Hunter is officially in Indiana!! She flew there yesterday after spending 2 weeks at the MTC (missionary training center) in Provo, UT. So I figured it was time for an update! If you want more information on missions, you can read my previous blog post here, where I share about missions and everything Hunter packed for hers.

HUNTER’S MISSION UPDATE

: HOME MTC

Hunter spent the first week as a missionary doing Home MTC, which means she was home with us and did her classes via Zoom! She enjoyed it for the most part, but after a couple of days, she was ready to be done sitting at the computer all day long! We dropped her off at the MTC in Provo on March 4th, and that was one of the hardest things we’ve done as a family because we won’t get to see her for the next 18 months. I didn’t want to let go of her! Luckily, while she’s on her mission, she can talk to us once a week on her P-day (preparation day)! And she can message us on Facebook Messenger throughout the week if needed. It’s been my saving grace to talk to her over FaceTime, see her face, and get an update on how she’s doing. And the kids are so excited when it’s time to FaceTime her!

: PROVO, UT MTC

She was at the MTC in Provo for 2 weeks, and she roomed with 6 other sister missionaries in a room/dorm with 6 bunk beds! She had the best time with these girls and connected with them so much. They’re all so funny and loved doing face masks together each night. Any free time they have, they genuinely love spending time together. Hunter is so easy-going and friendly, so I already knew she would adapt and have no issue making these connections. We’ve moved so many times, and I just know that all the big and small moments of her life have led her to this and have prepared her for her mission.

hunter’s digital camera

She is absolutely loving the classes at the MTC and said she has been learning so much. Joe and I already feel like she’s growing so much, especially her testimony, which has been awesome to see. LDS missionaries are always in a companionship of 2 so she was assigned the sweetest companion during the MTC, and that has been such a blessing too.

A few days into being at the MTC, she was having a hard day just because she felt homesick and was missing us. She also had a hard time with the food in the MTC and getting used to a new schedule. They wake up at 6:30 am and go to sleep at 10:30 pm, which is hard for her because she is a night owl and loves to sleep in too! So on FaceTime with her, we gave her some encouraging words, and the next morning, she said she was doing a lot better, which was relieving!

: SHE MADE IT TO INDIANA!

She made it safely to Indiana yesterday, where she will be living for the next 17 months! She will be getting a new companion and officially start finding people to teach and serve! I’m so anxious to hear how everything goes her first week out in the mission field!

We had a sweet miracle happen this last week. Her cousin got called to the SAME MISSION! Indiana, Indianapolis! So that was such a sweet blessing, and Hunter told me it was an answer to her prayers. I’m so excited to see all the good these girls do together!

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Thank you to everyone who has been so supportive of Hunter and has reached out to me and given me words of comfort! So thankful for this online community.

With it being Valentine’s week, I thought it might be fun to get a little personal and share how Joe and I met! I always love hearing people’s stories and what brought them together. With this being the day we celebrate the ones we love most, I thought it was the perfect time to share ours!

outfits linked

Joe and I met when we were 12! His family moved to St. George right down the street from us when we were in middle school. The first time I saw him, we were walking home from the bus stop, and he had curly hair, and I remember having the strongest impression, “You are going to marry him.” I hadn’t even talked to him! I never told a soul about that until my wedding day, and I finally told my mom. It was so fun living down the street from each other- we had the same friend group, and we are actually all still close!

In high school, we went on dates, but he said he didn’t want anything serious and thought we should date other people. Mind you, my entire senior year I dated as many boys as I could, and he didn’t date a single soul!

After high school, things started to get a bit more serious. About 6 months later, Joe left for Florida to serve a two-year mission for our church. You can read more about that here. While he was away, I dated a ton, finished hair school + started my full-time job as a hairstylist, started coaching the high school cheer team, bought my first truck, and traveled a lot with my girlfriends. He came home 2 years later – 10 days before Christmas, and we were married in March!!

Now here we are, almost 20 years later, with 5 kids living back in St. Georg,e where it all started. My heart is just so full! I am so thankful for Joe and the life we are living together!

all outfits linked

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That, in a nutshell, is how Joe and I met. He is the best person I could ever ask for to go through this crazy life with!

For a long time, I thought building a home would follow a straight line. You buy land. You draw plans. You build. You move in. Our story didn’t unfold that way. Instead, it stretched across six years, multiple lots, two spec homes, job changes, and a season where the dream wasn’t gone — just on hold. And somehow, that winding path led us exactly where we were meant to be.

st. george, ut (2023)

: WHEN EVERYTHING WAS READY, BUT WE WEREN’T

In 2020, we were convinced we were building our forever home in the Salt Lake area. We bought a lot. We hired a designer. We finalized plans. We secured permits. We were standing at the edge of breaking ground when something shifted. While everything looked right on paper, it didn’t feel right in our hearts. After a lot of conversations and reflection, Joe + I made the difficult decision to walk away. We sold the lot. It felt confusing at the time — choosing to pause when we had worked so hard to get there — but it was the first time we learned to trust timing over momentum.

salt lake lot (2020)

: ALMOST AGAIN

Not long after, we put an offer in on a second lot. We were set to close on the land when my husband received a job offer back in our hometown of St. George — the very place we had once thought we’d end up long-term. The timing was too significant to ignore. So we walked away again. Two lots. Two moments of almost-building. Two decisions that felt heavy but necessary.

moving to st. george

: PUTTING THE DREAM ON HOLD

When we moved back to our hometown, we bought a small spec home, fully expecting it to be temporary while we prepared to build. Then life happened. A hiccup in my husband’s job meant the building timeline shifted yet again. What we thought would be a short pause became an indefinite one, and we had to be honest with ourselves: this wasn’t happening anytime soon. So we made a practical decision and bought a second spec home across the street that better fit our family, believing we’d be there for years. Not because we gave up on the dream — but because we needed stability while we waited.

: WHEN “LATER” BECAME “SOONER”

Somewhere along the way, things began to change. The job situation settled. Doors opened. Conversations shifted. And slowly, what once felt far away began to feel possible again. We realized we could start sooner than we ever expected. Three years ago, we purchased the lot we’re building on now — this time with a quieter confidence. Less urgency. More peace. We moved forward carefully, knowing that forcing the timeline had never worked for us before.

: WHY THIS TIME FEELS DIFFERENT

Now, six years after we first thought we’d build, there’s dirt moving on our land. And this time, it doesn’t feel rushed or forced. It feels steady. The waiting didn’t change our family — it changed our perspective. It taught us patience, flexibility, and how to hold plans with open hands. What we thought we needed in a home shifted as life unfolded, and the house we’re building now reflects who we are today, not who we were rushing to be years ago.

our st. george lot

: THE HOUSE THAT WAITED

I don’t believe closed doors mean the wrong dream. Sometimes they simply mean the right dream at the wrong time. This home has been imagined, released, revisited, and delayed more times than I can count. But looking back, I wouldn’t change the path that brought us here. Because this house didn’t just appear when we wanted it to — it waited until everything else aligned. And now, we’re finally building.

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Thank you for joining us on this crazy ride! We couldn’t do it without the support from all of you.