The Past Two Years

I created this blog several months ago. I soon realized that all the fun was in designing the blog page, once that was finished, blogging lost its appeal. To be fair I decided to give this another go. Hopefully I will be dedicated enough to add new photo's and information at least once a month. If not, oh well, I will enjoy looking at everyone else's blogs. Matthew and I have been living in Hawaii for 2 full years now. Time really does fly when you are living in paradise. Some days feel more paradisaical than others. We bought a small condo and have spent the past two years renovating.
It has been a lot of work.

We even convinced my brother Brent to come out for a week to help us remodel our kitchen. We are almost finished and that makes me very happy. Doesn't it look great? Our big project for the year was an investment in some land. Our dream has always been to move to a small town and build a dream house on a chunk of land. Last October we made it happen. The first step in making our dream come true. We purchased 15 acres of land in Grace Idaho. It is about 15 minutes away from Soda Springs, and about an hour away from Pocatello. Our new little property is beautiful. Living the military life can be difficult. I now have something to look forward to when we retire.
Both of us have stayed very busy with our church calling . In the past few years I have held a total of seven different callings. Just when I begin to settle in, I am yanked from my comfort zone and asked to do something completely different. They just transferred me from the Relief Society Presidency to the Young Women's Presidency. The Relief Society president was a bit surprised when they decided to snatch me away. I did warn her that I don't hold a calling for long. I guess the Lord is trying to teach me something. Matthew started out the year teaching Early Morning Seminary to the Freshmen. He loved it! Sadly they had to replace him because he was being deployed. Oh yes, the deployment. Matthew volunteered for a 6 month assignment in Afghanistan. I was worried, but felt good about our decision. They sent him to Kansas for training. About half way into his training they said "Oops, we messed up. Never mind we aren't supposed to send you." That very week he was back home with me. Shortly after his return they called and requested him to "volunteer" for a 4 month assignment to Iraq. Luckily we were able to travel home for almost a month before his departure. Although the cold is always a shock to me, it was great to be home for Christmas. Matthew left almost immediately after we returned home from Vacation. His 4 months assignment has actually become 5 months. Funny how that happens. Matthew has had a lot of positive experiences and met some amazing people. He says that it's really not so terrible. Just HOT and DUSTY! I've been very blessed to speak with him almost every day. To pass the time with him away I've tried to stay busy. I've been babysitting about 6 days a week. Early to bed and early to rise makes the time really fly. In my free time, the treadmill and I have become very close. I'm actually starting to enjoy my daily jogs. Two more months and Matthew will be back home with me. We are planning a trip to Utah, Idaho, and Oregon this summer. I'm excited to see everyone. We plan on staying in Hawaii until January 2010. Let us know if you are headed to Oahu. Matthew makes a great tour guide. I'm trying to convince someone to spend Thanksgiving with us. It's not too late to reserve your place with us this Thanksgiving. Boat ride on the Bay, Cabin on the Beach, doesn't that sound like fun!