We made it!

Sure, it's been a week since being an official Utah resident but I still need to let you know that, WE MADE IT SAFELY! It was a very long drive and by day 3, we were so grumpy and done with driving!

We left Frederick a little before 5 am. Boricua and I got about 3 hours of sleep that morning, so we were so utterly exhausted. The packing was alot of work, as always is. Our van was stuffed to the brim! We did it National Lampoon's style! Anyway, our first day of driving was the longest! We drove for 15 hours! Yes, with two small kids too! We finally arrived in Peru, Illinois around 8 pm. Our hotel was right next to a corn field...surprise surprise. We were literally ATTACKED by mosquitos! I've never seen so many hungry parasites come to feast, so FAST in my life! It was crazy! We had to run to our car and run to the door, so we wouldn't get bitten as much. We doused ourselves with OFF spray. My gosh, it was quite a trip! I first noticed how much nicer the people were in the MidWest than out East. But the scenery is boring and ugly and I'd nevr want to live there.
On day 2, we left around 8 am. This trip went smoothly and it was boring. We ended up in North Platte, Nebraska around 7 pm. Boricua and I felt we were in a daze. I thought I was dreaming. We ate some good Mexican food and called it a night.
Day 3, our last trek!! Hooray! This the the BORINGEST trek of ALL! Driving through Nebraska and Wyoming is so so so boring. We did stop in the litle town where the University of Wyoming is. They were nice folks but I'd never want to live there. I am more of a Metropolitan girl. RIGHT when we hit the Utah border, our camera died! What are the odds? I was the driver at that time. As I was driving through the canyon, I became sad and a mix of emotions came up. I was second guessing my decision to do this...becuase it finally hit me..I'm living here AGAIN! Before that I kept on thinking we were taking a vacation and going back to MD. BUT~ we are living here!! My gosh! Am I ready to live here again? As soon as the Canyon opened and I looked out into the Valley, I was home and felt better.

Now, I've been here a week and I have felt a blanket of sadness today. I miss my home I created, my friends, my routine, MATER, and my Ward Family. I thought about them all day during conference and wished I could share my thoughts with them the following Sunday. OUr routines are out of sync and the boys are paying for it. I've had the worst allergies since being here and the dry air is killing my sinuses. Oh, how I wished I was still in my little apartment downtown, where we walked through the city and enjoyed our surroundings. I missed IN The Streets. My students miss me and I miss them. I'm just so homesick, even though I'm techniquely home. I'm with my family again, which is great but I miss the family I made out there. I miss my stepson, Mater and his energy. I miss everything about him. I wish he was here with us. Honestly, I'd move back in a heartbeat rightnow. I don't think I'm ready mentally to live here yet...but we'll see. It's only been a week and we're not livng on our own yet! Boricua should start work this week and hopefully all will go well! But like it was repeated over and over in General Conference today, rejoice in your trials and Change is A-okay!!