Jason and I moved to Rexburg, Idaho back in October '07. Jason was accepted to BYU-Idaho, so we said goodbye to Salt Lake and bought a home in Rexburg. It was quite an adjustment! I was raised in a small town, but I've always considered myself more of a city girl. Jason had never lived outside the Salt Lake valley! So you can imagine how difficult it was for us to become accustomed to a town this size (17,000 people). Thankfully, Idaho Falls is a mere 30 minutes away, so we were able to get our "semi-big city fix" without too long of a drive.
Aside from the size, Rexburg was an adjustment due its freezing cold temperatures and icy winds. There were days the temperature got down to -30 degrees! We made it through the chilliest months without any permanent frostbite, and were quite proud of ourselves!
We've proven to ourselves that we can endure the frigid temperatures, the oh-so-quaint town, and the less-than-adequate shopping. (Trust me, the shopping has probably been the hardest part for me.)
As most of you know, Jason has a heart condition called congestive heart failure. Since being diagnosed back in 2005, he's also been experiencing atrial fibrillation, and just recently the problem has been compounded with atrial tachycardia as well. When we made the decision to move to Rexburg, it was with high hopes that his last surgery would fix the problem permanently. It didn't.
The next step? Jason's cardiologists have advised him that he needs another surgery. So we put our thinking caps on and made the decision to move back to Utah. Due to the present circumstances, Jason has had to withdraw from school, and so it seems we are in Rexburg for no apparent reason at this point.
We are sad to leave our adorable new home, and the friends we have made here, but we do know that it is for the best.
Thank you to everyone for all your support and prayers! We love you all.