Spring in WV

Well, they weren't joking.  West Virginia gets GREEN!!!  Nate's parents came to see us last week.  We had so much fun!  We did the same day trip that we did over Spring Break, and it was amazing to see it all green!  We also took a tram ride down to the river and went on a jetboat ride.  It was really fun!  

Spring Break 2016

DeAnn and her kids drove down for Spring Break last week!  We had a fun time letting the kids play and touring more of West Virginia.  I cannot believe how many wonderful things there are to see just within an hour of Charleston!  I love it here so much!

We saw Hawks Nest, New River Gorge, Cathedral Falls and Kanawha Falls.  Apparently, by May, everything is going to be GREEN!  We can't wait to go back and see it all.  Because we live here!  It still boggles my mind some days that we aren't just on vacation.  Haha!

West Virginia, we love you!

Our Canadian Family

I opened my messages late last week and there it was:

"Becca, we're getting in the car next week and just driving.  We think West Virginia sounds good!"

Darren and Lesley came to see us!  The timing could NOT have been better.  I had such an awful week with all the home repair stuff.  I NEEDED this!

They arrived late on Wednesday night and stayed until Saturday morning.  We went to the gym, ate omelets, Fran and Darren bonded, we toured the Capitol, ate lots of steak, watched movies and just had a really nice time visiting and laughing together!  It was really just what I needed to boost my spirits!  They may swing back by on their way home from Mississippi later this week.  And then DeAnn and her kids come next week!  Yay!

It was really cool to explore Charleston a little.  I seriously fall more and more in love with this place with each passing week.  It's so beautiful, calm, quaint and feels like home.  I cannot believe that after all we went through, we were so blessed to end up here!  

YAY Homeownership!

One night last week, I finished a load of wash and noticed water slowly seeping out from under the washing machine.

Uh-oh.  

Once we dug up the corner of the flooring, we found that there were a grand total of SEVEN layers of flooring, and underneath all that was gorgeous wood.  So we decided to spend a LOT of hours and a LOT of calories pulling up the entire kitchen floor.  

But in the middle of this, we had a major rainstorm and suddenly our ceiling was dripping water.  

Uh-oh.

So now we get to pay for that instead of dealing with sanding and sealing and staining the floor.  Bummer.  The laminate will go back on, and we will do it later.  Boo.

We're tired and sore and just done.  Praying for added patience (and a surprise raise....haha).  The floors turned out so pretty!  I can't wait to get back to them someday.  Charlie's tired, too.  He gets it.

Happy

I've had several people say, "Your posts and pics make you seem happy in WV, but how is it REALLY going?"

Well, sorry to disappoint, but it REALLY is great!  I have always been pretty simple in my hopes and dreams for my life.  I wanted a house, a yard, some pets, my family, and an unshaken testimony of Christ.

Life is good here!  We are staying busy fixing up the house, playing with the kitties, working in the yard, swimming, lifting, scouts, church, friends, school and work.  No, it's not perfect, but it's really good!

We finished the New Testament as a family a few weeks ago!  Since May 2010, we have now read the Book of Mormon, Doctrine & Covenants, Pearl of Great Price and the New Testament.  Two columns (one page) at a time.  We have recently started reading 2 pages now that Allie and Cam are both good readers.  I am proud of us for sticking with this for nearly 6 years!  We started the Book of Mormon again.  I love it!

We finally got rid of Cameron's hot pink curtains!  Nate and I made some for his room, since his windows aren't a usual size.  Pretty crafty!  It was fun.  We got living room curtains hung too.  I'll post a house tour soon!

What is Snow?

I talked to several people in West Virginia before we moved here.  ALL of them said, "It hardly ever snows here, and when it does, it doesn't snow much and doesn't stay around."

Awesome.  Sounds just like Oregon, which I loved.  I don't like snow.  Driving in it gives me almost as much anxiety as flying!

Well, 3 weeks after we move here, Charleston gets its worse snowstorm in TWENTY years!  Hahaha!  We measured several hours ago and were at 19 inches.  It's still snowing.  Luckily we are all safe and warm and cozy.

Dreams Come True!

First things first!  Of course we had to get PETS before we updated our drivers licenses and finished unpacking.  It's us!

Introducing Charleston and KitCat!

Kit (top) is Allie's birthday present.  She chose and named him herself.  Charlie is Kit's brother, and the two are very bonded, so it was requested that they be adopted together.  They were bottle fed from just a few days old and were with the most wonderful foster couple.  Charlie has some plaque on his eye, so we give him drops for that, but it's healing well and both kittens are healthy and playful!  We love them so much!!  They let the kids carry them, and will chase their toy ribbons for forever.  Kit has a really loud purr, is more sensitive, and always wants to be near me.  Charlie is more adventurous and love to sneak up behind Kit and attack him.  They are so fun!  We can't believe we really have our own kitties!  Finally!

Worth the Wait

When we were looking for homes, we had 3 criteria that HAD to be met:

1. Four bedrooms

2. A 2-car garage

3. A flat spacious yard

We aren't so picky about interiors.  I've learned that when house hunting, you have to pick and choose what matters most to you, because you aren't going to get everything!  Keep your criteria list short and sweet! So these were ours.  

West Virginia is 75% mountains.  A lot of homes are built right against or into the hills.  Flat lots are hard VERY to come by around here.  So are garages!  I found the most gorgeous home, but Nate wouldn't even consider it because it didn't have a garage, not even a carport!  Street parking.  Nope.  We've done that for 10 years!  

When we found this house, we knew it was home.  Some people thought we were crazy, but we had no reservations about buying it while in Utah.  We knew it was meant to be. 

Bedrooms? Check.  

Garage? Check! (It's gigantic, has workbenches for Nate, and has a carport)  

Flat yard? Check!!! A whole acre to call home. 

It was worth the wait!

Country Roads, Take Me Home

2015 was a hard year for us.  We love Salem, and the kids are SO happy here!  But it was really hard on Nate and me to keep our chins up and keep having faith in God's plan for us when he just kept getting rejection after rejection.  He felt defeated, and we both felt so helpless and stuck!  But at the same time, we grew closer together.  We have a better friendship and relationship now, than we ever have.  I love him!

Last week, Nate was offered a job in Charleston, West Virginia!  We are so excited! And very much in shock!  The more we have prayed and researched and talked to people, the more excited we get, and the more we understand WHY we had to wait so long.  This place is exactly where God needs us to be. Now all of the rejections simply feel like stepping stones that led us here.  Our new home!

God has poured this blessing upon our family, and our joy is full!