Blessed

Mr. and Mrs. Bluth have been very blessed these last few weeks with Mrs. Bluth starting a new job and just a few days later having Mr. Bluth being offered a part-time job at a firm in the Loop.

We are feeling very grateful and our love for the city of Chicago has not stopped growing. Many visitors at church shared their testimonies and a couple mentioned that they thought it was quite a privilege to live in this beautiful city and we agree.

We have walked and walked and walked all around this city and we still cannot believe all the things Chicago has to offer.

We were blessed with an opportunity to give service by helping to paint some rooms in the school we use for church. The paint job took a lot longer than expected and Mrs. Bluth learned that she is okay with keeping her walls white for a little while longer due to the amount of work it takes to paint a single wall.

We added something to our repertoire of domestic adventures!
Freezer jam. Easy. Full of sugar. But so delicious. And Mr. Bluth calls this a blessing.

We went jogging/exploring one morning and we came across the Chicago Tribune building which has stones from buildings and landmarks from all over the world. We searched until we found the stone from the Mormon Temple in Salt Lake and feel blessed to have a piece of Utah with us out here in Chicago.

Mrs. Bluth married a great man because he will go to anything with her including symphony and children's choir concerts in the park. We attended an Independence Day Eve celebration on Wednesday and it was a great way to start off the holiday. We were definitely among the youngest generation that was in attendance and the most memorable parts of the night were watching the older generation sing all the words to the songs from their era. The most touching part of the night was when they did a tribute to those who have served in the armed forces and each branch would stand up when their song was played. The orchestra powerfully played the patriotic songs that we all love to hear.

Our celebrations continued the next day as we participated in our own 5k, went to the beach, and ended the night with a BBQ and fireworks.

While we had no Stadium of Fire and all the other outrageous activities anyone in Provo can participate in, we had a wonderful day with our little family and with our friends.

This Fourth of July we more fully recognized our blessings of living in this beautiful country and we feel very blessed with the opportunities and experiences we have been given.