The Farewell Tour~The Cookie Party

On the Sunday night before we moved we invited lots of friends over to share cookies with us before we left. It was crazy to have almost 70 people running through our house the night before we were to be packed up, but completely 100% worth it. The kids had a great time and I think it will be a memory they will always look back on with a smile. I had so much fun visiting with friends that I forgot to get the camera out until the evening was almost over. If you were there and we didn't get your picture, it's because we just didn't take very many. We were so glad you came!

The Farewell Tour ~ Saying Good-Bye to Ballet

You know what they say...you don't know what you've got, til it's gone....we feel that way about the whole experience with ballet. We didn't go to ballet just for the ballet. We went for the friendships and the park too. It was part of our Woodland experience that we will always cherish. We have so many memories because we spent so much time at Applegate Dance Studio and the Village Homes Neighborhood Park outside the studio. We were there as much as three times a week for atleast an hour or so each time. While the kids explored, I visited with friends like Heather, Bill, Deborah, Diane, Dena, Stephanie, Inez, Sierra, and many other amazing people that enriched my life every week.

We loved the friends we made and the opportunities we had through ballet. We know we'll have new ballet experiences where we live now, but we will always look back fondly on our experiences at Applegate Dance Studio in Davis.

The Farewell Tour~Saying Good-Bye to Work

Joseph's staff threw him a surprise party before his last day of work. He is greatly loved by his staff and they were sad to see him go. They always throw a great party with amazing home-made authentic yummy food. We had a great time celebrating!

The Vice-President of the company he works for happened to be visiting that day and said a few nice words about Joseph at the farewell party. It was very kind of him.

Joseph's regional boss, James, has been a great personal friend to Joseph and our entire family.

I received a wonderful letter and personal gift from one of Joseph's staff members telling me how much she esteemed him and thanking me for sharing Joseph with their staff. She related how she had gone through cancer and Joseph was there to support her and cheer her on during her recovery. It was a touching letter. I could tell by being there that day that he will be greatly missed by his nurses and staff. There were many tears shed. It made me glad that I'm married to him and that I get to go with him on this next adventure. :) Some of them have asked to come with him if there are openings at his new facility. I am glad that my "job" allows me to transfer with him. :) I could not handle saying good-bye.

Ice Cream with Friends

Amid the hustle and bustle of the move, we took the chance to go to Fenton's Creamery to get ice cream for our friend Monica's birthday. The kids loved the little hurrah with friends and so did we.

My cute {messy} boys....

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.

Hiking in Berryessa

I had a baby shower to attend a few weeks ago so Joseph took the kids for an afternoon of play. Like usual, they headed for the hills. They all had a great time in the cold foggy hills.

Brynn's Piano Recital

Brynn's first piano recital at the Universal Unitarian Church in Davis.

Day After Christmas Hike

On the day after Christmas, Joseph took the girls hiking in Berryessa range about 25 minutes from our house. I stayed home with the boys who were feeling under the weather. :( I'm grateful for the wonderful husband and father he is.

Christmas 2009

This year was the first time we have ever celebrated Christmas with just our Joseph and Amy Lee Family. While we missed our extended family tremendously, it was a peaceful, relaxing and wonderful time for us to focus on each of our children and to teach them more about why we celebrate Christmas. Both of our families carry out traditions of re-enacting the Nativity, and they always have a great spirit about them, a little fun and spiritual mixed together, but doing it on our own allowed us the time to reflect a little more together in a more intimate setting without all the hustle and bustle. We really enjoyed it. That's not to say it was the most spiritual of experiences. (The costumes are evidence alone). But we enjoyed our first experience being just together. Joseph took charge of finding costumes while I finished the dishes from our Christmas Eve dinner. I'll try to give you the reasoning behind each outfit. Most of it was just plain him having a fun time. Isaac is a shepherd...I think Joseph thought the Peter Pan costume was as close to a shepherd as he was going to get. Aaron was also a shepherd, wait no, I guess he would have been Joseph, because he kept saying all night, "I not Joseph, I Aaron, YOU Joseph Dad!"....not quite sure how the reindeer tie fits in, but his headress looks the part. Abby was Mary....probably the most apporopriate costume, though possibly a little too glamourous. Brynn was the donkey...she tried to find an outfit of complete gray to play the part. Joseph was the wise man....his explanation for the cycling jersey was that the wise-men wore brightly colored and adorned clothing.

Throughout the night we had fun checking to see where Santa was on NORADS website. Once he hit Ohio and started moving toward the midwestern states, the kids decided they should get ready for bed before he reached the west coast.

We read a few Christmas stories and watched the Liken Scriptures~Christmas Story, and The Nativity produced by the Church.

The kids were practicially begging to go to bed. They put out their cookies and wrote a message to Santa, said their prayers and then were off to let sugar plums dance in their heads. They were excited, but they knew that Santa only visits children who are fast asleep in their beds. We were even able to go to sleep at a very reasonable hour. We prepared our gifts to the kids a few nights before, so Joseph and I sat up and by the light of the tree talked about Christmas memories from our childhood. It was magical. We made sure that we were in bed before Santa made his stop.

On Christmas morning, the kids woke us up by coming in and screaming "He came! He came!" "How do you know!?" we asked. "Because he wrapped both entryways to the living room with wrapping paper!"

Aaron came running in a few minutes later and exclaimed, "Santa came! Santa came! Be bwrought me a bike!" (he peeked under the wrapped walkway). We all got up and let Isaac crawl through the doorway into the room. The kids were as pleased as can be. Aaron stole the show with his squeels about his new Lightning McQueen bike. Brynn was pleased about Katelyn's new bed (the one she really hoped for) and Abby was amazed that Santa was able to find a Kirsten doll when American Girl said they were back-ordered until June. ;) Isaac loved the boxes and cars and balls and tried to imitate everyone else's squeals. He also thought he would try Abby's new doll beds. Luckily, they are sturdy and he doesn't weigh too much.

Joseph and I surprised them with Hoberman Spheres. We saw them in a science store one time and they have provided literally hours of entertainment.

After we opened gifts, we enjoyed a brunch of homemade quiche, orange juice, fruit and cranberry-orange white chocolate chip-English Scones. They were really yummy. I made homemade lemon curd and devonshire cream to dip them in. We weren't hungry for the rest of the day. It was yummy! We relaxed and played the entire day. Joseph took the kids to the park to ride bikes while I stayed home with Isaac and took a nap. It was a great day!