Update on us

8 months is way too long not to post! There have been a lot of things happen between now and my last post. To start off, Avery is now 3 and my baby Reese will be turning 1 in just a few short days! I can hardly believe it. Time is flying by and I cannot seem to stop it. I wish it wasn't all going so fast, but it is so fun to watch my children grow. Its true that the days are long but the years are short.
In April Hayden graduated from SUU with his Masters degree. It was a highly anticipated milestone and we were so excited to be done! To be quite honest, Cedar City has been a real struggle for us and we could not wait to get out of here. Right before graduation Hayden was offered a job as a professor at Snow College in Ephraim Utah. We had been praying for this job for months. He got it, and we were excited... but something didn't quite seem right. I figured it was just because I was nervous to move once again(to a super small town) but I noticed that Hayden didn't seem all that excited either. He had applied to a few other jobs that we were still waiting to hear on, but had no guarantees, but there was something holding him back and he knew that he needed to turn down the offer. It of course was scary for me, but i'm not sure what I felt comes even close to how Hayden was feeling. As a father and provider for our family, I new he was feeling pretty uneasy about it. We prayed, we fasted, he received blessings, and he even talked to so many mentors he lookes up too. It was a hard thing for him to do. But, I trust Hayden.. and I trust Heavenly Father, and together me and Hayden put our trust in Him and the promptings we were receiving and turned down the offer. A few weeks later he got a call for an interview at BYU-Idaho. There were 71 applicants who applied for this job... and Hayden came down to the final 3... then the final 2... and the job, that we were sure was the reason we felt the need to turn down Snow college, called Hayden and said that they decided to go with someone else. We felt shocked, hurt, misled, angry, bitter, and lost. How could this happen? We now had no options. We had made it through grad school, had 2 children, and we were jobless. We were as poor as they come. The next month was probably one of the hardest we have had. As much as we tried to be hopeful and faithful we felt forgotten and scared of what lie in store for us... if anything was in store for us at all. It was hard to feel like the Lord was even aware of us. Honestly, during this time Hayden had received a total of 28 rejection letter. TWENTY EIGHT!! All day everyday I had become a pro at job searching... and all day everyday Hayden had become a pro at submitting resumes. It was exhausing. And nothing was working out.

I have learned not to question the Lords plan. To say we were humbled is a huge understatement. I think it wasn't until we both just gave in and were willing to accept whatever He put in our path, that things started to fall into place. Just the other night I was lying in bed and couldn't hold back the tears as I thought of the past few months and how all along Heavenly Father was aware and He was preparing something for us. I feel like it didn't fall into place until we were ready to receive it. Hayden was offered a full time teaching position in the communications department at SUU. It is better for us right now and full of more opportunities than we would have had anywhere else. He was offered this job without even applying for it. He was offered it with just a Masters degree with the possibility of SUU paying for his whole PhD program. We NEVER wanted to stay in Cedar City, and somehow our hearts were softened and it has been the best place for us at this time. We found a new apartment that is perfect for us right now that is allowing us to save money. I feel like Heavenly Father blessed me with a change of heart about Cedar City.

Life is crazy.. and this year has been one for the books. Nothing has worked out at all how we had planned... yet somehow it is working out better this way. We are trying to enjoy the journey and take what is thrown our way. :)