Tuesday, September 22, 2009

Our last few weeks in Seattle

This should have been posted several weeks ago. We decided to have one last gorgeous hike in Seattle. These were all taken at Rainer... Sunrise, not the actual summit. If you've never been on this hike, it's worth the drive.












Grant and I went to the zoo with Coehn and Mandy a few days before we had to move. Grant's favorite part was the baby gorilla- by far the cutest thing I have ever seen, but I couldn't catch a picture without the glare of the glass.

Don't look too excited, guys, someone might think you were having fun.







Thursday, September 17, 2009

The move

Wooo... my apologies for the drought (no pun intended). It is time to update this little family's most recent adventures. About 2 weeks ago, we packed up our studio apartment (how we filled a 26 foot truck is beyond me, but we almost did!) and headed south...



leaving this...

for this.



It took us all day to pack the truck and deep clean the apartment. Thanks so much to all those who helped, especially Mike and Jen for cleaning and repairing the last minute stuff for us. We miss you guys!


Even though we were pressed for time and it was nearing 5pm, Will insisted on our final good-byes to Red Mill for his bacon burger and my verde veg. Red Mill, we miss you, too!


Check out Grant wandering the empty apartment with his milk shake in hand. He has no clue about the upcoming 24 hour drive to the desert.


Good bye, Seattle! Good bye, bike trails, mountain climbs, gorgeous beaches, Gas Works Parks, funny people on the bus, Starbucks, guys with socks and sandals, recycling bins on every corner, drivers who don't know how to merge, our wonderful Seattle First Ward, Rugby Saturdays and Safeway next door. What are we doing moving anyway??


Will and I were so impressed with how well Grant handled the roadtrip. He never once fussed or squirmed to get out. I think he loved sitting up front in the bench seat with us. He entertained himself for hours with books, snacks, empty baby jars...



And when enough was enough, he covered his head and went to sleep.

He just loved that big truck and the fact that he had his daddy back!


Because we didn't leave Seattle until 5:30pm, we had to do the whole trip in 2 days. So, there wasn't much time to hang out or stop in Vegas to party. In fact, we barely had time to sleep. The first night, we just drove until we were exhausted, then pulled over at a rest stop and slept in the back of the truck with all of our stuff. It was just like camping... ;)

Our next night was spent in American Fork with Grandma and Grandpa Magleby, Will's wonderful grandparents. Grant loved playing with Aunt Linda and Aunt Jenni, even though he was a little cranky at first.

Yes, folks, this is exactly what it looks like. What happens when you feed Grant all-you-can-eat watermelon and cantaloupe the night before driving from SLC to Phoenix? An emergency stop in the middle of nowhere to hose him down with waterbottles and 35 baby wipes. Boy, was that exciting. I had no idea what this kid was capable of doing.


All in all, we actually had a great time driving to where we now call home. We know this is where we need to be for now. Will loves his job and we all love being near family again. Wait for our upcoming post about the house we just bought! We are excited about the changes in our lives...

Hello, Arizona!


Wednesday, September 2, 2009

GRADUATION at last!!

Yesterday, I officially finished my last hour at LDS Family Services. A year ago, when I knew I had 500 clinical hours to complete, I thought it'd take forever. I can't believe how fast it went and that I actually did it. Graduation was in June, but I didn't feel right about announcing that until I completed my hours. This first picture is quite fitting for the occasion-- Grant was in school with me from the time he was 10 days old. My cohort and professors saw him grow up and gladly welcomed him to class. Well, Grant, you finally get your Mama all to yourself!


I could not have graduated without the love, support (and hard-earned savings) from my amazing husband. Will kind of graduated right along with me and my guess is that he heard so much about therapy that he could handle even the toughest of clients... like myself. I don't know another husband who has put his dreams on hold to help his wife chase hers. And he did it gladly, without complaints! He stayed at home with Grant for 4 months, while I doubled up on hours. I gotta give a huge shout out to Mandy, Gretchen and Tara for taking such good care of Grant as well!
So, what's next? Well, I have decided to take a 4 month break before I start my PhD program! Sike. Big Sike. Once we get settled in AZ, I may work or volunteer part time at Anasazi- I love working with teens and their parents, especially in the wilderness! When the hiring freeze is up at the Mesa LDS Family Services, I plan to take on a few clients so I can slowly work toward licensure. For right now, I'm thrilled to play with Grant every day... without worrying about papers, theories, books and case notes.
I cannot say enough about my positive experience at Antioch. They taught me how to be out of the box and still be true to my values. Jerry, one of my favorite people in the world, taught me how to believe in myself and never, never give up on another human being. He is a professor who will always remain in my thoughts and I will miss him terribly. He has inspired me to be a better wife, mother and therapist. My sincere thanks to everyone who made this possible!