Port Townsend

July 12 we decided we would go for an adventure and check out a town about an hour away called Port Townsend.  It was a pretty drive on a windy road.  As we were coming into town, we passed this pretty stretch of boats.

And this amazing little house.

I love this little town!  It has the cutest littlest shops.  We went into a few that were second-hand stores and another that was repurposed furniture and cute decorations.  I will definitely have to revisit that store!  The kids had to take their picture with this giant Cookie Monster.

After wandering down the main roads, we were hot and ready for a treat.  We all shared a yummy sundae at this cute 50's diner.  

Then we spent some time looking at the water and watching the boats go sailing.

I saw this and my heart stopped.  I HAD to take a picture.  It felt like a picture from Italy.  Beautiful!  

We really wanted to go someplace where we could play in the water.  We followed signs into this campground area thinking we could play and then leave.  But to even get down to the water we had to pay a fee.  We asked the ranger if there was anywhere to go that was free.  She directed us to Salt Creek.  We followed her directions and ended up at this beautiful little stretch of beach.  It was kind of cool but we put on our hoodies and headed down the trail.

The kids each found a stick that they used to make designs in the sand the whole length of the beach we walked.  It was a really foggy day.

But so beautiful!  We have since been back and that day was clear and warm and swarming with people.  Love this place!  I am so glad my kids love to explore new places just as much as I do!  

Week Two

Our first week here we met a neighbor and he told Chant and my dad that he had deer in his yard all the time.  He even came up with a concoction he sprays on his plants that prevents the deer from eating the flowers.  I hard a difficult time imagining it happened that often.  But I have since been proven wrong.  We have seen a lot of deer in our yard and I have many more pictures, but this was one cool sighting.  I was sitting by the windows and looking up to see a deer walking through my front yard.  My favorite part was when he walked down the front walk like he was a visitor.  It was pretty awesome.  Another time the kids were outside playing and a deer ran right in front of them, so close the kids could have reached out and touched it.  Although we've seen them quite a few times, each time is just as amazing as the last.

We had been here just over a week when the kids and I were gathering in the living room for family prayer and scriptures.  We were sitting on the floor in front of the couch and we heard some noise.  When we got up, we saw we had been chalked.  The young women wrote us a little welcome note on our driveway.  They will never know how much that meant to us and how truly welcome it made us feel.  Such a small gesture that meant all the world to us.  Over a month here and it is still visible and each time I see it, it brings a smile to my face.

There is a little stretch of land called Ediz Hook that looks just like a hook coming off the main land.  We took an hour one afternoon to go check it out.  The best part for the kids was throwing rocks.  Not the place to go for swimming, but fun to climb around the large rocks.

There are so many cool places to discover here!

4th of July

 (It's too far away to tell, but the girls have their arms around a dog that is painted in the mural.  It's so realistic and well done!)

The fourth of July my parents flew back to Salt Lake.  We were so glad they were able to stay for as long as they did.  Having their help driving and then getting the house unpacked and organized was so helpful!  We couldn't have done it without them!  

After we dropped them off at the airport and dried our tears, we enjoyed the day in Seattle.  I forgot my camera, which was really sad!  I did get a few pictures on my phone but none of them great quality.  We walked around the Space Needle and through this mall that was close.  Then we had pizza in an outdoor seating area and listened to a guy play patriotic music on his guitar.  It was awesome.  

From there we rode the little train thing to Pike Place Market.  It was crazy crowded and smelly, but it was awesome!  The fresh flowers and all the vendors.  It was just a fun energy.  The kids were troopers when we walked all the way back to the Space Needle to get to our car.  It was so hot we had to get ice cream!  

We left about 3:00 to head home.  We took the Kingston Ferry across and the kids thought it was so awesome!  Nothing like the little ferry they were used  to in Missouri.  We stood on the deck so we could feel the wind and get a get view.  So pretty.

We wanted to be back home for the fireworks so we could see what our town had to offer.  About 9:00 we drove downtown and found a place to park.  There are several buildings around downtown that have murals painted on the sides.  We had to take pictures of a few of them.  And then we met the Rocktopus.  Pretty cool sculpture all made out of rock.  

A band was playing at the Pier, so we listened to them for a while before wandering onto the pier itself.  We had the perfect view for the fireworks.  They shot them off so the fireworks went off over the water.  It was beautiful seeing the real thing and its reflection.  It was a little chilly, but the perfect night!  So glad we were here to experience it!

Week One

We are all really happy with our new home.  First, it is about 500 sq. ft. larger than our last place.  The rooms are bigger, all of them.  But the main attraction for the kids is the amazing yard.  

This is where the previous tenant stacked their wood pile.  The kids have made it into a fort area.

 We don't have a garage, but a car port.  This is taken from the side door under the carport looking our at the side yard.

 And my backyard.  We have these cool rock steps leading down from the front to the back.  The large tree in the back has been affectionately named "Bill."

 After a full day of unpacking Tuesday, we needed a break, so Wednesday the 2rd we went down to the Pier.  This was taken from the Pier.

 Standing on the Pier.  And then the two below are the view of the town taken from the Pier.

 I still can't get over how beautiful it is to be surrounded by trees and water.  I love it!

Then we drove up to Herricane Ridge.  The drive up was beautiful, but coming back down I had to close my eyes because the road is right on the edge of a cliff, then it's straight down.  Couldn't take it!

We stopped at a little pull off and this guy was just wandering around a few feet away munching on leaves and grass.

 He didn't care people were around.  The kids thought it was so cool!

 View from the top of Herricane Ridge.  All of those peaks have names.  I have no idea how they even know which one is which.  Gorgeous day!  I am so glad we went Wednesday and not Thursday, like we had originally planned.  Thursday was overcast and grey.  We wouldn't have seen much and I probably would have had a panic attack in the car driving up there through all that fog.

My house is coming together and I am really happy with it.  I put Mom to work helping me decorate before she left.  I am so glad I did!  I love the way my living room looks.  My mantle (not pictured yet) is a work in progress, but I am excited to show the finished product next week I hope!

 The whole point of these pictures is just to show the windows, and really the pictures don't even do them justice.  The living room windows run almost the whole length of the room and they go to about a foot up from the carpet.  I LOVE them.  The view is gorgeous and the light is amazing.  The kitchen window gives a perfect view of the backyard.  I can watch the kids ride their bikes up and down the alley and see them climbing Bill or watch as they blast-off in their spaceship fort.  It's amazing.  I wasn't sure I would be okay without AC, but I just open my front door and my side door and there is always a lovely breeze that goes through the house.  I have been more than pleased with the cooler weather.  Two weeks and so far only one day of a light drizzle.  Every other day has been sunny and beautiful.  I'm enjoying it while I can! More picture of the house to come.

Home Sweet Home

Our next adventure started Sunday, June 29th at 6:30 a.m.  That is when we loaded into the vehicles and drove away from our home of the last 3 years and 8 months.  It was sad to say good-bye to the friends we have made and hard to be moving so far away from family again, but I am excited for what is ahead of us.  This is a fresh start, a new beginning.  I am hopeful about the future.  I can't wait to discover all that awaits us in our new home.

Our first day we drove through 4 states.  We drove from Utah to Idaho then Oregon and ended the day in Kennewick, Washington.  It was a long day but the kids did great!  We ended with dinner then swimming in the hotel pool.  

Monday, June 30 was a shorter day.  I forgot to get my camera out the first day, but I tried to do better as we got closer to our destination.  We made a pit stop at a rest area, where I took these pictures.  It was so awesome to see these mountains while standing in one place.

 (Mt. Adams)

 (Mt. Rainier)

 A drive by shot of the ships in Tacoma.

 This was taken from the highway halfway between Sequim (pronounced squim) and Port Angeles.

 When Chant told me that P.A. had a Maurices, I gave him my okay.  Any town that has my favorite store has to be great.  I had to take a picture of it as we drove by.

 This is a view from the highway driving into town.  We were all pretty amazed to see the ships and the water right there.  And that lovely budget truck pulling the car with the ghetto lawnmower and wheel barrow on top?  That's ours.

 The view from the road we turned onto leading up to our house.  I say "up" because you do climb up a hill as you turn away from the ocean.

Our home!  We made it at last, pulling up at 3:00 p.m.

Good-Bye

We have been in Port Angeles, WA two weeks today, so I figured it was time for an update.

Saturday June 28th was the day we finished loading and cleaning the house.  It was also the day we said good-bye to all the amazing friends we have made in UT.  Earlier in the day we had lunch with Chant's mom and sister and that was when we said a very teary "See you soon" to them.  My friend that I met my Sophomore year of college, Stacy, came to Margi's house so she could say good-bye. 

  

Back at our home that evening, the tears and hugs continued.

Porter is sure missing his buddy Caleb.  And the girls were sad to say good-bye to Olivia.  

 And I was terribly sad to leave my dear friend Emily!

 It was so strange to be saying good-bye to the Young's again.  We left Missouri in 2010 and they followed us from MO to UT in 2012.  I miss my little buddy Canyun already!  It's strange not having him around.  I think Porter is a little lost without him too.  (Gracie Young and the kids.)

 And another sad good-bye was Bryce.  We had great neighbors.

 Chant and a friend from the ward, Scott Taylor, packed the truck Friday morning.  They used every inch of available space.  It was so well packed that when the people who helped us unload it saw how much we had in there they were really surprised.  It was so much less stressful than our last move.  I was in tears in Missouri when our kitchen table almost didn't make it in the truck because it was so full.  And that time we had a two foot longer truck, no couch, and no washer and dryer.  This time we had a washer, dryer, couch and loveseat.  It was a miracle it all fit!

 Our last night in our house my parents and the kids had a sleepover in the living room.  The kids only had their blankets and pillows.  My parents and Chant and I still had our mattresses out, so we had a good night sleep.

We had hoped to get to bed early, but that didn't happen.  We were all starving, so my parents went to the store and got frozen pizza.  That was actually kind of funny.  I did't clean the stove because they were going to replace it anyway.  It was pretty nasty!  When my parents came up for Porter's birthday (June 6), my mom made monkey bread.  But she used an angel food cake pan instead of a bundt pan.  All the yummy juices leaked out and made the worst mess.  When they turned the oven on, the whole house filled with smoke.  And then we realized we didn't have any plates or even a knife to cut the pizza with.  So Chant cleaned his pocket knife and used that and we just held the pizza.  But we had to eat outside because of the smoke.  It was awesome!  We didn't get to bed till almost midnight.

Packing Up

I'm sitting here tonight in my quiet living room surrounded by packed boxes and the odds and ends waiting to put into boxes that will be labeled "Random."  After 3 years and almost 8 months of living in Utah, we are moving again.  This time the destination is Washington.

As I look back over the past three years and eight months, I just feel overwhelming gratitude and love for my Savior.  These years have not been easy for me.  In the moment, I often felt overwhelmed and just survived on hope and faith that tomorrow would bring change and the positive results I hoped and prayed for.  Nothing has gone as I have planned or thought that it would.  As hard as things were, I only experienced a few days where I broke down and asked "Why?"  But my why was never a "why me?" but rather a "why is this happening; what is the purpose of this?"  Although I still can't answer that question, maybe the specifics don't matter as much as I thought they did.  As I sit here facing this new chapter of my life, rather than wonder why we went through what we did, all I can see are the blessings that have come from the hurt and the trials.  And they are oh so many!  SOO many!

I have seen miracles, things that might not mean much to someone else but that meant everything to me.  Little tender mercies that showed my Heavenly Father was aware of me.

I have learned what it is to have overwhelming conviction in a decision or believe and then how it feels to defend that conviction.

I have felt anger and frustration so strong I shook and then the comfort, peace, and love of my Savior as I handed that anger and hurt over to him and let it go.

I have known what it is to feel lonely.  But I have learned that sometimes it takes opening myself up and sharing my feelings and thoughts to let others in.  

I have felt the healing power of the written word as I have poured my thoughts and heart onto volumes of journals and written poems, and even attempted to write a book in order to express how I felt.  Those writings have allowed me find my voice.  And it has gotten stronger.  It may still shake and I may still fidget, but I am becoming more confident.  But it is also through writing that I have been able to reflect on my experiences and truly see that there was a plan, that Heavenly Father did have a path for me and my family.  I can see events clicking together to create our own Yellow Brick Road that now lies before us.  

I have learned to be patient.  The Lord's time is not always my time.  But sometimes, it is.  And that is a beautiful moment.

I have learned to a whole new level what it is to have faith and trust in the Lord.  Which is why, now, when we are making a leap in location and job, I feel only peace and joy.  I don't have the specific answers to my why's yet, but I do know this.  My path may not be one I would have chosen for myself, but I wouldn't change it for a thing!  Because it is through the trials of our faith that we learn and grow the fastest.  And what a learning curve this has been!  But I feel at peace knowing that wherever life takes me, as long as I listen to the promptings of the Spirit and follow the answers to prayers I receive, I will be led where I belong.  My heart is full of thanksgiving and I am ready to embrace this next adventure.  There will surely be rain but hopefully a few rainbows too!  (And maybe some cute rain boots!)