Cross Country

Do you know how long it takes to drive a car from western Oregon to eastern Tennessee?

Days and days and days and days.

Luckily we had a cat to keep us company.  And since we sold my Highlander, we had to cram ourselves into our "spacious" Prius.  Why - we felt like royalty!

I tried to get pictures of all the states we were barreling through but failed.  Can you believe that some states don't have welcome signs at their borders?  It's appalling!  

Can you also believe that we had to add miles to our route because the Interstate in Wyoming was closed due to snow storms?  

Believe it.  

We ended up driving through southern Utah and Colorado to miss the storms.  We were incredibly blessed with safety on our long journey.  Thank goodness for modern technology that allowed us to watch the road reports and modify our route.  

We drove straight to TN then boarded a plane to sunny Florida. We decided to hit all the theme parks while we awaited our moving truck.  It seemed like a good idea at the time but...

It was exhausting - with a capital E.  

Finals

Our home was sold and under contract in 5 days.  I don't think I expected it.

Having the house sell so quickly meant that our time to fit in our last adventures in Oregon was limited.  It was a bit heartbreaking to know that the events filling our days would be the final ones, that our minutes with dear friends were scarce.  But we pushed along and savored our days.  

Everything became "the last."  The last crazy hair day at Kalapuya Elementary:

The last meal at our favorite restaurant Panezanellie's.

The last outing with our best friends.  My bestie was singing at a local restaurant and Eva and I were lucky enough to go listen.  

The last trip to the Portland temple.  During my service as Relief Society president and continuing after my release, I worshipped in the temple every other week.  It was a place I grew to love and where I spent many sacred hours. I cried for a good long while as we pulled away from the temple for the final time.  The Portland temple will always have a section of my heart.  It was where my testimony of temple work was solidified and where I experienced many tender mercies.  

The last day in our home.  

There is sadness in the lasts.  As we close our Oregon experience and embrace the Tennessee experience, I know that the sadness will be replaced with the beauty of firsts.

I look forward to the beauty.

Valentine's Day

When we decided to list our home for sale, I prayed that we wouldn't have to move out before Kitty could celebrate Valentine's day at school. She LOVES Valentine's day at school.  

In a tender mercy from God, the offer we accepted asked for a closing date of February 16th - another reminder that He is ever mindful of us.

Valentine's day at school is the best; candy, candy, candy, and fun.  Kitty scored another epic haul this year.  

She also made us epic cards and laid them out carefully on the counter the night before Valentine's day.  I love her beyond words.  

We gave her a cool 10 bones to spend on our upcoming adventure across the country.  Seems like fair compensation for uprooting her life.

Even though the moving truck arrived that evening, it was still a wonderful Valentine's day full of love!

Teef

Kitty's teeth just keep popping out of her head.  And I just keep getting lazier and have no photographic evidence of said teeth.   

Trust me.  She lost another tooth.  It was a molar.  I think.  Hey, I ain't no dentist.

All I know is that the Tooth Fairy came and said it was a big tooth.  Must be a molar.  

It was definitely a big enough tooth to warrant a large loot.

I swear the Tooth Fairy thinks he's made of money.  Guess I'm not nagging him enough about his spending habits.

I'll get right on that.  

Who Knows

I promise.  She really is a brilliant child.

Creeper

Do you ever feel like you're being watched?

Me too.

Let's Move

Living in western Oregon during Covid was not a pleasant experience for me.  I felt like a prisoner, that my freedoms were trampled upon, and I began to seriously contemplate what our future held. 

It didn't look good.

Here's the thing: the Pacific Northwest is gorgeous.  Absolutely stunning.  I love the trees, the coastline, the weather, all of it.  When we moved to Oregon 9 years ago, I was certain it was our forever home.

But things change.  

Here's the thing: the Pacific Northwest is plagued by serious social issues.  In my experience, homelessness is rampant, religion is largely unvalued, and the cost of living is suffocating.  For the most part, I've been able to overlook these warts over the past 9 years.  

But things change.

Once Covid hit, we were under crazy restrictions long after the rest of the country had eased control, homeless camps skyrocketed, and I began to be unable to overlook the warts.  I lost confidence in our political leaders and felt suffocated by the liberal climate.  After a while, I just didn't want to be suffocated anymore.  So we decided to move.

But where?  

We considered a few options but I didn't want to go somewhere ugly.  Or expensive.  It had to be a move that made financial sense and had a beautiful landscape. We couldn't think of anyplace.  So we decided to stay - I wasn't very happy.

One day I was lamenting to my friend about the state of our lives in Oregon and my desire for a change.  When I told her we couldn't find any acceptable options, she suggested eastern Tennessee.  It was a place they had considered at one point.  My heart was pricked and I was intrigued.     

Michael and I researched, we prayed, we crunched the numbers, we prayed some more, and then we went to the temple with our question.

As I was sitting in the temple, I didn't feel any confirmation that we should move.  For over an hour I sat there without any confirmation.  I thought to myself, "Well, I guess that's a no."  Just as that thought skated by, my stomach filled with butterflies, my heart started racing, and my face flushed with warmth.  I was overcome with the unmistakable peace in my heart that eastern Tennessee was the place. It was a yes.

So today we did this.

I have a lot of feelings about moving: excitement, nervousness, sadness, but not one ounce of fear.  

That's the miracle of the Holy Ghost.  The confirmation I received in the temple eliminates space for fear.  I know our decision is right and I know God will be directing our path. 

So here we go. Let's do this!