Confessions of a Counterfeit Country Girl

Lots of big and exciting changes have been happening in the Phipps family. We survived the last month of being apart {never again!}, the Bar, 2 surgerys, packing, my little sisters wedding, and driving a moving truck to our new home.

Bryan started work at his firm {YAY!}, 4 weeks later the rest of us moved to sunny California to join him. We now live in a home on five beautiful acres. I have wild turkey's running crazy in my backyard. Horses are my closest neighbor. I have already had close encounters with a lizard, a frog, and a shaggy looking dog. I have a big red tire swing in my front yard, a orchard on the side of my house, and though I don't know a soul in my "neighborhood" they all wave and smile like we've been friends for years. My life now could not get much different from any life I have ever known, but I plan to fully embrace it. I want a garden, pygmy goats, and maybe even a pig and chickens...we'll see. Don't plan on ever seeing me on a tractor though. Mostly because I'm sure no one would trust me on one.
The beauty of all this is that my boys have 5 acres to run on, to learn to work on, and to some extent be safegaurded from the crazy things of this world. It allows me to be a counterfeit country girl: one who feeds her animals and then hops on the freeway for a 15 minute drive to shopping. It doesn't get much better than that!

It's a new adventure! And I plan to keep you posted on all of it!

Things have been a little daunting around here lately. Maybe when it's all over I'll have energy to write about it. Until then, I've been trying to keep some normalcy for the boys. We've spent a lot of time outside at the parks in our area. I took some pics of Parker at 7 months. Caden beat up the flowers while I did this. Yay for crazy, unstoppable little boys. I had to get pictures of the boys swinging at our favorite park. We going running here every morning and afterwards we swing. It's our thing, and I am going to miss it.

And I know I've said this before but I will miss the mountains so much. I think it's because every time I see them I am reminded to look up; to look Heavenward. When I transferred out to BYU 6 years ago, I vividly remember driving into campus surrounded by the beautiful mountains, looking, upward, and having this overwhelming feeling that such good things would come from this decision. I don't think I ever imagined to what extent I would be blessed. Now when I look to the mountains, Heavenward, I am reminded of that day, and filled with such gratitude for the good things that have flooded my life since moving to Utah. This truly is such an incredible, unique place and I am thankful for all the good memories that we have from our time here. Mostly, I'm grateful for the three boys I got in Utah that I get to take with me. :)
Oh, and Caden's surgery went really well. It was the best case scenario: the cyst is cancer free and wasn't pushing on the brain! Like I said, we've been so blessed! He's recovering with a sweet bandage on his forehead for the next 6 weeks.