Blessed

So, on Tuesday, I got a phone call. Matt had hit a moose. As a country girl, I had heard of many moose accidents that ended very badly. My dad hit a moose when I was younger and the only reason he came out without a scratch was because he was driving our giant, solid GMC pickup truck. So, to say I was concerned would be an understatement. Obviously, he was calling me so he wasn't dead but emotions take over easily. He quickly assured me that he was fine and the car was working. Wonderful!

He came home and the story came out. The moose came out of nowhere on the driver's side and he nicked its front leg. Some part of the moose then hit the top left corner of the windshield, the mirror was ripped off and some dents along the side. As this took Matt completely by surprise, he ended up swerving and turned 180° on the shoulder. Now, I don't know how much you know about moose accidents, etc. but if you have to hit a moose, it's best to hit the back legs. The worst is to hit in the middle but right up there is hitting it in the front, where it's big giant head is and attached are incredibly massive antlers. When I heard he hit the front of the moose, I was even more relieved that he was alright.

Today, I drove the car for the first time since the accident. I was stunned to see the smash in the windshield. My husband so easily could have been killed by that moose. Just a little harder, a few inches lower, etc. and that head would've gone through the window right to where my husband sat. I have been expressing my love a little more freely this week and saying more silent prayers. Blessed, blessed, blessed! 

New year, New Resolutions

I love a new year! It's so fresh starting again with reminders to set goals and improve yourself. I like setting goals. Whether I keep them is another story. Although, I have been reacquainted with a handy app/website that so far has been helping me keep on track. Any of you heard of coach.me? You can list the goals you want to work on and how many days a week you hope to accomplish that goal. Then you get to go in every day and tick them off. It's very satisfying seeing the bright green over your goal. :)

One of the things I resolved to work on this year is this blog. I mean, come on! I haven't posted since MAY. What? That's ridiculous. So, if you notice I haven't posted in a while, feel free to send me a friendly reminder. :) 

This year, I am also trying to be a better, more loving, patient mother. Two things are going to help me accomplish this. First, I have made a goal to (weekly, bi-weekly, monthly? I'm not really sure yet) create an activity bin. I find most of my moments of weakness as a mom are when my kids are bored and I am doing something else - and have no ideas what to direct them to. Enter Pinterest. A search of boredom busters turns up TONS of results. I have picked out a few to start with and I go to the dollar store tomorrow to get started on a few of the bins. Then, when boredom strikes, I will have something to pull out other than paint or moon sand, which are messy and stressful for me. Second, last conference, there was a great talk (found here) about ponderizing - 80% extended pondering and 20% memorizing. The idea is to choose a scripture each week and post it somewhere you will see it often. Every time you pass it, read it. Throughout the day, think about it. I am focusing - at least this month - on scriptures about patience. Since I put up this week's I have noticed I am better able to pause and think before reacting. Here's mine for this week:

James 1:19-20

19 Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath:  

20 For the wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God.

I'm excited to improve this year. If any of you have strategies for sticking with your goals, I'd love to hear them. :)

Change of Plans...

It's been a whirlwind 2 months since our move with lots of plan changes. If you know me, you can imagine the stress levels I've had needing to mentally readjust to a new plan. Let me walk you through them.

Our intent on returning was to restore an old mobile home on my in-laws' acreage, live there for a few years while paying off student loans and saving up for a house. About two weeks after we returned, Matt went in for a deeper look into what we were up against. The trailer was in such a state that the money we would have to put into fixing it would not be worth it for the living space and effort required. We're talking rotting structure. No bueno.

So, we went back to the drawing board. "How about we just head straight into building an inexpensive house?", "Maybe buying another mobile home is the answer.", and "I've heard good things about RTMs. Let's look into that." all came up in the discussion. But then there were other things to consider. Subdividing the acreage, the need to put in water and plumbing, the troubles of deciding to move after building a house on someone else's land, and other issues were brought up.

In the midst of this, we thought we should try looking for rentals in the city just in case. Our old basement suite was coming available in July and after attending the temple, we felt like that would be a good place to be. It was exciting thinking about living near the river valley again and returning to a ward with many wonderful people. Living in a two bedroom place didn't sound so great, but we could deal with it if that's what we were supposed to do.

Then Matt springs on me that he thinks we should stay in Tofield. So, we went back to the temple and back to house plans, RTMs and trailers. This decision was followed about two weeks later with another suggested plan change. The idea was given from Matt to move to Mundare, a small town just west of Vegreville. At this point, the plans had changed so many times and I had had it! I demanded that he stop changing the plans after I'd just adjusted to the new plans. He couldn't keep doing this to me. Luckily, I have a patient husband who understands the way my brain works and what I need is just a little encouragement and persuasion to get me on board with most everything. So, we started looking on realtor.ca at homes in Mundare. We found an approximate mortgage amount from an online mortgage calculator and when I was about 75% convinced this was a good idea, we called our good friend, Jerry the realtor.

Now, I honestly know very little about mortgages or house buying so Jerry was wonderful with getting us started. He gave us the number of a mortgage broker, we met with the broker two days later, and seven days later, we were in the town of Mundare looking at houses with Jerry. We looked at six and three were immediate right offs. Dreadful. Three were liveable. One was a favourite from online searches but was of a hundred years old and there were concerns after the viewing. The next was a nice house with beautiful bay windows and a landscaped yard. The third was a huge house with giant garden, and it had an ensuite. I went to the viewings with every intention of buying "the cutesy house" as we named it but after seeing them all, and with the counsel of our realtor, we started seriously looking at the last one, renamed by Jerry"the old lady house". After prayers and further discussion together and with family members, we told Jerry to write up an offer. The next day, the owner countered and we accepted. We were PENDING!

I found out today that the finances went through and our mortgage broker got us a great rate on our mortgage. Awesome news! The inspection is booked for Friday and the "condition removal" day (or whatever it's called) is next Wednesday and then it will be ours! Two weeks from looking at houses to owning a house. I can't even believe it!

I have had my faith tested and strengthened through the last two months. I can say with stronger conviction that my Heavenly Father is deeply aware of me and my wants, desires and dreams. I also know that He would have been ok with any of our housing choices but He kept leading us to this opportunity, which has so many more benefits than any of the other ones. I love that He loves me and cares about me. I am so excited to own a house, to get out of a basement forever, to have a craft room and to get back into some kind of schedule (it's been lacking a little since the move).

Here's our house!

Any good news in your life? Surprise change of plans that work out for the better? Tell me about them! :)

The News

We have some news. Some of you know. Others probably wouldn't have seen this coming. After a little less than a year, we are returning to Alberta.

My heart feels heavy as I think of leaving this beautiful place and the wonderful memories we have made here as a family. I ache to leave behind dear friends and the slower pace.

But I am thrilled at the same time for many reasons. The first one: at this moment in time, I have not physically seen my dear sweet mother in 10 months and it will be 11 by the time I see her again but with this move, I will see her at least weekly, along with so many more beloved family members. Family is so great. :) Oakley and Emmett will get to grow up close to cousins. I'm excited to not have to take the ferry and pay $170 just to go to the temple. I look forward to having WAY more Costcos close and seeing hoar frost again. The island will always have a piece of my heart and I hope to return often and share my love of this place with all my children but this is what we are meant to do right now.

We are also looking forward to new adventures BACK IN MY HOMETOWN! That's right folks! We are returning to Tofield. If you told me on my graduation day that I would be coming back with my family in 8 years, I wouldn't have believed you. But I am excited. It's a great little town to raise a family in and we will call it home for as long as we are needed there. 

As I've started packing, I've been looking back over the past year with fond memories. We have so loved being here. We've kept ourselves busy building our family and sharing experiences. These will always be treasured times in both my heart and Matt's. Here's to a month and a half of packing, mingled with very mixed emotions and moving on to the next stage of our little journey.

The best way to show you how wonderful this last year has been is through pictures. We have taken hundreds of pictures since we moved, which is a big deal for us. I went through and picked some favourites and there are A LOT! I just so happen to be too lazy to put captions on any of them so if you want more info on a picture, comment below with a description of the photo and I'll do my best.