An Update on Our Lives

So we decided that it was about time to start a blog after being married for a year and hopefully having more time now that we're done with school. Also, this will be a great way for us to stay in touch with family and friends now that we are in Virginia. We came to Virginia for a great job that Matt got with a construction company. We're not completely sure how long we'll be out here because he is in the federal group, meaning that the part of the company he works with has a contract with the federal government and it is also a traveling group. So, when other federal jobs get really busy, we'll move where they need us. We thought it would be a great way to figure out where we want to live and end up, and as an added bonus there are great benefits to being in the traveling group! We're thinking that we should be in Virginia Beach anywhere from a year to two years.
Matt starts work tomorrow, so we'll see how it goes for him! I'm sure that he will do great and that the company will see what a hard worker he is. I have complete faith! I am currently job seeking and hoping to land a job as a 4th or 5th grade teacher at one of the many elementary schools that are close by. Wish me luck! If you have any advice, please let me know! I'm a little nervous to have a class all to myself!
Our apartment is almost together, we just need a few more items. Hopefully I will be able to get those this week and unpack our last few boxes! There a few pictures at the bottom of our apartment, there is a limited number however, because I don't want to take pictures of rooms that aren't complete yet! We have a gorgeous view of a lake (that seems more like a river with a wide section). We enjoy sitting in the dining room watching the fish jump, the duck families swim, and little turtle heads bob up and and down. We have some weird hybrid ducks that are pretty ugly... I'll have to try and take a picture of one soon and post it. However, the babies are still cute and we have a cute little family that is often walking by our apartment.
Our trip out here was surprisingly great and luckily we didn't experience any problems. We left on Monday afternoon (thanks to our family and friends who helped us pack, move boxes to the truck, and even clean our apartment!) We feel so blessed to have lived close to family members in Provo and also to have made some great friends while at BYU. We will definitely miss all of them! We made two stops before getting to Illinois on Wednesday to spend some time with Ashley and Byron. Before arriving at their house, we stopped in Nauvoo to see the temple and go through a session. The temple is truly gorgeous. After our session we changed (in the back of the Penske truck) and got a bite to eat, then hiked down to the visitor's center (further away from the temple than we had anticipated), got a map and went around to some of the different sites. I had never been to Carthage Jail before and so we also stopped there. There was an amazing spirit there and it was very neat to know that you were walking where the Prophet Joseph Smith had walked. They showed a very neat movie before taking us on a tour of Carthage Jail that had quotes from people that knew the Prophet Joseph Smith well and what they thought of him. The spirit once again was powerful and a reassurance to me of the truthfulness of the gospel and also of what an amazing man Joseph Smith was. I know that he was a prophet and that he did restore the gospel on earth and how grateful I am for that.
We hadn't planned on going to Carthage Jail and so I called Ashley to have her look up directions from there to her house. The directions took us on some very small back country roads and to say the least, Matt is now an expert at backing up a large truck with a car trailer attached to the back. In the end we made it to Ashley's safely and it was a lot of fun to see Ashley and Byron. I was able to attend a baby shower for Ashley that the women at her work threw for her, which was so much fun! All the ladies there were so sweet. I can't wait for the baby to be born and to have my very first niece! I just wish that Matt and I were closer to California! We hope that everyone will get a chance to visit us in Virginia, and don't forget, we have a spare bedroom!
(Sorry this post was so long, we had some catching up to do! Hopefully the pictures at the bottom make up for all the writing!)