Where to begin? There is so much I want to write about. This could be a long post...
Jaren and I now live in Billings. We arrived here Saturday, June 1st after a 10 1/2 hour drive! (The farthest I have ever driven anywhere.) Jaren's parents, my parents, and my sister rode along with us and helped us unload and carry all of our belongings up 3 flights of stairs to our apartment (we have no elevator). I can't even express how grateful we are to each of them! We could not have done this without them!
As I said before, the drive was LONG. But Emily rode along with me and made it so much fun! We listened to old music, talked, and laughed our way to Billings. I was SO glad she came with me! Poor Jaren had to ride by himself with only Bob Marley and The Beyonders book on CD to keep him company.
Saying good-bye was hard. I used to see my family frequently throughout the week. It was nice they lived so close to us. I'd pass their house on the way home from work and stop by to say hello. Jaren also worked about 3 to 4 nights of the week, so I usually went over to my parents house on those nights. I would tag along with them to Harmon's grocery store on weekends while Jaren worked and my dad would usually buy us a pistacio-flavored gelato (I get my love of pistacio flavors from him). Sometimes I'd go to movies or on walks with my parents. My mom, sister, and I would also go once a week to Cafe Rio, and I am sure going to miss those lunch dates! I love the little memories I have made with my family and those are the things I miss the most! We saw Jaren's parents often too, and those visits were always great! We'd get together with Jaren's whole family once a month for FHE. I loved seeing the family and talking with everyone about what was going on in their lives. The food was always fantastic too, as my mother-in-law and sisters-in-law are the best cooks! Just thinking about our families back in Utah and typing this post makes me miss them even more!
Needless to say, more than a few tears were shed those first few days. I still miss home, but I'm getting more used to Billings all the time. On a day I was feeling particularly down my friend sent me a message which said, "When you feel sad, just remember this is all temporary, and try to enjoy it." And those are true words! The more I spend time here in Billings, the more I like it. And we haven't been here very long at all, so there is plenty of time for Billings to grow on me. This is a fun adventure Jaren and I are having together! Before I know it, this time will have passed.
I love love LOVE our apartment! We have new carpet and new appliances. We have a dish washer for the first time in our marriage. I feel like having a dishwasher has changed our lives. (Maybe that's a bit much to say but I really love it!) To just rinse a dish off and stick it in the dishwasher is a wonderful feeling! Unloading the dish washer is so easy. Our house feels so clean all the time when no dishes are piled up in the sink.
I also started working full-time. I work for two different dental offices and am VERY thankful for the income. Starting a new job always gives me a huge amount of anxiety. Both of my new offices use a different computer system than what I'm used to and every office does things a little differently. I like routine and I like knowing what I'm doing. (Doesn't everyone?) Thankfully, both offices have been wonderful to me. I have felt a little overwhelmed learning everything, but the people I work with are so patient and helpful that it makes work much easier. I still feel a little jittery going into work, but I know that feeling will lessen over time.
Our apartment is in downtown Billings and I love it! There are several fun little shops and restaurants all within walking distance! We spent an afternoon day walking around downtown and had a great time. The sun here comes up before 5 a.m. The first time we slept in our apartment the sun woke me up. I thought I had slept in and guessed that it was around 9:00 or 10:00. Nope! I looked at my clock and it said 4:50 a.m.! We also have a GREAT library here. It is enormous. It's full of cute kids downstairs and crazy weirdos upstairs but I still love it. Lately we have borrowed Downton Abbey. Jaren has even been watching it with me. Back at home, the waiting list for Downton Abbey is extensive (over 150 people). Here, I just checked it out because I found it on the shelf! I am waiting for the last 3 episodes, though, and I can't wait to watch them!
We went to the Billings temple last week and already that temple is dear to my heart. The session was very small. I think there were only around 12 of us and we were the only ones under 70 years old. I loved going to a small session, I have never been to one that small before. We had a great time and I am excited to go again. For some reason I thought Billings would have more members of the church than it does (being somewhat close to Utah and all). But the membership is much smaller than I thought. Billings is the largest city in Montana but there are only 6 (I think) wards and one stake here. This is exciting to me as I have never felt like my membership in the church was the minority before.
The other day we took a drive to Red Lodge and a scenic drive through Beartooth Mountains. It was SO BEAUTIFUL. We hope to explore more of the surrounding areas of Montana before Jaren begins school on July 8th. It's difficult to plan any long trips, because with my work schedule I don't have many days off in a row, but hopefully we can plan a camping trip or two and see some more sights!
Well, that's all I'm going to write for now! I'll post some pics later!
