Hello Utah!

Less than 24 hours after arriving in Utah I find myself at the playground with my brother and his kids, and have one of those moments where I absolutely can not believe where I am, and how much my life has changed. 

In an instant, it seemed, my life was a complete 360 from where it had been... from every detail down to the sunshine and grass. 

The kids literally hit the ground running once we were in Utah, and they never looked back. 

They have been SO happy here! They recognized quickly that being here meant they could play with their cousins and see their grandparents. What's not to love?!?! 

They embraced this carefree life wholeheartedly. Seeing them so happy helps the transition so much.

I am loving it too, but I knew being here would be an adjustment from what we were used to, and it was a challenge at first getting settled and feeling comfortable. 

It may sound strange, especially because I grew up in Utah, but I feel like I went through a bit of a culture shock being back. It was hard to identify such a huge range of emotions. 

I knew I would most likely be 'weird' as if in the 'return missionary stage,' and I know I was... and I just let myself be that way, because some things, to me, were a little weird. 

It was just a big change. 

We are living with family for the time we will be in Utah. This definitely took some convincing for me, from many different parties. At last, I was convinced this will be a good place for us during this time, and I have been tremendously grateful to my mom and Kerry for opening up their home to us. 

It is a blessing for our family to be here and to have company on a daily basis, and to feel so much support surrounding us. 

I thought I had worked out our sleeping arrangements, only to come to bed late one night to find all my children in one room together. These past years we have been used to being very close, and I think we will keep it that way. 

:)