The decision to leave Arizona was long debated and reconsidered until we finally concluded that the benefits would outweigh the risks. We had a lot of reservations about returning and wondering if we would fit in in Utah. It is impossible to say goodbye to Arizona without promising to visit because we leave behind our tribes, some of our new family, and many friends.We were invited to join our All Aboard family at Rhonda's house for a quick swim get-together and
some sparklers for the 4th of July. Otto was not thrilled. He did not like the fireworks that neighbors were lighting off and talked about them for many weeks afterward.
We picked July 9th as our official moving date. The last weeks of packing were very difficult while we still had appointments to show the house and needed to prepared to pop in and out all the time. Otto and I enjoyed many little day dates and trips to the mall, coffee shops, and bookstores in the middle of packing boxes. Our moving date loomed closer and yet we still didn't have an offer on the house.One lovely day we were offered to join our friends, the Crisps, to a movie. Otto had never been to a movie theater before so his first movie, The Secret Life of Pets was a great first attempt. He actually stayed and watched the whole movie! He seemed to comprehend the plot well enough as he leaned over to comment things like, "Kitty!" and "They are in the water!". Luckily, a movie theater full of other kids means that no one really minds his inability to whisper. He loved spending time with this friends Connor and Anna one more time before we left. We will miss them so much.
I had no choice but to arrange an apartment sight unseen in Layton, UT. The price was reasonable, which is important when facing the dilemma of paying rent in addition to mortgage for an undetermined amount of time. We arranged for my sister, Megan, and her new husband Coltan to fly down and help us pack the truck. They were gracious enough to offer to help drive back to Utah. We rented a 15ft truck. It was enough to hold 1/2 of our belongings. This meant that we had a massive give-away-a-thon where many members of our church and friends could come and take the extra items. It was a crazy, hot, frantic, emotional, and exhausting 2 days as we packed the truck and slept on the air mattress. Otto was such a trooper. He politely played with toys or watched Cars on the tablet while we were busy.Off we went!
We traveled over two days in a convoy of 3 vehicles. Coltan drove Matt's truck, Matt in the moving truck, and Megan and I lead the pack in my car with Otto and the 3 furry babies riding along. It actually went very smoothly, aside from the 2 or 3 times Megan bumped the gear shift into neutral and I though the car was breaking down. We stayed in 2 rooms at the Holiday Inn in Henderson, NV. Then, we traveled to our parent's home in Brigham City. We knew our apartment was going to be small so we unloaded 1/2 of what was left of our belongings in Mike and Becky's garage for storage and stayed the night.
The next day, we were scheduled to go to our new apartment in Layton and sign the lease and move in. They were installing new carpet so we had to wait until they were done. Coltan, my parents, Matt and I were there with the truck and ready to unload. First, we had to walk through the apartment and document any broken or undesirable effects. Long story short, it was so awful that we ran out of room on the sheet. As risky as it was to arrange an apartment from out of state, it was necessary to have a place secured for Matt to start work the next day. We had no choice but to deny the lease and take the truck back to the Earl's and unload the rest of our things.
We spent the next week living in my parents house out of suitcases as we looked for another apartment. It was stressful and difficult but I am grateful that Service King was so understanding to let Matt have a few extra days to get settled before starting work in Midvale. We also took a few days to relax together as a family and try to make the most of our time spent together. We enjoyed lunch at the Crepery in Logan with my cousin, Brett.We also took Otto's baby for walks around Perry.
We found reasonable apartments (although everything is almost double in rent what our mortgage payment in Arizona) in Sandy. With help from cousins, Lindsey and Brandon, and my dad, we were able to get moved in that weekend.
It is nice to finally have a place to call home, even if it is temporary while we wait to sell our house. Otto could tell very early when we were pulling up to our apartments because he kept saying, "New house!". He loves spending time running around in the grass and going down the slide at the playground.
To celebrate our new home and explore the new area we live, we treated ourselves to some ice cream.We are lucky enough to live close by one of my favorite stores IKEA, which comes in handy when you move into a new place. Jena and Jordis came to visit and explore with us. Otto loves Jordis so much, he could not stop asking about her. She is so great to play and read with him.
We were finally in Utah to celebrate Pioneer Days with family! The Rasmussen crew was in Salt Lake and we were close enough to meet them for dinner, and breakfast, and a lovely day at the Church History Museum at Temple Square. It is such a delightful difference to be able to spend time outside and not feel as though we are dying of heat!By the end of July, we finally had an offer on our Arizona house. Whew! Although we weren't scheduled to close until Sept 5th, it is such a relief to know our prayers are answered.
Matt is still adjusting to be the "New Guy" at work. As soon as he is comfortable though, I know he is going to know their socks off! They already love him. They have already got him mentoring an intern! . .again. He always has an intern. That's how you know you are great at your job. I like to say Matt is a car Sherlock Holmes. He can look at any car and tell you a million things about it and its history.
Meanwhile, I have been keeping busy trying to arrange the sale of our house and working with realtors here in Utah with finding a new house. I have been working toward getting my business page and facebook group up and running. We take long walks a few times a week on the Jordan River trail which happens to run next to our apartment and gives me much needed exercise and sunshine.
Otto has been taking all the changes with a fantastic stride. He talks so well and so clear, we get comments everywhere we go about his unique conversational abilities for his age. I know he is very smart. He can count up to 12 on his own and recognizes numbers 1-10. He recognizes many letters, although we don't work on these skills specifically. He just loves to read books! Chicka Chicka Boom Boom is one of his favorites and he has picked up the letters and alphabet very quickly. It amazes me the things his little brain remembers and retains. He loves to dance and sing and his favorite song is "Everything at Once." I will play it for a reward if he picks up his toys. For play, he loves to "color" which means draw on paper, and his toy trucks are his favorite to bring everywhere. He points out different cars and trucks everywhere he goes (very impressive that he knows so many): excavator, cement mixer, crane truck, fire truck, ambulance, police car, mail truck, dump truck, car transporter, tow truck, etc, etc, etc. . .
We love being close to Nana and Papa and Grandma and Grandpa. He asks to go to their house every time he gets in the car. Although, it doesn't mean he has forgotten his Arizona beginnings. Randomly, he will ask me about "Shannon and Connor? They are far away." he will say. The other day at breakfast he said, "Sonia and Brenda". It made my heart hurt for my All Aboard family that we will miss so much.
I once heard that being a stay-at-home mom is the loneliest kind of lonely because you are never actually alone. I love spending my days with my adorable little red-head and I hope we make new friends as we work to get settled here in Utah.
