We made it!!!

YAY!!!! We made it to Arizona!!! We finally have the internet, so the least I could do is keep you all updated!! We made it about a week and a half ago on Friday the 17th at about 7:30 p.m. We had the longest drive ever, and a few minor difficulties while pulling the trailer with all of our stuff but slowly but surely we made it to our new home! We were exhausted but got all of our stuff inside by about 10 p.m. After we had brought everything in, Derek's mom and 2 of his sister's dropped by. They were down in Arizona b/c they went to the musical Wicked and decided to see how we were doing afterwards. I was really sick and exhausted so I wasn't much fun but it was really good to see some of his family.
It was so much fun the first couple of days that Derek and I shared together. We spent the first day unpacking everything and finding a spot for it all. It was a little difficult moving from a house to an apartment and there isn't a whole lot of storage space in here, but somehow we got all of our crap unpacked! Derek loaded a closet outside on our porch chuck full with crap. The next day we went to our new ward and everyone was so friendly and we finally felt as though we were at home after we went to our new ward. It was so crazy b/c we walked into the chapel and there were only about 50 people in the chapel. Our ward is only 35% active, so that means there are only 100 people that are active in our ward. There is such a high demand for missionary work here and it is completely different from Idaho Falls! It is a big wake up call to me and it has made me observe what I truly believe, and I have studied the scriptures like crazy since I have been here.
It was so much fun decorating our new apartment with Derek!! We have been having a blast on our own, and I finally feel like a newlywed!! haha. It sounds weird I know, but when we were living in Idaho Falls there was such a safety blanket and I never truly felt like I was on my own. I have grown with confidence since I've been here, and Derek and I have learned to rely completely on each other!! This has been an adventure and so good for us! His brother Raylon is living with us and he got here last Wednesday. He is gone a lot of the time, but it is a little bit weird for me I'm not gonna lie! I like having it just Derek and I, but Raylon is a lot of fun, and he knows the area so he has helped us out a lot!
The heat here is a little bit ridiculous, but I would way rather take the heat than the cold!! The hottest it has been is about 117 and it's so ridiculous that at 10 p.m. it's still 100, and by 9 in the morning it is already 100. Ya, it's crazy but this is how you cope with it. 1. Have A.C. in your home 2. Walk quickly to your car 3. Crank the A.C. in your car 4. Rush into the store where the A.C. is blasted. If you follow these steps.... the heat is manageable.
It is tough being so far away I will be compeltely honest!! But I do know that Derek and I are here for a reason... and that we have grown a lot even just over the week and a half time span.
This is cheesy... but this was the first meal we made in our new apartment!! Chicken and mashed potatoes and gravy!

Also very cheesy... This is the first watermelon I have ever picked out on my own and man was it super juicy and delicious!! Nice find I must say!!

We are so lucky, we are only 10 minutes away from the Mesa temple. It is such a beautiful temple and we have already had the oppurtunity to visit it twice!


Here is a picture looking into our kitchen. These pictures were taken in the midst of all the boxes and before everything was unpacked!!

This is our dining room and loooking into a peak of the kitchen

This is our bedroom... don't mind the mess, just keep in mind this was in the middle of unpacking!

Here is a picture of our bathroom sink... and you can see a little bit into the actual bathroom part of it just inside of the door.

Well... I still haven't taken pictures of our apartment completely decorated and unpacked but I will for sure do that soon!! I also have pictures of Raylon's room and the extra bathroom but I'm not going to post them!! Anyways I miss you all!!