A is for Atlanta...

Well, this weekend we headed down for our 2nd annual Fall Time, Family Get-Away to the Big City and Jared's Activator Seminar in Atlanta.

B is for Bummers and Blessings :)...
Last year our weekend seemed magical and everything came together pretty easily. This year, we had a few disappointments along the way. Saturday morning we left the hotel a little later than we planned and then got a little lost on the way to Jared's seminar and he missed his exam. (He'll have another chance to take it in the Spring.) Also, I planned to take the kids to The Children's Museum in the morning and then the Zoo in the afternoon, after it had warmed up a bit. But, when we got to the Zoo it was closing early to prepare for a Halloween celebration later that night, so we missed seeing the animals we'd been looking forward to seeing. And the last bummer was that the indoor pool turned out not to be heated, so the swimming we promised Hannah didn't get to happen either. The blessings were that it was still nice to get away for a while, play at The Children's Museum and be with Jared instead of home with out him. And, the biggest blessing was that we made it down there in time Friday night for Jared to attend the Temple. We considered this temple trip the last step in our process of seeking the Lord's counsel on what to do and where to go after Chiropractic School, so it was pretty important to us.

C is for California...

Obviously, what to do after school has been on our minds for a long time, since even before we started school. We have gone back and forth between lots of different ideas and plans. With our families on two different coasts (and spread out in between) and with the different opportunities and factors involved, sometimes it seemed like an impossible decision to make. We are grateful to know that the Lord is aware of our family and has a plan for us. We are grateful for an answer to our prayers. While we were out in California this summer, while I was sitting in a sacrament meeting the Spirit let me know that we would be moving back to California after Jared graduated. At the time, unconsciously, I tried to make it less than it was. I still considered our options open. It is hard for me to move so far away from my sisters. In the temple this weekend, though, Jared received the same answer and so our decision is made. Jared talked with his Dad today and the offer to work with him is still open. We are so grateful for this and for the patience his parents have shown as we have worked through this difficult decision. We are thankful for the years of sacrifice and hard work the Stubblefields have put in that make this offer possible. We are very grateful for this opportunity.

Beyond the next few years, we don't know what lies ahead for our family or where we may eventually settle down. We're just very glad to know for sure our next step. We are sad to be moving far away from ones we love and to be leaving behind some of the dreams we've had along the way. But, we are very excited about living so close to family and so grateful for the opportunity to get our future off to such a good start. We hope you'll all come visit us. :)

Here are the kids at The Children's Museum and at the playground we went to when we couldn't get into the Zoo.