Harnish Family: Summer Recap

At the end of this Labor Day Weekend (and also Will's 29th Birthday) I find it appropriate to recap how great this summer has been to us. After two years of hard work together, we decided to shake things up a bit and take a break. We started it off with a trip to Cheyenne to see Michael come home from his mission and reunite with all the Harnish clan. We had a blast with Boomer, the twins and Lila.

The next week we took off to Mexico. That was such a welcome vacation. It was cool to add a new dimension to our relationship...international travel! It was an opportunity for us to learn more about each other in such an unusual setting - we loved it! What I learned about Will: he is very adaptable! He became an aggressive jaywalker (which is very unusual for "Mr. Follow-the-Rules"), ate whatever was placed in front of him - no questions asked (usually somewhat of a picky eater), and had no problem hitching rides on the side of the highway. For a more detailed rundown of our trip, visit Will's blog. It's worth it just see me do a royal belly flop off a zipline.

After Mexico we had to get serious about moving to Laramie, so we spent a few days in July looking at apartments and interviewing for jobs. Because I'm lazy, I included an abridged portion of a recent letter I sent to Jessy explaining the experience:

"It is amazing how the Lord works, and our experience [house hunting] totally reminds me of what happens to missionaries on a daily basis. We spent our first day there super discouraged – no one was answering their phone, and we were only able to see the inside of one place! We drove by a bunch, and I was admittedly bummed at how dumpy a lot of the places were that are in our price range. I was sure that we would be living in a dank, dark basement with no laundry, no dishwasher and ceilings so low that we would develop hunch backs!! After a few hours I suggested that we pull over and pray for some guidance. Immediately after Will’s prayer, my phone rang. We were hoping it was some landlord/owner calling us back, but it was his mom instead. She informed me that one of their attorney friends wanted to interview me the next morning for a job! We were surprised, as that was completely unexpected, but convinced the timing was no coincidence. So we finished out our house hunt without any more luck and headed back to Cheyenne. The next morning I went to the interview, and he indicated that he would like to hire me to do research and writing from home. PERFECT! I can be at home with Livvy, we can live somewhere in Laramie 5 minutes from the law school, and still have money to pay the bills!!! After the interview we headed back to Laramie to look at a few more places. This time we did get in to see some places, but came away still creeped out at our options. We started to face the reality that we would just have to pay more to get something suitable, and now that I had a job that seemed much more feasible. It was getting late so we decided to head back when I said there was one last place I wanted to swing by. We hadn’t been on that side of town, and as we approached we were impressed with how nice it was and super close to the law school. But I was sure it would either be out of our price range or there wouldn’t be any vacancies. We walked into the office of the apartments and Will recognized the manager (He went to high school with his brother and his wife). They are an LDS couple managing the apartments while going to school as well. They said they had four vacancies, but there were five people ahead of us on the waiting list. The rent is really cheap, and even though its a bit smaller than Old Farm, it’s clean, and has lots of windows. Basically, it was perfect for us, and I knew that if we could get in, I would move there in a heartbeat. I could just see us living there. We were put on the waiting list, but I just came away sure that it was the place. Two days later we got a call from them saying that two people ahead of us didn't pass credit checks (sad for them), but we are now guaranteed a spot!! Obviously we feel so blessed that things are working out so wonderfully. We feel this is additional confirmation that we are on the right path and following the promptings of the Spirit.

Jess, I guarantee that if you haven't already, you and your companion will have an experience similar to this. You will have frustrating times when you feel like you are working hard, doing what you are supposed to, but nothing is happening in the work the way you planned or hoped. The frustration will mount to the point where you realize--"we just need to PRAY, right her, right now." You'll find a private alleyway or doorstep and bow your heads together asking the Lord for guidance. Afterward, you'll be still and listen. Sometimes a random thought will pop in your head or you'll hear a quiet voice in your mind, but other times there will simply be silence--prompting you to act with your best judgment. As you move forward, you will witness how the Lord answers your prayers in ways you never anticipated. Be patient for those answers, and ask for discernment to recognize them when they do come. There are few things that bring me as much joy as when I have eyes to SEE the Lord's hand in my life, and how he answers my prayers. I know you have SEEN His hand in yours. Isn't it marvelous to witness how much He is in the details?! We laugh at how much longer our prayers are lately, but I want to make sure the Lord knows how grateful I am to be SEEING the ways in which He is blessing us. Oh, and I also have a baby sis in Thailand that I have to make sure I ask some detailed blessings for..."

I wrote that over a month ago, and the confirmations that we are where we should be have simply continued. Example: until I take the bar, there is not a lot of work that the attorney will have for me. We started to worry a bit, but the day before we moved out here I got a call from the University Sponsors Program asking me to come in for an interview (I had applied for a part-time job 2 months before). The morning after we arrived I went in and was offered a job on the spot. I told them I would only be able to work when my husband was not in class, and they basically told me I could work as much as I wanted, whenever I wanted (even after hours and weekends). The pay is decent and I have all the perks of a University employee. The Sponsors Program is in charge of all the grants and contracts that fund the University, and they need help interpreting some of the fine print. So that's my second job! I started Monday and it has been working out great so far. The office is laid back and I work with some very nice people. The best part is that I don't have to leave Olivia with anyone but her Daddy. Now that the craziness of the move is over, I've really enjoyed spending so much one-on-one time with her.

This is her enjoying the swing and showing off her fang at Grandma and Grandpa Harnish's in July:

She now has a full set of upper teeth, with spaces in between that make her smile so adorable.

This was taken at Lake Powell. A week before we moved we spent 7 days down in Lake Powell with my family. It was a crazy trip as far as weather goes, but we really enjoyed initiating the newest "Lake Powell Girl."