It's been a year? Are you kidding me?

Fill in the blank.

Taking a walk down memory lane can be __________.

(What word would you use?)

This afternoon, I spent time reviewing posts that I wrote a year ago. Based on that experience, I find myself reaching for more than one adjective.

Taking a walk down memory lane can be,

A.) Hilarious
B.) Surprising
C.) Sorrowful
D.) Rewarding

With my children down for their afternoon nap, I clicked open "Booksmart" to continue the tedious, and sometimes emotional, task of transforming my blog into a book. As I worked on designing pictorial layouts and copying text from the June & July 2008 entries; I relived sad, humorous and hopeful moments.

In the past year, the question I've been asked most often has been, "What brought you all the way out here from Utah?" My answer is usually a deferral from the truth.

"Good question." or
"I have no idea." or
"Ask my husband."

A more personal response would be that we had been living in limbo and it was time to move on. We made a hard decision and followed a feeling/prompting that would lead us far away from those we loved most. I knew before we left that it would be hard. Even with the emotional preparation, I learned last summer that expecting difficulty and experiencing difficulty are two different things.

(Pardon me, but can I copyright that last sentence? I like it.)

I don't expect you, dear reader, to mimic the literary journey I took this afternoon but the links I provided in the above paragraph illustrate the feelings of sorrow I carried prior to our departure. One of the "surprising factors" came in the form of the loads of comments I once acquired.

If you leave comments, you earn comments. Clearly the decline is a result of my personal lack in leaving comments. Or I've just put my audience to sleep one too many times. Even so, as I re-read them, I felt tremendous gratitude for those who left encouraging words. The support, the empathy and advice from friends who are in our same position carried me.

I don't mean to sound dramatic. I know that I do. I can't seem to shake it off of my personality.

I was surprised to see this footage of Eliza and Henry. Absolutely, it made me laugh. It captured her blossoming personality. But to hear her mutter the word, "Poot!" when informing me that she needed a fresh diaper astounded me. Eliza once wore diapers? No way! Hasn't Eliza always been able to form intelligent sentences?

Henry's physical transformation was likewise stunning. He once was a baby. A year ago, I took away that sweet baby from the loving reach of his Grandparents. In a matter of 12 months he's transformed into an utterly adorable toddler. I can't give them back those months. And I feel kind of terrible about it.

An entry dedicated to my husband's antics reminded me that somethings never change. And for that, I'm grateful.

What's rewarding is that we've made it a year as Utah transplants in the South. I survived that heart ache. I no longer feel like a total foreigner at our local Chik-fillet. I've grown accustomed to the accent. Well, I guess I should say that the urge I battled of bursting into inappropriate fits of laughter at the sound of it has passed. It's the norm now. I understand the culture. Kind of. I appreciate the manners instilled in the children here. I respect the deep Christian sentiment in our area and no longer feel intimidated to be among the religious minority.

And most importantly, I know what a hush puppy is. I know how a hush puppy tastes and I know why a hush puppy is called a hush puppy!

There remains a void from the lack of contact with family, but we have made special memories with them this past year and will have another opportunity to make more soon (Hello, Lake Powell!). The longing to "be there" does not cease. Our desire to find our way back to Utah increases. With that being said, it is my hope that when that day comes, leaving this place we now call home will be a painful, heart breaking event. That will be the evidence needed to prove that we thrived, grew and loved our life here in the South.

Congratulations to me. You got through the first year. And you know what? You're exceedingly happy.