Playing Catch Up

So the point of having this blog was so that I could talk about my life as a widow and the things that I have done plus it has served as a "journal" and I figured one day I can go back and print them off and put them in a binder for my family to read. Anyways there came a point in my life that the computer that I was using as as slow as molasses and I couldn't blog. So please forgive me for the next little while as I play catch up on my life, unless something big happens (which is extremely doubtful).

I believe I left off talking about a date I went on or something like that...so let's jump to May...the beginning of summer!!

There was a pretty big occasion that happened in our family in May, Mathew, my oldest child turned 8!!!! It was such an exciting/hard time. In my religion once a child turns 8 they can get baptized into our church. The Baptism is usually performed by the Dad, so now you can see why it was so hard. We were planning a trip to Arizona to spend some time there for the summer and so I planned on Mathew getting Baptized in Arizona, we would definitely have more family be able to be there if we did it in Arizona anyways.

As soon as school let out the kids and I hit the road. This was a pretty big event in and of itself because this was the first time I had ever driven that far on my own with all 4 kids. I was pretty nervous and was praying so much that we would get there without any trouble...with the car or the kids! I asked my friend Wid for some advice since he had done it on his own before, I did exactly what he said and the drive went so smoothly! We did the drive in one straight 12hr shot but I doubt that it only took us 12hrs, I am sure it was longer, needless to say we were all pretty happy to get there.

I faced some challenges when it came to planning his Baptism...like I said normally the Dad would do the Baptism and Confirmation but since that wasn't an option several people felt like they should be the ones to Baptize him. But that wasn't how I saw it, I helped Mathew come up with a list of people that could Baptize him and a month before his Birthday he was going over the list to pick the one he wanted. He was looking for the person that reminded him the most of his Dad and that Mathew had a good relationship with and who he looked up to. I wasn't surprised at all with his choice, he chose our Bishop/Good friend to his Dad...Bishop Taylor. Our family and the Taylor family have such a strong connection and Bishop Taylor had been such an influence on Mathew, heck our whole family...Alizabeth calls our new Bishop, Bishop Taylor so I guess he will always be a part of our family.

Anyways Mathew's Baptism  was set for a few days after we arrived. I ran around like a crazy person getting the program for the Baptism done, securing a place for a BBQ and swimming party afterwards and practicing the song Mathew asked me to sing at his Baptism. I was so nervous about facing this day alone, I wished with all of my heart that Clint was there with me. The Baptism was perfect, my song was pretty good, Mathew looked so grown up in his new suit and yes I felt Clint's presence there so strongly. I am sure everyone there could, Bishop Taylor even choked up when Baptizing him. I know that when our loved ones leave this life that they don't leave us completely, they will always be there when we need them, especially on big days like this. It was an amazing day and I am thankful for the friends and family members that showed up to give support to Mathew on his special day!!

I think it was the following week I finally got some time to go check out the new Temple they built not far from my old house, the Temple is called the Gila Valley Temple and it was built in Central, AZ. It is absolutely gorgeous!!!! I couldn't stop staring at the beauty of it. Before I went I prayed about a decision that was weighing heavily on my mind, I know that I blogged about this question and even after I did I still didn't really have an answer. I wanted to know if I should stay in Idaho or move back to Arizona. I had quite a few reasons to leave ID but I just bought a house and my kids seemed happy there. Honestly, I loved living there and I made some amazing friends but I never felt "at home" come to think of it the last time I felt "at home" anywhere was before Clint passed away, once he was gone so was my home. I was ready to feel "at home" again but I didn't know where that was supposed to be at. I hated the idea of moving my kids again but I knew something needed to happen...either move or have a change of heart and finally feel "at home" in ID. So I prayed and prayed and prayed and I finally got my answer on a beautiful summer day in the Gila Valley Temple the answer was...to move back to Arizona.