Muddy Miles 2015

(written 10/19/2016)

What a fun day!! Boys and muddy dirt go hand in hand. It was a perfect combination of mess and energy release.  

Jaxon was very very hesitant at first. He couldn't believe what we were asking him to do....jump into a mud puddle that goes up to his waist?? Are you crazy?? When he finally ventured in he was off to the races!

Miles was more into the adventure. Not afraid to jump right in and give it a try. After it was over he asked every day when it was time to do Muddy Miles again. :) For a solid year we anticipated the next Muddy Miles day. He was sure the whole event was for him. Muddy - Miles....that was just what he was and he LOVED every minute of it!

Elliot took off with Gabe and Dax right away. We didn't catch up with him till the end. He had so much fun!

It was the perfect family Saturday activity! One that will remain a tradition for sure!!

BOYS ARE THE BEST!

Larsen fam....they are the ones to introduce us to the fun

as if holding up his pants will help keep the mud to a minimum :)

All in....this really is fun!!

These two. Best pals! So different, but such great friends!

Mom and Miles

My twinners!!

Coolest messy dad!!

The bubble thing at the end was so cool. You could get lost in there!

The Haynie Muddy Crew

Haynie's and Larsen's

Elliot - Gabe - Dax

2014 Ski Season

This year was a great kick off to our first of MANY Coeur d'Alene ski season adventures!!

Elliot picked up on the ski thing super fast and by the end was rocking the small lift/hill with out a hitch. Miles LOVED it! He was a champ braving the cold. He didn't mind the light snowing and loved hanging on to me or J.R.'s poles as we took run after run with him in tow. Jaxon was a little different. I'm not sure if it was all the layers of clothes, the tight ski boots, the itchy goggles or what, but he did not enjoy it at all. We pretty much forced him down 1 or 2 runs and finally just threw in the  towel and spent the rest of the day in the lodge snacking. 

We spent all our ski days at Lookout Pass. Kids 6 and under ski free so I only had to pay for mine and J.R's pass. Not a bad deal when you aren't sure if your kids will even like it. The ski hill is genius...get them hooked while they are found and they will be your ski bunnies for life :)

(this was actually a day we went sledding)

This was a day I got a sitter and met up with my friend Angie Gatten at Schweitzer Ski Resort in Sandpoint. It was gorgeous! Reminded me a lot of Sun Valley ski resort. 

One day we will get season passes here and spend every weekend in a condo snowboarding our hearts out :) #futuredreams

Our Future is Decided

To say we have been on a roller coaster is a major understatement!! 

We've been searching for a place to call home since our first trip to San Antonio, Austin & Dallas Texas in April 2012. 

Since then we've visited...

Coos Bay, Eugene, & Portland Oregon

Seattle, Port Angeles, Sequim & Spokane Washington

Coeurd'alene, Idaho

Valencia & Palmdale California 

Las Vegas & Henderson Nevada 

Omaha Nebraska. 

Other places we've seriously considered by phone and email were...

Gainesville, FL

Denver, Boulder, Fort Collins, CO

Lubbock, TX

Durham, NC

Oklahoma City, OK

Layton, UT

Brigham City, UT

Columbus, OH

Louisville, KY

Indianapolis, IN

I'm still trying to dissect this experience and find a way to make sense of everything but it's still too fresh. There is only one thing I know for sure. Heavenly Father knows us better then we or anyone else knows us. He knows our thought process and our level of comfort. He knows things we desire and things we hope for, even if we don't know how to express those desires. 

We have felt so humbled and overwhelmed with blessings as we've grown closer to our Heavenly Father through this search.  We have had so many wonderful conversations with people who have helped us recognized what we're looking for in a home and what we can expect in different places. I probably owe many of you money for the "therapy sessions" you've helped me though ;) We have the greatest friends and most supportive family! The most amazing part is of all those places listed above is we have friends who have lived or currently live in each of those places. Everyone had such great insight. Thank you for your honesty. Thank you for your time. Thank you for your support! We are so lucky!!

I could start to tell you how we came to our decision, but it would take me all day to type it and most of it is in my personal journal already.  There were so many sleepless nights, so many tears, so many frustrations, so many concerns. In between all that was raised hopes, false expectations, excitement & desires. Each location had so much going for it and we discovered one of the biggest draws for us in each place was having friends/family close. Texas, California, Oregon, Utah, Ohio, Indiana...you know who you are. :)

After a very intimate experience with the Spirit, a heart felt fast and lots of prayer we came to our decision.

We are moving to....

We are so excited! I feel like the smile on my face never stops!!
There is still so much to do before we actually get there and time is now moving very fast. Our plans for definite moving dates and business closing dates are still up in the air. But hopefully it will all be clear in the next couple of weeks.

A few details about the practice we are buying: The surgeon is a nice guy who was looking to eventually retire in the next year or so. To make it work for us financially we asked him to sell and retire this year. We're so lucky he agreed!  His staff all seem really nice. His office is beautiful and new.   It's on the top floor of a medical office building.  J.R....eh hem....Dr. Haynie will be doing all the usual Oral Surgery stuff like wisdom teeth and implants, and will also being rotating call with the hospital to get privileges there to do bigger jaw surgeries.

We plan to rent a home for a couple years till we can get our roots planted a little bit. The most exciting part about this is we will be living by Mike & Carly Larsen!!
*for those who don't know...Mike is my cousin, he married my good High School friend Carly. We haven't seen each other for probably 8 years while we've both been away for medical/dental school and residency. They start a new job in July just like us!! 
It's so fun having someone to go through this adventure with! Can't wait to be best friends again!!

The sun is shining again at the Haynie home. No more heavy shoulders. No more confusion and frustration. We are very happy!!

Thanks again for the love and prayers and support! Seriously, we're SO BLESSED!

Now its time for all of you to plan a trip to visit us! Great Skiing- a huge beautiful lake- hiking and biking trails- and for all you crazy people, they do an Iron Man at Lake Coeurd'alene every year! 30 minutes from Spokane where the temple and airport is located. This little town is totally a resort town so come explore and enjoy with us. We'll make sure to have an extra room ready!!

XOXO, Chelsea