we've moved!

After 1 year and 10 months in Arizona we are back in Utah. The decision to move back to the Beehive state was surprisingly more difficult than I think we thought it would be. We left new friends behind (more on that later) and a job to come to Utah where no job awaited us, but free rent did. Kind of a perk in this economy. Considering how difficult it is to find a FT job in the film industry it was an extremely hard decision for Jonathan to make. No, the job he had wasn't amazing. It didn't pay that well, he had no benefits, and as of a couple months ago he was no longer a salaried employee nor did he get paid vacation. BUT, it was a job and they did pay him...eventually. In the end, after lots of prayers and weighing the pros and cons, we chose to take the plunge and come back to Utah. I think we both feel good about our choice and are excited about a fresh start, and, of course, cooler summers. No, I am not thrilled about winter.

Technically our lease in Arizona was not up until the end of August, but we needed help driving our two cars and a moving truck, so Jonathan's parents offered to drive down last weekend to help us out. They are leaving for China at the beginning of September, so staying in Arizona til the end of August would have been cutting it close. Plus, I think we were both more then happy to leave Arizona and the 110+ heat behind one month sooner then planned. We packed the truck Monday (27th) and were on the road by 4 pm.

We thought it was a good time for Rowan to move into a front facing car seat. Not only would he have more to look at on the long drive, but he would also be able to feel the A/C, which was important since we were going to be in the car for a long time. AND it made handing him his bottle easy, which is a good thing when you are going 70 MPH. I think he is enjoying this right of passage. And I quite enjoy being able to stare at his mug in the rear view mirror.

See the white on Jonathan's shirt? Yes, that is dried salt from sweating all day. Yummy.

We were originally going to stop in Page, AZ for the night, but discovered that the hotel rooms in Kanab were considerably cheaper. We decided driving another hour was worth it. Well, it would have been worth it had Jonathan not gotten pulled over right after we left the city of Page and been issued a $200 speeding ticket. OUCH! We eventually made it to Kanab around 11 pm, at which point we realized that the hotel was closed. The lady my mother-in-law had spoken to said they were open all night, and that it was not a problem that we wouldn't get in until after 11. Carol was able to get a hold of the women and she said would come down and get us into rooms but it would take her about ten minutes to get there. We waited, and in the mean time Rowan woke up. Great. Needless to say it was a long night for me and Jonathan. Rowan eventually passed out after we made a fortress in between the two double beds, leaving him no room to crawl around and get into everything. Morning came way too soon and Rowan woke me up by smacking my mattress with his hands. Parenthood, a tiring blessing.

Rowan outside the hotel in Kanab. The continental breakfast at this place was a hoot.

Options: hard boiled eggs, white, wheat, or raisin bread. Needless to say, the cheeseburger at lunch tasted oh so good.

Just some random car at the hotel. I just liked it and the backdrop, so I took a picture.
I was so excited when downtown SLC came into view.
Here is what Rowan looked like the last 20 minutes of the trip. He handled the first 11 hours and 40 minutes like a champ.

We want to thank everyone who helped us with the move. We appreciate it so much and we're so grateful to have wonderful family members and friends in our lives. Please let us know if there is anything we can do for you! SERIOUSLY.