Scenery

The scenery out here is pretty amazing. The other day we took a drive out to the coast on a tiny mountain road. I kept feeling like I was in Forks with all the pine trees and high mountains...until I heard my kids screaming in the backseat and realized that Danny was not a super albino vampire sitting next to me. Then like 5 more minutes into the drive I felt like we were in Costa Rica with all the foliage and moisture in the air. It was a very foggy and damp day, but non-the-less; Goregous.

Home

Home is wherever I'm with you.

So much to blog about

So we are here. Cloverdale, California. AND the verdict so far is...I love it. It is simply breathtakingly beautiful here. I went running the other day and literally laughed out loud because I could not believe the scenery was real and that it was just outside my doorstep. It has been one week, one very busy week and today was the day that I have been looking forward to the most. SUNDAY, a day to go and meet some friends and get a little more connected to this community. Well my excitement was quickly abolished when upon arriving to church I realized how much I missed my home. My ward. My friends. My primary children. My sons friends and on and on. I did so good through sacrament. I listened, stayed alert and tried not to listen too well so that nothing would pull on my already tender heartstrings. I went to walk Eddy to nursery upon finding a room with 1 other child inside and some books. But still I was strong, I dropped him off and did great suppressing my memories of his joy when arriving at the K2 nursery screaming in excitement to see Lincoln, Grahm, and Harrisson. I walked away and headed into the Relief Society room where one of the sister missionaries whom I got to know a week earlier invited me to sit by her and her companion. As I sat down the sister said, "How are you adjusting?" I looked at her, paused, tried to answer, "good" but instead saw her eyes and her knowledge of the lie I was about to tell, and with tears welling up I said, "Not good." AND IT BEGAN. All that I had done so well holding down was now erupting at a steady pace. BUT I persisted. I sat through the meeting, participated and calmed myself down, so I thought. So at the end I decided to introduce myself and when I opened my mouth the cry choke entered rather than words, hormone induced tears ran down my face as I said, " I--i-i a--m Libby Sw-i---tzer" to the 10 women that make up the Relief Society. I told them that I am typically a very happy person, that I am excited to be here...which I am, but that I am just a little homesick and getting use to the adjustments. What is wrong with me? Haven't I learned the cardinal rule? "First, never start a land war in Asia" - but only slightly less well-known is this: Never bear testimony, make a comment, or share thoughts at church when it's your "time" of the month! Wo-sorry too much information as usual. Needless to say, the week was great, today not so great. BUT I still want to talk about this week...

So, I have applied for a bunch of jobs, the one I am most interested in is as a Site Director for the Boys and Girls Club in Cloverdale, but who knows what will come of it.

Danny is learning a lot. Seriously, a lot and when he is not working on a computer he is studying for his Network+. He and I went to see Social Media and I think it inspired him to be more of a computer nerd which I am totally down with.

We all sleep and in one bedroom. It is really cozy but also really fun. We are so happy to all be together. We live in a culdisac with like 15 kids that play everyday when they get home from school. Eddy waits around all day for them to come home and they love him. They all look out for him like he is the little bro.

The other day we drove to the lake which is like 5 minutes away and simply gorgeous. We took the kids to the fish hatchery and let them feed the steel head. It has been a very busy week spent with LOTS of time in the car and me trying to find my way around the city. But yesterday and today were spent my favorite way, just laying in the sun and relaxing in the yard. I'm sure there is more to say that I am forgetting but for now I'm happy. This is going to be hard, it already is hard but as I said in an earlier post, I can do hard things. And really it's not THAT hard. Til next time I miss you all especially you two...

Addendum to Strong Enough

Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed:
for the Lord thy God is with thee withersoever thou goest.
Joshua 1:9

My Free-be

Jimmy Fallon, why do I love thee? This is why...

Oh, and it's why I love you too JT.

Strong Enough

We all have hard things to go through. Some people have it easier than others and some people have it dang hard. People always say,

"God wont give you anything you cant handle."

I dont believe that. Bad things happen to people all the time and in many cases people go crazy or suicidal or they just "cant handle it". Sometimes bad things just happen and it JUST SUCKS and that is the only way of looking at it.

I believe time heals all wounds. I believe that the Lord can help us through it all. AND I also believe that we are strong. Who is "we", you might ask? It's you. You're strong. You're stronger than you think. You can do it,

you can actually do it.

And so can I. I am strong. I can do it. What is "it" you might ask? Whatever the hell you want to do. You can do it, whatever you need to do, you can do it. It might seem really hard,

it might seem impossible

but I just want you to know that I believe in you,

you are strong,

I know you can do it. AND I believe in me.

So lets go kick some ass.

-ass being whatever obstacle you are dealing with or would like to overcome ;)