Idaho is sooooo cold!

Yes, I know it has been very long since Ashlee created this blog for me BUT I have been very busy!

Life was humming along nicely in November. I was thoroughly enjoying teaching my two Institute Old Testament classes, serving as the "Strengthening Marriage and the Family" representative for the Virginia LDS Family Services Agency and loving the association of great friends when Claigh received a seemingly inconsequential phone call from Salt Lake.

They wondered why he had not applied for the Idaho Falls position to which he replied "We love Virginia." With that we thought the matter was closed - HA! The corporate offices called again well into December and asked Claigh to seriously consider taking the position as Agency Director for Idaho Falls. LDS Family Services has been such a blessing to us over the years and after prayerfully considering the request, we began to pack up for Idaho.

It isn't easy to get a very large home and yard ready for sale in the midst of the winter - especially with a trip already in the schedule to Ohio for Brynja's baptism AND being in the midst of training instructors for 17 stakes for the marriage and parenting classes AND needing to find two teachers to take my place in the middle of a school year for the Old Testament classes AND Claigh's normally year end busyness with the Virginia Agency, however somehow we pulled it all together and managed a trip to Arizona for Jennie's baptism in April as well.

We were one of the very few to sell a house in our price range in our county in the first quarter of 2008. Few are looking in January/February/March any year but we felt blessed to have just the right couple come through.

The move has been a challenge to say the least but here we are in cold Idaho. Thank-goodness for the warm people because I'm very serious, it is June and the highs are in the 50's.

We look forward to our Idaho adventure but I must say, I miss our dear friends in Virginia terribly. It is strange to have the phone silent day after day. I also miss having a girlfriend to go spur of the moment to lunch or take in a matinée. Our empty-nesters Family Home Evening group and Book Club are sorely missed. Thank-goodness for wonderful daughters who call to share their lives with me.

I am also convinced that we have toooooo much stuff. We moved smaller and I thought we had pared down plenty. The parable of Jesus of the man who built greater barns for his great abundance (Luke 12) comes to mind. That is definitely not for us. We plan on moving even smaller next time and so my work at sorting through and blessing others with what we really no longer need has begun. Stuff should not take so much of our precious energy and time! I do want to organize our family photos into albums (no - not the creative kind - just organized into albums!)

Blessings abound! - Friends to make!! - Our love story continues!!! (It actually began in Idaho! Can you believe it?)