Family Ties

For the past 20 something years, my husband and I have lived outside of Utah.  In August we moved back.  One of the things that has been the nicest is all of the opportunities we have had to visit with family and friends.  One of my sons is studying at BYU.  Another is studying at UVU and is now living with us.  My husband's sister and her husband live in our city, and many of their children live nearby.  My husband's Uncle and Aunt live in Provo, as do many of their children.  My sister and her family, and my brother and his family all live within a 2 hour drive of here.  My mother is living here with us.  Because of all of the family near us, we have had many visits.  This is something we haven't had for over 20 years!  I think maybe some people take it for granted, but we are really enjoying connecting with family again.

In addition, we have had the opportunity to visit with old friends who have passed through town.  Because we were away from family for so long (except for brief visits in the summer), many of these friends have become sort of replacement family.  One set of friends will be moving in to the area soon.  And because we are in a central location, we have the chance to visit with them all.

Before we went to China, we planned ahead and decided that we wouldn't weigh ourselves down with a lot of expensive furniture, and things that would need to be stored.  So when we moved to China, we just gave away all of the used furniture that we had.  Now that we are back, we are slowly acquiring new/used furniture to take its place.  One of the first purchases that we have made is a guest bed.  I think that was one of our wisest purchases because we have already had several people come stay with us for a short visit.

Living in away from family for so long has really made us appreciate the chances we have to visit with family now.  I think being in China amplified that appreciation even more.  It sure is good to be back.  Here is a picture of a recent family get together at a relative's house.

Here is our dog Bane enjoying the winter weather.  I have to admit that the snow is still a novelty for us.  We think it's beautiful!  :)