My trip to Utah visiting Jessica, Tate, Cayson, Devon and Sierra (Marissa too) :)

I got to go back to Utah to babysit Cayson again!  What a treat!!!!  I arrived in Utah on March 3, 2019.  I am staying with Jessica and Tate while Jessica finishes her internship at the hospital.  She actually has most of it finished which will allow us some more time together. 

With my beautiful girls

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DEVON!!!!!    My first night in town I took Devon and Sierra out for dinner at their favorite place to eat - Brick Oven.  They are so cute together.  I absolutely love to see how much affection they have for each other and how tender and caring Devon is to Sierra.  He is so attentive and considerate.  I am so happy they have each found someone they love so much!!!!

At the rec center with Cayson

During the day I play with Cayson and tend to his needs - food, sleep, diapers.  In the evenings, Jessica, Tate and I take Cayson to the Provo Recreation Center to play in the water.  Cayson has grown and developed so much more since I was here in January.  It's crazy how fast and how much this boy grows.  He is so alert and so attentive to those that are around him.  He is also more verbal, stronger, taller and curious.  I love spending every minute with him.

Mommy and buddy

Play time is the best

I love my grandson, Cayson

Playing in the lazy river

During the day we dress up and play.  Today Jessica had the day off from work, so she played with us too.  Later on we took her dissertation to her director/professor's office on campus. It was super fun for me to see where she goes to class, etc.

my buddy boy, Cayson

Wednesday I took Sierra out to lunch.  I picked her up at her office and from there we went to Cafe' Rio.  We had a delightful lunch and chat together.  I hope this will help improve our relationship.  There is nothing more that I would like than to have a wonderful relationship with my daughter-in-law (and son-in-law for that matter).  She is the most important person in my son's life, and I love her so much.  I hope she knows that.

 HAPPY BIRTHDAY TATE - Tate's birthday is Thursday.  Wednesday night Betsy stayed up and decorated the apartment from ceiling to floor... literally.  She hung streamers over the doors, balloons everywhere, decorations on the walls and around the apartment.  She got cinnamon rolls for breakfast and treats for him to enjoy and take with him to work.

Tate, Cayson and Jessica - 2019

After work Jessica and Tate decided to go to Olive Garden for dinner.  They took Cayson with them as a Daddy dinner - birthday dinner treat!

Around the same time Marissa drove down to Provo on Thursday.  Jessica and Tate were going to Olive Garden together on a date for his birthday and then invited Marissa to come join them.  This really hurt my feelings because they didn't want me to join them, but they invited Marissa.  It really told me a lot about how they feel about me.  I felt really left out.  In the end I drove Marissa up to join them for dinner and went inside with her, but I knew they really didn't want me there.  I tried not to let it affect my actions and behavior but I am sure it did a little.

Grandma feeding her precious grandson

Marissa with Cayson at Olive Garden in Salt Lake City

Back at the apartment:  I had the best time with Cayson.  HE is so cute and I love dressing him up in the cute outfits I bought him.  He is growing so fast, he will be out of them before I come again, or before I see him again.  I really wish we lived closer to our kids. 

Who is the cutest baby in the world - Cayson 

Isn't he so cute!  I can't stop playing with him

One of my favorite activities is watching Marissa play the ukulele.  Cayson and I were jamming out to her sounds one day.   

HOUSE ISSUE!!!!!

So I arrived on Sunday.  Mark's boss promised PROMISED to get back to us by Monday Morning with the approval for us to go to Dallas.  It's like 99% a done deal, we just need to get the approval back from HR.  I woke up Monday Morning - Mark had not heard anything - nothing by lunch time - nothing by dinner time.  Now I lost a whole another day in finding a house and know where to look.  I can't believe this.  I am freaking out on the inside, but I know there isn't anything I can do about it so I just joke around with the kids about it, but it really is concerning.  It's already March 10 - Devon's birthday and I do not know where I will be living in 19 days. 

Tuesday morning Mark calls  - he says, "You are not going to believe where we are moving"  I ask WHERE?  He says, "We are moving to Austin!"  

AUSTIN ????? WHAT?????

IT wasn't even an option (well a year ago it was but it was turned down at corporate)

AUSTIN???  I was in shock - literally - it took me about three hours to come around.  Then I started working in a fury.  I had to change my flights from Dallas to Austin.  I had to get a rental car.  I had to cancel my housing arrangements in Dallas and schedule a hotel stay in Austin. Everything changed on a dime - CRAZY!!!

So on Sunday night Marissa dropped me off at a hotel by the SLC Airport and then she continued up to Idaho.  The next morning I flew to Austin and drove to Cedar Park (where my hotel is).   

Contingent Contract on the HOUSE

YAHOO!!  Mark and I are so excited to finally have a contract on the house!  It is a contingent contract which means it could fall through but at least someone liked the house enough to write one.

So let me go back and explain this interesting prospect:  After I painted the house the realtor invited the above couple to come back to look at the house.

 They loved it so much that they wrote a contingent contract on the house over the weekend.  Now they just need to sell their house and the contract will be final.

Our realtor said it should only take them approximately two weeks to sell their house.  It's so not fair that their house will sell in two weeks and it took us 4-5 months to sell ours.  There are several differences (she explained). 1) our house is over 100,000 over the price of their current home. 2) We listed our house after the school year started and then over the dry "hard to sell months" while they are listing their home just before the "spring" rush on houses.  3) We have a traditional two story house which some people like and others do not.  Typically in Louisville, people prefer a 1 ½ story house (with the master bedroom on the first floor).

Honestly, both Mark and I were thrilled that our house didn't sell until after the new year.  We were very worried about what we would do for Christmas, and Devon's wedding reception if it did sell before then.

*** March comment:  Now looking backwards, we are so blessed that our house didn't sell until now.  IF it had sold any earlier, we would have ended up in Memphis (where many people live happily, however it is now the third highest ranked crime city in America).  Since we had to wait, Mark's boss decided it would be better for us to live in Austin Texas - however he didn't decide that Until March 11th, 2019!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!