We've Moved!

I haven't posted since Christmas. . . I switched back to journal because it's hard to maintain a blog without internet access. But! It's time to start writing again because (*drum roll*) Christopher and I have moved to Flagstaff! Now that we are far from home, my family wants to know what's going on in our lives. Plus, we now have internet access in our home, so I'll try my best to blog again. Pardon my rusty writing; it's been a while since I've written anything other than journal entries with poor grammar and thought processes. Maybe blogging will improve my writing? Or maybe drill me into worse habits. . . but regardless, I'll keep this blog updated.
Chris and I plan to finish our Bachelor's degrees in music, and are starting up our schooling again, at Northern Arizona University in a few weeks.
We packed up our dear little Udall home on Monday, and drove up to Flagstaff on Tuesday. Here is a video we made of our studio apartment before we moved. I highly recommend you watch it so that you can see ME 'n'all-ma Shawty-ness touch the ceiling . . . without jumping. . . or even standing on my toes. . .. Also, our 1/4 a bathroom is not to be missed. Our kitchen was small enough that we didn't have room for a kitchen table. We shared a laptop table and used a pair of folding chairs, all of which had to be moved if one needed to open the refrigerator for any reason. :) And you might want to see me look like an idiot as I mix up Halloween and Valentine's Day when talking about paper hearts.

Although our Udall studio apartment was tiny, it was homey, and it was our first home. I can't deny that I cried as we drove away. Good memories.
On the other hand, I almost cried for joy when I started moving things into our Ponderosa Park Apartment, and realized that I could open the bathroom door without pressing myself against the wall and sucking in my tummy! Yippee!
We now are able to use our white-suede couch from the Pearsons and the desk from the Mishauds  (they've both been stored in Marc and Denna's downstairs rooms for the past year). All our other wedding gifts are finally reaching their full potential now too. For example, I have space to cook! And fancy-schmancy cookery stuffs to use! I've done more baking and cooking and whatevering in the past week of living here than I have in any other single week of our marriage (and that's saying something, since it hasn't even been a full week . . . poor Chris. . . )
My mom, my dad, and Aurelia all came up to Flagstaff with us and helped us move, for which we are SO GRATEFUL!! :) We love you. And thanks to everyone else who helped us in the moving process!
I'll post pictures soon. Right now, however, the camera battery is dead and in the move I have yet to find the charger. My sister Aurelia took a couple pictures of the outside, however:


This is a walk that is literally twenty steps away from our back door. I feel pretty lucky.


I have to admit. . . I'm homesick. I miss family, friends, and familiarity. I miss knowing that my our parents live less than fifteen minutes away, and I'm already missing the Sunday dinners with both of our families. I'm a little freaked out thinking about how much my siblings can/will change in the two years that we live up here.

I also miss the comfort of our far-more-secure financial situation in Mesa. Trying to figure out financial aid and loans and jobs and watching our bank account plummet with the cost of living and the cost of school has filled us with a lot of anxiety. We have tried our best to live EXTREMELY frugally for the past year in order to save and prepare for this, and so far so good. I just hope our savings will carry us through with no, or more realistically, minimal loans. By the way, I keep mistyping loans as "loads", and I've been tempted to leave it as is.
The great blessing through it all is Chris. I love him so much!!! I love spending time with him, so in a way this move has been a real treat! It's been so nice to spend so much chill time and work time with my husband. I love learning from him, and already his clear-headedness, gratitude, hard work, and optimism improve my attitude daily and help me focus on our many, many blessings, as well as on our priorities. I'm grateful for his good example to me, and the way he shows love to me by lifting my moods when I'm homesick or helping me accomplish tasks when I'm overwhelmed. We are happy to be with each other, and we intend to use this opportunity to draw closer to each other - We can treat it like a more full meaning to the Genesis scripture about a man leaving his father and mother and cleaving unto his wife, and they shall be one flesh. :) I'm so thankful for my sweet, Christlike husband.