Our last weekend in Rexburg! 

Jordan and I were cleaning, studying and lounging about when we spontanously decided to drive to the lake and spend the afternoon swimming and having a bbq. 

   

It turned out to be a little too windy and cold to swim but the bbq was really fun.  We roasted hotdogs, corn on the cob, brought chips and fresh fruit to munch on.  Yum!

Ahhhhh Rexburg wind how I will not miss you!!

The wind caused us so many problems trying to keep our bbq lit but it did blow in a interesting dust storm on the way home turning the sky a burnt orange color. 

Then we headed to the drive in.  Playing that night was the perfect movie combination:

Despicible Me and Eclipse.     

We had such a fun day together and although Rexburg has not always been my favorite place to live it does have its charms.  It ended up being the perfect weekend.

We are moving to.......

The fifth most populated city in the United States.

The hottest climate of any major city in the United States averaging over 100 degrees three months out of the year. 

Home of the Cardinals, Diamondbacks, and Suns.

We are moving to.......PHOENIX, ARIZONA!!!!

Jordan got the job!!!!!!!!

Jordan graduates from BYU Idaho next week!  To be honest the last few months have been a little stressful.  Not knowing where we were going to be next, how we would pay our bills and knowing that finding a job in this economy is not an easy thing.  We have had our faith tested, but both felt that we would be guided to where we were supposed to be next in our lives.   

A few months ago the professor that Jordan is an assistant for told him about a job opening at Intel.  (He had worked with this particular group at Intel before coming to BYU-Idaho and was a huge part in the interviewing process for Jordan.) 

Jordan applied and two weeks later he received a phone interview.  It seemed to go well but we didn't hear anything for three weeks.  He then received an email asking him to fill out a ten page application  and after sending the application back to them he received a call from Intel that next day.  They wanted to fly him to Phoenix to interview with their purchasing department.  Jordan learned from his professor that there were twelve people who had made it to this level of the interviewing process and Jordan was the only one without an MBA.  Knowing that made us both nervous and we started looking for other jobs a little more seriously.  Jordan put so much work into that interview and after it he said that it went really well.  Then we waited and waited.  Another agonizing three weeks and finally we couldn't take it so Jordan called them.  They told him that they were still deciding on the postion and we should hear back the following week.  Then came the email.   They asked Jordan if he was interested in Phoenix only or would he be interested in the Portland office as well.  Either of course!  

Then came the call....... Jordan got the job!!!!!!!  We won't find out any of the details until tomorrow but we are giddy with excitment.    I am so proud of Jordan.  This is an amazing opportunity for him and we are not taking it lightly.  We know how much help we received from those around us and that the months we have spent praying was answered in this moment. We are blessed!!!   

Our top ten moments from the Newman Family Reunion

10. Stopping to tour the Paris Tabernacle in Paris, Idaho on our way to the family reunion. 

9. Going to church in Bear Lake on Sunday.  

The entire chapel was full, the gym, stage and adjoining rooms were packed with visitors.        

8. Getting lost.

On the way to the reunion Jordan and I had general directions which got us to Bear Lake without any problems.  We had a little more trouble finding the hotel.  But getting lost sometimes creates fun moments.  We saw a lot of the lake and drove up and down Main street a few times spotting a great little pizzeria where we had dinner with Caitlin and Ryan later that evening.  

7.Watching home movies.

Seeing my Aunts and Uncles at the same stage of life that Jordan and I are at was so funny.  And listening to Aunt Cathy apologize for wearing a bikini was priceless.

6. Window shopping.

Aunt Janell and Aunt Marcy wanted to walk down to main street.  They wanted to go look in some of the local shops and Jordan and I went with them.  My aunts are so much like my Mom and seeing them together cracks me up.  We had a blast with them. 

5. Swimming.

Although I am not a huge fan of swimming having the swimming pool and hottub at the hotel was so much fun.  Watching all the little kids having a great time and watching Clay push Jordan fully clothed into the pool was hilarious. 

4.Learning about family history

Listening to the stories and being reminded of what an amazing heritage of faithful people that I come from.  I laughed thinking that my desire to always follow the rules and be "proper" most likely came from my proper English Great Grandmother and who would have guessed that my great uncle Jay Newman was part of the FBI who chased down the dillenger gang.   

3. Boating on Bear Lake.

Jordan and I joined the family for a ride around Bear lake and watched a few of the little kids bravely get on the tube dispite the cold water.   I was laughing out loud as we watched them bounce around on the water. 

2. Nerts.   

Nerts is a new card game that I learned at the reunion.  The basic idea of the game is to get rid of your nerts pile of cards.  The winning team for the round is the one to play all of their nerts cards first and call out "NERTS". 

After listening to the rules and playing a few practice rounds, we divided into teams.  My cousin Kate and I were on a team and we were awesome together, winning the game the majority of the time.  It was only after playing for a few hours that Kate turns to me horrified asking how many cards I was giving us for our Nerts pile.  "15 right?"  "13 cards!!" she screams.  I had been making the game that much harder for us the entire night.  We laughed the rest of the night as I counted the cards out loud from that point on.           

1. The Family

We loved every minute of the family reunion.  From a perfect hotel where we could all be together to catching up with cousins, aunts and uncles who we haven't seen in awhile. 

The lake, the food, the games... everything was so much fun.  

 We can't wait for the next reunion!!

Happy Fourth of July!!

"I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all."

Jordan and I decided to come to Boise at the last minute to celebrate the fourth of July with our family.  Our day started with a neighborhood breakfast followed by a kids bicycle parade to celebrate independence day. 

Jordan and I helped Ella decorate her bike for the parade and even took her on a long walk the night before so she could practice stopping.  She was giddy with excitement. (It was pretty cute.)

The local fire station came and escorted the parade.  The kids followed the firetruck on their bikes throughout the neighborhood and it was so fun watching all these kids racing after a firetruck as it flashed the lights and siren......Way in the back was Ella riding her bike proudly along side Clay who rode his bike with Kresimir. The kids loved it!

Later that night we had a BBQ, played phase ten, and Clay showed us how to play a new game outside called Kubb. 

And of course we finished off the night with sparklers and fireworks!