The Big Move

We made it! Matt came into town about 12:30 a.m. on Thursday and Abby was very excited to see him on Friday morning. She first looked a little confused and then she jumped on him! It is so wonderful to be back together again! Friday we picked up the truck, packed the last few things and people arrived to help us load the truck and clean just after 5 p.m. You would not believe how many people came to help us. I was especially excited to see so many of the young men. We had so many people that once everything was out of the house, people stood around and socialized while Matt and our friend Josh packed the truck. It ended up being completely full since we inherited a couch, love seat and twin bed with box spring. After everyone left (we stood outside and talked and all got eaten by mosquitoes--especially poor Abby) Roger, Matt, Abby and I grabbed some dinner at Chili's. It felt so good to sit down. Here are some picks from Friday.

Our stuff waiting to be loaded up.

Matt admiring the space before everything filled it up.

One of the toughest tasks was getting the grand piano on the truck. It turned out to be a little more difficult than we anticipated!Jen with some of her seminary students! Oliver, Jacob, Vincent, Ben & MichaelChris showing off!Jen, Natalie and Abby in front of the truck.Amelia and Jenny cleaning--aren't they wonderful?Putting the last of the stuff in the truck--it's full!Our friends the Riker's brought their dog Marcus over so that Abby could say good-bye. Elise and Chris Riker with Abby.Lara and Bob Heeder with Matt after we were done loading the truck.Abby sitting outside with her strawberry fruit bar--getting eaten alive!Grandpa Roger vacuuming--he was so wonderful to come and help.Abby making funny faces at Chili's.Friday night we slept at the Taysom's since we were going to sleep on the floor at our old house. We love them so much! Here are Megan and Matt before we left Saturday morning.Farewell to our wonderful little house.Saturday morning's sad farewell's. It was really difficult to say farewell--I am so glad Abby and I will come back for a quick visit in October! That made things easier.Abby reading in the carAbby sleeping in the car.When we finally arrived in Bakersfield (took us about 8 1/2 - 9 hours) I could not wait to see the house! It was amazing to click the garage door opener and drive right into my house! We walked around and unloaded the cars and then people arrived to help unload the truck. We had quite a bit of help which made everything go pretty quickly. We bought some pizza for everyone that came and the missionaries even set up our TV and entertainment stuff. Matt's sister Heather and her husband Brandon and son Dexter came to help. We were so grateful. Heather tried to watch Abby, but she seemed to want me and only me! Heather and I stayed up doing the kitchen until Matt came down and told us to go to bed! Good thing he did!
The new house with the truck in front!Our new kitchen!The grand piano getting its legs put back on. I had to walk away--it made me too nervous.
Roger, Brandon and Dexter out cold after a long day of driving and unloading.
Sunday we went to our new ward--the Monica Ward and met so many really friendly people. This is going to be a great ward. Their ward choir sang and did a good job. I love being the ward choir director and it will be difficult for me to sit and sing! But I will support the choir anyways.
Heather, Brandon and Dexter before Church. Grandpa, Abby and Dexter after Church.Cousins: Abby and DexterAfter everyone left on Sunday we ran over to see Matt's office and school. Here are pictures of his office and the building where is office is located. Matt is really enjoying teaching at Bakersfield College. I am not use to having a big house and I could not find Abby on Monday afternoon. Then I saw her at the bottom of the stairs. I walked down and realized she was sound asleep. I had to get a picture! Then I carried her up and put her in her big girl bed! She is so cute!We absolutely love our new house. Abby loves the space and runs up and down the stairs. I wish everything could just be unpacked! Keeping Abby entertained definitely slows things down, but we just love to do things together so it works out fine--just moves a little slower than I would like! We will get it done! We can't wait for people to come and visit!

No Days Until Daddy--He's almost here!

Matt and his Dad should be here any time. Natalie and I just finished cleaning out the fridge and freezer and she is actually cleaning the bathroom--yes, she's crazy and so wonderful. We are so excited to see Matt!

Today Abby went over to Natalie's to take a bath (since we do not have hot water) while I ran to a doctor appointment. Then we headed to the Arizona Youth Museum also called Artville. There was so much to do there and we all had a blast as you can see from the pictures below!
Abby cooks the cupcakes.Abby takes the cupcakes out of the oven.Abby serves the cupcakes.Fun with blocks (I want some for Abby's playroom!)
Where is Jen?
Abby's sad face when one of the lego cars broke.Craft time.There was a Japanese animation exhibit and we had fun tracing!
While Abby took a nap I quickly finished a blanket I made for a friend named Amelia. She is due in November, but I wanted to give it to her before I left. I really like the yarn and hope she likes it!Also as Abby finished her nap my friend Hannah came over to say farewell. I played for her voice lessons since she was a freshman and this is her senior year. I am sad I will not be able to play for her this year, but hope to return for her senior recital. I forgot to get a picture while she was here.

I too took a nice warm shower tonight at Natalie's parents house and Abby took another bath. Warm water feels so good!
What a time Abby and I have had the last 5 or so weeks. We have bonded more than ever before and I am really grateful for all of the amazing time we spent together, "Just the two of us!"
But I still can't wait to see Matt!
Here is a video of Abby dancing at Artville. Maybe I should put her in tap dance lessons.
What do you think?

1 Day Until Daddy--No Way!

We get to see Matt tomorrow--well it will technically be after midnight, but we will still count it as tomorrow! Our long time apart is finally coming to an end and we are all so excited to be together again. I am excited to see Abby's face when Matt goes in to get her out of bed on Friday morning. She will be ecstatic!

This morning Abby and I went and did some of my visiting teaching. She was a very good girl while we went. I wanted to make sure we visited our wonderful sisters before I left. Then we went over to the mall so that she could ride the carousel one more time before we leave. I also spent the last of my birthday money (mind you my birthday was in January!) so that was exciting. There is a store that makes small stuff so I actually found too many clothes that fit!
Tonight we met our friends the Jones' at Chick-fil-A and the kids played in the play area and managed to eat a few bites in between playing. We also got treated to Bahama Bucks which is the coolest shaved ice place I've ever seen in my life. We of course had the 'Bahama Mama Rama' I think it is called which combines the shaved ice flavors of your choice with really good vanilla ice cream. Sound strange? Trust me, you have to try it. We are so grateful to be able to get to know their family and will actually be seeing them in 2 weeks when they stop at our house for a quick visit after Disneyland!
Abby and Ivy at Chick-fil-A
The Bahama Mama Rama (baby sized)
Abby balancing on chairs--she was dancing while up there!
We did have some not so good news today. Someone stole Matt's bike. I went out to take out the trash and there was a Southwest Gas man checking the meter. He brought over to me a cut bike lock and asked if this was mine. I said, "Isn't is connected to a bike?" He said, "No." At first I thought, well the bike was extremely old and we did get it for free. But then Matt reminded me that the base of Abby's bike seat was still on the bike. She had the coolest bike seat that sat on the front of Matt's handle bars and she loved it so much. I am so disappointed that people steal. My bike was stolen a couple of years ago--flat tire and all. I am so happy that my bike was behind the gate and still there. There is always a bright side right! Plus, hopefully we won't have that problem at our new house--hey, we will have a garage. I've never had a garage before!
We can't wait to see you Mattie! Drive safe.

2 Days Until Daddy

The Phoenix Zoo!

We just had to go one more time before we left. Unfortunately it doesn't open until 9 a.m. now, so it was a bit warm! When we first arrived and received the map I asked Abby what she wanted to see. She said, "Elephant." I searched the map for the elephants and could not find them. I finally jokingly asked Abby where the elephants were and she pointed to this tiny drawing of an elephant. She was absolutely right. I cannot believe how smart she is.We saw all kinds of animals--see pictures below. We also rode the Safari Train for the first time and played in the Splash Park.
We saw a whole bunch of turtles and they came right up out of the water. We were afraid to scare them away, but we probably could have touched them.Abby brushed the goats and tried to say hello to a sleeping goat.After petting the goats Abby played on the "Little People" play area.4 warty pigs (that is what the sign said).
Three tortoises!
The giraffes from the Safari Train.
The splash park has the coolest cave with water and slides.Jen and Abby
After a long morning at the zoo we came home, ate, and Abby took a nap. Then it was time to go teach Hannah her final piano lesson (although I think I am going to give her a lesson when I have to return to Phoenix each month). I absolutely love their family so much. They have been such a blessing in my life. They fed us dinner and let Abby take a bath in their bathtub since we are permanently without hot water!They gave us the nicest gifts. I've always eyed the large pictures of Christ at Deseret Book but did not think I would get one any time soon. They gave us the most beautiful framed picture and the plaque at the bottom says, "Gentle Healer." They also gave Abby a picture of Christ with a little girl for her bedroom. They are so very kind.When I went to the mailbox after the Zoo today there was a piece of paper sitting on top of our mail that said, "Today will be beautiful." I do not know who made it (my guess is Natalie). It was very cute, creative and thoughtful. It made my day.Here is a video of our unforgettable time at the Phoenix Zoo.

3 Days Until Daddy

I forgot how tiring it can be to pack! I'm exhausted! My Labor Day was spent packing the rest of the things in our house. The only items left are clothes for a few days, some necessary toiletries and some books and toys for Abby. Fortunately, I had some help--that is how I finished! Natalie came over in the morning and stayed until 4:30. Our other friends Brent and his daughter Tiffany (I taught her in Seminary) came over and helped also. I could not have done it without the help!

Here are Natalie and Tiffany taking a break and eating the marshmallows that I thought would melt in the truck!
Natalie waiting for me to come and tape up a box!
Plus, Abby played all day with Tray and Ivy and just had the best time. Before she went to their house she had 2 gogurts for breakfast and I just think this is the cutest picture!
I managed to get to the store since we were out of milk and then went to pick Abby up and they fed us dinner. Aren't friends wonderful?
Abby and Ivy were swimming when I got there.
Abby watching Janine make yummy fruit drinks for dinner.
Abby, Tray and Ivy with their popsicles.
Our friends even let Abby take a bath since we haven't had hot water since Wednesday. Our friend Neil came over to fix the water heater and said it was a 10% chance it was the regulator--so very unlikely. He changed another part on it and it did not work. It is a regulator problem and I don't want to spend around $100 for hot water for a couple days. So I will rinse off in the cold water and wash my hair in the sink. I will just have to find places for Abby to take a bath at night! Just another adventure!

Last night Abby and I finished the stories (again) in her Book of Mormon stories book. The other day I discovered a "More Book of Mormon Stories" book that just came out and had to get it. So tonight we started into new stories and enjoyed reading about Lehi's Dream.
(Why is it sideways--I have no idea! It will not cooperate.)

Who Wants Dog Vomit?

Today I observed a little treat in my front yard. Just outside our front door there is a large mulch covered area with pretty little bushes (I don't actually know what any of them are) that have thier own dedicated sprinkler line to keep them healthy. However, hiding in the mulch I found some fine specimens of an ugly little mold/bacteria called "Dog Vomit Fungi." No, I did not make that up; that is the standard nickname for the Fuligo septica that haunts my front yard. The photo below is not from my yard, but is a dead ringer for the six inch diameter blobs I am looking at.

It starts of as a light yellow/white color and then fades to black, from the inside out, and then to an ashy gray that --POOF - blows all over the yard. My neighbor has it too, and she says it because we have clay soil below us that traps the moisture. My online reading confirmed her explanation. Oddly enough, this mold is particularly common in desert areas like Bakersfield and Phoenix, and I'm guessing that is because the soil does trap moisture between my clay dirt and the imported sod and mulch sitting on top.

So how do you get rid of this vomit? That is the fun part. You can't. Sure you can scoop it up and throw it in the trash, but it will be back. There is no chemical treatment that is proven to work, or so I've read. One website said the only way to remove it permanently is to pave over your front yard. Yes, that would look lovely. Another said to only water your yard in the morning so any excess H20 evaporates by the end of the day. I'll give that a try, if I can figure out how to use the high tech sprinkler system that came with our house.

The good news is that I'm reading it is often a seasonal growth that flares up in September, so hopefully this is the only time I have to look at it. So far it is not too wide spread, and since I don't have much of a sense of smell I don't notice the stench I've read about on these websites. Lucky Jen.

4 Days Until Daddy

Today was the day to say farewell to the Tempe Ward. We've been in this ward over 4 years and have absolutely loved it. We also experienced quite a few milestones in our lives during our time in Arizona. Some of those include: buying our first home, graduating with our doctorate degrees and adopting our daughter Abby! I think those are rather significant events in our lives! I also directed the ASU Women's Chorus, my first community choir and had the opportunity to teach seminary. There is a lot to let go of here. But a lot to look forward to also. We will always treasure the many friendships we made here and I am confident we will stay in contact with many people. Tonight we were invited to our friends Aaron and Sarah and they made a yummy chicken curry--I need the recipe. It was wonderful not to worry about making dinner. Abby loved playing with their daughters Lola and Poppy (Penelope). Tomorrow is the day to get everything else packed up. Thank goodness for friends who are willing to lend a hand!
Abby before Church today.