Hey the Grider's are back for more adventures! (I finally pushed myself into writing... )

So as most of you know we are no longer in the great state of Utah (Missing the snow I'm sure you're all enjoying right now.. really). We have relocated to the Valley of the Sun! Since it's been so long I wont go into detail about everything. but just do a generic overview of the times we've had.

Robert and I left our beloved snow covered mountains on April 2nd or 3rd this year, the day of a huge snow storm. it was 36 degrees out as we drove away from my Mom's house, and left with Robert's family on the 13 hour drive down here. We took a few last chance pictures of the snow that we know we won't see until at least next winter. and headed on down through Utah and Nevada, going by way of Laughlin into Kingman, Az. We stayed the night there and drove the rest of the way home to our apartment in Mesa (which was 78 degrees when we arrived). We're in a 2 bed 2 bath apartment, with a nice layout and pretty spacious floor plan if I do say so myself. So we've been doing well in our house for the past 8 months or so...

Robert was able to transfer down with Fedex and stay on with the same company, and I started with Mortgage collections in a bank which shall remain nameless, as they suck. The job was terrible and it felt like there were no ethics in what we did, so I couldn't do it anymore. I then went and got a temp job at Lane Bryant within a day or so of quitting . I was surprised I got a job so quick in this economy, but I have been totally blessed. Afterwords I was able to get on with Fedex and I have been there ever since. We are totally blessed with the jobs we have and the ability for it to help with school.

In case anyone doesn't know, Robert is going to school full time as well as working part time. He is majoring in Aviation Air Traffic Control. We're really excited for this job and can't wait for the ball to get rolling on graduating. Who knows, with the FAA we may get on quicker as sometimes they hire before graduation. Once he gets a little more into school and gets in state tuition (We're paying out of state now, which sucks. BAD), I'm going to try and start going as much as I can to work on generals, then try for the music program.

Meeting people down here has been a little hard. Robert and I are a little shy and have a hard time jumping in to social situations (hard to believe for some of you I'm sure), but we have made a few friends at our jobs and meeting more and more people in our ward. This ward has been really gung-ho on getting us involved and in callings. So far Robert teaches 2 out of the 4 Sundays in Elders Quorum, and is also a home teaching district leader. I teach the 7/8 year olds in primary, and surprisingly have really enjoyed it since I pretty much only teach 1 girl. She's typically the only one there. But it feels good to be involved with the ward. We've been going to a whole bunch of activities and people are starting to know who we are. There are a lot of really young newlyweds and young families that are going to school too. So we have something in common with everyone.

Well, for now we'll call this it. just to get us started. I feel bad not having much for our families and friends to read about our adventures, so I'll try and keep up with it. We'll get some pictures up soon from down here, but I used some great ones from our friend the photographer Becky that we took just before we left. Anyways everyone have a good week, You'll hear from us soon!

Love, The Grider's

Toast?

Hi all. today is Wednesday, and it's been an okay work week. I have finally gotten back into the groove without the holidays. so the work weeks takless time to go around. Sad news around the world and particularly Haiti. My heart and prayers go out to the people. I want to find a way to help. So maybe I can look into that in some capacity.

Today, like everyday, Robert and I carpool to work. We have the same schedule, so I'm dropped off about 30 min early each day, and picked up 30 min late. sometimes it's a bummer waking up extra early to do this, but we get the time together, which makes all the difference. Today we were driving I-15 to get to work today. It was early and dark as usual, but there is something along the drive that is seriously puzzling us as we go. Every time we take the freeway, there is a section right around the I-215 and I-15 junction, just before the 5400 S exit, that for some extremely odd reason, smells of burnt bread. Toast. It's the weirdest phenomenon, and there's clearly no businesses close enough to that portion of the freeway that would smell of toast. there's no Quizno's or a bakery. It seems to be mindboggling. I asked some coworkers today to see if Robert and I were totally off our rockers, but they admitted they smell it in various placs all the time too. Not just on that spot on the freeway. All over the valley! So I ask you all, Do you smell the toast? Do you know what it is? Is it some part of the cosmic world like the Bermuda triangle that makes our noses itch with the smell of a toaster gone bad? hmm.. Though it's of small importance, I find it facinating, and mostly funny that a small section of the freeway and various other locations temporarily smell like toast every morning. Pay attention everyone, and see if you can smell it while you're driving sometime, and report back to me.

Anyway, back to life. Yesterday we went with Robert's parents to dinner for his mom's birthday. Red Lobster. I was never really raised to eat a lot of fish, but Ive grown to like enough of it that I can really enjoy the food there. I've always liked shrimp and clam chowder. Easy staples of the seafood world, but I've grown to really like the taste of crab. It's very delicious, but I am squeamish as to breaking the crab legs to get the meat out. So, similar to that of killing gigantic spiders that are about to eat my face off, The Hubby makes sure to break my crab legs for me. Last night I had Shrimp, not feeling adventurous enough to order crab or anything else. It was very tasty. I asked for ranch dressing to dip them in because I'm not good with the cocktail sauce. After about 5 min of waiting for the ranch, the waitress came out and said they were all out of ranch. the whole restaurant and kitchen. I said okay of course, because what am I gonna do about the shortage of salad dressing, but still I was a little confused as to how you could run out of something like ranch. Pretty funny, and it amused us all at the table.

We started talking about moving to AZ, and since we have the scooter for our alternate transportation, Robert will be riding it since we'll be living right on his campus. He was joking about not riding it because it's so hot. I told him would you rather walk to campus in the heat, or ride the scooter with the wind? He's decided he's creating a new bubbled/ballooned air conditioned scooter (which yes, would defeat the purpose) so he wouldn't be so hot. We'd have our own version of the balloon boy riding down the streets of Gilbert. Feel free to laugh. Maybe Robert will be an engineer instead of ATC, but that would require a dramatic career change I don't think He'd like. But maybe one day, we'll see those balloon scooters driving the roads.


So I guess I'll post something about school. I'll post pictures about the main campus and also Polyechnic where we plan to live:

This is Sun Devil Stadium at Tempe Campus.

This is Gammage Theatre. This is for permforming arts. It's like the Capitol Theatre of SLC, in that this is where touring companies like Broadway Across America and others come for their shows. Next month is "Mary Poppins", and "Wicked' and the "Lion King" have performed here before aswell.

this is the layout of the Tempe campus itself.




The Polytechnic campus is pretty new. it's built on a military base for which the name escapes me now.

This is the main building and i think the student union. most of the buildings are newer like this. the campus is very spaced out, and resides right next to the military airport which is still in use. (for both school and otherwise)













This is the simulator building where most of Robert's classes will be.

This is the Family housing on Polytechnic Campus. So far this is where we plan on living. we're going to go down and look at the interior in the next few months to make sure it's all good. but it will be extremely convienent for Robert and getting to class. And, it's a free standing house, so no immediate neighbors.

So that's it for now. I will probably find our trip pictures from last September and post some of them. we have better views and other things. so thanks for listening. If anything else interesting pops up. I'll write.

Much love to everyone!

Our first Blog!

Hi to everyone! We, the Griders, have decided that we should start a Blog of all the "shennanigans" we'll have in getting ready to move to Arizona for school and the wonderful adventures that are sure to come . This way, all our family and loved ones can keep in touch with us and read about our goings on.

So to start us out. our move date is being pushed back a little so we can be here for Alaina, Robert's sister, when she graduates BYU-Idaho. We've changed moving plans and we're getting ready for early August. I plan on leaving work in May. Robert will continue to work while I am searching Arizona for jobs. preferably in health care, since that's where I've been working for several years. As long as were here while I'm looking, I think I won't feel so paranoid about finding a job and trying to survive on our own down there. So, if anyone hears anything in the meantime or knows someone, let me know!

Along with moving down, I'll explain what will be happening. We're going to be going to Arizona State University. Robert is majoring in Air Traffic Control. He already has about 1 1/2, to 2 years of school done through SLCC and Weber State, so hopefully He'll be done and graduated in about 2 years. It is a lengthy program, but it's the perfect job for him and will bring him and our family a lot of happiness and many blessings. I was going to go full time as well, but it's appeared much harder than originally anticipated. In addition to us having to pay for both to go to school, the first year would be out of state tuition times two. It turned into a huge expense that we can offset by me waiting a year, or I can take a few classes at a specific community college, that actually gives a tuition break for Utah transfers. My original intent was to major in Music Education, something I'm very passionate about as those close to me can tell you, but I'm finding my interests changing. I took a music class which was fascinating. and I loved learning about the music process and history, but some of my favorite portions of the course were writing the term papers. I don't know if it was the writing or the historical research that have me so excited, but I'm starting to consider that as a new possibility. Again, due to a lot of new circumstances, I may be waiting little while to get started, but it will help me delve into whatever I'm really passionate about and figure out what I want to do with my degree.

Phew! that was complicated. well, a little about the school. ASU is comprised of 4 school campuses across the greater Phoenix valley. (by the way for those who don't know, the Phoenix valley is roughly the same size as if driving from North Ogden, to almost Payson near the outskirts of Phoenix. It's Huge!) There is Downtown Phoenix, West campus, Downtown Tempe. (main campus. also where the football stadium is) and Gilbert which is the Polytechnic campus. they would have most if not all of Robert's classes there in Gilbert. For housing, we've pretty much decided since there is only one place for family housing, we're going to be living in Gilbert. It's on the far East side of the valley. (equivalent to Herriman and Bluffdale in size and amenities) It is a very family oriented part of the valley, and they will also be building a new Temple not far from campus! We have not been in the housing, since you would have to apply through school, but we've driven out there and seen the housing. it's an old Military base. and the housing are military homes that have been "refurbished", if you will. unless we go inside and find them to be a little terrifying, it actually seems to be a good place to live. and it's little more quiet.

Well, That's what we're going to be getting ready for in the coming months. Until then we'll just keep on living and working. We are going on a Vacation to Florida right after I leave work, since we'll have cleared all our debt and will be able to pay for the trip in cash (wow!) so it will be a little reward for us. We're looking so forward to this trip and can't wait till it's time to go. In the mean time we'll try and find some day to day things to write about, and maybe more info about our new life in AZ. We'll keep you posted.

Thanks for reading and Keep in touch! We Love you all!