Faith in the future....

Long story short...we're moving....very soon...you might be thinking... "I'll bet they're going to Utah"... like others have assumed, but no, we're moving to Northern San Diego County...we've known it was a possibility for a couple of months, but we made our final decision a few weeks ago....now let me back up and fill in a few details....

The Scoop....

We've been evaluating the whole time we've been here on whether or not to buy a home and settle here for the next few years. When we moved here, homes values were decreasing very significantly, it was easy not to buy because it made no sense. Now is probably the best time to buy and so we've looked closely at things trying to make a decision about what is best. We just haven't felt right about taking that step forward here. We've been pretty calculated about what we've done financially and while we haven't done everything perfect, we feel really good about the things we were able to accomplish while we have been here. Now that our time here is all said and done, we're glad we made the decision to wait. We've paid off half of Joseph's law school loans which has been a huge relief, and we don't have a house that has lost value that we are trying to sell. It's made this move alot simpler than it otherwise would have been.

Joseph has received phone calls from recruiters on occasion while we've been here. Because we were weren't looking for a change, he has always declined. A few months ago he received a couple of calls about jobs in the Greater Sacramento area. Because of the circumstance at the time of these calls, he felt a little more open to the idea, feeling like a change might be a good thing, but he again declined the offer for interviews. Instead he decided to contact a company he had been interested in. He wasn't looking necessarily looking for an immediate change, but became very interested in the culture and philosophy of the company. We didn't think the change would come so suddenly, but after a few weeks of interviews and negotiations, the formal offer came and we felt that even though our timing and circumstances didn't feel perfect, it was an opportunity worth taking.

I'll have to write later about the process my mind has gone through about accepting this change. When the idea was first introduced I said, "No way are we doing that!" But then the more time went on the more I realized it could be a really good thing.

I've had lots of thoughts and feelings the past few days and a BYU devotional address given by Elder Jeffrey R. Holland from last month's Ensign magazine, has brought great comfort and peace. The following words meant alot to me, "As a new year begins and we try to benefit from a proper view of what has gone before, I plead with you not to dwell on days now gone nor to yearn vainly for yesterdays, however good those yesterdays may have been. The past is to be learned from but not lived in. We look back to claim the embers from glowing experiences but not the ashes. And when we have learned what we need to learn and have brought with us the best that we have experienced, then we look ahead and remember that faith is always pointed toward the future. Faith always has to do with blessings and truths that will yet be efficacious in our lives."

When we moved to Woodland, I was scared of the unknown. I cried at that time because I was worried about our future in an unfamiliar place (not that we hadn't done unfamiliar before). As we started to create and build our life here, I realized there were things I really liked about this place. Now, as I look back on our almost 3 years here, we have experienced so much good. We have been able to create a life for our family that we love. It's far from perfect, very far from perfect. But it has been very fulfilling and we have felt tremendous joy and have received many blessings. We have become acquainted with truly remarkable people, whom we will never forget. Our children have had opportunities and experiences that we never would have imagined. We have experienced things that have stretched us as a family beyond measure. We have also experienced challenges and struggles along the way that have been hard. And a few times we even thought, enough is enough. But, our theme has often been,

"We can do hard things!"

We have learned so many things. These challenges have been a blessing as we have drawn on a power greater than our own and as we have leaned upon one another. Now, as we prepare to leave, I am crying different tears. I am tearful because of all the wonderful people and experiences we have to leave behind. There's so much about our life here we will sorely miss and so much good we feel we are giving up! I know that we will have challenges and new hard things to face, but I also know there will be blessings and that we will be able to re-create a life of joy, just as we have here. I will always look back on our experiences here in Woodland with sincere gratitude and fondness.

Here's to faith in the future! My new mantra.