Cold and Rain Today!

I have not been able to sign in to the blog for sometime now but suddenly today it worked! It is really autumn here now. We have watched the mountains change every day. The oaks are red and the aspens are yellow. It has been quite a beautiful show but today the mountains are completely enveloped in clouds. I think that when those clouds pull back there is going to be snow. The warm temperatures are history as of today. We have actually used the fireplace a couple of mornings this past week.

We celebrated Sarah's birthday last weekend. 23 - wow! We went to church to hear one of my favorite authors (Brennan Manning-The Ragamuffin Gospel) speak and then we took off for Salt Lake City to shop. When I pulled into the parking space I noticed stuff on the ground and realized that it was apples that had fallen from the tree. So cool-never saw apples growing on a tree before! We had a great day of hanging out at the Gateway Mall and went to Red Lobster for dinner.

Charles is doing great at school. He got a letter inquiring if he was planning to graduate this year. Seems like he will have enough credits at the end of his second year to graduate (thanks FBCS dual enrollment and AP!). He, of course, let them know that he has no intention of going anywhere for the next two years. He knows when he has it good! He is still on the Binary Bears competition computer programming team for Mercer. This year he is on the "A" team-the top team - oh yeah! If they place well enough at the competition next month then they are off to Stockholm - how cool would that be! He is still majoring in Physics and Computer Science and minoring in Computational Math.

I have been doing some "nesting" today. I has taken a while to figure out where to hang pictures and how to arrange things. I changed some stuff today and I think it is finally coming together at least on the main floor of the house. The family area in the basement is still in need of help! I'll get there eventually.

I will add some pictures to this page later so come back and visit again. Love to all - miss you so much!

.

Yes, it finally happened, Angie got a new car. Well, I guess you can't really call this a car. It is a 2009 Honda Pilot. It is humongeous-I really have a hard time parking and I am thinking that I need to go somewhere and practice! So, this is definitely a "snow-worthy" vehicle. It has 4WD and and all the good stuff inside the engine that Alex could explain to you but I don't have a clue what it means. The important thing is that it has XM Radio, lots of cup holders, lots of places to plug stuff in, storage, and the heater works! Whew-hoo! Cool stuff. It seats 8 people and can carry a ton of shopping bags. Of course I really wanted a red one but all they had was steel gray. I did not want to wait for something we were not even sure would come so there it is. It has Utah license plates so now I feel like a real Utahn. The inside is just beautiful. I love driving it - no one has driven it but me!

Oh yeah, so I am out in the yard the other day and I see that the leaves on the bushes are a really weird color. I am thinking that is strange because the trees in the backyard don't look so good either. "Oh no, has some kind of pest invaded our yard?" So, I ask the neighbor to look at the bushes to see if she can tell me if something is wrong. The neighbor laughs and says "we have this season here called fall - the leaves change colors, it happens every year!" I can't believe that I did not see that coming! It is in the 40s and 50s in the morning but still warms up nicely during the day. A sign of fall they say! If you look up in the mountains you can see some color already. I didn't expect any fall colors until later October-guess this is not the east coast!

Everyone is doing just fine. It is time for dessert, our favorite time of the day! Love to All! Angie

Hello Fall!

Unlike the typical Florida Labor Day of picnics and the beach, we have rain, wind and hail today. It is in the 40s this morning and definitely not a day for outdoor activities. As I am writing this post the clouds are pulling back from the mountains and I can see snow up there! The hummingbirds are having a war in our backyard as they compete for nourishment in preparation to fly to South America for the winter. And how do I know this? Huh! I only know this because of the nice lady at Lowes that told me all about hummingbirds and planting bulbs! We have three feeders and they are hilarious to watch as they fight for territory. Last night at dinner they were completely confused because they could see Alex's red shirt through the window. They kept flying up and staring through the sliding glass doors at him!

The weather the last couple of days has changed completely. Saturday I was out planting flowers (Perennials, of course, thanks to my Utah Gardening By the Month Book!) helping Chuck with the lawn work and getting sunburned and dehydrated. That night we were watching TV and heard a huge noise outside. The lawn chairs were heading toward the neighbor's yard and stuff was flying all over the place. We brought in all of the loose things from the deck and tied down the chairs. Just like hurricane preps! We get these micro-bursts of wind out here that come out of nowhere. The grill has travelled across the deck on more than one occasion.

Everyone is doing well. We are busy with the stuff of life and enjoying each new experience. We have been to Salt Lake City to shop (thank goodness they have The Loft!) and continue to enjoy the Farmer's Market on Saturdays. There are sunflowers growing wild along the roads and the fence behind the house. I love going out and cutting a bunch to keep on the kitchen table.

Sarah loves teaching and her students. (Well, most of her students!) She sees them everywhere we go - "Miss Mooooood"! Her classroom has a beautiful view of the mountains. Charles has settled into school and is pursuing a research internship for next summer. He would appreciate your prayers as the programs are very competitive! He was asked to be a Supplemental Instruction for the 1st year physics classes which was quite the honor for a sophomore! He is not able to take the position because it conflicts with Multivariable Calculus (yeah, right, whatever!) but it was very cool to be asked! Alex works long hours, the life of a manager in training, but loves his job. He has been fishing and is longing for a pontoon boat. Chuck went over to Wyoming Saturday to a "Mountain Man Rendezvous" event. No Civil War battle, but fun anyway.

It is a great day to curl up with a book and that is where I am headed now.

Love to all - We miss you, Angie and fam

Sorry no pictures this time! We went to Snowbasin Ski Resort to hike last weekend and got everyone posed for a picture and realized that the camera battery was dead. Bummer, now we are going to have to hike to the top of Mt. Ogden again to prove that we were really there. Chuck and Sarah don't really care whether you believe them or not, they are not going back up there. Bumper says to tell everyone that he hiked the highest on the mountain with Mom coming in a distant second. We can see the peak from our house so it is really cool to sit outside and look back at where we were. Mt. Ogden is over 9000 feet above sea level. Breathing was definitely an issue, not to mention the hike-and, we took the gondola up as far as we could. We took the gondola back down and had lunch on the outdoor patio at the lodge. It was quiet and laid back but we hear that it will change when the snow arrives. Sarah was mostly interested in the cute ski jackets in the shop - the ones with the fur on the hoods!

Bumper and I left on Wednesday to begin the trek back to the east coast toward Mercer. We left home about 9 am and arrived in Macon at 11 pm. What a long day! The jeep was supposed to be delivered early Thursday morning but was delayed until Friday night. It was quite inconvenient and expensive but we rented an SUV so we could run the errands that we went up a day early to do and so that we could pick up his stuff from Ann's house. The move in went well and praise the Lord he was on the first floor. He is happy to be back at school and classes start tomorrow. He is taking Modern Physics, Data Structures and Algorithms, Multivariable Calculus, Scientific Inquiry, and Greek. Yikes-I can't even imagine!

Sarah starts classes on Wednesday. She survived parent orientation and is ready to get going with her classes. We will post a picture of her classroom when one of us remembers to charge a camera battery!

Alex has been working hard and enjoys his job. We miss him at dinner now since he has to learn how to "close" the store. His schedule has been 2-10pm 5 days a week for now. He has been off most Sundays so that is great. He has done a lot of work on his car and still has a lot to do. Some of the work has been repairs but some has been for fun as well. Among other things, it is louder now - that is a good thing, go figure!

Chuck and I are enjoying the change and the slower day to day pace here in Utah. We have a few big Air Force events coming up and are getting used to the greater social requirements of his position. Of couse, I am always worried about what to wear! The weather is turning quickly and I think that fall is just around the corner. It is still in the high 80s during the day but the evenings are in the 50s. We won't be eating out on the deck for long I suppose. It is nice to sleep with the windows open and catch the breeze. We built a fire one night last week and roasted marshmallows in the backyard. Now, that was quite a different activity for the Mood family!

I think of you often and miss everyone. Thanks for your prayers and e-mails. Love to all!

Hello August

Well, I guess it has been a while since I took the time to update! It does not feel like we are on vacation anymore! I have been working some at the church, Chuck is working, Alex is working, Sarah is getting her classroom ready and Charles is chillin' before he goes back to school next week.

I got a vehicle finally! I love my new 4WD Honda Pilot. It is a "mondo" sized vehicle and just what we need for Utah! I sure hope gas prices go down here like in Florida!

Our latest Utah adventures include a visit to the Shooting Star Saloon (yes, I have been in Utah one month and I have been to my first "bar" ever!) Their hamburgers are apparently famous in these parts and it is the place to take visitors, which is why we were there. (Air Force guys) Oh yeah, they only serve hamburgers and chips - "nothing else - don't ask - this is not a restaurant"! The Shooting Star is the oldest saloon in Utah-whatever! The cool part was that it is located on the east side of the mountains so we went through Ogden canyon to get there. It was a great drive, especially in the new Pilot! I took Sarah, Bumper and Alex through the canyon on Saturday so that they could see it also. There is a great waterfall that you can stop and see along the way and a huge reservoir over there. There were people rock climbing along the road in the deepest part of the canyon - crazy I tell you!

Sunday evening we went over to Antelope Island. "Where the buffalo roam and the deer and the antelope play!" The island is in the Great Salt Lake which is a little south and west of Farr West. It was really neat to look back at the Wasatch Front and find the towns along the mountain range. We really did see antelope, deer and bison. The sun was setting as we drove back to the mainland which was beautiful. The bad part was that during the summer the lake REALLY STINKS! I don't think I have ever smelled anything so gross. We were laughing so hard and trying to keep out mouths shut-someone got some tissues and we all had our noses and mouths covered on the ride back.

We are planning to go hiking up at Snowbasin Ski Resort this weekend and the Weber County Fair is happening this week as well. Bumper goes back to school next week so we've got to do as much as we can before he leaves. He is so excited to go back to school and see his friends. I have enjoyed having everyone home and I sure hate to see it end. Everything is as it should be though - little boys must become men!

Pioneer Days Rodeo!

Last night we went to the Pioneer Days Rodeo in Ogden. What a great adventure and appropriate since we are now unofficial "westerners"! The rodeo was part of the Pioneer Days celebration that has been going on all week here in Utah. Today was a state holiday complete with parade, rodeo finals, and fireworks. The rodeo theme was "Tough Enough to Wear Pink" in support of and to raise money for breast cancer research. Most of the participants were in pink and a good part of the spectators were as well. We outfitted ourselves at the local western wear store (that was quite an adventure!) and set out to see what a rodeo was all about. The arena is nestled next to the beautiful Odgen River and along the Ben Lomond Peak of the Wasatch Front. We had a great time and saw cattle roping, bull riding, bronco riding, barrel racing and even a rodeo clown to add to the entertainment. Very cool small town stuff! Enjoy the pictures. Love to all, Angie

These pictures are of the living room and the family room. The red couches are in the living room on the main floor of the house. The family room is huge and is located in the basement. The windows that line the family room are at ground level.

So, here is a weather update from Farr West. It has been incredibly hot this last few days with highs in the upper 90's. The temperature keeps flirting with the 80's but no long term luck yet. The humidity here is very low and so there is no melting of the makeup when you get in the car in the morning which is great, however, our skin is so dry that we can't get enough to drink or enough lotion to soothe our hands and feet! This morning, though, I woke up to very light sprinkles of rain. (I'm not sure you can call it that but the ground is wet from something other than the sprinklers!) The humidity is 69%, YES! I want to go stand outside and let the mositure pour over me and soak in!

We had a great Sunday just hanging out together. Everyone was home which just makes my day! We went to church, out to lunch, walking on 25th street, to the movies, home for dinner and then watched one of our favorite movies, "On Golden Pond" while eating brownies. I couldn't ask for a better way to spend the day.

The house is coming together little by little. We are missing a box which is a bummer because it has the glass shelving for one section of our wall unit and some nice glass pieces. Fortunately I brought everything that was not replaceable in the car with us. I'll call the truck driver today and see if he knows anything. All of the boxes are unpacked except for Sarah's since she was out of town last week. Today we will tackle her room and get things arranged. There is still a lot to do but it does feel great to have most of the house in order.

I love being home and taking care of my family and enjoying our time together. Bumper has to go back to school in just a few weeks so we will try to fit as much "fun" time in as possible before he leaves. I was offered a job at Washington Heights Baptist Church in a support position for the student ministries pastors. It will be quite different than FBCS on the stress level indicator and so I have decided to give it a try. I don't need to start until August and then I can work just a couple of days a week until I am ready to do a full-time schedule. They were very accommodating of the craziness that this move has been for our family and giving me time to settle in. I was not particularily in a hurry to get a job but there are only a couple of churches that are actually big enough to have a full time staff and I figured that if I wanted to stay in ministry work that I had better take the opportunity.

I love and miss you all! Thanks for your prayers, e-mails, responses to the blog, facebook messages and text messages. Thank goodness for the digital age or I would feel like I was in Siberia! Love, Angie