Illumination...

My brother, Jeremy, sent me this youtube video called, "The Invisable Woman." It was inspiring. To all you mothers who feel invisable...this will lift your day. Enjoy!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9YU0aNAHXP0

Thanks to those who respond to posts :-)

Those of you who leave messages for me on this blog....THANK YOU!! You make my days, and I love you. It's fun to put my thoughts out and to actually get responses. It means the world to me. Again, thanks :-).

Family Fun

Mariah and Amber were invited to a slumber party, and Cody and Sterling were feeling really left out. So, it was time to put a tent up in the backyard! We had a lot of fun with the girls gone :-)!!

This is Sterling's first SWING!!! This is at the Santa Monica Beach Park.

Sterling wouldn't stop eating the sand! We tried to keep him away, but gave up! He had sand in his diapers for the next 2 days!

Hunter's boss from the Kansas City Chiefs came to visit us last week--along with my sister, Natalie. This is what our dinner was like.

Our "Happy Place"...

Q & A...

This post is in response to many of your questions. I've been extremely general up to this point--purposefully avoiding a self-instigated mental breakdown. I often put all the positive info. out for all to see, keeping the intricate details of the many trials that are often weighing us down "close to the chest." Struggles are just not as fun to read about, right??

In all reality, LA has been chewing us up and spitting us out!! YES--there is a lot to be said for temperate weather and the TOTAL lack of seasons and snow, but I LOVE fall colors and lots of SNOW!! YES--there is excitement on the beach, but I'm not overly anxious to live on a fault-line--5 minutes from the coast--where an earthquake could flatten our home or a Tsunami could drown us all at any time. FYI--we had 3 earthquakes just last week!! AGH! Fortunately, we only had a 4.4, but REALLY???!!! And why would a $100K home in AZ cost $750K in CA? The building materials can't be that comparitively over-inflated!

Hunter's internship sounded great, but didn't pan out as expected. So, unfortunately, things have been pretty darn tough. We've learned a lot over the past year, though. We've had some really hard weeks. However, we have had some REALLY joyous days--mostly at Disneyland :-). Poppy and Nanna Moore saved up for 2 years and took our whole extended Moore clan to Disneyland for 3 days. We rolled those tickets into annual passes. Now--a day at Disneyland only costs us gas to and from Anaheim and $14 for parking---SWEEEEEEET! Thank you Poppy and Nanna Moore! Disneyland has been our "happy place"--quite literally. We try to go as often as possible.

I've really missed my friends. Terribly.

I miss nature. I've become numb to the "buzz" of the big city. I'm a country girl through and through. I don't need fine clothes or thousands of dollars to have a good time, but I've seen how the "other side" lives now.

The church is different here, too. Wealth can really change people. Views get skewed easily. Doctrine is questionned regularly, and I feel like I have to fight for simple truths to be upheld. Fortunately, I'm not alone. Others are fighting with me. It's exhausting, though. I've really found admiration for those who don't crumble under the pressure. Yet, there are days (too many days) that I just want to give up--and MOVE!!

Regardless...the waiting game persists. May 15th is D-day for the Moores...Doom/Delight--who knows which. The Bar results should arrive mid-May. Of course, they don't actual give you a day--that's all a guessing game, too. 5 years of my life has been consumed with the "unknown". Who knows which law school we'll go to? Who knows what or where the internships will take us? Who knows when or where the new jobs will come from? Who knows where the money will appear from? So many questions--and so few answers.

We've been reading about Abraham in Gospel Doctrine, and I must admit--that guy had a LOT of faith! Faith is what keeps me alive right now. I have faith that God really does know our situation and is routing our course to greener meadows. I have faith that everything will work out. I have faith that despite the hard times--light is at the end of this very long dark tunnel. Of course, my faith has seen better days, but I'm trying my best. I really do believe the doctrine, though, and that in itself means that happiness is actually obtainable--even if it comes in the next life. Time to keep on keepin' on, right??

Mommy-ing is a struggle right now, too. With just one car (that leaves with Hunter each morning), I've had to limit my activities to the square-mile around my home. And since the majority of my days are spent walking children to and from school--very little time is left after laundry, dishes, and other cleaning is completed...especially with a very active 11 month old that is like a 3-man wrecking crew.

I know all the Mormon cliches for the gloomy attitudes that I'm expressing. "This too shall pass." "Focus on the eternal perspective." "I never said it would be easy, only that it would be worth it." "Count your many blessings." So, all of you that were thinking these things...I've already got it covered.

So--you weren't expecting the real truth, but there it is. CA is not my cup of tea. I don't know what Heavenly Father has planned for our family, but I hope I can get through this. I feel like I'm drowning already.

Random pics from Hunter's camera-phone...

This picture was taken the first week Hunter and I came

to LA to find a home. This was our first trip to the LA temple. We always find answers to our prayers when we come to the temple. Sterling was so excited to get out of his car seat after viewing 30 different homes in the area. We were happy to be out of the car, too!!

YOU GUESSED IT!! This pic was taken at the hospital on Sterling's b-day.

Yup, this one, too :-).

Sterling grew FAST!

Hunter was looking through our wedding pics and added this to his phone-camera collection. It's been twelve years now. Can you believe it???

Visits from friends and family...

So, it's SPRING BREAK for many of our AZ friends and family--which means that we get visitors! Natalie (my 9 year old sister) came to spend time with us last week while my Mom worked in Sacramento. Woody Dixon, Hunter's boss from the Kansas City Chiefs (just got a new job as head of the Pack 10) flew out to LA on Friday. He invited Hunter to watch the Pack 10 basketball game at the Staples Center and then came to our home for dinner. It was WONDERFUL to have him here. We got a brief visit from my Mom and Grandmother on Sunday. It was all too short, but it was great to see them! The next day, Hunter's mom, sister & to girls came. They hit Disneyland on Tuesday and Wednesday, and we joined them for just a few hours after the kids finished school on Wednesday. Yeah for annual Disneyland passes! We just love seeing our family and friends.

So--life is busy, expensive, and stressful...HOWEVER, we're trying to count our many blessings and enjoy all of the time we get to spend with those we love.

THANKS FOR COMING TO SEE US--YA'LL!!!!

Post Bar Phase :-)

So, the Hunt-man has completed the monstrous CA BAR!!! YEAH!! He said it was a doozy! 8 hour days for three days straight--AGH!! He drove to Ontario at 5:30 am each morning, and then he drove home in two hours of bumper-to-bumper traffic each night. He called home with a big "WHAT'S UP?!" at the end of the first day. He said that a gal ran out to the parking lot to spew after the morning session on the second day. I guess the multiple choice section was too much to handle! Hunter used many descriptive words---INSANE being one of them. He was just pooped-out by day three, but he came home with a big smile. Who knows how it will all turn out, but we are soooooo proud of Hunter. He did his best--and that's good enough for us. We have to wait until May 15th to get back the results. Please add a prayer or two on our behalf that the graders will give Hunter his full points. YEAH for the next phase of life.