My roses

When we moved into our house, there was this weird looking bush by the front walk.  We didn't know what it was, especially since it was January.  So Corey cut off some of it because it was quite big and tangled looking and left the rest to see what happened with it.  To my pleasant surprise, it turns out that it is roses!  I'm sad that we cut off some of it, but hopefully I can learn how to make it really bloom.  So far, only two blooms.  But they sure are pretty!

More Moving Stuff

We left Arizona mid-morning on Saturday December 27th.  My goal was to make it to Van Horn, Texas, the halfway mark.  We drove I-10 the whole way, making only a couple of stops on the way.  The hotel was a dump and we were very glad to be out of there.  We drove on Sunday from Van Horn to Plano, where we met Corey at a La Quinta for a couple days while we got our house cleaned up and waited for the movers to come with our stuff.

Here are a couple of pictures from those days:

Annmarie eating ice cream with her left hand at Chick-Fil-A where we had lunch one of the days.

Eliza lost her first tooth while playing at Aunt Eve's while the truck unloaded our house.

Christmas 2014

One of the reasons I wanted to spend a week in Arizona was so we could spend Christmas with my parents. That is something we rarely are able to do because Corey can't ever travel over Christmas since he has to work on the 24th and the 26th.

Kids opening stockings.  Our tradition is to have them open their stockings first before we do the tree.  Their breakfast (mini cereal boxes) is in their stockings.  So we also eat before seeing the tree and presents.

Grandma and Grandpa enjoying a Christmas with grandkids.

Eating the mini cereals

Corey making mashed potatoes.  We had turkey, mashed potatoes and all that good stuff for Christmas dinner.

Annmarie tired from all the activity.

Eliza playing with a rubber band gun she got from Nana.

Moving Day

On December 18th, the movers came and packed our house.  Corey flew back to Utah from Texas to sign the papers on the house in Utah.  My friend Rachel kept all the kids at her house while the movers packed everything.  Corey, Westley and Snoopy stayed that last night in the house in Utah, sleeping on the couches.  I took the other kids down to John and Allison's in Provo.  The truck came early on the 19th and Corey and Westley were there to oversee it all.  I came back to Riverton with the kids after the truck was loaded to get them.  We drove around Riverton, Herriman, South Jordan and West Jordan one last time, stopping at Dunford Donuts to get some donuts that you can't find in Texas.  Then we drove down to Provo to stay that last night with John and Allison.

We left Provo around 8:30 a.m. to drive to Arizona.  It was a gorgeous drive on Highway 89, but so sad to leave Utah.

Last look at South Mountain.  So beautiful.

Kids in the car

These are pictures of some scenery as we drove through Southern Utah:

Mt. Nebo

The last of the Northern Utah mountains in the rear view mirror as we drove away.  So sad.

We drove from Provo to Mesa all in one day.  I then spent the next week in Mesa with the kids.  Corey flew back to Texas, then back to Mesa for Christmas, then back to Texas.  I drove with the five oldest kids by myself to Texas in two days.  Corey had Annmarie with him and my sister-in-law babysat while Corey worked those days.

Up House

Not far from our house in Riverton was this house built after the manner of the house in the Disney/Pixar movie "Up".  We passed it every time we drove to the library or to Silver Crest, when the kids went there.  This was the first time I ever stopped for a picture...on our last day in Riverton.

Fellows Christmas Party

I hosted a Christmas party for the Fellows side of the family (my mom's side). I wanted to have one last hurrah before we moved. I was quite disappointed that very few people came. Only my cousin Beth, her brother Andy and some of his kids, my aunt Amy and uncle Larry, and John and Allison and their kids came. But it was really great to see the people who did come. These are pictures of the house all ready for the party. The kids and I decorated for Christmas even though we weren't going to be in the house for Christmas. Corey was already in Texas.

Moving to Texas

In September, In-N-Out announced some store openings in the Dallas area.  We had always talked about eventually moving to Texas, so when this opportunity came up, even though it seemed like bad timing (to me), we decided to go for it so we would have no regrets.  I truthfully did not expect them to give him the store, but they did and we are moving to Texas! 

Moving Box Fort

After having moved in 2004, 2005, 2007, 2008 and now 2009, we have quite a collection of moving boxes. Most of those boxes are only good for about 4-5 moves and because Corey likes to load them up super full and heavy, they really are quite fortunate to have survived this long. We had quite a few big boxes that were just not sturdy enough to keep so we decided to build a big fort out of the moving boxes for the kids to play in.

Corey and I worked together on putting the whole thing together. We used about 7 large boxes plus pieces from about 2-3 other boxes. Caleb designated the spots for the windows. Then I went to Walmart and bought a roll of butcher paper and we
covered up most of it and then the kids drew on the paper to decorate it.

As with anything like this, it was more fun to create the fort than to actually play in it. But it was fun while it lasted.





The fort lasted about 3 weeks before they took great joy in destroying it.

Life in Utah

My digital camera is pretty much toast, although I still am going to take it in to a photo shop and have it looked at. But I'm guessing that there's nothing I can do for it, it has bit the dust. So there will be no pictures until I can get another one.

We arrived here just before General Conference weekend. For those of you who read the King Letters I send weekly, you already know that Corey was able to attend priesthood session in the Conference Center with my brother Jordan and my dad, who helped us drive up. Jordan happened to be in Utah for a law society conference, so it was good to see him.

The first week we were here, Corey was in California all week. Yes, we arrived on Friday morning, unloaded the truck, unpacked as much as we could, spent Saturday and Sunday unpacking and grocery shopping, etc., and then Corey left on Sunday afternoon for California for 2nd man's class all week. He got home around 11:30 pm on Friday night, and my cousin Andy was so kind to pick him up from the airport and bring him home.

I spent the week unpacking and trying to get settled in. I visited a few people and ran lots of errands. I registered Westley for school and he started on Tuesday. School here is from 9:00 a.m. to 3:50 in the afternoon!

Corey got home and we spent Saturday unpacking more and running errands. On Sunday we went to our ward for the first time. The meeting block is 1-4 pm. It seemed okay, people said hello, and everything. I even knew two people from before. One was a girl I cheered with in high school. She was on the varsity squad my senior year, but she was a junior. We had 6 cheerleaders and 6 songleaders. She and I were cheerleaders, that meant that we went up in the stunts. The other girl was in a BYU ward of mine when I lived in Regency. So it was kind of cool to see some people I knew. Next week is stake conference, and it happens to be at the Conference Center because President Monson is presiding.

That's about all. We are trying to get more settled. The weather has been cold for me. We had to buy new wardrobes for all the kids. I could probably use some new winter clothes and shoes myself, but we spent all the money on the kids. Oh well. Guess it will be sweatshirts and jeans and really old tennis shoes for me this winter. The kids are all set, so they are really looking forward to the snow.

So weird that we're in Utah now. I really do miss Arizona!

We Are Here

I just wanted everyone to know that we are now in Utah. We left Arizona on Thursday morning around 10 am and drove to Beaver, Utah, where we stayed the night. We left Beaver around 7:30 am and arrived at our house in Riverton at about 11:00 a.m. It took us the next 4 hours to unload the truck, since it was just me, Corey and Dad. We managed to even unload the piano though! We returned the truck and Dad went up to Aunt Amy's for the night and we unpacked what we could. Corey and Jamie's family friend Gail came and brought us lunch as well as dinner. She helped me unpack the whole kitchen too. Madison and Addison from Corey's In-N-Out store in Tempe are up here this weekend for conference, so they came over and ate dinner with us. We've spent the day unpacking and getting more settled.

So we are here finally!

Final Zoo Day

We bought a family zoo pass for Christmas last year and we got it in November. We were able to make very good use of it. I'm disappointed that we're moving before it expires and have a whole nice weather month of missing out, but se la vi. So we decided to use Friday, a holiday for Westley from school (teacher workday) and Corey was also off, to make one last visit as a family to the zoo. When we've used it throughout the year, we've often made short visits, letting the kids each pick one or two animals they really want to see and seeing those and then leaving. We did go through the entire zoo the first visit and at least one other time, but since this was the last visit, we went to the whole zoo as well as a ride on the carousel. We have really enjoyed the zoo pass and are considering getting one to the Hogle Zoo in Utah. The kids absolutely love the zoo and never seem to get tired of it.





All three boys were able to find tigers to ride on the carousel that were right near each other. Eliza wanted to go on the carousel, so we took her on, but then she wouldn't ride any of the animals, so Corey sat with her in the non-moving seat. She's at that age where she doesn't want to be left out, but isn't quite ready for some of the things that big kids do!

2-1/2 Weeks

In 2-1/2 weeks, we will be on our way to Utah. Am I remotely ready? No. I have so much to do, I'm starting to go into full panic mode, which means that I can't think straight enough to plan my next step. I have phone calls to make (cancel utilities, call the schools, call doctor offices, etc.). I have stuff to go through--we can probably get rid of about half the stuff in one room alone! I have to start packing. We will be arriving in Utah just as it starts to get cold, so I need to make sure the winter clothes (what little we actually have) are accessible.

Then there's all the things I should do before moving, like fixing the piano bench and patching a couch cushion. We also have to repair a hole in the drywall before we move. In addition to the things we have to do (the phone calls, the bills, the cancellations, the records--school and medical), there are things we'd like to do--swimming at my parents' house one more time, going out with certain friends one more time, etc. I'd like to leave this ward 100% visiting teaching, I still have 2 visits to make this month, and Corey wants to leave with 100% hometeaching and he still has a few visits to make. Little things like that!

Not to mention, we still have to figure out the actual logistics of the move--which way we will drive, if my dad is coming with us or not (and we need to figure that out soon to buy the plane ticket), if we should do it over 2 days or just 1, etc.

Add to that the fact that I still really wish we could just stay put and you have one stressed out Mama!

We Found a House!

This is the house we found in Riverton. It is at about 13400 S 5000 W, so out closer to Herriman. We looked in Lehi and South Jordan also, trying to stay within 40 minutes of the Orem store. This house is about 35 minutes from the Orem store, 20 minutes from the West Jordan store and 30 minutes from the West Valley store. It was tough finding a place big enough and inexpensive enough that also allowed pets. We were also lucky that this house didn't require a huge deposit, just a small one. It has a small backyard, which is okay, and a playground across the street. Westley will be attending Silver Crest Elementary in Herriman, and he'll be riding the bus.

I'm glad we were able to find something decent and now I can quit worrying about where we will live.

Finally, a solid plan!

We aren't moving until the first weekend of October! We've arranged with the buyers of our house to rent it back from them from when we close, on August 21st, through October 3rd. At that point, Corey will most likely be able to just move with us, if not, it will only be a couple of weeks that we'll be without him.

We may or may not move into James' house. James was my brother Aaron's good friend who was offering to let us rent his house in West Jordan. Last week, we received very sad and terrible news that he had passed away from a diabetic coma sometime after July 16th. The saddest part is that he was trying to get the insulin that would probably have saved him long enough to call 911, but he didn't quite make it. Unfortunately, he was found more than a week after he passed away. Anyway, his family has offered to rent us the home, if it doesn't sell first, so it's possible that come the middle-end of September, we won't even have to look, we can just rent that house.

I am glad that we at least know now that we aren't moving until October 3rd, so I won't have to be in Utah for a long time without Corey and also Westley can finish his first 9 weeks of school, which ends on September 25th. I feel really good about this turn of events and feel that even if we decide to not rent that house in West Jordan, that we will find something just right for us.

New Moving Update

Ah, this move is so fickle, I tell you! One minute we're staying and renting, then we're moving soon to a certain house, then it's all changed again!

We're still moving August 21st and 22nd, but this time, we are moving to Herriman, right near Riverton (both cities were used as addresses interchangeably when I google mapped it). The house in South Jordan sounded like a great place to live, but after really crunching the numbers, we decided that while we could make it work, it would be really hard with no wiggle room for extras we might need in Utah, like snow tires and warmer winter clothes that we don't already have. So we found a better deal on a house in Herriman that will work out just fine. Still about 20 minutes from Jordan Landing and the Draper stores, give or take a few minutes, which is way better than the 50-60+ minutes it takes Corey now to drive to work.

We also won't be going to Utah to look around, we're going by the pictures and by the fact that the landlord is putting in new carpet and having it all cleaned professionally that it will be nice. It's a new house, built in 2007. One drawback will be Westley being bussed to a school that's further away than about 3 schools close by, but the school is still only a 10 minute drive from our house.

Anyway, I will send the new address out by email when we seal the deal and sign the contract, which should be in a couple days.

I feel much more settled about this and confident that things will work out.

Moving Update

It looks like we are moving on August 21st. The renting idea isn't panning out. Corey and I are NOT going to Utah to find a place, I am going alone. Possibly with 1 or 2 children in tow. Corey will spend much of that weekend packing, with Jamie, his sister, watching the other 2-3 kids while he's at work on Monday and Tuesday. When we get back, it will be packing and more packing and cleaning. Then the idea is to load the truck as well as close on the house on August 21st. Then move. We have found and secured a house in South Jordan. When I go up next weekend, it will be to meet the landlord in person and make sure everything is ready for us. My brother Adam was kind enough to help us out by going down and walking through the house yesterday and then giving us his opinion. It's a bit on the high end of our rent range, but we are going to make it work by sticking closely to our budget. I really hope that the ward is good and it will be worth it.

Still, I find all this very hard. The thought of being up in Utah without Corey for 2-1/2 months is rather daunting. I do have a few friends up there from high school and college and also some cousins. This is definitely a leap of faith.

On the Move...Yet Again

Okay, since so many people have been asking, I might as well make it formal here. Yes, we are moving, and soon. Corey is going with In-N-Out to open Utah. Salt Lake/Provo open up this fall (November). We found out that it was a sure thing in June, so we put our house on the market in the middle of June. Right after putting our house up, I went to California with the kids and then on to Utah and was gone for a little over 2 weeks. During that time, we got several offers. One of them went through. The bank counter-offered, the buyer accepted, and now we are closing on August 21st.

The buyers, when they looked at the house, they said they would be willing to rent it back to us, if we were staying in the area, because it was so well-kept and clean. When we found out that we are having to be out by August 21st, we have talked to the agents to ask the buyers if they would truly be willing to rent it back to us through the end of September, so we could wait and move up there all together instead of me having to move up with the kids, leaving Corey here to work until he's needed up there. We haven't heard back yet, so as of right now, we are going to be moving on August 21st.

Corey and I are going up to Utah August 7th through the 11th to try and find a place. Then coming back, packing up and moving. I personally hope we can stay through the end of September for a number of reasons, the biggest, of course, being that we won't be up there without Corey for 2 months.

So now you know the full story!

Goodbye Arizona, Hello Utah

I guess this post has been a long time coming. I haven't wanted to write about it because it seems to make it real and final. We are leaving Arizona and moving to Utah. I recognize that I have many friends who would love to be in our shoes and move up to Utah, but I have been struggling with this for the past month, since it first started to look like it would really happen.

Last year, around September, we sort of brought up the possibility of moving to Utah when In-N-Out expanded into Salt Lake and Provo. It seemed so much in the distant future that I didn't really think it would actually happen. In January, we moved back to our house. When Corey got close to the end of his final semester of school, he asked me if Utah could be a possibility. I guess I was hoping that if Utah was in our future, that In-N-Out would just ask Corey to go there and then we could decide. Instead, it has been kind of a volunteer thing. In-N-Out needs and wants managers to go out there, but mostly that happens on a volunteer basis. I'm guessing that if nobody wanted to go, they would start in with some incentives or something, but I don't really know for sure.

We kind of came to the agreement that we would only go if it meant becoming a store manager for him. Since he wasn't even a second manager yet, that really didn't seem likely. But Corey really has had his heart set on this opportunity to help open In-N-Out in a new market, so when push came to shove, he finally convinced me to let him tell his bosses that he would be willing to go even as a second manager, a promotion he finally received in April.

So since he graduated, our world has been spinning out of control, at least mine has. All of a sudden, moving to Utah became reality and we have now put our house on the market and have received 3 offers already. We don't get to accept/reject the offers, though, because we are doing a short sale, due to the difficult market and mortgage situation we have found ourselves in. So the bank gets to decide whether or not to accept or reject these offers.

So, there it is. We are moving to Utah. I will miss Arizona. I'm not sure I'm ready to face the cold again. I'll miss swimming almost every day in water that is 90 degrees and warmer. I'll miss endless sunny days. I'll miss my parents close proximity and the relationship they've had with my kids will be forever changed. I will miss our ward and neighborhood and how I can just walk from our house to Westley's school and the YMCA and pool right next door in less than five minutes. I'll miss owning my own home for the time being. I'm sure there will be good things about moving to Utah. But I will miss Arizona. It's all happened so fast I've barely been able to blink!

Welcome Back!

So we moved back to our house in Queen Creek. On the first Sunday here we were surprised to see that Westley and Caleb were both already on the Primary lists and assigned to classes (though Travis wasn't included on the nursery list). Anyway, I was quite surprised when after church, Westley came bounding up to me, thrusting a paper into my hand. It read: "Westley has been assigned to give a talk in Primary on January 11th." Then it gave the topic, which was "I am a spirit child of Heavenly Father."

I guess I was surprised that he was assigned to speak already, partly because he never spoke in the ward in Mesa. Usually in Primary, everybody gets a chance to speak at least once during the year, but they never added Westley or Caleb to the list, so neither of them ever spoke.

Westley and I sat down on Saturday morning, which was the first chance we had, to prepare his talk. We talked about what it meant to be a spirit child of Heavenly Father, and then I wrote it down. Then I typed it up for him and drew smiley faces after each paragraph where he needed to look up at the group, so he wouldn't stand there reading with his head down the whole time. He practiced it several times on Saturday and even went through it a couple times Sunday morning before church (which is at 8 a.m.!).

Well, we went in to listen, and he did great! He didn't look up on his cues, but he read loudly and clearly and did so without his head down. And his reading was very smooth and understandable. Not only that, but somehow everyone in the room managed to stay quiet during the talk as well. I would like to work on having him give memorized talks more in the future, but given that he was assigned a talk just after his first week in a new school, and we spent all week focusing on that, we had little time to prepare on Saturday morning. But I still felt he did a great job.