More details--really long post, in other words.

****Okay, I just finished this post, went back to read it, realized how long it is, and thought you might appreciate having the main info highlighted in case that's all you care about. Doing it kinda took me back to my studying days from college...and I feel old saying that...*******

We are so excited. Today we started applying for a townhouse in Arizona--a townhouse! We found a place that's only five years old and yet has income-based rent, because they want the tax breaks. Boo-yah! It's two bedrooms, two bathrooms, two stories, on a corner, and apparently there will be no one above us or below us. (Some of them have an apartment below and you enter on the first floor, apparently. Odd.) The bottom floor is tiled, which I'm not into (and it's so ironic, after wanting to get away from the tile we've been living in for so long), BUT that gives me a perfect excuse to buy a cool area rug, which I was just wishing I could do last week!

It's apparently not as nice as the apartment we had previously decided on, but that place was pretty stylish. We're used to being plainer to save some money. And it has all the amenities we want--pool, workout room, playground, covered parking, pets allowed, for way less than an apartment! There's really something to be said for not having strangers clomping around (or other stuff...) over your head.

Lots of people have asked what exactly Jason will be doing. Well, he's going to be a Bilingual Family Support Specialist--which, as he always adds, is not as cool as it might sound. :) He's excited, though. It's just very entry-level, but should be invaluable by way of gaining him some work experience. People come to the agency with their family problems, and he figures out ways and programs with which to help them, to put it very simply. Home visits, driving, etc. But the company he's going to work for has really impressed him--they're supposed to be the best in the area, and they seem to be really well-organized and structured. We learned how important that is when I did PSR before we got married, and they basically threw me out the door and said "go help people."

Thanks so much for all your sweet congratulations. It means a lot. I know I have whined and complained about this plenty, and I really thank all you guys for being patient with me. We are so very grateful that things are finally looking up, but despite how hard it's been at times, we know we've been immensely blessed this whole ten-plus months we've been living with parents. Not once have we gone hungry, been cold at night, or not had a roof over our heads. We've always had just enough to scrape by. I know without a doubt the Lord has been blessing us, and is answering our fervent and repeated prayers now. I am also amazed at the timing and the wonderful details:

1. Jason's brother, Justin, just got home from his mission last week. (Pics to follow.) Now he'll get his room back (we comandeered it for Jamie), and it won't be so crowded there.
2. Jason's friend, Joseph, is the one who sent him the link for the job, and he and his wife Kaylea live there with their two kids. We get to live very near them again! We all get along really well, and they're good people. We're excited to be near them.
3. Another old friend is living there with her new husband, and another old friend, Jina, will be moving there in a few months! AWESOME! It's a bit hard knowing we're moving even farther away from family, but I feel better, even excited, every time I remember that we have good friends there.
4. The area is heavily LDS without being Utah-ish, and the temple is right nearby.
5. This happened right before the summer--at which time Jason wouldn't have had subbing jobs, so we would have had to pick up and come back to Sacramento for a little while. Pain in the neck. And though it will still be uber hot in AZ, we'll have a pool!
6. We had already gotten tickets to come to Sacramento during spring break for a visit--we didn't have to lose money not being able to come, and while we're here, we can pack up and ship everything to AZ.
7. I was really feeling like I was reaching the end of my rope, which double sucks, because what could I realistically do about it unless the Lord helped us out?

I'm just so, so grateful. I'm sad, though, that I won't get to finally have family and friends over to my place, because it will once again be far, far away. I dreamed about that for awhile--actually inviting Nor Cal people over to my place for once, getting to be the hostess. I've never gotten to do that. Anyone who wants to come down and visit us in AZ, feel free! There's something that feels good about getting to show people that you really can fend for yourself, instead of them seeing you nowhere but your parents' house.

I'm babbling.

Anyway, now is not the time to focus on the negative, because this is a very positive thing. Did I mention we went to AZ for his interview? We stayed with Joseph and Kaylea and got to look around the area a bit, look at a few apartments. We like it; it's like SoCal, but not as fancy. We're excited to finally be moving forward. And I can't tell you how excited I am to just put things where I want to all over the house again, instead of being mostly confined to one room. Decide on my own grocieries...master bathroom actually connected to my bedroom... Oh, man. I could go on all night, but I won't. Thanks again for your support, everyone!

Did I mention we're excited??! :D