Somebody pinch me please...

I can't stop shaking. Can this really be happening? It all seems so surreal, even though we've been waiting for so long for it to happen. It has happened. You know what I'm talking about. That's right, we have an announcement to make. A big one. No, we're not having a baby. I'm sure you know that that's not what I'm talking about. No, this feels much bigger than that if you can believe it.





You ready???






Are you sure you can handle this exciting news???




Well,





here




it






goes....





We will be moving (I can't believe I can finally say this for sure)!!!! We are overwhelmed with joy to put it very mildly. I'm sure neighbors from miles around could hear our hooping and hollering when we got the news. We are thrilled beyond belief. Seriously, a miracle has taken place in our lives and we all watched it unfold. What a glorious thing. This is the Lord's doing for sure, and boy does He work in mysterious ways. After the emotional roller coaster we have been on for so long, we are finally to the next step. Ryan got accepted to medical school. Like I said, this is a huge step for us to all take together, because we're moving somewhere totally unfamiliar to us all. No, we will not be staying in Utah. Ryan was placed on the wait list at the U. Soooo, our only other option (you can see why we were so stressed with only 2 options out of 20, which baffles me since Ry's application was excellent, but that's a whole other story) as most of you know, is Virginia. Well folks, Virginia came through for us. They're the lucky ones who get to have Ryan for 4 years and we're the lucky ones who get to go live there!! Ryan just called me from Virginia with the wonderful news. I still can't believe it. We could not be happier. We absolutely love what we know of Virginia and have talked about it for months like it's our home away from home. It's a beautiful place with so much to offer. We are very eager to make it our new home and to get to know the people and the Latter-Day Saints there.

There are 3 medical schools in Virginia. Ryan will be attending EVMS, which is Eastern Virginia Medical School, located on the Southeast coast in Norfolk. This is a great area where when visiting we felt at home. Norfolk is near Virginia Beach, an area just perfect for our kids. This is an area just flowing with rich American history (John Smith first landed on Virginia Beach), as is all of Virginia. We can't wait to explore it with the kids. I know we have lots of fun outings and trips ahead of us and I can hardly wait.

From day one of our promptings to go back to school, we prayed that the Lord would direct us to where we needed to be. I can't tell you how many times I cried thinking of leaving my mom and dad and sisters, and asked myself how I could tear my kids away from everything they know and love? Believe me, it tormented me, because I knew we'd most likely have to move out-of-state for medical school. The past 3.5 years have really put us through the ringer but in such a good way. Lots of tears, lots of late-night talks, lots of hard work on Ryan's part, lots of pleading with the Lord, and here we are. I still can't believe we made it. I have to be honest and say that there were times when I doubted--doubted the promptings in the first place, doubted our ability to pull this off, doubted that Ryan would get in after so much rejection. And I tried my hardest to have faith and hope. I have learned a lot through this little experience. The Lord has been so good to us. It's wonderful to know that this is where He wants us. We know it without a doubt. He has led us by the hand to this very point. After the faith proceeds the miracle. Thank you all for your prayers and support. We're surrounded by so much love and it means a lot.

So now comes the next step--finding a house. I have been on the lookout for quite a few months now, familiarizing myself with the market there and the possibilities. Call me crazy, I know. But we have always felt good about Virginia and it was so fun dreaming about a home there. Now that dream is a reality! I have a feeling things are going to get a little crazy but I will gladly hop on this crazy ride because we are ON OUR WAY BABY!!!!!!!