Reflection on 2012

I know I said that I was going to keep up my blog and keep everyone informed and I have been terrible but hopefully this will catch everyone up on us (even though everyone who reads this probably already knows everything that has gone on).

Wow, I can't believe it has been almost a year since we moved to Colorado and what a year it has been. All year I couldn't wait for 2012 to be done because honestly it was a very rough year for us. Before Steve was offered his job we ended up renting out our house with hopes that he would get the job....then they told him he didn't have the job after all. So we regrouped and decided we would just rent a house in Tooele until we found out where we were meant to be. So we found a house and put a deposit on it...just to find out a day or two later that he did in fact get the job. So luckily we were able to get out of our contract but we lost our deposit which was several hundred dollars. What we didn't realize at the time was that this was only the beginning of our saga for 2012.

So now we know we are moving to Colorado but have to find a place to stay for a month AND find a place to stay in Colorado. Luckily my mom was able to get us into the TLQ on North Area (one thing that actually worked in our favor). It was so nice there. We got laundry and cable TV and it was a two bedroom place. It actually worked out so well. The only downfall was having to take the dogs downstairs and into the field everytime they had to go potty. But overall pretty good. Finally after a couple weeks of looking and getting pictures and working with a property manager (who I love) she was able to find us a four bedroom house with a large fenced yard...seemed pretty good.

Now we are at the time we are just about ready to hook up and leave. Keep in mind at this point within one month we had to move our stuff out of our house into a storage shed. Now out of a storage shed into our moving truck then once we get to our house out of the moving truck and into our house. Anway so we have our moving truck loaded and it was decided that my brother and my mom would drive the moving truck the next day with the escort being pulled behind the moving truck. Steve would drive the truck and pull the trailer and I would drive the Nitro. Then comes the next wrench into the story. Its the day before we are leaving for Colorado and the truck breaks down. Okay I should put in as a side note it was on the fritz before but we thought we had it fixed. So here we are broken down in front of the hospital the day before we are supposed to leave for Colorado...it was a nightmare. We had Christmas presents in the trailer, the dog in the trailer...now we had to squish as much as we could in the nitro and and other place we could. We obviously did not take the truck and trailer to Colorado. We finally got to our hotel that night around 11 physically, mentally and emtionally drained. Really why couldn't anything go right?

We got to Colorado in one peice (I really worried for awhile) and the kids were amazingly good. The next day we got the keys to our house and started unpacking. It seemed like it took forever. My mom and brother stayed for the rest of that day and helped us and helped celebrate Azzayah's birthday. Poor thing got to spend her birthday with boxes. We did take her to Applebees to try to make up for it though. The next day was Xavier's birthday so once again we celebrated birthday and attempted to find school uniforms. Something that evidently in January is next to impossible to find around here. The kids got into school and we started to try to get into a routine. Xavier went to school in the afternoons for kindergarten so we enjoyed relaxing in the mornings together watching Rachael Ray. Shortly after we got setteled in we got another blow. I found out Steve had to go to Alabama for two weeks for training. I know to most people two weeks isn't a long time but to me in a new place with no friend it was an eternity. Some how I made it through and was so glad when we got home again.

Fast foward to summer and things seem to be going well. By this time we have made some new friends and gotten out some. We found things like the Royal Gorge Bride (I would put pictures on here but can't figure it out right now and honestly this post alone is taking forever),Red Rocks, Garden of the Gods, and took a trip to Elitch Gardens the amusement park in Denver. We even got invited to go to the lake a couple times and play on our friends boat. We had tons of fun with that (especially Xavier) by the end of the summer we even got Azzayah on the tube. We had family visit. Steve's parents came and brought our truck and trailer. The truck is now fixed and better than ever. Thanks so much to my amazing bonus dad for fixing it and bringing it to us! My mom and dad also came out. We were so excited to see them and show them all the amazing stuff that we have around our house

Now we are at the end of the summer and here comes our next blow. We get a letter in the mail and find out the house we were living in was going to go into foreclosure. To put it mildly I freaked out. I marched my butt to my property managers office (who of course was not there because it was Saturday) to try to find out how this could have happened. She wasn't there so I called any number I could to try to find out what was going on. We still had months on our contract and even then didn't want to move. It wasn't the best house but I did what we needed it to do and we didn't want to move again after only 7 months! When I got ahold of our property she didn't know anymore than we did. She was as shocked as we were. She assured us she would talk to the owner and make it right.

When she got back to me she informed me the owner was trying to save it but she said at that point we had every right to break contract and find another house. Seeing we knew he had been getting letters for months about the house we decided to leave because we didn't want to deal with him anymore. Within one week of recieving the letter we found another house (thanks to our property manager) the owner dropped the rent to match what we were paying and took our dogs without any deposit and even fixed up the yard. Within that week of getting the letter we found the house, packed up the house moved and unpacked into the new house. It was insane!

I really didn't want to move houses for many reasons. The kids would have to move schools, I didn't want to move again, I was moving away from my friends and all the people I had met. We are in the same town but a different ward so I really don't see all the friends that I used to have nearly as much. But even with all that being said for some reason I felt like this is where we needed to move to. So we did. I am so sad to be away from my friends but I am so much happier at this house. Its a nicer house and we are so close to all the walking paths and the kids school. It is so much quieter here. Above all I feel like since we have moved here we have been so abudently blessed. Everything just seems to be falling into place to (knock on wood). I have this feeling of peace and completeness that I never did have at our old house. Shortly after we moved here I got called to sub at the middle school the kids would attend if they were in middle school. After a couple weeks of subbing they asked if I could just keep subbing until either they lady came back or they could hire someone permanant. So I did. Then before Christmas I was told that I could have the job permanantly if I wanted it. Which I of course gladly accepted. We recently put our house on the market (hoping for good things to come from that).
Overall we have had a great past few weeks and are looking forward to many more

So that is our year! I know its long sorry. Alot has happened. So to tie this all up as much as I wanted 2012 to end I must admit as hard as the past year was for all of us. I am thankful for it. Through the year I know at times we probably wondereed why did we do this but we came back kicking and screaming we decided we would not be defeated. Because all along I said as long as we are together we can get through anything and you know we did! We are stronger and braver then we have ever been! We got through it and now we are so blessed. I don't know what I would do without all the amazing people in my life that helped us through this year. My parents, my bonus parents, my great friends that keep my head up during the times that I didn't know if I could  do it anymore. But above all I am thankful for my amazing husband who I am on this incrediable journey with. As hard as it has been I wouldn't have wanted to be anywhere else. We are there for each other to make it through the hard times and there for each other to celebrate the good times. I am so thankful for my life and for my journey and for my trials and my faith. Without all of it I would not be where I am today!