Back to Reality, Eyre Style

Coming home from a mission early is something no one in my family had done before. It was a new experience for all of us, but one that I think we all handled quite well. Our solution for any discomfort, and to prevent me from having a difficult transition back to everyday life, was to throw me back into everything I love. I think it worked perfectly.

My first week back home was a little strange, mostly because my family had moved right before I returned. I came home to a house I had never lived in, but it only took about two days to feel at home. My mom and Don moved into a house back in the neighborhood where I grew up, so after a couple of morning runs around the old hood coupled with some personal touches to my new dwelling space, I felt like my best self. 

Then came the weekend, which meant we headed up to our cabin at my favorite place on earth! If there is anything that can snap me back to reality quickly, it is water skiing at Bear Lake! We were accompanied by some old friends and got right on the water. Despite the rather rainy state of the weekend, we made the most of it by skiing hard on the morning glass and hiking up to Bloomington Lake in a thunder and rainstorm. 

Family time up at the cabin the weeks following my first weekend back were constant and always enjoyable. I spent the weekdays scouring the internet and filling out endless job applications and then de-stressed on the weekends by skiing and hanging out with my nieces and nephews. Swiftly after I landed a job, we had our Hooper family reunion. It was so great to have all of my sisters and their kids in town in addition to so many wonderful cousins that I rarely get to see. It was a wonderful weekend of family fun on the lake.

Summer months with family feel like the best thing ever, especially after not seeing my family for five months. 

With a secure job, a happy new home, and a great new ward, life has settled into a happy state for me here in Utah. I can feel that the travel bug is creeping up on my again slowly, but I am excited to make the most of this beautiful state while I am here and make some good and much needed money in the meantime.