choices.

our life is a series of choices. from the moment our eyes open we make them and they define our days, our mood, and ultimately our life.

on saturday, january 6, 2014 was the founders park stake youth fast. it was a really great activity that i had gone to last year and though i should probably go. since having fitzger, i haven't been to much more than an hour or two of church each week. i had missed that nourishment that comes from being in meetings surrounded by fellow saints. but, we had dinner plans with nic's parents. and i felt frumpy and chubby, and so i wasn't up to it.

but we drove to the stake center on our way home from dinner. nic didn't want me to leave either but he knew i should go, i needed it and the girls were missing me. so... i walked in sat down and i felt like i was coming home. it felt so great to be there. i loved chatting, laughing, and smiling with our beautiful youth. oh how i love those sweet young women and the other leaders. i met a new friend who had just been called into yw since i had fitzy. her daughter is in rubes primary class and i was so excited for a new found friend, it had been a constant struggle being in the founders park stake over the past four years. but... i had finally found my place, i had found friends, i felt like we really fit in.

i chatted with nettie, and we talked about how their housing plans kept falling through the cracks. i kept having the strongest thought in my head or voice or whatever you could describe it as, "nettie is going to live in your house, nettie and james and austin are going to live in your house, the hammonds are supposed to live in your house". annoying! I had just decided we fit, i had just come to terms that this is where we should be, we felt comfortable and happy. oh man. but there was a plan... a plan to go to graduate school and a plan to make things happen for our future. though we were comfortable where we were we had dreams we were chasing.

i started texting nic. rent payments. ideas. by sunday word had spread that the hammond's were moving into our house. i called my mom and presented the idea of moving into their house. they of course thought it was the happiest idea ever. my parents are angels. we started praying and fasting and went to the temple. it was more than clear that is what we should be doing. things literally fell into place.

my sister has a storage unit and offered to let us store everything in that. which not only saved us money but a lot of hassle. blessings come in many ways. we are lucky to be blessed so continually.

my parents cleared out their bedrooms upstairs, we packed everything we've ever known. we hired movers. we scrubbed base boards and cleaned out the fridge. we patched holes.

the last night we stayed on our mattress on the floor of the master bedroom. the same place we slept on october 29, 2009.

we reflected on all the dinners we ate, all the movies and tv shows we watched, our wiii we bought the first christmas and how we refused to leave until we conquered super mario bros. the gallons of paint we used. the many loads of laundry that were washed, dryed and put away. the five christmas' we spent in that family room. the two babies we made and brought home and cuddled and kissed. the fun friends we made, how we grew into the jones family.

as we drove away just after midnight. we noticed that the U hospital in daybreaks chopper was about to take off. nic has talked about seeing it land or take off for three years. it was so sweet that we got to watch it! finally.

the first night at my parents house we spent on the mattress in the middle of the room. we were so tired and so happy. and so blessed to be where we were. we couldn't wait to find out where the next little place we would make our home would be.