Were Home!

So here is a picture of our new house. We have 2 levels. Three bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, living room, dining room and a 2 car garage. Ben, being the manly man that he is LOVES his new garage. We also have a shed in the backyard. We LOVE the house and it already feels like home. It is strange having no grass but we are learning to deal.

Ben was so so excited that he could already plant in winter because it is in the 80's here. He got busy planning and planting and I can't wait to see the end result. He is a fantastic gardener.

This is our HUGE back yard. We have some great ideas for the place. I am so excited because the yard is perfect for picture taking. I am so excited about that.

Also, our back yard. This is from our balcony. One thing about all that dust here in El Paso is that it makes for beautiful sunsets.

Oh, did I mention we also have a basketball court in our backyard? It has been a lot of fun. Ben and I have a great time playing horse. Can't you tell we already feel at home? We have fed the missionaries twice already and they LOVE it when dinner isn't ready on time so they can have a little fun throwing the ball around.

I miss Maryland but I am learning to love Texas. The people are so kind. More importantly, we feel such joy and peace seeing Heavenly Fathers plan in all this. The Spirit has confirmed to us this is where the Lord would have us be and we are excited to see what he has in store. We are truly blessed and the Lord has given us many reasons to Count our Blessings! When is the last time you counted yours?

2 Cats, 1 Dog, A cross-country drive = INSANITY

So 34 hours of driving is bad enough but add 2 cats, a dog, my father, brother, a husband and me and I am surprised we made it to El Paso alive. The picture of Nala below pretty much sums up how we all felt at the end of the trip. A little grouchy but an adventure none the less. Doesn't she look ticked?

The only place that Priss seemed to find comfort was when we got to the hotel and she was able to sneak her way into my dad's suitcase.

We are so grateful to my dad for coming out and driving the UHAUL the whole way. It was a monster of a truck. He took his vacation to help us out. My brother even came along for the ride. Thank you Papa Bear! I appreciate you!

Ben and I have finally found a place to live. We are adjusting to El Paso life. The dust here is HORRIBLE!!! I have been sick since we got here. Puffy, itchy eyes and I never knew I had the ability to sneeze so much. I am heading to the Dr next week and hopefully he can give me something to help. We have a wonderful ward here. They have already extended such warm and helping hands. It has been AMAZING!

It is always hard saying goodbye to old friends and make new ones. Adjusting to a new place has been harder than I thought it would be. I know it will just take time. People here are so, so nice and I know we will make friends but let me just say that El Paso is a world of it's own. We are the minority. We definitely need to learn Spanish or we may never know what anyone is saying. It is also odd to drive on the freeway and see one side as the good ole USA and then look the other direction and see a big fence and then poverty (Juarez Mexico). I am still getting used to that.

Well, be sure to stay posted. We will post pictures of our new home and some beautiful sunsets. One thing is for sure, I have never seen more beautiful sunsets as I have here in El Paso.