A year ago if you told me my parents would be living in Provo, I’d be shocked. Actually, I’m still shocked. When we were all in Canada last summer for a Walton reunion none of us, my parents included, had any idea that this would be our last trip up to their house.
In November, while on our Walton Thanksgiving trip, Mike talked to Dad about Christian Healthcare, which is what he and Carly were using to travel around the world. Switching from free Canadian healthcare to paying for healthcare in the states, [especially with my Dad just recovering from Prostate Cancer], was a huge concern and seemingly insurmountable problem. My Dad tackled the research on Christian Healthcare and were convinced within days that moving to Utah would finally be an option. With in the next month they got my Dad’s American citizenship papers [a small miracle in and of itself], found great realtors, put the house on the market and began going through every box in their home ready to move. They sold their Surrey home for enough to buy a home in Provo and put the rest towards Healthcare costs. All of us were shocked at how quickly the whole process moved.
Mike and Carly lived with Mom and Dad most of their last months in Surrey. Amy and Chris and kids made one more trip to visit and help them pack. They left Canada on March 28th. I remember them telling me about their last Sunday in their ward. After church the ward hosted a big potluck ‘Good bye Party’ and people from all over several stakes came to say goodbye. It was emotional. They have lived in Delta and Surrey for nearly 43 years and of course have served with so many great people. I’m sure it was so hard to say goodbye to lifelong friends.
In February Mom and Dad travelled down to Utah to look for houses. The market is tight right now and although they weren’t able to find a lot of great options, they did come across this one above the Riverwoods that is quite charming. They moved in on April 12th.
Chris and I were in St. George with friends for the weekend. Chris flew home to work and be with the kids and I headed up to Provo to help my parents move in. It was so fun to see their house and help them get settled.
I’m SOOOOOO excited for them. They will only be 10 minutes from Katie and Ryan and we will see them so much more!!
Beautiful views from the dining room…
The living room…
Such a great kitchen. Love those cabinets…
The second POD being delivered…
Dad working on shelving for his new garage…
Monday night moving in… So many new ward members came to help. It took about 35 minutes to get everything in.
The garage with all of Grandpa’s new shelves and a lot more stuff to do…
Molly and Ben -- and Owen helping out…
Mom and I had such a great time shopping. One day we headed out by ourselves to check out a number of furniture stores. It was WINDY. So so windy so we thought we’d take a selfie to capture us laughing after struggling to get back into the car. Two other days we went shopping with Jennifer. We found lots of fun things but it’s stressful to look so many places and try to make decisions so quickly.
While we shopped, Dad got working on the office. Exciting…
We spent lots of time taping out options on the floor… especially tricky to get furniture for the room by the kitchen…
When we woke up the next morning we found this… Ha ha. My dad is the best.
One morning we woke up to snow. Dad was so excited to get out into the backyard and use his new snow blower.
On the last night we headed to Lehi to see Brian’s new place. It was so great to see all his decor and all the projects he’s working on. And play his new lobster game he’s creating. : )
