move to Arizona

Following our arrival home from our mission we made a very difficult decision to move to Arizona. We first thought we would be able to stay in Utah and looked forward to the close association with Kim, Rebecca, and Sarah and families. We knew also that Susan Rich, Mike , Amy and families, all with family ties to Utah, would probably visit on a regular basis. But, in the end, Arizona made the most sense in terms of our economic needs. We also looked forward to being near Les and Kate and families and thought that the warm winter weather in Arizona would entice occasional visits from family members and friends alike. We were able to find a nice little home in a ward of young families who have welcomed us into the community. We have also had the opportunity to travel since moving here, with trips to Portland to attend Zack's baptism and a return trip to Utah for our family reunion. Sharon was able to travel to Detroit to assist Amy with her new baby. We have also enjoyed our family here, sharing birthday events, kids sporting activities, a couple of trips to the mountains and a boating outing, etc..

Photos: Dick at the last stage of packing the truck. We did the move ourselves which is hopefully our last. Such events are never easy but, this one was very difficult in many ways. Our new home. It is in an area East of Queen Creek, AZ called San Tan Valley. We tell people that it is on the other end of the earth since the subdivision ends into the desert. But, we can get to Kate and Leslie's within about 30 minutes. Kate had her baby shortly after we arrived, a special occasion for us and getting to know Nick has also been a lot of fun. We went to Mormon lake with Les and Darin and family and enjoyed the snow and the opportunity to get away for a couple of days.