Ch-ch-ch-changes.

Patrick and I have been prayerfully trying to figure out when and where we should move. We both love Rexburg for the experiences we've had here and the people we've met, but we long to be closer to family. Rexburg is our temporary home and although we've been so blessed to attend Brigham Young University- Idaho for almost two years, we are ready to move... or so we thought ;)

The process of finding jobs in a small college farm town is a tedious one. Patrick has been faithfully applying to jobs and is a hard worker but hasn't heard back about jobs since September, even though he had had some interviews. How frustrating it was! In the fall I was working two jobs and going to school and Patrick was looking for jobs while waiting for his semester to start in January. We we both unhappy about our situation- we barely had time to see each other, I was exhausted to tears, and Patrick was bored to tears and felt like he wasn't providing as much as he could.

We also felt really lonely and detached from what was happening at home in Oregon and Arizona. I remember praying for more friends that I could relate to, especially since a lot of my friends stopped talking to me after moving away and getting married. Life was hard. But we had to continue and endure, what else was there to do?

Although we were grateful for the financial aid and the generous tippers at my work, we prayed and fasted and hoped that a job would happen sooner or later so that we could afford for me to take less shifts and to spend more time together. After months of nothing working out, we decided that it was time to get out of Rexburg to seek jobs elsewhere! We thought about moving to Utah for Patricks band and continue our education there, but that didn't feel quite right. We knew we wanted to move to Arizona to be close to family and to be exposed to lots of sunshine, but when? We wanted to get out as soon as possible and thought that we could be gone by the time spring semester started.

By the time spring semester came around, we had to decide what to do. We spent hours searching apartments in Mesa, Gilbert, and Chandler on the internet and had even planned to carpool down there with a friend from work who was getting married and had extra room in her U-haul truck. We were determined to get down there! And finding out that our family members were going to have babies soon made us want to move even more quickly! The sunshine and warmth were extremely tempting, especially since we had been suffering below 10 degrees for a few months or so.

Registration for classes in the spring started and we registered just in case... Something felt right. And then we realized, why not stay one more spring semester, since last spring was so beautiful? It was settled and we chose to stay and tough it out so that we could save and so that I could receive my associates. We figured Patrick could finish his last semester for his associates this fall online. And we'd be able to go hiking, swimming, and have bonfires that we never really got to do when we were dating and newly married! We'd move to Arizona after spring semester and all would be well.

Not quite, Patrick was still job hunting. I have to confess, by this time I was working so much, I hardly got to see him fill out applications and work on his resume. I carelessly assumed that he had given up which was even more frustrating to me. After a good talk, and a very humbled heart, we suited up and decided to continue facing unemployment together and to keep praying for any job opportunities.

Around May Patrick finally got the call we were waiting for! After a phone interview, they asked him to come in for a face-to-face interview. We had gone to the temple and finally realized that we should stay one more semester so that Patrick could build his resume and graduate with his associates. After months of praying to know when we should move, we finally felt good about waiting until December. Things were so great and we were really excited about this opportunity. The interview was successful and it seemed like the employer was going to give Patrick the job.


During this time we celebrated by making our favorite no bake cookies. I had the distinct impression to go take some to the bishop on Sunday. We love our bishop so much and he recently informed us that he will be going through chemotherapy. We hoped to visit with him and to let him know we are happy that the doctors caught the leukemia at an early stage. So we went over and let him know about the job interview and that we decided to stay here a few more months.

He was overjoyed! So much so that it was a little disconcerting.. and knowing that the relief society presidency was going to be released, I had a random thought that I'd be called. I immediately thought, "What? Me? Of all the sisters in the ward, bishop would not call such an imperfect and inexperienced person." So I threw the thought aside and we visited with bishop until it was time to go.

The following week the bishopric kept trying to contact Patrick and I and that Thursday evening after a late shift, we went to the bishops home where he extended the call to be the Relief Society president over the Rexburg Married Student 34th ward. Holy. Poop. No wonder we felt prompted to stay in Rexburg for just a bit longer!

We weren't looking forward to telling family that we were moving later in the year because we were ashamed of our inconsistency, but now we had to tell them and they took the news with love, of course. So now that we were staying in Rexburg, the job would have to work out, right?

 We waited for a couple weeks for call that was so promising, until we had to come to the realization that they dropped the ball and weren't decent enough to call Patrick that they weren't going to hire him. We were very upset and confused. This has happened before and we were sure that this was an answer to our prayers! We had felt great about it in the Temple and everything seemed to be going well. Why in the world was this happening again? We had suffered months of unemployment and had even moved to a tiny studio apartment to save on rent. And we felt so secure that this job would be the one, especially since it was one that Patrick could gain applicable experience for his career.

So back to square one, except with a great and wonderful calling from the Lord and a little bit more worry about our car has been having troubles. Prayer, my friends. Prayer. And fasting. This calling has brought so many blessings already and I am still trying to find a balance in life, but who isn't? One prayer has most definitely been answered and that is that we don't feel that lonely anymore. I am so humbled to be rubbing elbows with such wonderful women and men in our ward. Service does great things and we are starting to feel like people care about whether or not we're doing okay.

 Anyway, how disappointing it was to not hear back from the job? But we continued to pray and fast and tried to hope for a brighter future. As we waited another week, wondering what we were going to do next, it came. Our prayers were answered. Patrick received a call from Frontier Pies, a restaurant that shares the parking lot with our hotel style apartment complex. Not the best food, but still a job! He applied to be a dishwasher and they called for an interview. Ironically the interview was far more awkward than the one for the job we thought we'd get. They called him the same day and offered a cook position!

Hallelujah! A prayer of gratitude and  joy was given. Although it wasn't going to be a $10 an hour or an office job Patrick was looking for, it is exactly what Heavenly Father knows we need. Patrick starts this Tuesday and we feel so humbled and blessed. Yes, we work in the food industry, but hey- we can afford all that we need and maybe have a little extra to save for a car. Also, an occasional free meal ;)


There's no telling what changes are going to happen next. Maybe we'll feel prompted to stay longer. Maybe we'll be blessed with a little one (knock-on-wood). Or Maybe we'll win the lottery and be able to buy an awesome car. It doesn't matter what happens because we know we're in the Lords hands.

He has a plan for each of us and we are promised that if we trust in him and his timing, we will be blessed immensely. If we endure through adverse times and maintain communication with God and a grateful heart, it'll all work out. He loves us. He answers prayers. And changes will come as we grow and learn and gain experiences in this life which will stay with us into eternity.