Going full circle

So the above picture is from 2002, our honeymoon, we hiked the Eagle Cap Trail, just outside of La Grande, Oregon, through lightning, hail, snow, and beautiful vistas up to Mirror Lake (shown below). The pictures don't really do it justice but I remember it was some of the most beautiful landscape I had ever seen and I've hiked Zion National Park (probably the 2nd greatest), Redwood National Park, and Acadia National Park among others. I remember staying one night in La Grande, Oregon, visiting the wards there and the Hubby talking with a former Stake President who was involved with an engineering firm in La Grande. A seed was planted.

Well, I haven't blogged this because the last few weeks have been a whirlwind, but Hubert got laid off (again), the second time in 12 months. The Central Oregon economy has hit us hard and so things have been stressful trying to figure out how to pay our mortgage on next to nothing.

Eagle Cap Wilderness/Mirror Lake

So, to get to the better news, the Hubby just got offered a job at a great company in La Grande, Oregon. It's a company with amazing work, amazing benefits, and well, we couldn't be happier about that........It was the job we have been praying for. Once again, things have just fallen into place and I can't help but feel the Lord has blessed us in ways we can't even imagine.

La Grande, Oregon

Population 12,400 (+5)

La Grande is quite a small town as you can see. So it's going to be a change for us but I think one we are excited about. In this small tiny town, you find not one (but 6) wards. Early emigrants to the West following the Oregon Trail passed through this picturesque valley and rested at the present-day site of La Grande before climbing the Blue Mountaints towards what was being promoted as the "land of milk and honey" in the Willamette Valley. Apparently at the Oregon Trail Interpretive Park, you can still see ruts from the wagon wheels of the pioneers....Really? I might have to check that out. Originally called "Brown's Town" or "Brownsville," a more distinctive name was needed so a young Frenchman living in La Grande at the time dubbed it "La Grande" and this phrase was agreed upon as the name for the community. Despite its smallness, La Grande is home to Eastern Oregon University, a place where the Hubby attended for a year and loved the fact that he could bike into the wilderness in less than a minute and be out of town.

It's quite sad to move away from all we've known for the past 5 years and all the great friends we have made. I don't think we could have made it through Grace's ordeal without all the amazing support we had here and people who just stepped up and helped out when we couldn't even get one foot in front of the other. We felt such amazing generosity in our time of need; but the Lord seems to be pushing us out and on to something else. Boise will now be our Temple and maybe we'll actually get to go for the first time in a few years.....I know that is terrible but it's really hard when you don't have family close by willing to help. And extensive shopping will have to come from Tri-Cities Washington or Boise. I grew up in a town about the same size as La Grande so this should bring back some good memories for me, although admittedly I haven't lived in a town this size for 18 years......

Well, that's the Morrison news. We are excited to have Kiley's Mom there (Twinkle Toes is still talking about her from the last time we visited), and the Wetzels better use as a stagecoach stop, and anybody else who wants to visit us......that's where we'll be! The last few years I have felt like a pioneer going through all we have been through, and again, I feel like a pioneer setting out for this new place, but hopefully the Lord has good things in store for us there. Hugs and Kisses!