Friends

I have been thinking a ton about how grateful I am for making so many new friends since moving to Calgary. Looking back I realized that I have made very few new friends since high school and although I still count my high school friends among my closest friends I am not the best at keeping in touch with them other than through blogs and facebook.

When we decided to move to Canada I was very worried about not having a support group or people to turn to when I needed help. I knew Wes would be working long hours and that Lauren and I would be on our own. In Vegas I knew that even though I didn't talk to my friends every week or even every month that they would be there for me if I needed something, plus we had family there. In Utah I relied on my Dad to be my support and didn't put myself out there to make many friends.

I decided that when we moved I would go outside my comfort zone and introduce myself to people rather than wait for people to introduce themselves to me and made a conscious effort to smile at people. I was given some amazing Visiting Teachers that quickly included me in what was going on and made me feel incredibly welcome. They were great at introducing me to people in the ward and are always more than willing to help me when I need it no matter how busy their lives are (they are both teaching classes for me at Super Saturday) I have in the short time we have lived here made more friends than I have made since high school. I am surrounded by amazing women that care for me and are incredibly supportive of me. I have made friendships that I know will last, and I have gained something from each of the women I have interacted with. I hope that I will never go back to waiting for people to make the first move and will continue to make new friends. There is nothing better than having a group of people that you know care about you!

Lauren has also made lots of new friends since we moved. I know how important it is for kids to be able to interact with other kids and am grateful for all of the playdates we have been invited to.

I also want to mention how grateful I am for being able to get to know Wes' family that lives up here better. We have been able to spend more time with the Start side of his family and have had lots of fun with them. I have also been able to get to know the Cairns side of the family better and have loved spending time with Rebecca. We have gotten together almost every week and done fun things with the kids. Lauren loves to play with Marlowe and I enjoy hanging out with Rebecca.

I know we are suppose to be here, and I have learned and grown so much in the past few months. I really love it here and love the people that I have met here.