For there ain't no doubt, I love this land...

I've had a moment to reflect as so many of us do on this day each year. I decided today that I don't think of 9/11 as a day of sadness, because as a naive 13-year-old, the words "World Trade Center" had just entered my vocabulary. The memory is associated with a lot of fear and confusion for me. I came across this video this morning:



It took me back to that night as I was sitting in my living room watching with the rest of the country. At that moment I remember my fear and confusion being replaced by peace. My heart swelled with gratitude because the man we had elected to lead this country was quoting the bible, and offering condolences to an entire nation. As I think about it now, that day, and the following days after, as a nation we showed what it meant to be strong. Not because we went to war, but because we remembered our neighbors, our freedom, and our God.

President Monson wrote a feature in The Washington Post on the tenth anniversary of 9/11:

"There was, as many have noted, a remarkable surge of faith following the tragedy. People across the United States rediscovered the need for God and turned to Him for solace and understanding. Comfortable times were shattered. We felt the great unsteadiness of life and reached for the great steadiness of our Father in Heaven. And, as ever, we found it. Americans of all faiths came together in a remarkable way.

Sadly, it seems that much of that renewal of faith has waned in the years that have followed. Healing has come with time, but so has indifference. We forget how vulnerable and sorrowful we felt. Our sorrow moved us to remember the deep purposes of our lives. The darkness of our despair brought us a moment of enlightenment. But we are forgetful. When the depth of grief has passed, its lessons often pass from our minds and hearts as well"

One of the frustrations that comes with this recollection, is the realization of how far we've strayed. How the "renewal of faith has waned" as President Monson put it. How expressions of charity have given way to a society of entitlement. Some have even gone so far as to say that the founding fathers were, in fact, not religious or that their beliefs had no effect on the constitution. Now is when the sadness comes for me.

So as we remember where we were 12 years ago, let's also keep in mind the feelings of patriotism, brotherly love and faith we felt.

As of Late...

Wow, what a whirlwind this last little while has been. It seems like the day has just started and it's time to go to bed. We've been busy and truly blessed.

Our last weekend in SLC, we actually left town to go to Shelley, ID for the Harwell Family Reunion. It was great to reconnect with the Harwell cousins. Despite our tent and everything in it getting soaked by the sprinklers, it was a great little trip.

What's not to love about this photo? The Harwell "kids" with Grandpa Stan.
Back row: Scott, Susan, Alan. Front row: Bill, Grandpa, Curtis and Loretta.

The Harwell crew. It's so fun to be part of such a great family.

We zipped home on Saturday night to go to church in our ward one last time and to finish packing before moving day on Tuesday. I was overwhelmed with the amount of people who showed up to help move us out. Either they like us or they were excited to see us leave... I'd like to think it was the former. I think I told Ian about 100 times that I couldn't stand to leave such a wonderful place.

Ian's parents helped us drive down to St. George. We packed up our four vehicles and drove caravan-style. After a few days of job hunting and trying to make a place for ourselves, we hit the road again to Palisades State Park for the 1st Sanderson Family Reunion. We weren't sure if we were going to make the trip until the day before, but I'm so glad we did. I have a lot of fond memories with my Sanderson cousins and we stayed up until late at night (ya know, like 11:30 or something) talking and laughing until our stomachs hurt. Such good times.

Megan and I rowing back to shore. Does anyone else think this is as hilarious as I do?
This was the only way we could sit without tipping that teeny raft over.

We're missing a few, but I freaking LOVE these people.

My dear Grandma Bills let us stay in her house in St. George for the first couple weeks. We weren't sure about our employment situation and how much we could afford for rent, so being able to use her empty house was a LIFESAVER! I don't know how we would've made it without her.

I started school two days after the Sanderson reunion, and that same week, I got this in my email:

"Dear Cori,

Congratulations!  You have been accepted as a student in the Dixie State University Associate Degree Nursing (ADN) program for spring semester 2014.  You will be allowed to continue through the Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) program as long as you remain in good standing. Classes will start Tuesday, January 7, 2014." 

I read it a few times to make sure my eyes weren't playing tricks on me, and then I called Ian to tell him. He said, "Yaaaaaaaay! I told you!"

I walked out into the muggy day that is so uncharacteristic for St. George and called my mom. The dam burst at that point and she couldn't understand me through my tears as I told her I got accepted. I felt like a 100-lb weight had been lifted off my shoulders as all the uncertainty about what the next couple of years would bring melted away. I remember as a sixteen-year-old sitting in a class at EFY, a teacher named Brother McKeoen talked about living the life The Lord has in store for you. He related the story of his life after his mission where he decided in a matter of days that he was going to move from The UK to The US, and how everything fell into place because he was following the spirit. He stood and spoke with an intensity I had rarely seen before, or since for that matter, and said, "When you get to the point in your life where you're standing in front of two doors, and one says 'lose your life' and the other one says 'find it', (referring to Matt. 10:39) you run through that first door and don't look back, because you will see some amazing things happen." I remember just hanging on his every word but really having no idea what he was talking about. I've spent the last two years learning that lesson, trying to "lose my life" and have faith that I could do this really hard thing. Reading that letter was the perfect manifestation of the fact that Heavenly Father truly moves mountains when you're living the life he has in store for you.

It's hard to believe, but we've been in St George for almost a month! It's been a bit of an adjustment (mostly avoiding heat stroke) but we're loving it so far. After watching in amazement at even more tender mercies that came our way, we moved into a townhouse on Tuesday. Ian snapped a pic right before we signed the lease.

Our place. #78

We like the extra space, but the stairs have proven to be slightly annoying. I swear I go up and down about 50 times a day. I just stand at the top for a few seconds and decide if I have everything I need before I go down so I don't have to hike back up to get my phone charger or something dumb like that. I now know why it was such a big deal for my mom when we moved from our tri-level in West Jordan to our rambler in American Fork all those years ago.

For the time being, I'm just finishing up a couple last minute classes and getting ready to start the nursing program. Now that I know it's happening for real, I just want it to be here! Ian's starting nerd school in the spring at SUU. He's decided to change his major from Business to Math with an emphasis in Actuarial Science (See, I told you. Nerd school). He'll hopefully start his career as an Actuary about the same time I get done. The words don't do justice when I say how grateful I am for this time in my life, and amazed at how it's all come together.

The Only Constant in Life is Change

No...

I'm not pregnant.

I found out last Friday that I didn't get accepted into the nursing program at SLCC. I knew it was a long shot, so I wasn't really surprised by the rejection letter. 

A few months ago, Ian and I spent a weekend in St. George. As part of the trip, I met with Alice Clegg, the nursing advisor at Dixie State. I've met with a fair share of nursing advisors in the course of my education, but Alice was the only one that made me feel like I had an advocate in this process. She had a 3x5 card with the range of scores of the people who had just been accepted, and she looked at my transcript and showed me exactly what I need to do to get accepted. She even took the time to show me what the nursing program schedule looks like. I left her office feeling that, not only was this possible, I was going to do it!

So, it is with excitement and a whole lot of nerves that I announce that we're officially going to be Southern Utah people. 

It hasn't been an easy decision for me. I've gone back and forth about it in my head over and over and over (and over). I absolutely love my job. My coworkers are like family to me and the kids I interact with brighten my day. I feel important and satisfied in my job, and I have "What in the world are we doing" moments all day long at work.

The ultimate decision-maker, however, is that we both really feel like this is where we're meant to be. There are a lot of reasons for this too. The biggest one is that sunshine makes me a different person. The weeks of inversion in the winter turn me into a not nice person to be around. We're in a good position in life right now where we have the ability to relocate relatively easily, so really why the heck not? I do find it funny, too, that I'm finishing my education (well, for the time being. Are you ever really finished?) right back where I started it. 

I'm truly am excited about the new adventure we're about to embark on. There's always some anxiety associated with a big change, but it's time. I'm in the process of applying for the nursing program at Dixie, and, after retaking some classes this summer, I feel like I have a good shot at getting in. So, we'll see.

So...that's that. Wish me luck!

Ok, I guess I can be done with my blogging hiatus

Wow, how can it 10 months have gone by so quickly? I pulled some pictures off my phone to highlight the adventures over the last little while.

We had our annual Summer bash in Shanna's backyard in Santaquin. It was a night of dancing, food and fun!  It was so good to connect with my cousins that I don't get to see very often anymore.

The band

The crew dancing the night away

 We bought a new car in September. Ian decided he didn't want the Jeep to be his daily driver any more because of the less-than-ideal gas mileage. We found this 2005 Civic and just couldn't pass it up. We're blessed and grateful to be able to afford all three vehicles. :)

The family took a trip down to St. George for my cousin Ricqui's son's baby blessing. We stopped in a ghost town called Frisco, west of Beaver. Here's the remnants of the old mining town. Dad brought his metal detector and we were able to find some treasures.

Halloween came and went this year without too much of a fuss. Quite frankly, I don't even remember what we did. We did carve some pumpkins on the Sunday before.

I don't know whether to laugh of be creeped out.

Wendy became the 4th of the 5 ding dongs to get married on November 3, 2012, and now lives in London with her husband, Tom. It was an absolutely beautiful ceremony on a gorgeous day! We were the "backup" bridesmaids, and had a blast reconnecting.

Ian got to take paragliding lessons in November. He spent the next few days researching paragliding equipment online...

After a flight

We resumed our family tradition of going to TSO the night before Thanksgiving. I can't believe how they manage to outdo themselves year after year.

After 3 months of Ian driving the Civic, it got hit by a school bus in the high school parking lot. Of course it had to be the newest, nicest car that we own... It was just a little fender bender though, and it was fixed well.

 Christmas Eve was spent at the Capua's. Santa (Chris) made an appearance, and the grandkids were thrilled. I love the magic of Christmas, and I might as well be one of them.

Ian got me a sewing machine for Christmas, and I've had lots of fun being "Martha Stewart" as one of my friends calls me. Here's a few of the things I've been working on:

an overnight bag

A receiving blanket

a pillowcase that I ended up sending to Japan for Ian

 There's a lot more than that, but these are the ones I have pictures of.

We made a trip to St George at the end of March. The blossoms were out, and the temperatures were in the low 80s. It was the perfect trip!

Well, there's the highlight reel. I feel like we have some pretty exciting things on the horizon, so I'll blog more as it all pans out. Life is good!

Happy Anniversary to us!

I can't believe it's been 2 years already! We decided to skip town this year, and took a week-long cruise to Mexico. It was absolutely fabulous, and I'm avoiding real life by blogging about it. I usually catalog my trips each day in my journal, but I didn't do that this time around and decided to blog instead. I'll just warn you now, this post might be a little long.

We drove to St. George on Saturday and stayed over night at Grandma's, then drove the rest of the way on Sunday morning. It was a pretty uneventful drive except for a stop for gas in Barstow.

We splurged a little for the Oceanview room, and I'm SO glad we did. We ended up following a storm into Puerto Vallarta, so it was some pretty rocky sailing. It was nice to be able to look out the window and watch  the water. It was also good to know what time of day it was.

 The Queen Mary next to our boat.

Getting ready to sail away!

 Off to Mexico!

The first two days were "A day at sea" as they like to call it. We mostly laid out on the deck and read, ate, and did a few activities on the boat. We had a little cabin fever by the end.

Wandering around on the mini-golf course.

  
I loved having dinner each night on the cruise. Our waiter remembered our names and our dining preferences. Ian ordered a steak and Armando, our waiter, said, "Medium rare, right?" I was impressed. It was also fun to get to know all the people at our table. One couple was even from Ogden. Small world!

Ian has a knack for catching the worst photos of me...

 Armando was also an excellent dancer.

Puerto Vallarta was the first port we got to. It was a beautiful city, but after 3 days of solid rain there, it was overwhelmingly HOT and MUGGY! We had a great day, though. The original plan was to go to the beach, but Ian negotiated a deal with one of those guys who sells excursions on the pier so we could go on a zipline canopy tour for $40! How could we not?? Hind-sight we probably should've gone in something other than swim suits, but what can ya do? We rode in this sketchy van without seatbelts to the place. As we were driving I asked Ian, "Does any of this remind you of Argentina?" It wasn't until we drove by the most ghetto parts of town that he started to see familiar sights.

 Bievenido!

"Is that Danny DeVito?" -Ian

 He wanted to take the parrot home.

 I must've rubbed up against the cable at some point.

Tribal tattoo, maybe?

Sailing away from Puerto Vallarta

Thursday and Friday we were in Cabo San Lucas. I went there with Ian's parents and sister on my last cruise, and it was so fun to go back with Ian. We spent the first day on the beach, and shopped the 2nd day. I guess the water is too shallow for the boat to dock in Cabo, so they have a tender that takes people from the boat to the pier. It was a bumpy ride!

 We were on the Carnival Splendor

 Ah! Waves! His face kills me in this pic!

 The pirate ship heading to attack our cruise ship.

 Tropical fish in the water

 Apparently Cabo is known for its massive waves. Wow!

 The famous arch

 Pancho, the lone sea lion that we saw. 

 The view from our spot on the beach.

 I insisted we buy a beach umbrella before we left. 

Best idea I've ever had, truly.

 The very persistent table serenade people. 

I'll tell you, people in Cabo are not shy about asking for tips for the smallest things.

It got a little annoying.

There was a chocolate buffet on our way back. How could I resist? 

Just FYI, a chocolate apple is not the same as a caramel apple, and is much more difficult to eat.

 We spent most of our evenings here. They had 4 different comedians. 

Some were better than others, but we had fun sitting with our virgin drinks and laughin' it up.

And who could forget the cute little towel animals that they leave on your bed every night?

 Just getting off the boat. I was so bummed to be going home... :(

The last day back in California was one of my favorite days of the whole trip! Our friends Cinthya and Creggan go out there every summer for an internship, so they took our car for the week, and spent the day showing us the sights. They live at Oakwood apartments, which is kind of famous. I even saw an MTV special about it. They see Jay Leno every so often and apparently Hilary Duff moved there when she first came to Hollywood. They're right in the heart of the action with WB and Universal Studios right across the street. Lucky ducks!

 Ian with Sassy

 The stars of Harry Potter and their teeny feet.

 Robert Downey Jr. 

 Hugh Jackman

 Struttin' our stuff in Hollywood.

 Shopping center at Hollywood and Highland.

 Us with the teeny tiny Hollywood sign in the background.

 Oooh, Hollywood!

 I thought this store was ironic because we were there on June 24, 

the furthest day away from Christmas.

 Hollywood and Highland. Straight out of the movies!

 Captain America is Creggan's favorite super hero. :)

 The Chinese theater

Making our best Lucy faces

 We had authentic Greek gyros and kebabs for lunch. 

So good! I'm so glad they talked me out of going for pizza!

 It's just a little Mom and Pop shop in downtown Burbank.

 Yacko, Wacko and Dot's house.

On our way home, the traffic in the opposite direction was solid from Barstow to the state line. 

I'm so glad we were headed north.

It was a great week! I'm ready for my next trip now...