Well, another year has gone by and I’ve still managed to fool Thesha into thinking that I’m still her best option – or at least not worth the hassle of trying to find a better option. Yes, it was eleven years ago that Thesha and I entered the temple as two young and foolish lovebirds and left as one young and foolish couple. Since then we have gone through so much together. In church a couple weeks ago someone quoted an old saying that I had never heard before but it sunk in as I thought about the last eleven years. The saying was “Every living thing needs rain to grow. So grow when it’s raining and live when it’s sunny.” Of the last eleven years I can honestly say that the growth we’ve experienced on those rainy days has only been overshadowed by the amazing experiences we’ve had on those bright and shining days, weeks, months, and years.
So eleven years ago we celebrated a bright, sunny day, then a short year later we began a new adventure together when on our first wedding anniversary we drove to Albuquerque, NM to look for a new place to live. I wouldn’t exactly say that this was a rainy time, but we certainly had plenty of rainy days – especially since we lived in the desert. Of course, I didn’t realize at the time that we were setting a trend that would last a decade. Well, here we are ten years and five residences later and on our eleventh anniversary I get extended a job offer to move yet again. Yes, for all of you who wanted to visit us in Maryland, your time has apparently come and gone. If, however, you’ve ever wanted to visit northern Alabama then our next move will be right up your alley. It’s a good thing Tyler and Reagan have been so excited about the Space Shuttle, rockets, and outer space because we’re on our way to Rocket City – Huntsville, Alabama. Thesha and the kids will be spending the summer in Utah while I’m traveling between Huntsville and D.C. for a work project, then around the middle of August I’ll come out and we’ll be driving to our new home in Alabama.
I know we had a lot of people hoping our next move would be back home to Utah (ourselves included). We tried and tried, but apparently the Lord has a slightly different plan for us. Interestingly enough, however, I have found out that in a way we are “going home.” Thanks to FamilySearch I found out that our Choate ancestry came from Essex, England to none other than Baltimore, Maryland (Christopher Choate person ID: LHTD-FQV). They apparently moved to North Carolina then his son Thomas Kyle Choate (person ID: LZN8-7NJ) ended up in Marion County, Tennessee (around Jasper and New Hope, TN) which is about an hour and twenty minutes from Huntsville. It wasn’t until my Great-Great Grandfather, Squire Riley Choate (Person ID: KWCQ-FF9) (and his sister Viney (Person ID: KWVP-72R)) joined the church in 1894 and moved to Logan, UT that Utah became home for the Choates. He obviously missed his home since one of Squire’s daughters had a middle name of Tennessee (Clea Tennessee Choate). I guess now we’ll have a chance to see why he apparently loved and missed that area enough to name his daughter after it. So really, if you think about it we are kind of coming “home” – or at least home to some Choate history. I’m sure there’s a sibling, parent, or grandparent of Squire Choate finally resting in peace knowing that their great-great-great grandson/nephew/etc. is finally coming home.
So, as we start another amazing year together we also get ready to embark on yet another journey. Along the way we’ll just have to trust that the storms we may experience are all part of a greater plan of happiness – especially since we’ve had to literally dodge a tornado in Huntsville already.
