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I borrowed this pic from a sharing website online.

Wow. I almost can't believe it. Last weekend marked 6 months since we moved back to Iowa. Mostly, it seems like we never left. Still, I can't believe how much has happened since we did. What a roller coaster it has been.
We first moved to Iowa in 2005 with law school on deck and only one little munchkin. And boy do I mean little!! Brooklyn was nearly 18 months old at the time and had her grandparents wrapped around her little finger. During that 3-year-stay in this great state, we survived law school, I learned how to be a stay-at-home mom, made lifetime friends, worked more retail, Mason joined our family, and we started the job-hunt; expecting to live a "normal" life after graduation. "Normal" meaning "not students". You know. Gain a paycheck. Bills, house, needs, etc. It kind of worked out that way. For a bit. I admit, I cried when we left in the spring of 2008. I shed tears as we pulled away from good old Maple Grove. And I had to pull over on the freeway and get Jon's mom to ride with me in the car.
That summer we lived in Utah. Jon was studying 10 hrs a day, basically 6 days a week. Stressing and worrying and trying to find a job. He (we) survived the Nevada bar and somehow came back with a job. We were feeling very blessed and, in September, moved to Nevada. He worked. We house-hunted. It was a crazy time and full of a lot of indecision. I was pregnant with Julianne by this time and that was the December I lost my mom. What a crappy year that was. We did get a house. Finally signed all the papers. Moved in. Had a baby. Got settled. Took the Utah bar. And the job ended. We decided that Las Vegas wasn't for us and we moved back to Utah. Six months after getting our first house and less than a year after we moved there in the first place. I was sad to leave our house but I didn't shed any tears this time.
Back in Utah we tread water for more than a year. We loved being near family. I have always been attached to my dad and being near him was blissful. I could go see him whenever I wanted and he listened to me rant more than once. Jon's parents were amazing. They welcomed us with open arms. Loved on the kids. We can never repay them for what they've done for us. Our kids got to know their cousins. Played with them every day. Brooklyn started school and has loved every minute of it since. And we searched. Jon took another bar. Finally, we got a job offer back here in Iowa. We took it and packed up yet another Penske truck.
It was hard to leave. The kids didn't really understand. Mason would ask if we could go see Grandpa Ken. He asked Grandma and Grandpa Hibshman to come see his room. But, we have settled again. It was like we never left. We have loved renting a house. We have settled into our jobs. Brooklyn still loves school. Her teacher welcomed her with open arms and she immediately made friends. I felt this way when we came her in 2005. Iowa is just Home. There's no way to describe it. My family is Utah. I long for them to be nearer. But, still, Iowa is Home. Six months has gone by in a flash. We are blessed. And, crazily enough a pattern has emerged. Brooklyn; 18 months, we moved to Iowa. Mason; 18 months, we moved to Utah. Julianne; 18 months, we moved back to Iowa. I'm not sure we're going to have more kids, but I hope that if we do, we can maybe be settled by the time that little one is 18 months :). My mom told me, back when we first moved away, that she didn't think we'd ever live in Utah again. As with most things....she seems to have been right.