Saying Goodbye to Arizona

Everyone was so gracious.  We felt so loved and appreciated.  Our friends, neighbors and colleagues were genuinely sad, but also happy for us to be near our family.  We were seriously feeling the love!!

Our Arizona FAMILY will have a piece of our hearts forever!!  I know it's not truly a "goodbye" and there will be many ways to stay in touch, but I will miss the daily influence that they once had on mine, Brandon's and our children's lives.

Here's a short tribute to our Arizona people who taught us so much!!!

OUR LITTLE FRIENDS
A big shout out to Holly, Kaylee, Maddox, Emmett & Fisher, Ben, & Brooklyn who were the best friends that my kids could ever ask for!  The night we told Rachel that we were moving, the first thing we did was drive over to Holly's house to tell her.  We walked in and Rachel heartbreakingly said, "Holly, my dad got a new job and we are moving to Utah!" and then they both cried and hugged each other for two minutes straight.  It broke my heart into pieces and I was also sobbing and am writing this now with tears in my eyes!!  With Andrew's friends, it is absolutely unbelievable to me to think that he will hardly remember these friends because he is so young and the memories won't be as clear.  His friends were his world and they played so well together (the worst punishment I could think of for Andrew was to take away a play date).  Brooklyn and Kendall's love for each other was beyond any relationships my other kids have had at that young age.  They always greeted each other with the most tender hugs and I loved to watch them play and pretend together.

BEST BUDS
- Kasey Perkinson:  She has been a steady rock in my life - she was the best college roommate and we have been best friends for almost 14 years!  She is a calm & cool mom to 5 beautiful kids and I often marvel how she handles everything that she does.  She knows me so well and has been there for me at so many important life events.  They made us feel like we were apart of their extended family and we were often included in holiday and family events.  I feel totally comfortable being the real me around her and if I ever need anything, I know that I can always count on her.  I am not exaggerating when I say that almost all of her close friends have moved away to Utah (including her sister!) and I was the last of probably five people close to her over the last two years that have moved away - so sad!  But now I know that she will spend a good amount of time in Utah every summer!!  And now we have a better excuse to plan family vacations together and go on girls' trips!
- Sarah Tolman:  I got to know Sarah even better than I thought I did last winter on our long runs while training for a half marathon together.  She was the absolute, best long run partner and we could talk for 10 miles straight, no problem.  I love her more and more as I get to know her and understand her.  I lacked maturity in college and had a hard time understanding where she was coming from when we were at BYU, but she is forgiving and understanding of my shortcomings.  I find her to be brave and courageous, stalwart and also an awesome dental hygienist (when I finally let her be the one to clean my teeth, those appointments were so fun)!  I often have to be the one to seek her out, but it is always worth it!  She is one who is happy for my successes and would be comforting during the hard times.
- Karli Tompkinson:  I met Karli when she moved on our same street when we were still in our first house (it was about a year before we built our Lehi Crossing house).  She was a breath of fresh air to me and I was so grateful for a good friend in that area (since I hadn't had many since Lore had moved).  We had lots in common - one of my favorites being that her kids are early risers just like my kids, so we spent many a morning chatting at the park before it got too hot.  She is a mom to 5 boys and is the most crafty, creative and talented person.  She gives the best, most thoughtful gifts.  I believe that Karli truly loved my kids, and that is something that is so hard to come by, but was so important to me while living away from family.

WARD MEMBERS
- Jessica Hawks:  enthusiastic all-boy mom / always willing to trade babysitting / life of the party  (whenever Andrew would get mad at me, he'd tell me that he wished Jessica was his mom!)
- Cynthia Patterson:  such a supportive & loving wife / running partner / easy-going
- Andrea Gunnell:  carpool buddy / go-to neighbor / running partner / patient
- Kate Allred:  world's best visiting teacher / compassionate / amazing at everything she does
- Brooke Johnson:  one of the nicest people I have ever met / always thinking of others
- Brittany Schmidt:  party planner / running partner / real / easy to talk to
- Kelly Nelson:  gym buddy / cheerleader - encouraged me and made me feel good / talented
- Tammy Kreutz:  "yes" girl (STP) / always ask her for advice / willing / positive
- Annie Wilkins:  first person I met / girls camp / funniest & coolest chick / sweetheart
- Jill Caliendo:  candy connoisseur / dancing buddy / spotless house
- Jessica Slade:  wise beyond her years / always enjoyed her perspective / thoughtful
- Cheryl Stone:  I hope to be as generous as her when I grow up (STP) / outgoing
- Amy Rule:  charitable / outstanding mom / spiritual giant / perfect Bishop's wife
- Randy & Nancy Hatch:  genuine / sincere / loving / played a parent role of sorts
- Kiersten Rule:  the very best babysitter / strongest testimony / future leader
- Brenda Sibley (Preston Ward):  first person I met / wise / great leader / patient / loving
- Katie Murset (Preston Ward):  most faithful blog reader / never gives up / courageous
- Chrissy Olsen (Preston Ward):  the kindest / routined / committed / garage sale buddy / loyal (lives in Utah now!)

NEIGHBORS
- Amanda & Trevor:  We come from two very different walks of life.  In normal circumstances, we probably wouldn't be friends.  We have very little in common and we have very different views on many topics.  But we respected and cared for each other and she never made me feel like I was strange or peculiar for my views or opinions.  When I was in charge of our first neighborhood party, Amanda ponied up some serious cash (in the tune of $600) for an awesome photo booth and I was blown away by her generous contribution.
- Pat & Chuck:  They were the sweetest neighborhood grandparents to our kids!  They especially loved Rachel because she was extra sweet to Pat while she was in/out of the hospital for some medical challenges.  Rachel dropped off notes and was sure to let them know that she was praying for them and I know that they felt strengthened by her prayers.  We exchanged goodies with them and tried to take care of each other.  It was no surprise when they were Rachel's most generous donors for her school's Dragon Dash fundraiser!
- Jill & Ian:  I could always count on them if I needed some help or needed to borrow something.  Jill absolutely loves being a mom - so much so that it is infectious.  I couldn't help but be a better mom when I was around her.  She takes such joy in her family and has a beautiful testimony and I loved seeing them so committed to their church and faith.
- Tom & Leslie:  They were such a unique couple and I always enjoyed talking with them and learning more about their life.  Their home was always filled to capacity with their kids and they were always stepping in to take care of their grandkids.  What should have been a relaxing stage of life, was full of service and helping to support their kids.  They were very generous to us and brought us gifts and were very complimentary.
- Elizabeth & John:  I loved watching these two become parents to twins!  It rocked their world and they handled it beautifully.  I especially enjoyed watching them begrudgingly get a minivan to haul all their baby stuff around and of course, they ended up loving their van!

COLLEAGUES
I was so nervous the day Brandon was telling Osborn Maledon that he was leaving because he genuinely loves the people he works with.  When we finally got to talk on the phone that day, Brandon said that everything had gone very well that that he felt very loved from so many people that he respected so much.  I always enjoyed getting together with Brandon's co-workers.  They are a very diverse group - diverse in politics, religion, culture and background.  They are also accepting, intelligent, quick-witted, family-oriented and all-around good people.

This is an beautifully written email that Brandon sent to his colleagues at Osborn Maledon -
I have never liked or been good at good-byes, but I would be remiss if I didn't take a moment to express my gratitude for the time I have spent here at Osborn Maledon.  I seldom make it through a hiring meeting without wondering why you ever agreed to let me join this incredible firm.  But I will forever be grateful you did.  I could never express how much I have enjoyed working with you all or adequately thank you for your kindness and friendships. 

Ditto to what Brandon said.  We loved our time and home and the people we met in Mesa, Arizona!

Girl's Night to Oregano's then Gel Nails & Dessert

Kendall & Brooklyn

 Rachel & Holly / Rachel & Kaylee

Fisher, Emmett, Ben & Andrew

Kiersten - our most favorite babysitter who brought our kids all personalized gifts before we left

Karli & I with all our kids (Garrett, Easton, Rigdon, Brexton, Maddox & us)

Andrew & Maddox

Brandon snapped a quick picture of the kids as we were driving away!  And I was in the car crying like a big baby.

An Unexpected Turn of Events - Summer 2015

Brandon's Side of the Story:
[add later]

Whitney's Side of the Story:  
Sometime during the spring of this year, Brandon started talking to me about the possibility of moving to Utah for work.  I couldn't believe what I was hearing!  Brandon has loved Arizona and I was shocked to hear him suggest that we uproot our family and move to Utah!?  We had built our house in Lehi Crossing in north Mesa less than two years ago and we had moved there with the intention of finding a place/area that I could see us staying long term.  We moved to our new home and instantly fell in love with the neighborhood, ward, schools, etc.  We invested a lot of time and money in our home and were constantly working on home projects/upgrades.  We were convinced that we'd stay there for many years.  I finally found my Arizona niche, and the kids were really loving it too!  Rachel loved her school and her and her best friend, Holly, had been inseparable since the first day of Kindergarten.  Andrew had daily playdates and the best buddies a 4 year old could ask for.  Kendall even found a best friend, Brooklyn (ages 2.5 & 3) and I haven't ever seen two toddlers play as well as these girls do.  Truthfully, I saw my children going to high school with all these friends and being Toros at Mountain View.  I had fully committed to living in Arizona for the long haul.

Brandon started casually looking for jobs while I slowly came around to the idea.  Girls' Camp kept me extremely busy in April/May, so gratefully, I wasn't able to think too much about it.  I could see Brandon was not keen on the idea of billing hours for his entire career and becoming partner seemed stressful and demanding in many ways.  For the first time since moving to Arizona, he seemed slightly unhappy with things at work and the idea of working in-house seemed very appealing to him.
 
Then all of a sudden, Brandon had a promising job interview with Vivint Solar in Lehi, Utah as in-house counsel and I can't think of a time when I have seen him more excited about something!  Then before I could blink, he had a verbal offer (while I was at Girls Camp) and a promise of a job in Utah.  We weren't sure what to expect with the timing, so when I got home from camp, I spent the next few weeks getting the house ready to be put on the market.  In fact, we had the house ready to sell and pictures taken when we left on July 1st for our annual summer vacation to Utah.  But we weren't willing to do anything or tell anyone in Arizona until we had an offer letter in hand.  After weeks of stalling and putting us off, we finally figured out that something bigger was at play at Vivint Solar.  After seven weeks of ups and downs and uncertainty, they finally announced that they were being acquired by SunEdison and our hearts sank, not knowing what the future held.  But then, just a few hours later, the legal team called and explained that they had not been able to do or say anything until the acquisition had been announced.  They were more than ready to proceed with the offer and got Brandon an official offer letter the next day.

We attended the Allred family reunion and then made our way back to Arizona while we contemplated the many life changes that this job would mean for our family.  After many weeks of prayer, fasting and going to the temple, everything felt good and we accepted the offer in Utah!!  We had successfully kept this information from the kids for all those weeks because we didn't want them to get their hearts set on anything.  We told them that night that daddy got a new job and that we all would be moving to Utah in 2 and a half weeks.  Rachel's reaction was epic - it was pure elation for a few minutes and shouting that her "dream had finally come true!" and then she got very quiet and began to think of all the things and people she'd miss in Arizona and the tears began to flow.  I was also happy/sad/nervous/excited, all at the same time!!  It was a whirlwind two weeks full of goodbyes, putting up our house for sale, finding new schools for the kids, and packing only what we could fit in our two cars since we wanted to leave the house staged with all of our furniture and decor.

We successfully arrived in Utah on August 14 and planned to live in our parents' basement until our house was sold.  Brandon started work at his new job on the 17th and Rachel started school at Sego Lily Elementary in Lehi on the 19th.  I felt that we all coped with the changes in our different ways, but we all supported each other and were very excited for the new adventures ahead!

New Job Timeline:
- May 26:  Brandon flies to UT for an interview with Vivint Solar & is so excited for the opportunity
- June 4:  Brandon gets a verbal offer with a promise for an official offer letter the following week
- JUNE:  Lots of waiting and contemplating; Vivint Solar seemed to be stalling and kept putting us off for a week or two, but everything still felt promising
- July 1:  Head to Utah for the month with the kids
- JULY:  Full of ups and downs with very little information, but we get the idea that something big is about to happen and we were unsure how it might affect us and the new job
- July 20:  Vivint Solar announces that they are being acquired by Sun Edison for $2.2 billion and Brandon receives a phone call from their legal department just a couple hours later
- July 21:  Brandon receives an official offer letter!
- July 26:  Return to Arizona
- July 28:  We make the decision to take the job and move our family to Utah
- July 31:  Put the house up for sale
- Aug 13:  Pack our two cars with whatever we could fit and move to Utah (leaving the rest of our belongings in the house in Arizona)
- Aug 17:  Brandon's first day at Vivint Solar
- Aug 19:  Rachel's first day at a new school