I had a big realization the other day. I was sitting at home wishing that we had friends. Don't get me wrong we have friends. But some of them have moved away, some are still single and want nothing to do with married people, and some I've just completely lost contact with.

It's all my fault. I completely realize that. For the first time in my marriage I found myself longing for more company than just my husband.

We have also met friends in all of the wards we have moved into. In Houston we were too interested in seeing everything Houston had to offer. Plus the one time we tried to make friends there was that unfortunate incident with the antique chair. In this ward it seems like just as we were starting to make friends we were offered a job out of state so everyone knew we were leaving and wrote us off, and we didn't try too hard either. I have a few good friends in the ward. Emily and I take our babies on walks together and I love everyone in the Young Womens Presidency with me.

Our other obstacle seems to have been that we have family so close that there is almost always something going on. Not a bad thing at all. Just a part of the equation.

I realized that if we are going to be happy in California we are going to have to really extend ourselves and make sure to try and develop friendships as soon as possible. Maybe then we won't miss Utah and all that is familiar. Maybe we won't feel a big void in our life from moving away from our family... Maybe.

I'm looking forward to this new adventure we have in store. I'm looking forward to being "The Laudies" Not an extension of Ron and Shannon or Gary and Diane. I'm looking forward to the weather and all that there is to do there. I've heard the wards are great and I'm looking forward to meeting new people.

I'm looking forward to a lot of things. But I also realized some of my weaknesses that I have after being married. I never had this problem as a single adult. I always had a plethora of good friends. I've also recently realized I have an irrational fear that people don't really like me. (Or maybe rational, who knows) Sometimes I worry that people are only friends with us because they love Jon. It amazes me how marriage has changed me, or how life has changed me. I'm not sure which. I hesitate putting this out there because I'm not looking for anything. These are just realizations I've had about myself the last little bit.

HE DID IT!!!

Jon Graduated! Yay!

After two very long graduation ceremonies, that chapter of his life is closed. I can truly say I helped my husband graduate. After all I did most of his history class for him. If it wasn't for me he wouldn't have graduated, right? Well I can claim that at least.

In celebration we bought a new car today! A brand new 2010 Hyundai Sonata. I won't tell you how much we spent. Just rest assured that Jon is still a Laudie and we got the best deal possible. We have the spreadsheet to prove it. Hyundai had a killer sale going on and after much deliberation (and a really bad experience with Menlove Toyota) we finally decided to go for it. It should be a nice car to travel back and forth from California in. Over all we're quite pleased with ourselves. We'll see how happy we are once we start having to pay for it though. It is probably the only new car we will drive because mile for mile it would cost less than buying a used car. Again we have the spreadsheet to prove it. Yes Jon graduated in finance. Is it that obvious?

Jon sold his Honda today. There has been great mourning in the Laudie household.

At least by him... He keeps asking me about sellers remorse. Then I remind him that they paid above book value.

So the story goes something like this:
Jon: So I put my car up on KSL and someone is coming by to look at it tonight.
Me: Oh... I thought we weren't planning on selling it until after graduation.
Jon: I just wanted to see if anyone would look at it. I didn't put any pictures up or anything. I listed it way above book value.
Me:Oh, okay. Well I guess it won't hurt to have them look at it.

2 hours later they were offering to buy it above book value so Jon came in and asked if it was alright. I told him that it was more than anyone else would pay for it, so go for it.
He came in a few minutes later near tears watching his car drive away. The car that he fell in love with me in. I have a funny sentimental husband. I hugged him, told him it would be alright and then asked him to take care of Shayla while I finished dinner. After all, you can only mourn so long for a hunk of metal.

Shayla

Here are some fun pictures from a family photo shoot we did.
We have such a cute little pill. With the chubbiest little cheeks.
She kept making the funniest faces. And definitely was not in the mood to have her picture taken. But we got a few good poses out of her.
It was also a little colder that day then we had been expecting.

March Madness

I would just like to announce that I am whooping Jon once again in the brackets. And his brothers and Dad.

Pretty good considering I didn't know what in the world March Madness was a few years ago. I had a Bishopric who was doing something they called "March Gladness" and I remember being so confused. I just went along with it. It made so much more sense when I found out what March Madness was.