One Year

One year ago today we headed east 1700 miles to begin the New Orleans chapter of our lives. It has been by far the hardest thing I have EVER done. I'm not an adventurous person. The farthest I'd ever lived away from my parents was Provo a nice 20 min drive. I'd never been to New Orleans and David had only been once for 3 days. Yet we packed up our little apartment and our family and did what we knew we were supposed to do. I can't tell you how grateful I am that we followed the spirit and came here. Its not easy for me, there are days I cry, sometimes lots of days, because I miss my family and the friends back in Utah. David and I both have felt that had we stayed we would have been blessed, we still would have grown and been fine. But here we are growing 10 times faster. We are given opportunities that we never would have been given had we stayed. We rely on each other more than ever because we are all we have. We rely on the people in our ward who have become our support and family. Our testimonies are being strengthened and we are able to share them in ways never imagined.

I'd like to say that I'm more brave. I can drive downtown by myself and flip a U turn like no bodies business. I can drive over most bridges with only minor anxiety, except the Huey P Long which is the freakiest bridge in the world, think two tight lanes with giant trains passing overhead. I can order at Popeyes with the pushy lady whose accent was impossible to understand the first time I heard it. I can talk to people and invite them to activities. I've gone on splits with the missionaries and shared my humble little testimony and felt it grow as I shared it.

I can look at the really difficult times and see the tender mercies of my Savior. One that stands out in particular was when our car was totaled. David had such a positive attitude about it. He knew we'd be taken care of and blessed. I had a horrible attitude and why us, why now when we don't have anyone to help us, a lets just go home cause I don't want to grow like this attitude. Then a family moved into our ward just 4 weeks after we lost our car. They were looking to sale their practically perfect new car for just a thousand dollars more than we got from the insurance. A car that was one size bigger than our last one and could fit 3 car seats. 2 months later we found out that baby #3 was going to be joining our family. We would have had to get a bigger car regardless and there is no way we would have gotten enough off a trade in. Crashing that car was a HUGE blessing in disguise.

I don't feel worthy of the blessings we have been given. Especially because I have such a bad attitude sometimes in the midst of the trial. I'm learning to be more positive and to have more faith.

I am scared out of my mind to have this baby here. I have a new doctor that I'm not really excited about and I'm delivering at a new hospital. I have no clue how this will all play out but I'm trying to be brave. So far Heavenly Father hasn't let me down and I've been promised he never will so I just keep telling myself that I've done this twice and 3rd times a charm, right?

Anyways I just wanted to celebrate our first year and share my feelings.

Here are the highlights of our year:

dealt with a moving company for the first time (not recommended)

drove three days across the US.

moved into a house we had only seen twice and signed our lives away for a year

celebrated our first and now second Mardi Gras

Experienced the South in a way totally unexpected(LIVING HERE).

Totaled our car

Bought a new car

Decided to add baby #3

David was called as Elders Quourum Pres after only living here a month

I got my first group of friends since High School

We drove to Birmingham twice

We visited Memphis and of course Graceland and personal dream come true

Had more visitors than we could ever have imgained (thank you for all coming out to see us)

Got to go to the Sweet 16 and watch BYU play

Drove back to Utah without stopping for sleep, 29 hours straight through

Found a fun and close beach

Had my first Popeyes biscuit (heavenly)

Paid our first real power bill

Went on splits with the missionaries

Rode a ferry boat

Drove across the 2nd longest bridge in the world at least a dozen times

Flew to Utah twice by myself and back

Experienced 98 degrees and 100% humidity (also not recommended)

Had big cockroaches in my house

Daniel started preschool

Maggie did just about everything this past year even celebrated her first birthday