The move to AZ

The only photo of the move, and it's a little depressing! The unpacking provided by the movers was helpful to an extent, but as usual, ended with someone in a back room dumping stuff out.

We are more settled than this at this point, thanks to the kids each basically organizing their own rooms (except Owen...he likes chaos, apparently), and Wade clearing off the bed!

I spent part of a week there and made some progress. And will be leaving Labor Day weekend for good, to be with everyone in AZ! Another transition begun.

So how did this all come about? Well, without any viable jobs in the entire Bay Area, Wade cast his net far and wide and came up with one good offer in Phoenix, AZ. He has the lease at the Walmart in Glendale, AZ. A bit of a drive from Mesa, but it is what we have.

I was able to land a job with Cigna at one of their clinics as a triage nurse. We feel like things are falling into place and we will be happy in Arizona. We would be happy anywhere together, I think.

Thanks, Mom for sending the cartoon!

The kids have been attending school (it started August 8!) and are scholar all-stars. They have really faced this change well. Trevor and Mae especially enjoy released time seminary, but they still have to start the school day early (at 6:45am) in order to fit in all the classes they need to take. Owen has jumped right in to junior high like a pro and is excelling in all classes, as usual. We are looking forward to a great school year for all (Jim is taking a leave of absence from BYU for fall semester).

So Taylor Junior High are the Trojans and Mesa High are the Jackrabbits. Not sure what's imposing about Jackrabbits, but I guess they are quick?! It will be a fun year for all.

A round about route to Arizona

The family all drove to Rexburg and spent a day before leaving early in the morning to drive Jim to the mission home in West Valley City, UT. Then they spent the rest of the day traversing Utah and Arizona, finally ending up in Phoenix around 10pm. The long way around, but great.

Rexburg Temple in the early am

the Great Southwest

Driving through the Great Southwest

The Real Owen

Will the real Owen please smile? Oh, that's him. For real. Fun and smiling. Silly but smart. Love you, O!

Short-term Mission Assignment

So here's a summary of how this came about:
With Jim's medical history (of Asperger's, taking meds) he waited 6 months for no mission call, signed up again for BYU then our wonderful Stake President, John Hunt, called the mission committee a few more times and they sent him on a "short-term mission assignment" for 3 months (he left 2 weeks ago). No written instructions or mission call, no temple and no MTC, but they told the Stake President it was sort of a trial mission then he will come home and maybe wait for a "mission call."  He was so glad to get to go! The Stake President set him apart as a missionary, and he reported on August 7, 2012 to the SLC West mission. Wade dropped him off at the mission home and visited with the very nice mission president. Elder DeMordaunt is happy and doing great so far, just puzzled that his companion doesn't know anything about Star Wars. He emails us once a week on Mondays and asks for letters and recipes.

Changing into Missionary Attire at Grandpa and Grandma's

Happily ready to serve!

Grandpa Price, Owen, Mae, Elder DeMordaunt, and Grandma Price

Last second organizing, mission president looking on

President and Sister Swain with Elder James DeMordaunt

Mission President biography from the Church News.
 

Kathy B. and Earl S. Swain

Earl Stanley Swain, 63, and Kathy Larayne Blackmun Swain, five children, Utah Salt Lake City West Mission; Valley Park 4th Ward, Taylorsville Utah Valley Park Stake. Brother Swain serves as a bishop in a young single adult ward and is a former mission president in the Korea Seoul West Mission, stake president, high councilor, Sunday School teacher and missionary in the Korean Mission. Area director, Seminaries and Institutes. Born in Mesa, Ariz., to Robert Stanley and Felice Kartchner Swain.

Sister Swain serves on a stake activities committee and served with her husband in theKorea Seoul West Mission. She is a former counselor in stake Relief Society and Young Women presidencies, Relief Society president, Sunday School, Relief Society and Primary teacher, family record extractor and Young Women adviser.

Bye, Elder!

Follow Jim's mission at jimsmissionblog.blogspot.com.

Girls Camp, Rucker Lake 2012

image from https://www.lds.org/youth/article/young-women-camp?lang=eng

My job- Camp Nurse (with Nancy)

The Activities...hiking, canoeing, quilting...and there was archery and crafts

The Girls--Mae was a Youth Camp Leader for the 1st years
Also, we made the flag banners pictured above Mae--with 100 little flags!

Mae and Mom
How fun to be there with Mae!

Scenes from Camp
Campfire, life jackets, mugs, lantern-lights backdrop, quilts and Mae's lanyard

Art from camp
Theme was "Tangled" with focus on Light

Camp was amazing, awesome, hard, long and fun. Mae and I both had our challenges. Mine involved sick/injured girls in the middle of the night (gastroenteritis, major 2nd degree burns on feet, 2 girls dehydrated/heat stroke, many scrapes, allergies, regular meds to give and a lot of TLC). Mae's involved first year girls (silly, silly!) and stepping out of her comfort zone (see above skit photo!). I loved singing to the groups of girls at night with all the leaders. Mae liked quiet activity time and earning beads for her lanyard (why else would she swim out to the rock?!). We would both like to come back, though it's not our ward/stake any longer--but we are still invited!! (see Move to AZ post to come). A great experience for us, for sure!

The last swimming in California

This is actually the second to last swim meet in CA for Trevor. It was a practice/stay sharp for sectionals meet at the Concord Pool, so we got to see him swim. Great form, Trevor!

Sectionals was in Santa Clarita and we sent Trevor along with the team. On Sunday before he left there was good luck chalk art in front of the house when we arrived home from church. Teammates with team spirit! Trevor swam well and had an amazing time with his Aquabears swim team. Best swim team ever!

Path of the Jedi (tunic)

On one of many trips to JoAnn's Fabrics with Mae, Jim decided to acquire fabric for a Jedi tunic. We had the pattern from the time I made his Jedi robe, but I told him with all the work I had to put in before Girl's Camp, there was no way I could sew that, too. So with brief sewing machine lessons and intermittent direction from me, and some hand stitching done by Mae, Jim made it himself!

He was very happy with the outcome and he now has an amazing costume for future use (after his mission!...stay tuned).