The Adventure Begins!

After two days of watching other people pack our stuff in boxes and load it into a gigantic truck (seriously, that is the way to move!!), on Wednesday, December 14th, we said goodbye to Utah. As we hugged Grandma and Grandpa Orton goodbye, we tried not to think about what was happening or else the tears would have come gushing out for sure. I still can see them standing in the window waving at us as we backed out of the driveway. Very bittersweet. I'll move on so I don't make myself cry.

The day we left was very foggy and cold and gloomy, which was kind of good because if it had been a beautiful day it would have made leaving even harder. But, I will definitely not miss those smoggy days that so often plague the Salt Lake valley. It was exciting but strange to be finally on our way. In a way, being separated from one another (twice in one year!) made this major transition easier because I learned that the most important thing is that I'm with my family. It felt good to be in our trusty Volvo headed into the unknown world of Arizona with my husband behind the wheel and my three beautiful kids in the backseat. We were all happy and excited to be together embarking on our journey.



The first day of travel was nice. We drove through areas I usually never went through, some I'd never been to at all. But, we had a late start and were ready for a rest when we got to Kanab. We saw a cute little hotel called The Victorian Inn and thought we'd see what their prices were. We figured they'd be too much, but we checked anyway. I ran in and asked the nice lady, and when she told me the price I said I'd go ask my husband if that was okay. She said she'd give me a deal because they really wanted us to stay as the hotel was completely empty! She gave a great deal and was so darn nice and the hotel was so stinking cute that we had to stay there. We had the whole place to ourselves, and the kids were thrilled to be staying in a hotel! Aside from Clara falling out of the bed (I think she's done that every time we stay in a hotel!) we had a great time there. You should definitely stay there if you're ever in Kanab.



We weren't in any rush to get to Arizona as our moving truck wouldn't be there until Monday. So, we enjoyed some sites along the way. This place was a home a woman built out of the rock. Her truck died along the highway and she like the scenery so much that she bought some land and built her home with the rock! Pretty interesting! I don't blame her for wanting to live there. The landscape really was stunning!




The kids did so well on the drive! We didn't have a DVD player- just their windows. There were some pretty breathtaking views and very diverse ones too. One minute we'd be driving through thick pine trees and then would make a descent and the pine trees would be gone. Other times we'd be driving with huge mesas towering above us. I think it's amazing how there are so many different kinds of beauty in the world.

We also made the trip fun by listening to "The Christmas Chronicles" on CD. I hadn't really thought much about Christmas with all our packing, so that was a fun way to get me in the mood, and it helped pass the time.



Here we are at what must have been part of the Grand Canyon. When we drove over the bridge we just had to stop and look at that view! The kids were more interested in a puddle of water on the bridge but Joel and I enjoyed it.



When we got closer to Phoenix we finally started seeing cactuses. Noah had been waiting and waiting to see them, and when he finally did he was so excited! His mouth was wide open in awe at the almost alien looking plants. They love the palm trees too. So far the kids have really enjoyed it here, and it hasn't been so bad for Mom and Dad either. There were a few rough days when I felt like we didn't really have a home (we stayed in Joel's condo until our stuff arrived), but as we get more and more settled I'm feeling lots better. Sometimes I feel like I'm in a dream and I'll wake up back in Utah. I like it here, I just hate thinking about how far away my family is. It's okay, though. I know this is where we're supposed to be, and already it's been very good for us.

More pictures of kids and house to come...