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!

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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

Good Morning Monday!

Good Morning! Today marks one week in our new home. Here are a couple of images from the deck. Across the alfalfa field is the farm from which we hear the roosters and horses in the morning. It is great to sit and have coffee in the morning looking out over the field and toward the mountains. We went to church yesterday - it was good but not home! Sarah is down in St. George for the week at a Speech and Debate Conference. We enjoyed our week of having everyone together and are sad that it ended so quickly. She will be home on Saturday. The weekend is over and that means back to work today! The box population is shifting from the main house to the garage. Many of them are now flattened and ready for disposal - they did not go down easily, but, I am now winning!

A Day Off From Unpacking

Today was the season opening of the Farmer's Market in downtown Ogden. We decided to take a day off from unpacking and check out the market. There were herbs, root vegetables, crafts, jellies, jams, baked goods, cheese and assorted other products for sale. This was also the opening of the Pioneer Days events so there were horses, a stagecoach (complete with a fake robbery!) and an antique tractor display. The market site is along the historic 25th street in Ogden. Many buildings date from the 1800's. Ogden was a "bad boy" town during the 1800's and early 1900's-apparently "too rough a city" for even Al Capone! It was a fun diversion from the boxes which continue to mock me but when I stick my tounge out at them they back off!

We Are Fighting Battles!

Battle One:

We are making a small dent in the box population here in the new house. We are hoping that soon we will outnumber them but it is a fierce battle. We find that they have used aliases to disguise themselves - their nametags may say "kitchen" but you can never be sure. They do not travel with like boxes and the numbers that they have tatooed on their sides do not coincide with anything we can understand. One called itself "trophies" but was actually Bumper's bed linens. We have given up having any order to this process and are resigned that every room in the house will just be a mess for a while. Pray for victory to come swiftly!

Battle Two:

The Laundry! It multiplies every minute. A week on the road, upacking, and a husband that has been living as a bachelor for four months is a deadly combination. There is more progress on this front than with the boxes but it continues to rage on unchecked.

On a lighter note, we met some of our neighbors last night. We have got some awesome banana bread for breakfast this morning compliments of the family that lives across the street. There are lots of children in the neighborhood and everyone seems friendly enough. Chuck said that he already knows more neighbors after three days here than after five years in our Florida house. He made a map and filled in the names of everyone that has come by-pretty good idea, huh?!

We have plans to go to the Farmer's Market in Ogden this weekend and the rodeo later this month. July 24th is a state holiday to celebrate the "pioneers" who settled Utah. Apparently it is quite a celebration.

I have to sign off now the boxes are mocking me!

Love to all and thanks for the continued prayers.
Angie

We Are In Utah.

Boy am I glad that drive is over! We arrived in Utah on Sunday afternoon and the moving van delivered our household goods yesterday. It took about 6 1/2 hours to unload the truck and most everything seems to be intact - Whew! We have got a lot of work to and we all voted to unpack the kitchen first! NO MORE FAST FOOD!

I enjoyed my first morning in the house. We woke to roosters crowing at the farm across the field. There are robins in the backyard and I found the coffe pot after searching only one box. It is so incredibly quiet out here. We went out last night and were pleasantly surprised at how many stars you can see.

I would not have asked for or ever expected a nicer home. Everything is beautiful - we almost get lost trying to find eachother. Marco - Polo is a constant cry! I'll post some pictures as soon as I can find my camera.

God has certainly blessed us in all of this. As hard as it was to make this change, every where we look there is beauty and affirmation.

Love to all!

Almost There!

We are in North Platte, Nebraska tonight. We have seen enough corn for a lifetime - do we grow anything else in the U.S? We will be in Utah tomorrow after an early start. The truck will be at the new house on Monday morning so I will beat him after all!

Happy Independence Day!

We are staying just outside of Kansas City, MO tonight. We started out about one hour east of Lexington, KY this morning at 7:00 am. We spent some time with Alex's Grandmother, Great Grandmother and his brother on Wednesday and Thursday. We even had a pre-4th BBQ last night complete with fireworks. It was great to see him have the time to spend with family and reconnect!


We drove through St. Louis today and around the "arch". The Mississippi River was so high that many of the trees around the arch were out in the water. The corn is "knee-high for the 4th of July". Just perfect as our Indiana friends say! It is definitely a prettier drive than when Chuck and I went out in March. Everything is lush and green this time.


We are hoping to be in Utah Sunday, mid-day. We may not have any furniture yet but Bumper has the wireless internet working! We have our priorities you know!

Charles and Mittens made it safely to Utah yesterday. No one on the plane even realized there was a cat under the seat. I can't imaging what must be going through her little head. She is now incaptivity in the laundry room of the new house! She receives regular visits from the guys for food, water and freedom.

Angie, Sarah and Alex left today, Tuesday, July 1st. We drove for 12 hours, well, we left Pembroke Pines 12 hours before we stopped in northwest Atlanta. Can't say we were driving all that time! We were really tired starting out and so we stopped a lot more than we should have. So far so good, we head to Kentucky tomorrow.

Thanks for your prayers and encouagement.

Angie

The Chaos Begins

The movers are here today and my house is a mess! The estimate is about three days of packing and then the moving truck will be here to load on Friday. We all decided that we wanted to stay one more night in the house last night - it is hard to leave! The sleeping and eating arrangements were not the best but we survived!

Charles flies to Utah on Monday morning with Mittens. What an adventure for him. I guess it beats 4-5 days in a car. He was quick to volunteer!

Sarah accepted a job offer from a Christian school in Layton, Utah. She will be teaching 9th and 11th grade English, Speech and Debate, and coaching volleyball. It is a big order but typical of ministry! God has equipped her and I know she will shine.

We are expecting to be on the road by Monday the 30th. Pray for safe travel and sanity for all!

It is Really Happening!

Everything is falling in place for the Moods to reunite in Utah. We are expecting to close on a home on June 26. The home is located in Farr West, Utah, north of Salt Lake City about 40 miles. The house backs up to a farmer's field and has beautiful unobsructed views of the Wasatch Front to the south and the east. The house is much bigger than our Florida house and offers everyone their own "personal space". It has two fireplaces and even an RV garage! The 1/3 acre lot is big by Florida standards, the guys are already thinking "riding lawnmower". I think they just want a new toy!

The Last Day of School

Usually the last day of school is bittersweet this year it was particularly so!

Assumption of Command

Chuck assumed command of the 419th Mission Support Group in April, 2008. This link is an article in the Hilltop News, the base newspaper! http://www.419fw.afrc.af.mil/news/story.asp?id=123098901

The First Look at Utah

Our first trip to Utah was in January, 2008. We knew that there would be snow but, WOW! We thought we were prepared - NOT!

The Un-Official Pinning On of the Eagles!

After accepting the assignment to Hill AFB, Chuck was authorized to pin on Colonel rank January 15, 2008 - Happy Birthday Angie! http://www.homestead.afrc.af.mil/news/story.asp?storyID=123082239