Hard to believe it’s been 8 months already.  From a city of 15 million, to a city of 15 thousand—we have made this our home.  Alpine is a wonderful place and we are enjoying the new life here with all that Utah has to offer.

My sweet kids have impressed me so much with their open-mindedness and willingness to try new things, make new friends, and embrace the opportunities here.  They are working hard at school, they love our church and neighborhood community, and they’ve all made friends at school.

Life is expensive though!  We have not been able to afford to put in a yard yet because landscaping is….wow…lots of money.  So, I’ve been trying a few different approaches trying to increase the ‘ol cash flow, but every time I turn around, there’s another expense.  Oh well!  We are figuring it out.

The kids are learning so much and one of my favorite aspects of life here is our neighborhood. We have such a fantastic community.

We’ve enjoyed doing a bit of skiing, exploring a few hikes and scenic drives, and trying to experience things that are unique here.

Yes, there are challenges for sure, but this experience is about growth and learning and I’m so proud of the kids for how well they’ve adapted even though they left their home of 10 years behind.

We love Guangzhou, but Alpine is treating us well.  It just goes to show that a lot of life has to do with our attitude and our decisions—-being positive and simply deciding things are going to be good.  With a few exceptions, things are indeed good….and positive.

I’m so grateful for the comfort I’ve felt during the hard times and the inspiration I’ve felt about caring for the kids.  I’m also grateful for our ward—church congregration—and the wonderful friends I’ve made here.  I’ve taken the opportunity to work on projects that matter to me and to really learn new things.  More to come on that later.

Thanks for checking in,

Lori