I know, I know, it has been a while

Bear with me through this post, the W key is having a tough time on this keyboard so if a word doesn't make sense then just insert a W and try reading it again. Macs are such blessed things, but (no offense, Lee and Jared) they need some keyboard modifications before they can take over the world.

We are now in Cedar City of all places. It has been a cold winter, especially coming from such a heavenly climate, but Spring truly is on its way. We are also excited to have so many national parks nearby for camping this summer.

We spend almost all of our time studying and when we are not, we are feeling guilty because we know we should be studying. (Let me take this time to apologize to anyone we have neglected over the last three months but, ALAS, summer is on its way! We are officially done May 2nd.) School here is very different than we thought it would be, but somehow it is still the right thing. As much as we love it, sometimes we wish it weren't the right thing for us because it is...hard. :) However, we are learning to be grateful in all circumstances and have faith that God is a lot smarter than we are. And don't get me wrong, we absolutely love how much we are learning and feel like it is one of the most important things we have ever done, but the best things are almost always the most difficult things.

It is really fun to live so close to Marie, Joel, and their sweet, new baby Abner, Ed, Jefferson, Abigail, Uncle Fred and Aunt Glenda. I am more and more convinced with all of our moves that home is anywhere family is.

Jared is working his feet off for Winder Farms right now. The best part is that we get a great discount on the best food ever, delivered right to our door. Jared really works his buns off for us. I did door-to-door sales one day with Jared when he was selling aerating, and it was so difficult! The best part about Jared, though, is that he refuses to compromise his values - no matter what. No sales tactics, no "persuasive" techniques, just the honest to goodness truth. I really respect that. We both know that he could make a lot more sales if he would compromise just a little bit, but he won't and while that seems like a sacrifice to a lot of people, I see it as a precious blessing. (I hope he doesn't make me take this off when he reads it.)

I am working at George Wythe as an assistant to the president of the school and the Registrar. I have really enjoyed working with everyone at the school. For the summer, however, I decided that I would rather be the janitor (does that sound like a demotion or what?!) because then I can do it very early in the morning, have the rest of my day to work on earning other money besides tuition, and the best part of it is that I can wear jeans. :) What can I say - I live to clean.

Anyway, life brings many challenges, but it is really such a gift. I am learning that more and more everyday, and I can safely say that Jared agrees. We have been learning a lot about how closely and almost inherently connected joy and pain are and this knowledge has made us more grateful for the small challenges that we face.

Hope all is well with our dear family and friends.