Thanksgiving 2009 in the Dixie Sunshine

Thanksgiving 2009 was quiet lovely for us Marshalls. We made a trip down to St. George to celebrate with the Rammell side of the family at my aunts house. The weather was wonderful down there, and the company was even better. We really did have a fabulous time - the only thing that would have made it better was if my husband could have been there.

These pictures are in reverse order, but that's OK. On our journey home we stopped in SLC to go see the lights at Temple Square. Little did we know that we happened on to the first lighting of the season. We were only there 5 minutes before all the beautiful lights came on. June loved it, and is telling me right now that she wants to go back.

This is my dad, his two sisters, and their mother - my Grandma JoAnn.

All the Rammell's that were able to make it. We are such a good looking family!!!

The girl cousins (minus two).

My mom preparing her famous rolls.

June, Augustus, and Ryana watching a movie together.

My Jack man being beautiful

The week before Thanksgiving we headed up into the mountains to get a Christmas tree. We found a good one. Too bad my dad only had a bunch of women to help him haul it down. He was missing all the men that usually come along.

And last of all my sweet princess girl getting ready to go for a ride in the sled. She loved it until her hands got cold.

November

It seems like I blinked and November is almost over. We have been so busy moving and getting Sean ready for his new job that it seems like Thanksgiving has snuck up on us. We are all moved out of our house and me and the kids now call Rocky Top our home and Sean resides in New Mexico for the next few months. Here are some pictures that recap that last little bit.

I was trying to get June to smile, but Jack thought his mom was pretty funny. Isn't he such a handsome boy!! Halloween was fun, and we went out trick-or-treating three night in a row (Boo at the Zoo, Trick or Treat Street, and Trunk or Treat). Below are June and her cousin Sadie being princesses.

The whole family at Trick or Treat street.

Sean and my little JACK-o-lantern

June and our pretty pumpkins.

Making a snowman with Rose.

Learning how to make snow angles. Do notice the bags tied around her feet - we need to be making a trip to the store to find new snow boots.

While we were up in Spokane dropping Sean off, June and I got to go explore the area. This is in Couer de'alen at a restaurant called Paul Bunions - I just liked the giant sign.

June by the lake. It was very pretty there - I wish I could have gone out on a boat tour.

And last but not least - packing up and moving away from our first house. It was so sad to say goodbye. Sean and I have lived there since we have been married - I brought both my babies home to this house - There are so many memories. Needless to say I was a bit of a cry baby when we left.

Change

On Monday Sean called me and said, "Guess who I just talked to." I said, "the Border Patrol" and he replied "yes."

We have been waiting for some time now for this call, but when it came we were still shocked. For one, Sean was told that he needs to report for orientation on the 16th of November (that's next week). Number two, we also were informed that it is mandatory dormitory style living and that families are not encouraged to move to the area. With that said, we had a big decision to make in one day (the Border Patrol guy gave Sean 24 hrs to give him an answer). I was excited and scared all at the same time. This is our life, and this decision will effect our family forever. We love where we live - all of our family is pretty much right here. We grew up here, and this is what we know and where we feel comfortable.

I think Sean and I both knew what our answer was going to be. We both thought about it all day and came to the same conclusion - we were taking the job! The days following have been a bit of a whirlwind. We now have to pack up and move. Sean will be moving down to New Mexico to the Border Patrol Training Academy, and me and my kids will be moving in with my parents until Sean is done with training in April (yes, that is a very long time to be separated from each other :( ). After training our next stop will be Yuma, AZ for about 10 months and then up to Northern Idaho!! We are excited about the places we will be stationed. It will be a huge change for us, but we look forward to the challenge. After all, this life isn't always about being comfortable - we are here to grow, learn, and become better people. We are taking a giant step forward into a place we have never been, but we have faith that this is the right move for us, and that good things will come out of this. Wish us luck!!!!