary. I'll miss watching Alexa having fun with her friends, especially her best friend Maya. I'll miss my best friend (crying again) Brit. Our many late night internet chats (ok, they'll still happen), the many mothering tips, meals, her big heart, willingness to do anything for me, SHOPPING, encouragement and everything else a best friend offers. I miss you so much! :(

I am so happy and excited to be back HOME! Utah is so beautiful and our new home is in the perfect location. Snuggled in the mountain but close to civilization. Most of all I am excited for our kids (and us) to be around family constantly. They love their cousins, aunts & uncles and especially their grandparents. Nothing beats having family close by!

Thank you AZ~ I'll miss you!!! (still crying)