what a friend

Today has been the hardest day for me since the move. Being at church made me miss Fort Collins because our Colorado family was based mostly at church. It's lonely being the newbies. I need to remember this when I see/new meet  people.  The service was encouraging, don't get me wrong. Jesus is the same here as he is anywhere. I am guessing Davis has turned me into more of an extrovert than I realized. Truly, we craved familiar friends and faces. We sang "What a Friend We have in Jesus" this morning.

Have we trials and temptations?

Is there trouble anywhere?

We should never be discouraged;

take it to the Lord in prayer.

Can we find a friend so faithful

who will all our sorrows share?

Jesus knows our every weakness;

take it to the Lord in prayer.

What a friend we have indeed. I am searching for familiarity and comfort to fulfill my longings. Who better to know our sorrows? Our Creator,  Great Comforter, and friend. Another line in the song says "what peace we often forfeit, o what needless pain we bear". Story of my life. It is fantastically amazing how light and joyful your soul becomes when you lay your heart at His feet. O, I am such a slower learner and unbeliever. So thankful for a patient God.

View from Symphony

Last night, we checked out the Utah Symphony. There is an effort to get us youngters to attend concerts, so they offer tickets for ten bucks if you are under 30. We attended the Tchaikovsky concert and it was amazing. I usually become bored sitting while listening to music. It was so beautiful though, I was mesmerized. The piano soloist was out of this world, in my very educated opinion. We enjoyed it very much and have purchased a few other cheaper tickets for an opera and another symphony later this spring. There is a John Williams concert as well.  However, the youngster tickets are sold out already, no surprise there. We may splurge and buy tickets  priced for the well seasoned folks just to go.

a chance to polish up.

We like to get gussied up a little every now and then. I even wore lipstick! What what! That was for you, Lauren! 

yellow tulips!

red tulips

Today has been absolutely beautiful. Warm, slight breeze, and sunshine! Perfect spring day. All our windows are open. The flowers are blooming everywhere. It seems tulips grow well here, they are in almost every yard, including ours. We have some purple ones too but they weren't quite ready yet.

old school mowing

While lunch was cooking, we tried out the old school mower. It worked pretty well and Ingrid enjoyed chasing/challenging it as Davis pushed it up and down the small yard. We have big aspirations for planting and growing this year. Unfortunately, living in rentals, it's hard to invest in long term projects. 

Missing Colorado today

Davis and I have been alternating wearing this shirt. It is so comfortable and it reminds us of our great time in Colorado. Today was my turn. We went on a walk to the 9th and 9th area of SLC. It is the closest "neighborhood" to us, except for the University of Utah area. It has it's own downtown feel with several shops, restaurants, hair places, and a yoga studio. Because of the huge Mormon influence in this area, half of the shops in the 9th and 9th were closed for Sunday. 

9th & 9th

It is cleverly named for being at the intersection of 900 S and 900 E, all directions related to the Temple.

Davis and I bought some furniture yesterday. Our guest room is ready for people. We also got a new bed. While we put the bed together last night after the symphony, we listened to the Mormon radio. No worries here, we were just curious. It was a program entitled as "why we believe". Very interesting! Listening to it and critiquing their reasons made us examine our own beliefs and it definitely helped strengthen our own faith. 

We have a couple from our small group stopping here on their drive back to Colorado tonight. I am so excited to see faces we know! And my mom is coming Wednesday. I cannot wait to spend time with her!

Happy Sunday!