March 17, 2026
Happy St. Patrick’s Day! Or, as they say in Ireland, “Erin go bragh.”
Side note: Greg randomly started saying that phrase a few years ago, and I thought he was making it up. (He *may* sometimes make up random phrases and say them as if they are well-known by all.)
Turns out, he was right, and I had to eat my words. Sometimes, humility is a beast.
So, “Erin go bragh!” I hope you are wearing green.
But I digress.
In yesterday’s post, I briefly mentioned the warm welcome we received when we visited our new ward in KC for the first time this past Sunday. Here’s the backstory:
When we first visited Kansas City to see the practice back in September, I had been scouring the Zillow scene for weeks, trying to get a feel for the housing market. I had saved several homes that looked intriguing, knowing they would not be available when we were ready to purchase.
We had a few hours of downtime, so we decided to drive by some of the homes I had saved, mostly to get a feel for neighborhoods across the city. One of the homes was strategically located almost exactly between the two offices where Greg will be working and was listed as “coming soon.” It was also the most expensive home we had saved.
As we drove through the neighborhood to find this home, we instantly fell in love. And, while we were not able to go into the home at that time, we both felt an unexplainable draw to it.
With no real estate connections in the Kansas City area, we reached out to the listing agent. She told us when it would officially be on the market and offered to send us a video tour before any pictures hit the MLS. She also said there were already several showings scheduled for the day it would hit the market, and they anticipated it would sell quickly.
“Could you represent us, or would that be a conflict of interest?” was our question for her. She agreed to represent us, and, because of that (and the discount it gave them), the buyers chose our offer over a full-price cash offer.
Miracles.
But why were we even making an offer on a house? Greg had not even signed a contract for the new practice yet, and we had no idea when he would be able to start working there. Our closing date was set for November, but we could be in Phoenix until August.
None of this made sense.
Everything happened so fast, and it felt like an out-of-body experience. Our prayers went something like this: “We don’t understand why we feel like this is our house under these uncertain circumstances, but please stop us if buying it is not a good idea.”
And, rather than hesitation, we felt propelled to make a decision that felt absolutely crazy.
So we bought the house, with no job contract and no firm timeline for moving there. We knew very little about the area, but it seemed and felt nice. We had no idea what the ward was like, but the Church is true everywhere, so it would be ok. Right?
When we decided to make a few improvements to the house, the doctor that Greg will be working for recommended a contractor, who happened to be the bishop of our new ward. We have been working with him in that capacity for the past couple of months, but we had never attended the ward.
Until Sunday.
We arrived a few minutes early, and the chapel was mostly empty. We found a seat near the back and listened to the choir rehearse. Almost immediately, Bishop Johnson spotted us and walked our way. “We’re glad to finally have you here,” he said.
And then, the people started coming over, sometimes several at once, introducing themselves and asking if we were new or visiting. For several minutes, we talked to a constant stream of the nicest people I have ever met.
Then the meeting began – a missionary farewell – my favorite kind of meeting.
After that, we made our way to Gospel Doctrine, where we were again welcomed by the masses. We have been in several wards, but this one gave the friendliest first impression, based on the warm welcome we received.
I know we are going to have to work harder to build a network of friends than we have in the past, since we won’t have kids at home to connect us with other families. But I’m not so worried anymore. I have a feeling these people are going to be easy to love.
We already have plans to invite families of all ages over for dinner and games at least a couple of times a month once we move there for good. And, while I am still sad to leave behind our family and friends here in Phoenix, I am excited to see what this new chapter will bring.
I am more grateful than I have ever been for friendly people who made us feel so welcome in a time of great stress and uncertainty. I think we’re gonna like it here!
**Read the rest of this journaling series here
