Good Good Life

Well, after all the fun and exciting graduation stuff we still had to finish up packing and get ourselves up to Payson. Right after Brett's grad party my parents headed back to Pinetop with my two cute kiddos with them. They were so excited to stay with Mamaw and Papa, so Brett and I could finish moving and get all the unpacking done...what a blessing! We hauled up our final load on Monday, finished cleaning our house and handed over the keys to our rentors (the fabulous and loved Forts who we feel blessed to be taking care of our house for awhile).

Brett and I had so many helping hands to help with our move and we are so thankful to each and every one of them. After a few days of long hours getting the house ready we were so excited for our kids to come "home" and see their new place. After painting a couple walls (thanks to Terri and Bob), getting our stuff all in and things hung up I was really starting to like our rental home. After being here 2 weeks now I LOVE LOVE LOVE my new/temporary home. My mom and dad brought the kids home that Friday and they could not have been more excited! They love that they now share a room and have fun new bunk beds. We really are liking our new pad and are exctied to have lots of visitors this summer:)

So, what have we been up to the last few weeks? Well, I must say that I have never been to Walmart so much in my life. I usually go two sometimes three times a day since it is the only type of shopping we have here in Payson. I am going to treasure my trips down to Mesa.

We have loved going for walks every night, since the weather is so nice and we have some great parks for the kids to play at.

We hit up the public pool to enjoy some swim time. Bradock has actually been going to swim lessons here on Mondays and Wednesdays.

The Clarksons came up last weekend and became our first "stay-over-night" visitors. We had so much fun garage selling, thrift store shopping, furniture re-modeling (pics to come), eating, watching tv and playing at the parks. It was a super fun, super chill weekend.



The kids and I were starting to really miss our everyday pool time at our Marbella pool and since the public pool costs $2 a person, I decided to find a cheaper and more fun way to cool off. Brett showed me this cool little area called Flowing Springs, which is just 3 miles outside of Payson. It was absolutely perfect. The kids had so much fun playing in the water and with their toys, blowing bubbles, chatting to the two ol' camper/hitch hiker dudes and just being out in nature. We had a blast and will definitely make this a weekly activity.

Oh, and one more thing...we now have a "Dr" in the house. That's right Brett's license was finally posted, so he was able to start working this week. Today is actually his second day and he loves it. He comes home and tells me about all the patients he saw and the work that he did. I love that he loves what he's doing and is so passionate about it.

As for me, I decided to title this post "Good Good Life" because after crying for several days prior to our move and crying a ton more as I drove up to Payson to move in I feel like I am coming to terms with our new life here and I can honestly say that it is good...real good. Our new ward, neighbors and just people in general here in Payson are so kind and generous. I have met some really awesome ladies that I have a ton in common with, so I hope it's a beginning of some great friendships. That's not to say that I don't miss my friends and Mesa a ton, but I have already made two day trips down there to visit...big part of why I was okay with Payson (just over an hours drive and I'm back home...I guess I should stop calling it that, but for now that's what it is). Thank goodness for technology because I chat with my friends via phone, texts, facebook and blogs everyday, so I still feel totally connected to them.

After hanging out at Flowing Springs we were driving home and the song "Good Life" by One Republic was on the radio and I stopped to thank my Heavenly Father for giving me such a blessed and good life. I know that he has comforted me when I was sad and has made sure to let me know that everthing is going to be okay. I love those "tender mercies" as my mother-in-law always calls them, and for always coming at the perfect time.

Graduation Celebration

Our last month or so has been a whirlwind of events, but definitely worth it. After 4 crazy years of dental school (not to mention 5 years of undergrads...I just love Brett's long school track at ASU) he is finally a full-fledged dentist. Just prior to graduation he had been busy studying and thank goodness found out that he had passed all of his clinical, licensing and state exams. I am so proud of him and all of his hard work.

So, a couple weeks ago we got to do some major celebrating. It all started off with a brunch/Awards ceremony where a few students were awarded special honors. No one knew a head of time if they were receiving an award or not, so it was really fun to find out that Brett had been given an award from the Academy of Oral Maxial Facial Surgeons for "Excellence in Cranial Facial Pain Management"...in other words he's one great oral surgeon...what an honor!

That night we had a blast at the Founders Ball held at the Phoenician Resort. We got to get all dressed up and had a fun night of eating, dancing and socializing. My mom watched our kids, so Brett and I could even stay at the resort that night...so fun! The next morning we had a fun breakfast there at the resort restaurant with Brett's dental buddy, Jimmy, and his wife, Crystal.

Saturday, June 11th, was the actual graduation ceremony held at the Mesa Arts Theatre. We had so many family and friends come to support our dental graduate. I hadn't really been emotional about his graduation until he came walking down the theatre in his cap and gown and I just kept thinking "Wow, we are finally done...this is it!" When Brett and I were dating he told me that his goal was to become a dentist. We knew the road that we would have to take to get there and now I just can't believe we made it...9 years later and I can honestly say it has flown by.

That evening we had a little graduation party for Brett at his parent's house. I am so mad I didn't get any pics from that night, but it we had so much fun with all our friends and family that came and the Mexican food, fruit, dessert could not have been better. I can't even begin to express my love and thanks to everyone who made this journey with us. There is no way we could have done it without all the love and support we received. Thanks to both of our parents for continually giving unconditionally as they have always done...I hope Brett and I can be even half the parents they have been. Thanks to siblings and friends for being such great supporters and laughing, stressing, crying right along with us. It's been one heck of a ride and now I'm glad to say that we can shut the book on that chapter of our life.

Now, we are all moved settled into our new home in Payson and anxiously awaiting for Brett's official dental license to come, so he can start working. The kids are going to have to get used to saying "Have a good day at work, Dad!" instead of saying "school"...oh, that sounds so good.

Just Dance...

A couple weeks ago our little chica had her very first dance recital. She loved every minute of getting ready...the makeup, the hair, the outfit...she was in heaven (and me too!). However, when it came to show time she got some major stage fright and kind of froze for most of the dance. She even started crying when the whole auditorium clapped at their performance. After the performance she told us "the stage was really scary". I was actually super nervous for this recital because everytime I have gone to pick her up from dance she is totally doing her own thing while all the other girls are following along to the teacher. I'm not too sure if dance is her thing...she is only 2...so maybe she will grow into it. Either way she sure looked darn cute in her full dance attire.

"The Dog Days are Over..."

Soaking up the sun and my last few days with friends and family before we move. I must say that I am actually kind of excited to miss the "dog days of summer" here in Mesa and looking forward to the cooler weather in Payson...see there is a plus to moving. I told Brett the other day that I was having a "Sariah (Lehi's wife from the Book of Mormom)" moment because I have been complaining about moving to a small town...aka "the wilderness". I hope it will pass as we move in and get settled into our new life up there. My goal is to really love living there, so I am going to try my best to be optimistic and make that happen, but my friends sure are making it hard to leave...I sure do love them!!

Another Sad Goodbye

Not only am I sad to say goodbye to my friends, neighbors and ward, but I am also so very very sad that I no longer get to teach my classes at Fitness Works. It's such a bummer that Payson doesn't have the "Water-in-Motion" program at any of the gyms. All my many hours of training and learning new choreography now comes to an end, but most of all I am going to miss my dedicated members who have been such a wonderful part of my life this last year. I love walking into class and being greeted with hugs, hellos and getting all the updates on their lives. I was dreading the day when I would have to tell them I was leaving. When I finally did tell them the bitter/sweet news they all told me to tell my husband to either commute or leave me behind...hahaha...gotta love them!

So, the other day a bunch of the ladies from class organized a "Going Away Lunch". We all met at Crackers and had such a fun time. I got some wonderful gifts and gift cards and it made me realize how much this "job" means to me. I don't really think of it as a job because I love it so much. It was a sad week this week because I taught my final 3 classes. On Thursday, the members had me in tears as they were crying through our last few tracks and giving me hugs afterwards. I am going to miss them so much. I'm not sure what exactly Payson has in store for me, but hey I just might end up being an instructor up there or finding something totally new and fun...I guess I'm just going to enjoy this journey in life and hope for more great things to come.

I totally didnt' get a picture with everyone that came to lunch because I spaced it, but here are a few of my "favorite" participants and me.

I realized I had no pics of me teaching, so here I am on my last day...hahaha love the "action" shots.

Packing, Packing, Packing and the In-Between

Oh my goodness I am now remembering why I HATE moving! It's amazing what you can accumulate over four years and two kids later. The only good thing about packing up your house is that you get to do some major de-cluttering. I just love chucking stuff in the garbage can or putting it into the D.I. pile. If it hasn't been used in the last 6 months it doesn't get to move with us. So, with all the craziness going on at our house Raylee and I decided to take a break and head up to Pinetop for Memorial weekend. Brett had to speak in church on Sunday (thank goodness I already had my trip planned or I would have had to as well...dodged that bullet:) and he wanted to stay for Mr. B's last soccer game. It was kind of fun for each of us to take one of the kids for the weekend.

Raylee and I made a little detour into Payson on our way to my parent's with Brett, Bradock and Terri following behind, so we could solidify a decision on a rental home...hallelujah we now have a home to move in to. We said our goodbyes and we were off to Pinetop and much cooler weather. We had fun hanging out with my mom, dad, Sarah, Chance and McKai. However, on Sunday I started getting antsy thinking about all I needed to do at home so instead of staying until Monday we headed home. I took no pics the entire time we were there, but I got a couple of shots of Miss Ray sleeping in what had to be the most uncomfortable position on the way home...obviously didn't bother her because she was completely konked out.



I'm so glad I came home because we got a lot done on Monday. Our friends and neighbors also threw us a fun "Going Away/Memorial Day" party. Everyone brought food and we just hung out til late into the night. I am sure going to miss my friends, this house and our so very cool cul-de-sac...it seriously is the best place.



Here is our little soccer boy who I think wins the "Most Improved" award. The season started out a little rough with Mr. B whining and crying at every bump and scrape that occured. But by his last game he was kicking the ball down the field, stopping the ball and getting it turned around and even making some goals. Now anytime and I mean anytime (doesn't matter what the circumstance is) if something goes bad Mr. B will explain "That's okay that's what happens in soccer). He even tells this to Raylee when she is upset...it's hilarious. I am so proud of how far he has come and can't wait to see what next season holds...I can't believe I am even thinking about another season because I never would have said that 6 weeks ago...just goes to show what a little practice and patience can do.