We made it, and we're still alive!

So, we're here. In Thatcher, Arizona that is. 980 miles away from our beloved Laramie.

After 20 hours on the road, we made it and still lived to tell the tale. Alayna did so good. She was AMAZING in fact. After one break down (20 minutes of crying in the car) on the first day of traveling, she seemed to get the idea that we were going to be in the car for quite sometime, and she seriously was so awesome. We couldn't have asked for a better little traveling girl.

So now we are on to the next big task. Finding a place to live. While we were thinking that it wouldn't be too terribly bad, it hasn't, but I will say that it hasn't been all that amazing either. Luckily we are staying with some family friends right now, so we don't have to worry about staying in a motel and their daughter, that also lives here, has let us unload all of our stuff into her garage, so we don't have to pay longer for the U-haul or find some sort of storage. AND we get home cooked meals instead of fast food night after night. So really our situation is good and they are incredibly helpful. They really are just so wonderful.

But the down side is finding a place to live in a timely manner. That just hasn't been happening. While the valley that we now live in is comparable to the size of Laramie (maybe just a bit smaller, actually) there just aren't that many places to rent. And call us crazy, but we kind of want something nice to live in. For example: preferably no cockroaches. Please. Dan may or may not have seen some of them in a place that we looked at. Granted, they were dead. But dead or alive, I don't want them in my house. On the other hand we have seen a few very nice places, but time is not working on our side. I think we may be learning a lesson of patience, as Dan put it.

Anyway, we are here. We are doing good. And we are on the hunt for a place to live. Keeping us in your prayers would be much appreciated! I know we have been praying our little hearts out. Thanks!

FYI: More posts to come. A lot has gone on these last two weeks. It's unbelievable. Hope you don't mind a little catch up. :)

Happy Birthday, Sweet Layna!

I can't believe you are two!!!

You are a joy and a blessing to us in everyway.

We LOVE you!

*Pictures of the birthday girl and her party to come.

Some Thoughts

• So we have a starting date. Yahoo! I think both Dan and I were beginning to think we would be in the limbo stage forever. We knew we had a job, just didn't know when we would be starting...therefore we didn't know when we would be moving, which ultimately means....when should we start packing?! Anyway, October 25 is the starting date. (We will probably be leaving around the middle of the month to get down there to look for housing.)
• The middle of the month is so soon. Yikes! I am actually feeling a little nervous about leaving family this time. More for Alayna's sake. She loves "Maama's house" (Grandma's house). She has her friends from church that she plays with during the week as well.
• I find it kind of ironic that it will take me leaving Wyoming to live in a small town. And by small, I mean 10,000 or less. I am nervous about that as well.
• One of the first questions I asked Dan when he told me about this job was, "Is there a Target?" When we found out how small the towns were I said, "So, are you saying that there's no Target?" Seriously, I want a Target. Every town that we have lived in besides Laramie has had a Target. I think it's what got me through. Just kidding. I just really like Target. (Can I type the word Target any more times in this bullet?)
• Now that you know what my main concern was, I'll tell you Dan's. Hunting. One of the first things he said was, "I wonder if they have good hunting down there." I am thinking that his question probably has a better outcome than my hoping there will be a Target.
• Let's talk about my small town jitters for a minute. When I told Dan that I was nervous about living in a small town, he replied, "Why? I would think you would be more nervous about living in a city than in a small town." Remember, we're talking about the guy that comes from a small town (like 1200 people small town). I think I will get no sympathy here. I told him I am afraid that I will have nothing to do. I then proceeded to make sure that there was at least a Wal-Mart. You can imagine my sigh of relief when I found out there is one because really, I don't think I would know what to do if there wasn't one. Laugh at me if you want, but I am being honest here. :)
• When we moved back to Laramie, I swore I was not going to get too attached to the fact that my family lives here. Let me explain. We had Alayna away from family. We adjusted to parenthood on our own and knew how it was to have to find babysitters (that are not family), and basically not rely on our parents all the time. We couldn't just stop by if Alayna was wanting to get out. Knowing that our time near family was temporary made me want to try to not get used to the easy babysitting, and place to go if we needed a little time away from home. But let's just face it. I don't think it's possible. I will admit it. I think I am definitely going to feel the change when we move. Alayna is going to miss her Jordy (Jordan), Sahah (Sarah), Aam (Adam), Bampa (Grandpa), Maama (Grandma), Cici (Easton. It's a long story as to why his name is shortened to that.), Kendree, Wonnie (Ronnie), Ka-ee (KaLee), Nonnor (Connor), Craig, Sissa (Karissa), and Phil.
• Despite all my little worries, I truly am excited to start our new adventure in Arizona. I honestly do like the heat and when someone compared the heat in Safford to the heat in St. George, I was excited! I loved St. George and I hope we will feel the same way about Arizona.

A warmer climate

Ok. Ok. Now that I've "left you hanging long enough" as my Aunt put it...

(I'm sorry. It was not intentional. Let's just say that the blogging in our house normally gets done during nap time, and a certain someone has refused to take their nap the last couple of days.)

I will finally let you in on the secret.

Our little family will soon be living in

ARIZONA!!!

More specifically the Thatcher/Safford/Pima/Morenci area. (We're not sure which town yet. We still need to find a place to live.)

It looks like the Lord thinks we need to live in a warmer climate. First St. George, now Arizona.

We couldn't be more excited! Minus the fact that our family will be 14 hours away.

Dan will be working as a Diagnostic Diesel Technician for a copper/gold mine.

So there you have it. Our big news.

*As of now, Dan's starting date is pending until he passes the physical and drug test that he took a couple of days ago. Once we find out more details of our big move, we'll be sure to keep you in the loop. :)

He Did It!

Friday was the big day.

Dan graduated from WyoTech!

And now I am going to brag about my awesome husband. Just because I can, and I should.

Not only did he graduate, but he did it with HONORS!

You're looking at a guy that graduated as a member of the National Technical Honors Society and had perfect attendance.

Can I just say that I am soooo proud of him! He looks good in his graduation attire. Especially those new boots that were his gift from yours truly and Alayna. I told Dan that our gift was to remind him of where he came from since we will no longer be living in our home state.

Yep, that's right. We have a job. But I'll tell you all about it in a different post. I will give you a hint. We are moving somewhere warmer than Laramie. I know all you Laramie-ites are thinking that it doesn't take much to get warmer than here, but when you have two job offers for places that are colder than here, you find out that maybe Laramie isn't the coldest place on earth. :)

Now, on to some more pictures.

Dan and his mom.

Dan and I.

And another picture of our graduate.After the graduation, that was UNDER an hour. Seriously. I am not kidding. Guess they know how to do it at WyoTech. Anyway, after the graduation, we went out to eat at Dan's favorite restaurant, Corona Village.

We had a fun time filled with good food and laughter...and faces like this. Don't ask me what he is doing. I don't ever know. All I know is he is good for a laugh.

The gang. (Minus a few. Sorry. This is the best picture I got.)

Oh, and maybe one of the most memorable moments we had at Corona Village was when Grandpa taught Alayna how to shoot the wrapper off her straw. It's a must. Every kid ought to know how.

Our Family Pics

We decided before the weather got too fall-ish we needed to get our pictures taken. And based on the temperatures today, I am soooo glad we got them done when we did.

Carolyn took our pictures. She is Amazing! Need I say more?...except that we had a great time getting our pictures taken....and that's saying a lot. Especially for a guy like my husband who cringes when I mention we need to get pictures taken.

Might I also add that getting pictures taken with an almost two-year-old, is way different than a one-year-old or a baby. Patience is a word that is coming to mind. Although, it really turned out to be a pleasant experience.

Here are a few of our favorites of little Miss Alayna:

And a few (or a lot) of our favorite family pictures. I am torn as to which one is my favorite. I think it's this first one, but I just can't seem to make up my mind. I just love how Alayna has her arms around both of us.

Her popped hip is to die for.

Just the two of us.

There you have it. Carolyn really did a fantastic job!

22 Months

Here's a little of what little miss Layna has been doing this last month.

We have been on many stroller rides in our "new to us" stroller. LOVE it! In fact, Alayna loves it so much she wants to sit in it while watching a movie.

Helping mommy wash all the raspberries to make jam. As you can see, she LOVED splashing the water. So mommy decided to forgo the shirt.

She's been lining up her shoes. One night I said "Layna, go get your shoes so we can put them on." After a couple minutes I thought she didn't listen when, come to find out, she was bringing them all to me and lining them up.

Layna's been talking on the phone...while going potty. It's never to early to multi-task.

She's also spent some time showing off her diva side. Hand on the hip and everything.

There has been some ticking going on around here. Daddy is the best at getting those giggles.

There also has been some mischievous-ness going on around here lately. Such as getting into the vaseline and smearing as much as possible onto our face.

And there definitely has been some dancing and singing going on around here as well. Especially to Chitty Chitty Bang Bang since that seems to be the movie of choice.

Here's a little video. Enjoy.