I "Heart" my Oregon friends!

Since we moved here almost six months ago (wow!), we have been so lucky to have visits from wonderful friends. The good thing about moving to Utah is that a lot of people come here to visit family or to pass through. I can't wait to see more of you! And hope to get some repeat visits as well. (Lots of hint dropping here!) Our first Oregon friend came just before Christmas. I was so thrilled to hear from Kelly and find a time that she could come. (Though, I missed Tylin )o: her daughter, who was one of my YW.) We love Kelly - the girls were almost as excited as I was that she was stopping by. It was fun to take her on the official new house tour, but we got side-tracked a lot just talking. I loved hearing about the ward and how everyone was doing. It was weird saying goodbye and not seeing her just walk home. (We lived just around the corner from each other.) It was a quick visit, but it was so great to hang out for a little bit and catch up. It felt so comfortable and easy having an old friend to talk to. Thanks so much for coming Kelly! Love ya lots! Shortly after Christmas, we got to see the Halls! Natalie was so excited to see Lydia. These were our wonderful "backyard" neighbors and good friends. Natalie and Lydia were best buds and all our kids got along so well. It is such a weird feeling not having them right behind us. I miss Shannan's incredible pies she used to pass over the fence to us. How my stomach aches for those pies! (o: It was so fun to hang out and show the house and try to talk them into buying the house behind us here. (o: We got to go out to lunch all together and had such a fun time. We laughed a lot and talked about getting together again in the summer. It was so nice to have Shannan and Matt and the kids visit. We miss them lots! Cute Shannan - It felt just like "old times" hanging out again! These two made plans for a sleepover in the summer! In February I got a text from Kaitlyn that she was going to be in our neck of the woods over President's Day weekend. Yahoo! Monday night she and Alan (her dad) came over after a day of exploring the BYU campus. Again, the girls were so excited (they loved my young women) - we had a fantastical time talking, eating homemade ice cream. Love ya Katie!! I love hanging out with you! (Man, this post is making me homesick . . . ) And just last week we were so excited to see Tina and Tori! Angela has had a picture of Tori on her dresser in a cute "Friends" frame that Tori gave her before we left. Whenever my girls have a "sleepover" on the weekends, Angela brings her pillow, her blanket, a doll and the picture of her and Tori. (o: They had fun playing just like old times, while Tina and I talked. A tradition that Tina and I had through every one of our kids. I still remember hanging out while Sarah and Taylor crawled around on our living room floors. Tina always had the best advice, listening ear and fun ideas. I can't believe how fast time goes by. Look how color coordinated we are! I miss you tons Tina! Thanks soooo much for coming! You're the best!

And just recently, I finally got to visit Kirstin, who happens to be a fellow Utahn (for now). I never would have guessed that when she and Jeff came to get an MBA at BYU that we would be following them here a year later. I'm so glad our paths crossed before they graduate and head to California. The girls and I headed down to Provo on one of their days off at school and we spent an afternoon with Kirstin and Lia, who has grown up so much!

I loved getting to see Kirstin's home and talk about her new adventures coming up. We always have the best talks and Kirstin always makes me want to be a better person. (o: She is awesome. It was a wonderful Friday afternoon together!

My amazing Oregon friends will always be near and dear to my heart. They taught me so much and took such good care of my little family during the decade we spent far away from our extended family. They were our surrogate extended family and mean the world to us - and ALWAYS will. Hugs and Kisses to all you Oregonians reading this post. Love you all - and I'm working on catching up on the blog from January so you can see what we've been up to!