We're Moving

For the last few months we have been seriously contemplating a big move for our family. Mike has been dreaming of starting his own accounting practice for a while now, and I have been craving more family time. When my Grandparents passed away my parents slowly began renovating the in-law suite at the acreage and have been moving their things over to the smaller space. With the big house being available we've been fasting and praying to know what is best for our family at this time. We have always dreamed of living on an acreage and even tossed around the idea of living with my parents eventually when we were newlyweds. We've always enjoyed the peace there and have made many big decisions while visiting the acreage.

This decision was such a tough one for us! If I told you how many pro's and con's lists we made you would probably laugh! We have loved our time here in Strathmore immensely. The people here are incredible and we have made many great friends. Our ward family is huge and has been a great blessing in our lives. Our callings have helped us grow and stretch and it is really hard to make a change when we love where we serve so much! I know that Mike will really miss his young men and I will miss teaching the primary children. The elementary school is incredible and our children have had so many amazing learning experiences and opportunities. We also have an incredible violin teacher for Camilla that she will dearly miss. We live in a fabulous neighborhood surrounded by young families, the park out back, and great kids to play with. With so many wonderful things, it seems weird to want to change when everything is going so smoothly here.

We debated listing our house at the start of Summer, but it didn't quite feel right yet. So we continued to go back and forth with our decision, wondering what would be best for our family and where the Lord wanted us to be. After many heartfelt prayers and visits to the temple we were still waiting for that answer. Some weeks we felt that moving was the right thing to do, and other weeks we felt that we should stay. I've had so many tearful prayers by my bedside, pleading for an answer or inspiration of some kind to know what's right. Should we wait until January? Or go sooner and start the kids in school in September? Finally, the answer came very clearly what we needed to do. It was such an emotional time, feeling excited for what the future would bring, and sad about leaving all of this goodness behind.

Once the decision was made, things moved rather quickly. Before I knew it we had filled a uhaul with everything in the storage room, plus some necessities. The acreage home was still furnished with beds and couches and it was decided that we would just use those until our house sold. It's such a blessing moving into a place that's already set up, though we do miss some of our comforts from home.

Now we are embracing the last few weeks of Summer, getting our home ready to sell, and getting ready to say good-bye to some amazing friends and neighbors. It is such a bitter-sweet time for us, but I know if we have faith everything is going to work out! We really do love it here and the kids love the extra space, being closer to grandparents, fresh berries, garden goods, and chickens. Strathmore will always have a special place in our hearts! And we will never forget the incredible people that we've had the privilege of knowing! Here's to new adventures!