Church Office Building from Conference Center Roof
This site will be slower than usual for at least the next month. I have accepted a position at the LDS Church and will be moving from Portland to Salt Lake City. This was a very difficult decision, since I never planned on, or really desired to, live in Utah. (Hey, even the pioneers didn't want to live there.) Settling here in Portland was part of a "perfect plan" to live here and raise the children. But apparently the Lord has other plans for me. As I prayed about this decision, the answer came that it is not the life I choose for myself that's important, but the life that God chooses for me. And while I love Portland and will have a hard time leaving, I believe that this decision is an inspired one and will ultimately be beneficial for my family, my career, and hopefully for the Church. I am excited to be able to work at the center of Church Headquarters and plan to make a positive difference and contribution there.
Now it's time to finish the bathroom, sell the home, and find a new home in the Salt Lake Valley...
07 August 2008
Moving to Utah
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15 comments:
I love your site- I've seen you name around in comments at various blogs, but never popped over. Nice job, and the church is fortunate to have you on board. Good luck in SLC.
Wow! Congratulations! Odd as it may seem considering geographical distances, we'll probably see you more frequently in Utah than we would in Portland. And here I was going to post about you today anyway; now it will be in honor of your new job.
Congrats on the new job! So are you going to go for the older, smaller home in a walkable city neighborhood or the cheaper home with space for all your kids? :)
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How exciting! Has someone been reading?
I love portland, but I'd move to Salt Lake for that job, congratulations! And what an exciting change of pace that'll be. Less water (Really the salt lake isn't water) and more mountains.
the fact that the church has hired someone who emphasizes the moral and spiritual aspects of environmental issues is really exciting and encouraging to me. I'm happy for you, and for the church. Congratulations, and good luck!
Aww - Congratulations but with Kirkland and Portland being relatively close I'd imagined we'd get to meet eventually. Sounds like a terrific opportunity, though. Take care!
Just came across your site… and I'm _loving_ it.
I lived in Provo for 12 years (first as a student at BYU, then as a work-from-home entrepreneur). I liked Provo and liked Utah … but always dreamed of living in NYC, Boston, San Francisco, or London. But the Lord had other plans…
"Boston?" … "Nope."
"Now?" … "Nope."
"What about London." … "Um… grow where you're planted."
Then, out of the blue, I found a small condo downtown (SLC).
"SLC?" … "Go for it!"
So I put my house on the market while I looked for the right ward and the right condo. The one that first inspired the move was snapped up … but then the perfect one for me came my way. My home sold in two weeks … and my own purchase happened within a month or so.
Now… well, now I can't imagine living any where else. My grocer knows me by name … as do my florist, baker, and coffee guy (sells some great tamales). Living downtown is more like living in a small town than living in the wastelands of suburbia ever could be.
So… here's voting for you to move right downtown!
E-mail me if you'd like any leads or need any info.
Utah is not so bad!
I am thrilled that the Church has hired you. Without question, you will make a positive impact. Congratulations and good luck with the move. Please post when you get there and tell us all about the job.
I just found your blog and I don't have the time today to read more but I intend on doing so in the coming days.
We have a young man in my ward who is getting ready to go on a mission (this is so funny to say or write because he is already more than ready to go, he is only waiting for his calling). He is studying to become an architect and I think that he would really enjoy being in touch with you since he is really interested in earth-friendly subjects.
GMA-
Good luck on the move.
I just finished a move myself. To your old stomping grounds no less.
It is a small world, MFE is actually in my new ward.
The Gator Nation reigns supreme.
L-D Sus
I have no idea who you are, but I think we have a great deal in common. I grew up around Portland and graduated from UO's Portland Urban Architecture Masters program with an emphasis on Sustainability.
I'm living in Beijing right now with my wife and three children. I served an LDS mission in Taiwan in the mid-90's. I admire you for taking the bold step of working at the Church's headquarters. I've always felt a tug in that direction...and feel that some day there may be a need for a Chinese-speaking LDS Architect. I admit that leaving Portland for SLC would be my toughest decision.
Nice post...
this is very hopeful--
maybe you can be an "influence for good" (sorry to be so predictable)--
another Mormon who believes in green FAR from Utah--
:)
Congrats on the new job (by now you're probably settled in). I'm in Utah now after having lived most of my adult life outside the state. Utah is a great place, but be aware it can be a difficult place for your kids, unless your kids have the emotional strength to ignore peer pressure. In Utah there are three types of Mormons: active ones who are great people, inactive ones who are great people, and a middle group, active but very critical and cynical and negative. It's this middle group who are the problem, IMHO, about peer pressure. In New England, where I raised my kids, the middle group didn't exist, and we never knew about the inactive ones because they quietly lived their own lives. Almost all of the close friends of my kids were non-LDS and were great kids. There were great LDS kids too, but they were scattered over a large area, and my kids didn't have close, frequent relationships with them.
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