Living in Missouri - away from all of our family is not what I would have 'chosen'. Although this has been a very hard thing for us as a family - it has also been something that has given us many blessings! We never would have experienced the joy of catching fireflies, or the awe of ice storms and floods! We wouldn't have the many wonderful 'friends from the midwest' that will be friends forever! We wouldn't have gained such an appreciation for our pioneer ancestors if we had not made the same trek they did - only in hours rather than months! I'm sure I never would have started using the term 'y'all' if I had not lived in the midwest! And I certainly wouldn't appreciate an arid climate and mountains the way I do now! Living 'away from our comfort zone' as our family was growing up gave us the opportunity to grow together. We didn't have extended family - we had each other and - for good or bad - we were always walking through the trials and joys of life together. We gained a greater appreciation for family. Even now we are somewhat amazed at the closeness of 'the cousins' when they were only together for a couple of weeks each year as they were all growing up. So - although we didn't necessarily 'choose' to live in Missouri - I hope we can say that we have 'lived' here. That we have taken those things that were put in our path and made them stepping stones along the way instead of stumbling blocks; that we learned to grow where we were planted. We are transplants here - we have grown and matured - but our roots are still in Cache Valley. And so - we have two homes.... where we live and where our hearts are.