Have you ever mattress surfed?

As a kid I remember going to my neighbor's cabin on Mt. Hood where we would spend our indoor hours (which were few really unless we were sleeping) mattress surfing. At the top of stairs was a large room containing 12 twin sized mattress which provided endless hours of entertainment (we also designed some of the coolest obstacle courses and forts)! So if you haven't tried it you should. My kids discovered it today all on their own. While I had nothing to do with them discovering it, I did discover that I am not nearly as graceful of a mattress surfer today as when I was a kid. There are more pics here.

The Jordanelle Reservoir

We went here last Sunday. Lydia and Gretchen had a good time. Maille was cold and Brian was tired. I just liked the opportunity to be out of the house and taking pictures.

Coincidence in Church???

I do not believe in coincidence, but here is where we've gone to church the last two Sundays. The first Sunday was a little awkard as the people who were supposed to run Sunday School and the nursery didn't show up. It it being a fairly small congregation, people jumped in and it all worked out. I could tell they were not TOO used to it, but very willing to help when needed. This week started a 4 week series on Finding God's Will for your life. It gave me some confirmation that we are where we're supposed to be here in Park City!

The second week upon entering the nursery to drop off Gretchen I met an amazing home schooling mom of 8 children. Through our conversation (or rather me prodding her for information on local pediatricians, where to buy soccer cleats, and what kind of gear we will need for a very snowy winter) we discovered that we live in their old neighborhood and just around the corner from their old house! Then upon going upstairs to find Brian in the sanctuary, I see our neighbors just down the row. This young couple happens to be heavily involved in Young Life and he is a pastor at the church. We also came to find out, through further conversation with them, that the area Young Life Director also lives in our neighborhood. (For those of you haven't known Brian and I long enough to know that Young Life is the reason we are married today!) It felt like further confirmation that things are as they are supposed to be according to God's will...not coincidence.

Writer's Block

This is Cambria by the way, not Lydia as it says at the bottom of the post. I am working on my resume and cover letter and its been a long time since I have had to do this. I am hoping you all can help. Since SO many of you leave me comments regularly (or not) here is another chance. Give me insight into ME. What should I include? Not include? Strengths? Personality? I don't know, that's why I am asking you! So leave me a note in the comments.

Park City House

In case any of you are wondering what our new digs look like, here's some pics. Most of them are pretty boring, but maybe it will give you an idea. My favorite room is the front room with big windows, big rock fire place, and exposed wood beams. Makes me feel like we are living in a cabin on a mountain...which in a lot of ways we are. My favorite thing is our location. 3 miles to either Kimball Junction (TJ Maxx, Outlet Mall, Pier 1, Bed Bath and Beyond, Whole Foods, Walmart, etc.) or to main street Park City (Brian's work, Sports Authority, Frontier Bank, Albertson's, and a TON of cool shops and restaurants). We are literally right across the street from The Canyons Resort where there is a Farmer's Market all day every Wednesday and a free outdoor concert every Thursday evening. We just walk across the street. We might ski there this winter and I am looking into getting a job there where Gretchen can go to their on-site childcare. Everything is so close by and convenient, with the exception of a Costco. One is opening here in a year, but in the meantime we will be a taking a once-a-month trip to Salt Lake. It takes all of 25 minutes to get there! Really only about 5 minutes more than it took from our house in Sudden Valley to the Costco on Meridian! Oh yeah and that is a pair of skis holding the mail box and an old ski lift chair on the porch. This house is owned by one of the former Olympic Ski Coaches.

On The Move

We are here in Park City, Utah and slowly getting out of the sea of boxes. Amidst all that we have spent some time at a very fun swimming pool and rode our bikes to town and back stopping at the Farmer's Market! I have been getting things like trash, recycle (its FREE!), banking, and insurance accounts taken care of. Tomorrow the schools open so we will be registering the girls for school. The girls have made fast friends with the neighbor girls two doors away who happen to be exactly the same ages! Unfortunately shortly after our arrival they left for a 10 day vacation much to all the girls' dismay! They were asking for sleep overs after the first day playing together! Its been very hot here and yesterday the clouds rolled in...we were actually glad to see them. But no rain to speak of. We miss our "home" in Bellingham and sometimes I feel like I am just here on vacation! I promise to post some pics soon, but first I want to let you know that this blog will be on the move too. We are heading to wordpress and will be changing our name to something a little more appropriate. Stay tuned for the link to the new blog!

Anniversary Note

Every year it seems that we have something major going on over our anniversary. Last year, we were at a family reunion with a 3 week old baby. This year, our anniversary happened to fall on the weekend of our move to Utah. So we've decided to pretend that our anniversary is still a few days away and will celebrate it after we get to Park City.

But that doesn't change the fact that Cambria and I have now been married for 11 years. It's been an eventful time with 3 children born, 1 business started and closed, 2 houses bought and sold, a few vacations, and a wide variety of difficult and wonderful times.

I just wanted to say that I'm very thankful for having Cambria as my wife. Despite our having completely opposite personalities (I'm an INFP and she's an ESTJ), I can't think of a better person to be my wife and the mother of my children. She works harder than anyone I've ever known and is a wonderful mother. She also really helps to keep me from disappearing into my own head too much. Without her, I'd probably be a major mess (rather than just the minor mess that I am now).

Anyways, I just wanted to say that I love you, Cambria. Thank you for being such a wonderful wife to me. I'm excited about our new life and adventures in Park City and I'm certain that you'll love it there.