Transitioning to Life in Oregon

Just an update of what life now consists of for us. It has been really strange not having to go to any classes or do homework every night. Somehow we have managed to still be happy without it. :) Justin leaves at 6 in the morning, so I get out of bed at 5:35, make him breakfast and get his lunch ready. Depending on the morning and my ambition I either go back to bed, or stay up and am productive. Usually the bed wins. Something I have really enjoyed about our new ward is that they do a workout group Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.

It has been a great way to start my days off, get to know more ladies (outside of just church), and hold me accountable for exercising. I have even been motivated to exercise more becuase on the days we don't have workout groupI remember how good it makes me feel and then I want to keep working towards more endurance and stronger muscles.

After exercising, I check the internet sites for jobs, cook, read, pay bills, buy groceries, talk on the phone, complete job applications, and wait for Justin to get home. It has been extremely strange for us to be living in an apartment. The two homes we lived in before moving here had large yards and even a garage for us to go work in. This has put a limit on our gardening, crafting, and woodworking, so we are looking for new hobbies and saving our pennies for the down payment we would like to put on a home of our own with a yard and garage.

Justin comes home somewhere between 3 and 6 p.m. depending on the day. He LOVES his new job, essentially it is actually like him going and playing all day because of how passionate he his about the forestry industry. Evening consist of- well actually every night has been different since we got here. We got cable so a little bit of television (BYU NCAA game last night) and dinner.

Having all this extra time each day has been a blessing and a struggle. I am really enjoying not feeling rushed to get the things done I enjoy doing every day, but feel like I need a greater 'purpose' in life. As I have pondered, prayed, stressed, smiled, and run I have come to this conclusion- I just need to exercise my faith in the Lord and His timing. Enjoy the time I have right now, realizing it won't last forever, but don't quit trying to find a job and make the future better. I would have to say our Troutdale Adventure is off to a great start and many lessons we are needing to learn.

Justin and Ruth Blazzard

Oregon Logging Conference

Justin went to the Oregon Logging Conference the year before we were married. It was like a huge toy box for him and his uncle. They have wanted to go back ever since then. Last year, we thought Justin was going to be able to attend, but because of a variety of reasons it didn't work out. This year, he went as an employee for one of the companies that is showcased at it. Crazy how life works out.

Here are a few pics of the day. Hopefully this will give you a better idea of what Justin will be doing for his new job.


These are a couple of the products his company sells. They are called grapples and are used for picking up wood and moving it around.


The Grappel Processor or the GP.This is the brand new product that Pierce Pacific is releasing this Spring. It combines two processes into one. There was a lot of hype about it at the conference. There hasn't been very many new products released in the forestry industry for a long time. This created some excitement at the conference. Justin is currently learning the ins and outs of this product in preparation to sell it.


A big log loader.


A booth at the conference was selling these wood logging models. Very cool and precise.




Chainsaw Art.




This is called a Skidder.



Also, I saw many real life loggers. I recognized them by the resemblance they had to Paul Bunyon. Maybe he was there ancestor? They wore flannel shirts, suspenders, jeans that were cut off at the top of their boots, and logging boots. They also had beards. It was rather entertaining. Great conference, lots of wood- we felt at home.



Justin and Ruth Blazzard

The Big Move....

Wow- what a process it is to move across state lines. I haven't had internet for over a week so this post may be a little long. The move really began right around Valentines Day. Our original plan was to leave the following Monday on President's Day, but it was going quicker than we had planned for and there was a snow storm coming. We moved quickly and left Logan Saturday at about 12 p.m.

We couldn't have made it without all of the help of others. Our good friend Chris helped us load boxes. Justin's family came and helped load the larger items and took us to dinner. My sisters helped clean and wrap up the loose ends. My dad drove the truck and horse trailer to us in Logan and from Ontario to Troutdale. The members of our new ward helping us unpack. I felt very blessed and loved when it was all over.

Another challenge that came on during the move was my eye. The day before Valentines, my right eye started to droop. The next morning it wasn't any better and was actually getting worse. I thought that I had a stye, and went to the optometrist to see if he could work some magic. He told me he saw a little Giant Papillary Conjunctivities or GPC developing and a little stye.

"I could give you a steroid to clear out the GPC, but I'm not going to. It should clear up on its own," He said.

He further recommeneded to wear my glasses and heat pack my eye. I tried to be hopeful and returned home to carry out his instructions over the next couple of days. Well, it progressively got worse. As we made the trek from Logan to Ontario, my left eye began to hurt and burn and feel like it had dirt in it. The next couple of days were not fun as that feeling only progressed.

When I arrived in Ontario, my six year old niece informed me that I look funny wearing glasess. (My glasses are from high school.) Thanks Megan. :) My other six year old nephew didn't even recognize me.

Luckily my mom has a good friend in the community who is an eye doctor. This woman opened her eye practice doors special for me on Presidents day. Her diagnosis: No stye, just a bad case of GPC. She put me on eye drops and within a couple of hours my eyes were filling soooo much better. I am so grateful for her kindess and skills.

Now that the eye problem was getting under control it was time to brave the weather and make the next six hour drive to our new apartment. We only saw rain on our way to Troutdale and arrived with plenty of time to spare before our help would be there to unload.

Our apartment is on the third floor. This meant quite a good workout that afternoon. Several people from our church showed up to help us unload. I don't know if we would have made it without there help, those stairs were killer.

It took us two full days to unpack and get situated. It was exhausting, but it has been well worth it. We are loving the area, Justin is loving his job, and we are loving the people. I am looking forward to the experiences I will have in this beautiful part of Oregon.

Justin and Ruth Blazzard

Valentines Day

I tried making these little beauties for my wonderful husband Justin. However, I killed the yeast (right after I got off the phone with my sister and my mom both warning me to be careful not to). While they may look cool, they were a bit dense. Next year will be better- hopefully.

Justin made my Valentines day exceptional. I got an eye infection the night before Valentines and that put a damper on the day. He brought home my favorite mexican food for dinner, and bought me books instead of flowers. My man knows the true way to my heart. :)



We topped the evening off by watching a logging themed movie called, "Sometimes a Great Notion." Comical-yes, romantic- not at all. In the end the guys wife leaves him and he doesn't even go after her. We had fun.

Justin and Ruth Blazzard

Sawing Trees and Ripping Out Stumps

What Justin and my brother Kevin did over Christmas break.Thought this was a pretty sweet pic, so I had to post it.
Justin and Ruth Blazzard

Portland

If you haven't heard yet, we are moving to Portland Oregon. In a previous post I talked about our trip to Portland. The purpose of that trip was for Justin to go and interview with a couple of different companies that work largely with the forestry industry. Upon our return home we really had no plans of moving there because the job offers weren't really anything better than what we had there.

At first we felt really good about our decision to stay in Logan, UT. As time went on though, things just weren't what we wanted. On a Tuesday night after work I asked Justin what he thought we should do. He smiled at me and said, "Pierce Pacific called me today."

The General Sales Manager had contacted him for the second time and said that they would really like Justin to come work for them. A week later we got exact measurements for the position and they got a commitment from us.

We are so excited for this move and feel like the Lord has really guided us to this point in our life. The company, Pierce Pacific, is a manufacturing company that produces specialized equipment for big machinery. Alot of this equipment is used in the forestry industry. For that reason, Justin is really excited.

He will be training for the first six months and then will move into a position as a sales/product support specialist. The only thing that concerns me about this move is the rain. When I was 18 I spent a lot of time on the western side of Oregon and that was the hardest thing for me. However, I know this is what we are supposed to be doing, so I trust I will adjust ok.

We will be sad to leave the wonderful friends and people we have met in Cache Valley, but are so looking forward to the new people and experiences we will get to have. I am looking forward to the Outlet Mall we will be living next to. :)

Justin and Ruth Blazzard

No Television

Justin's grandpa was appalled when I told him we don't have television at our house. He said, "Well what do you do then?"

I laughed and responded, "Just sit around and make animal noises at each other."
Not really though, we have been watching these shows courtesy of the Logan City Library:

Little House on the Praire (Justin had never seen them before and they are awesome!)
Rocky III
Rocky IV
So inspiring!

Ok, so the list is short, but I sure do like the library, because what else would we do with our time since we don't have television? Hahaha.

Justin and Ruth Blazzard