Farewell to Provo

I never thought when I moved to Utah after Robert and I got married that I would love Provo as much as I did and still do. There are so many stories I could tell about the people, places, friends, and family we love there. It's where Robert and I started life as a married couple. It's where we started raising our family. It's where I learned to appreciate, and even somewhat look forward to snow in the winter ;) I could go on and on and on about what we loved and what we miss, but instead I will just touch on a couple things that I don't feel like have been touched on enough yet.

Provo Peak 4th Ward

PP4th was our second ward in Provo. PP11th Ward was our first, and it was wonderful too and we made many friends in that ward that we are still in touch with. But PP4th holds a special place in my heart. We moved in to this ward less than 2 weeks before Lydia was born. Before we left church the first Sunday we were there we were asked to speak the next Sunday and the Relief Society President had given me a "Daddy's Hospital Survival Kit" for Robert which contained (along with snacks and other things) a card that had the number of who we needed to call once the baby was born to get meals organized for us. It's hard to describe how wonderful this ward was. I think the story that best illustrates this happened last summer 2010. We were struggling to make ends meet financially. We didn't know how we were going to make it to the start of school when Robert would start working for BYU again. Then one morning there was an envelope on our doorstep with our name on it. Inside there was $100. I told Robert that I had a few guesses who would have left this for us. Robert said he did too. We both listed 2 or 3 different couples/families. They were all from our ward, and neither of us guessed the same people. That's how AMAZING the people of this ward were. I'm so honored and grateful to have been a part of it.

Trent and Natalie DeVore

Trent and Natalie are great people and irreplaceable friends. They are the kind of people that will give you the shirt of their backs if you need it. They are there for you at a moment's notice and were for us several times. Their son, Logan, was Lydia's best friend. We will miss the late game nights and conversations we got to have with them on a regular basis and look forward to future ones even though they might be years apart. I'm crossing my fingers that our paths through life lead us to living in the same area again someday.

Robert's Professors

You might think this is random for me to love and miss, but I love Robert's BYU professors. They have given Robert work experience, recommendations, and put him in contact with people that will help with Robert's future education and career for the rest of our lives. One professor in particular holds a special place in my heart. I never met him in person, but I'm so thankful for and indebted to this man. During the same summer 2010 that I just talked about, he randomly asked Robert how Lydia and I were doing. Robert said, "Well, we're your typical starving student family, living off of mac and cheese, but we're doing alright." A few days later he gave Robert a personal check for $300. The professor said, "Consider this your 'Mac and Cheese' check." He continued to give us "Mac and Cheese" checks once a month for the rest of our time in Provo. There were several times that we would not have made it without his generosity. And I personally think that we have not yet seen the end of the blessings we will receive from the experience Robert gained from working for and with this man.

Provo was a wonderful chapter of our lives. I look forward to growing a similar love for Santa Cruz, which I'm sure we will. We were where we were supposed to be when we were in Provo, and now we are supposed to be in Santa Cruz. I can't wait to see what adventures and experiences Heavenly Father has in store for us here.