WE MOVED TO UTAH.
Yes, it was sudden. Yes, it was unexpected and not ever in what we saw for our future. Yes, it was stressful and crazy...why? We decide in the end of March 2012 to move and hoped to have a home there by August 1, 2012 to be ready for school! We had to get a job there (did in about 6 weeks, very blessed), we had to pack our WHOLE house (thanks for TONS of help from church family and neighbors), we had to pay for the WHOLE move ourselves (thank heavens we could borrow from our 401K, overjoyed to have that), and we had to find a house to buy or rent... We were finally ready to put ours up June 8th.
Maddie was the impetus behind our decision. She kept hearing and reading about all the 'good, clean fun' her cousins were having in Salt Lake City. Last summer, we spent about one month and she made soem terrific friends and felt like she fit in so well: cute, spunky, fun girls and guys who were living high standards and still having a blast--she begged us all year to move to UT from then on.
After we made the decision, we had MOUNTAINS of faith and plowed forward: packed half the house, put it on the market (it didn't sell for price we needed so now we are renting it for one year), told our friends, and Ted went to work applying for jobs; he couldn't get Fidelity to transfer him and he ended up interviewing in person with Morgan Stanley Smith Barney and with Goldman-Sachs. He got an offer from Morgan Stanley's South Jordan campus. We felt elated! and excited to live in that (southern) part of the Salt Lake valley.
Ted started in the end of June--so we enlisted a massive amount of friends (we love you all so much!!!) to help us pack more, move stuff, fix and clean. We thank many, many families from our church and some from Sendera Ranch. Our hearts were completely invested in Haslet, Sendera Ranch, our church and our schools. Ted coached for Haslet sports for 7 years; I subbed in all the schools (K-12) for 7 years and was a district interpreter for 4 years. We LOVED our community and neighbors more than we ever imagined! We were loved in return and we will always miss our cherished friends there--we hope to visit at least once a year!
We moved there in 2005 (a visual trip down 'Memory Lane'):
Popsicles and trampoline, in April (our New Hampshire friends were still trying to dig out from the winter!)
Our new house! We LOVED it! I painted the shutters my favorite color and planted some new stuff in front.
13416 Quail View Drive, Haslet TX 76052
Our first home with a GARAGE and YARD! yea!!!!!
(check out Nick's crazy pose in the background; some kind of Spiderman move no doubt)
Spring wildflowers in TX are amazing!!!
Favorite waterpark NRH20. Complete blast! Look behind the kids at this crazy-fun-sun-soaked place!
Ladybug elbow & knee pads, new blades and she is off and excited!!
Trip to the Fort Worth Zoo. We got passes that year and went with friends often. and Dad. Thanks, Sharla Wilde, for making our first few years so fun!! (Sad when you moved away!)
We moved when Maddie was in second grade; in the end of March. She had a tough time adjusting, but after a few weeks, she recited a poem from this book of Leslie Norris' -- a poem about a Hippopotamus. She was the ONLY student who read with enthusiasm, wore clothes to match what was happening in the poem, and had tons of personality. (Everyone else was monotone and subdued). This should have clued us in...
to her future!!
Nick started pre-school that Fall at Holy Shepherd Lutheran Church in Haslet. He had a great time and would often pray that other kids "won't poke us with their pencils"...
a true Longhorn, FORT WORTH experience:
Then, seven years later, unexpectedly, we left THE HEART of TEXAS-- in June of 2012.
amidst tears and sighs and surprised friends!
Farewell parties, lunches, dinners and moments with these dear friends--
Nick's neighborhood buddies, a few of them.
Coach DoPorto and Ted: Baseball, basketball and flag football. Also, both went on the 5th grade science camping trip-- We'll miss the smiles and great personalities of the DoPorto family!
The Sagers boys (above) are the little bros we want to adopt!! Their mom, Caroline, and I below:
More amazingly loving friends...
Tasha and moi. Kindred friend of life and deep chats. She always laughed at things Ted and I said and she has a TERRIFIC laugh!!! Plus, she is an amazing photographer, cook, mom, and friend!
Maddie and Maegan's daughter; Allie and her sister (Tasha's girls)
The double Sears duo. The bottom couple convinced us to move from the chills of New Hampshire for the sun of Texas back in 2003. It took us two years to get there and then the top couple (the other Sears) ended up moving from UT to TX and were our neighbhors. WE love the Sears!! Pam is going to miss Ted coming over after a job, soaking in sweat and trying to hug her. eeeww! and we will miss her coming over, opening our front door and shouting, "Are you naked?!" before coming in.
Ted is missing being in this with his kindred spirit brother and summoner of Eagle Powers, Dave Ballard. He and wife, Lynette, have been and will be life-long friends. Dave and Ted would try to sneak quotes in to their church talks (or discourses) from movies like, "Nacho Libre" and "Napoleon Dynamite". Oh boy. We'll miss them like crazy!
Our Liberian brother in the gospel, Alfred Wilson. When he moved to TX, we invited him to dinner, to holiday celebrations and loved him from the get-go. He was a dear friend to us!
The super-cali-fragil-istic KING family! Scouts all the way! My mentor in Cub Scouts (and my Unit Commissioner) as well as exemplary family. The best there is!
and Cub Scout leader extraordinaire, Connie B. (a budding author, too!)
and this favorite pose from 'the church ladies' Bev and Katie
Lunch gals: Chris C and Summer T (girls camp warriors! loved it!)
and Cub Scout leader extraordinaire, Connie B. (a budding author, too!)
and this favorite pose from 'the church ladies' Bev and Katie
Lunch gals: Chris C and Summer T (girls camp warriors! loved it!)
Long time TX friend, Laura (whose husband, Daniel, almost broke some limbs collecting rocks for us, jumping on a moving train and then having to fling himself off, only to be hit by the physics-force of a backpack of rocks punching him in the back as he fell from the moving train...ask Laura about it!)
Loving Lynette B and Ruth K...two super ladies and friends!!!
Long time friends with teens (and I had a church volunteer position with teens for some time): Ann O. and Jenni M... talented, funny, bright ladies!
Too many hilarious moments to share all of them with this couple, Mike and Shalene. So fun to be with. Serious Mike and Expressive-Animated-Honest Shalene. :) We love playing "Compatibility" with them and seeing them talk about their in-laws (or out-laws), their mothers-in-law, their sex life and their deepest dreams...
Oh Wolfgramm family, we LOVE you! We'll miss you! and we plan on your visiting us every year MORE THAN ONCE with your free flying benefits!!
Jennifer Stair's kids were our long-time Discovery Kids' Camp attendees and we love them and will always remember them. Wonderful mom and neighbor to us in Sendera Ranch.
The beautiful BENSON family--you moved by us and later, we left! We are sorry! This terrific family shared a lot with us, by way of values, parenting, faith and in living. We ate our first "schitzcocker" (how do you spell that Norweigan dish??) with them, had some wondeful discussions with them and our kids loved their kids.
Ted left a few days before me. He had to start his new job and I wasn't ready to say goodbye! Getting together with all those friends (above) took a week! and I had my last Pack Meeting to coordinate and lead, as Cubmaster (for 3 years). I didn't want to miss it!Here's how HAPPY Ted looked at 6am on the day he left. Notice two things: his RT hand, and the cologne in his left hand:
In the end of June the kids and I drove to Utah, with Boston (our dog) in the front seat, sharing with Nick. It was crazy! :) Ted left some days before to get there for his new job, but I wasn't ready to leave, mentally or emotionally--we squeezed in all those visits with friends that last week. Then we jammed our car full of clothes for 2 months (not knowing when we'd actually pack our truck; our house was still on the market) and food for 2 days...I have NEVER driven more than 12 hours without another adult to help drive--I was quite nervous! Nick and I brought Harry Potter Book IV on CD to keep us company--it lasts 23 hours, so we made it (22 hour trip!)
Maddie didn't help me stay awake as she promised...she was so exhausted after saying goodbyes and packing for 5 days straight (no kidding! she is organized! packed every necklace in it's own ziploc, all her clothes coordinated and rolled up, mak
Yes, for hours upon hours, Boston laid with his head squished between gear shift and A/C.
pobrecito.
Utah (southern) scenery!!
And we attended a HUGE Chester Johnson family reunion (Ted's grandpa on mom's side) down in Southern UT. We met and strengthened friendships (familyships) :) with many of Ted's cousins and their kids. Heaven! To live so close and to build up our family ties--so rewarding, so fun, so deeply felt and appreciated.
July Overview:
Stayed/Lived at Ted's sister, Tami Morris's house in Millcreek while they took their girls to Europe. We had Boston (and their dog) and their son, Luke. He is Maddie's age and she quite enjoyed all his friends coming over every day & night. :) Ted worked at his new job; I spent days looking at homes and nights on the internet looking for homes. Hooked up with an old acquaintance from Jerusalem Study Abroad, a realtor living in South Jordan (Daybreak) who offered me a job working in their "home office" as Office Manager part-time. Yes!! She is a realtor and her husband is a home-renovator. Tamara & Corey Zander. Great couple! Great family and close to where we ended up. I love working there and learning the "realtor ropes"--I may get my license next year and help us buy our future house! :)
She is the one in the middle (this is our Israel Reunion in December 2004). Soooo wonderful!!
Other July events: Buck family runs the Murray 5K on July 4th and has bar-b-que and fireworks (tradition) in Ma and Pa Buck's backyard.
MURRAY 5 K on 4th of July
Ben (Ted's older bro) and Teddy B
FOURTH OF JULY CELEBRATIONS AT BUCKWALTER'S HOUSE
Best part of the night!!
Homemade Raspberry Ice Cream from Ma and Pa's fresh raspberry bushes...
LATE JULY: Back to Texas to pack up the truck
My dear high school friend, Amy (Jones) Bowers, moves back to UT and we welcome her into the Buckwalter family outings and dinners. Everybody loves her! We went hiking in Provo Canyon and then to our favorite ice cream place, The BYU Creamery. No ice cream place can beat The Creamery!!
Then Amy got us free tickets to go hear the Mormon Tabernacle choir along with Welch Opera superstar, Kathryn Jenkins. It was SO beautiful and I felt so lucky to in UT for this!!
Amy offered to drive the 22 hours back to Texas with me so I could load up the truck and finish packing and get our house rented out.While in TX, Amy met our dear church friends and we had TONS more help with the house. We rocked out on our road trip to Styx and Broadway (Wicked) as well as listened books on CD; we kept Nick and Boston entertained :) To say the least! And Amy made us stop in Prairie Dog Town in CO--Boston went nuts over the foxes, chickens and prairie dogs! What a crack up!
Amy hit it off and we gained a "full-time" helper, an old friend from Amy's mission, a deaf brother, who lives in Plano, TX; he came and stayed at the house, took apart furniture, moved boxes, packed and seriously, I couldn't have moved without him!! We had a blast and sweated like crazy (not a blast) and finally got out of there. Amy and I took Nick and Boston with us and Nick got to see all his friends and ride his bike (which he missed). I got completely choked up when Amy and I first entered our neighborhood and saw our home there; I loved loved loved our home; I worked so hard to make a beautiful yard and garden, and we adored our friends there. I cried and felt a deep sadness all weekend, yet I still knew we were moving to the right place for our kids. and hopefully for us, too. And we ran in the 1st Annual Buddy 5K in honor of our dear church brother who was killed by a car in June. Nick and I both were so honored and happy to be in town for this and actually scheduled our trip there for this race & tribute. (Amy, Jason, and moi)
August:
We picked a beautiful house to rent in Rosecrest neighborhood of Herriman, UT, one mile from stores, shops, banks, library, Rec Center, EVERYTHING! I couldn't be happier!! (sing, "couldn't be happier..." from WICKED). We face the south and the backyard slopes down a hill so it is huge, full of vistas extraordinaires and has plenty of storage (in the 3 car garage--score!) We are crazy about our neighborhood, location, ward (church congregation), and new friends. Deeply, visibly blessed.
I hated driving 20-30 minutes for one errands and a few errands (in TX, from our small town) took over 3 hours usually. Now I can run to drugstore, grocery and library all in under one hour; and get gas! Sweeeeet! Here is the Herriman Rec Center where we go for swimming (waterslides and all that), racketball, basketball, Zumba & other classes, walking track and weights. We all LOVE it!
I started my job at Zander Homes (which again, I LOVE because of who I work for and with) and we got the kids registered in school. I work in this darling home in Daybreak (South Jordan):
Nick is on a modified year-round program, so he started 3 weeks later than everyone else on "Track A" and went back to school on August 12th. Maddie helped me unpack (forever) and the new ward/church family welcomed us BIG time! We toured the new high school (3rd year open of Herriman High School; love the mascot, the Mustangs) and got Maddie enrolled. She is super excited! Me, too!!
I also looked up some old friends who live out here and in Riverton: Melissa Sedrick & family from Haslet, TX; Carla Brower and family from my mission--we taught Spanish together at the Missionary Training Center in 19919-3. Christy Bacon Boots--most KINDRED friend of adult life, met in Jerusalem and bonded while living at Afakim in Galilee--a kibbutz; were roommates post-BYU, went on a cruise to Jamaica with 15 other singles from church (FAB-u-lous!), took care of a Mexican man who lost 3 limbs (and his young family), went to plays and basically loved life together:
Amy Bowers, Me, Christy Bacon Boots
Stephanie Stoker, my first missionary partner/companion---our kids get along FABULOUSLY and we went ice blocking in Provo--
Look at that gorgeous GREEN grass, HUGE mountains and amazing VIEW!
Stokers and Buckwalters (or as we were called on our missions: Hermana Moore and Hermana Machan)
and then boating and waterskiing on Utah Lake (me, Steph's daughter and son)
September So Far:
1. Maddie loves her new school and has darling friends--neat, fun, goal-oriented kids :) She is taking dance class, theatre class and seminary during the day; she wants to try out for either dance, drill, cheer and for Student Body Officer later this year; as well as audition for school musical. She has some modeling shoots lined up with a relative of a relative and can't wait!! She is happier than I ever saw her last year--she has not been bullied for 1 milli-second--she has been loved and built up and is surrounded by friends and adults (church leaders) who love her enthusiasm and sparkle!
2. Nick loves his new friends, mostly BYU fans, which he is not used to. His new friends come over and they play football, scooter and ride bikes. Great boys!!! He is playing Lacrosse and involved in Boy Scouts. Went on a 4 mile hike with Ted and the scouts; is planning hunting trip in October to Uncle Mark's house in Montana--packed a month early--he is SO excited!! He is in 6th grade (back in elementary school for another 'last year') and really like his classmates and teacher. Interestingly, he has 3 weeks off in October, January and April--weird!! Luckily, the Rec Center has sports camps for kids during their "off weeks" of school. ahhh.
Have I mentioned that we have a breath-taking view from our backyard balcony??? Our home in Rosecrest overlooks all of the greater Salt Lake valley. I love to sit out there to read, talk, relax, and smile.
3. I am working part-time, going to the Rec Center classes almost daily, planning to visit the Oquirrh Mountain temple weekly as it's SO close, am organizing a Book-n-Bonding Club with neighborhood gals--I love the ladies I've met and feel 100% content that we picked the exact right area for our family to live--for many reasons. I truly feel welcome and needed and sense some wondeful friendships are about to begin. God is so good to us. Our never-ending prayers this spring and summer have been answered ten-fold! And I got a super mountain bike at a yard sale for $20! Woo hoo! as well as raquetball rackets (for Rec Center) and an air hockey table (all yard sale/KSL.com). Loving life!!!
4. Ted is working, continues to make new contacts, is eager to hunt, camp, and fish with Mark in Montana AND to attend all the BYU home games this season (with Nick) and his brothers and dad. That is so fun! He is loving the local sports, going to games, hangin out with family and the chance to have yearly hunting and camping trips with his brothers. Me, too!
We are 90% unpacked! Everyday I feel excited and happy about our life. I didn't expect that. We just never thought we'd end up back here where we met and started our family. But I am so enjoying re-connecting with old friends, distant relatives and close ones, that I just haven't lived here to see and be with. I love the exciting outings and events we have at our fingertips, along with the family we can spend them with; and the new friends that we plan to have dinner groups with, attend the temple and go on fun outings, too. We love the canyons, Park City, and even have a reservoir for sunning and swimming (beach, too!) up here in the Herriman hills! yippee!!
2 comments:
Great read so happy everything is working out...I am quite envious! It definitely seems to be the right move!
How exciting that you guys moved to Utah! We aren't too far from you now. We live out in Eagle Mountain which is just about a half hour from you. It would be fun to see you all again!
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