We're Not in Utah Anymore

Sorry for the Wizard of Oz cliche, but it fits, right?

After a very uneventful trip (hallelujah!), Rich and I have arrived in Spokane.

I was honestly expecting much more difficulty on the move. Rich was a champ for driving the beastly moving truck and trailer towing Vince (Rich's '91 Toyota pickup - I'll have to explain the name later for those who don't know) the whole 12 hours. And I did well leading with our lame Dodge Stratus. Only a sore bum to report. (Maybe you already know this, but my family is not known for sitting still. I inherited that trait, so a 12-hour drive was perhaps one of the most daunting tasks of life.)

The only almost eventful thing happened in Montana when Rich was close to running out of gas. I didn't know how close the next gas station would be, so we pulled off the Anaconda exit (honk if you know where that is) because the freeway sign said we could find gas here. Turns out Anaconda is about 6 miles from the freeway, so we had to truck out there, then truck back out with our caravan. But I didn't want to take the running out of gas risk. That is perhaps the most embarrassing reason to pull off the road.

So, here we are in Spokane. Trying to find somewhere to live. If you have any hints, we would greatly appreciate them. We're hoping we can rent a house here. Spokane is MUCH cheaper than Utah, and that's very promising.

Big Brother...

...is getting married!

Why, yes, this is the picture he sent in the "We're engaged" text. It's the only one I've got of them with a ring on her finger.

So now Rich and I have another excuse to come to Utah. I'll take it!

Changes

I was going to do a post about my birthday (because I really LOVE my birthday), but I never got around to it. I got some awesome presents. Topping the list are "Horton Hears a Who" (the movie) from my husband (he knows my sense of humor well) and my very own brand new SEWING MACHINE from my mom! I'm ridiculously excited for that one. I just need to learn how to sew more than just a straight line... That should be an adventure.

Here are some pictures to make up for my lack of posting.

This picture isn't  from my birthday. We've been to a bunch of BYU games lately, and I liked this picture better than the one we took on my birthday.

The night of my birthday, Rich was recognized for being an All-American in the steeplechase at the BYU vs. CSU game. This is him getting his (second) leather planner thingy. (Just so you know, BYU athletics, a plaque or trophy would have been much cooler.)

This one is a couple days after my birthday. My family came down to the Ghettovale to take me to Buca di Beppo. They give you a candelabra to blow out. Cool, huh?

Aren't they adorable? This is Skyler with his girly friend, Courtney. Max actually gave a real smile for us (no, for Rich).

Carrie loved my bangs so much she copied them (just kidding, sis).

But anyway, this post is called "Changes" for a reason. Rich and I have a big change coming up. 

We are moving to Spokane, Washington.

In a week.

Kind of sudden, right? But that's how Rich and I work. When we make a decision, we don't like to wait around. We might have already left if we didn't have to pack everything still.

We really started considering a move last Sunday. And this past week things have just kind of pointed us more and more in that direction. It just seems to make the most sense. Nothing is happening for us here, and it seems like we'll have more opportunities in Spokane. So, Thursday we bought our way of our contract (I don't recommend it if you can avoid it), and we scheduled the moving truck yesterday (again, not cheap). We pack the truck this coming Saturday, and officially move a week from tomorrow. 

We have mixed feelings about the move. First of all, all of my family is here, and quite a bit of Rich's, too. It's going to be really hard to leave them. And, though Rich and I don't feel like we have a lot of close friends, the ones we have we are going to miss a ton. But, like I said, we aren't getting anywhere here. Spokane has more to offer us for jobs and grad school options. Plus, Rich's parents are there so we're not setting out completely by ourselves. And Rich has a lot of friends from his high school days who are excited to see him return (seriously, it's like the prodigal son is returning when he's talked to them). And Spokane is less than half a day's drive from Utah. It's not like we're never going to be here again. But I don't think that will stop my from bawling my eyes out next week.

So, we're nervous, scared, sad, unsure, worried.

But also excited. We're ready to get up there and make things happen.

That's what is coming up for us. Wish us luck, and if you're ever up in Spokane (it's a real hot spot destination, I'm sure), look us up!