HAPPY ONE YEAR!

WE HAVE OFFICIALLY LIVED IN UTAH FOR ONE YEAR NOW. I have mixed emotions about it. It was SO HARD to leave Maryland. I had the greatest friends, church, job, students, town and most of all, we were close to my stepson. I started my life out there. It's where I was married, where I had my babies, where I started teaching again and where I purchased 2 vehicles with my husband for the first time. That was our first investment together. I had the greatest support system. Our Ward was amazing. My whole perspective on the LDS Church changed. My whole life changed in Maryland. I was cushy and comfortable, despite the trials and not being closer to my family geographically. So, why the heck the big move to Utah? Well, with alot of pondering, planning and prayer (the 3 p's), we felt it was in the best interest of our family to move out here for a little while, so we can achieve the 'American Dream'. We wanted to buy a home. We wanted to be closer to my family so my kids could develop closer relationships with them. My mom and dad were unable to watch their grandkids grow. I wanted them and my kids to have that opportunity. My family missed us. We wanted the family support. We wanted a house to own. And we wanted a change for future growth. We went through heck at first with our decision. The big move was hard and by the time we hit Utah, I was very depressed. I was weepy and sad the first few weeks. I missed Mater ( my stepson), I missed my little apartment, I missed my friends, and my Ward(church). Well, we stuck through it and within a month, I had a teaching job and Boricua was working again. We started house hunting and put an offer in the first house we looked at by December. And here we are today, one year later. We've experienced alot and have had many ups and downs. It's been wonderful having my family around and getting closer to them once again. Of course it's GREAT owning a home. I LOVE my little gingerbread house. I love every part of it, except the neighborhood. There's rough areas around here and it being an older area, we have an ally out back and it's totally ghetto. BUT, we lucked out having a nice Ward(church). It's diverse and there's a good amount of converts. The converts really inspire me becuase they've seen and experience both ends of the spectrum in life. So, they're generally more understanding of people's situations and ideals. I really like that and wish it filtered throughout the entire World. It's been a BLAST decorating and doing what I want to my house. It's nice having a monthly mortgage that's cheaper than renting a 2 bedroom apartment out East. And most importantly, it's nice to call my mom, dad or sister and they can comeover within minutes.
We did have a few setbacks. Boricua had to suffer a pay cut. I've recently had to stop working because of my health. It's taken a HUGE toll on us financially. I had to get Emergency surgury. My brother in law was in trouble with the law and needed to leave the East Coast. We let him into our home day after moving in and he stuck around for 4 months. Its was a huge challenge. It was a great learning lesson for me and helped me to realize what to do and not do when my boys grow up into teenagers. Within a year, we've only been able to see Mater for 3 days total. He wasn't able to come out this Summer because his mom didn't want him to. Although he was supposed to, he didn't. That was discouraging.
So, all in all, it's been quite an experience. We will be here for another 2 years. Then we will sell our home and move again. I'm hoping it'll be back to Maryland!
Here's to ONE YEAR IN UTARDED!