Wow, where did that year even go?

Holy cow, has it really been almost a year since I've written here? That is kind of awful on my part. Let's see if I can do some justice of catching up.

So, quick re-cap, then some more detailed of the most recent happenings. A year ago we sold our home and moved into an apartment. The plan was to live in the apartment for roughly a year and decide what we wanted to do and where we wanted to be on a more permanent basis and (hopefully) build a home. That plan was going great. We were loving our apartment and loving the area we were in.

Unfortunately, one key thing Cory was not loving, his job. He actually quite enjoyed the work he was doing, but the environment had become toxic for him and he simply didn't enjoy going anymore. So toward the end of the summer, he revamped his resume and started putting some feelers out. Nothing very serious came about. But, we had hopes that something would come up. In October we decided that he had had enough and decided that it was time. He put in a month notice (his job would be difficult to fill and train in simply two weeks) and a huge weight seemed to be lifted from his shoulders. Before the month was up, his boss decided his heart wasn't in it anymore and they parted ways earlier than expected.

Before the month was up, he had another offer. A really really great offer. With a small catch. It was in southern California. Mr. "I'll never move to California" was now accepting a job and uprooting our family to move. We were both excited and nervous. But we were in for a change and thrilled for the opportunity.

So we started making plans to move to Beaumont, California. We eventually rented a house, sight unseen, as we had no time and limited options before we were supposed to move. A couple days after Christmas, we headed out for our adventure. We were planning to stop in St George for a few days and move into our new home January 2nd. Just in time for Cory's 30th birthday. Which was kind of a planning bummer as I was going to have a big party and invite everyone Cory had ever met, but I guess a new job and a new place to live would have to suffice.

So here we are in April and Cory is loving his new job and we are really enjoying life in the warm California sun. We recently made our first trip to Disneyland on a Tuesday while staying in Anaheim for the week. Cory had some work events and we decided to just make a family trip of it. And it was pretty awesome.

Aceson could not have been more excited to go. He really didn't understand until we made our way to Toon Town and he got to meet some of his favorite people, Pluto, Goofy, and of course, Mickey Mouse. He gave hugs and kisses and didn't want to leave their sides. It was adorable. First we met Goofy. After standing in line for about 15 minutes, and having to chase him and bring him to our spot in line multiple times, we finally had our turn. He gave Goofy a huge hug and would not let go. After some convincing he finally turned around so I could take his picture and bade Goofy a "See you later." Next we went to Mickey's house to meet him. After a longer wait of about 30 minutes, they ushered us into the "Studio" with about 10 other kids and their parents to meet Mickey. Aceson had no regard for lines and went straight into Mickey's arms. After an extended hug, he pulled back and gave Mickey a huge kiss. The genuine adoration and excitement was adorable. We snapped a few pictures and told Mickey we would come back another time. On our way back to meet up with Cory and a hopefully sleeping Kinnick, Pluto was headed for a break, we hurried and gave him a hug and snapped a selfie. It was certainly a highlight of the week.

Cory's parents were slated to come in later Friday evening, but surprised us by meeting us at Disneyland Friday morning. The kids were ecstatic to see them and even more excited to be able to go to Disneyland again, with Grandma and Grandpa Junck.

The fun didn't stop there. A couple weeks back, Cory had found a groupon deal for some race tickets and bought the whole family one. So on Sunday, we all went to our very first, live NASCAR event in Fontana, California. It was pretty fun. But very loud. We had ear covers for the boys and they weren't nearly as excited as I thought they might be, noting our recent obsession with the movie "Cars". But it was fun none the less. Kinnick actually fell asleep. Then again, he has always been the kid that naps at nap time, no matter where he is.

For Easter, we went with some friends to their Evangelical church. Their son plays drums in the band. And does an absolutely amazing job at it. Church was fun. Definitely a different experience than the church we are used to. They played a lot of fun songs to open up. Everyone was up on their feet either singing and clapping along or dancing. Then the pastor gave his Easter lesson, which I thought was an excellent lesson. Then they played a couple more fun, rocking closing songs and everyone went outside to experience the Easter fun. They had an egg search set up for the kids, train rides, live, on the spot baptisms. It was neat. Then we went and hung out at our friends house for an excellent Easter meal and a day full of peeps, chocolate, and friends. We didn't make it home until almost midnight. And there was definitely a hangover effect from the long and eventful day.

We are loving our time out here in California and Cory is loving his new job and the freedoms it is affording him. Like being home with his family almost every day, and traveling to far off lands, like Columbia. We will keep you posted on what else the year brings.