Jordan it is. We think.

So basically it's this. There are a couple of scenarios with Todd's company where he could be useful. The decision makers in the company have so much else going on that it came down to Todd just deciding where he thought would be best--for the family, for job satisfaction, etc. So we've decided Amman, Jordan. And I think the company is just glad that they don't have to make a decision for us. They've said to go with it. So we are.

We took the family last weekend to house hunt. We were able to attend church services with the branch there. Right now they have I think around 50 BYU students attending but they are only there for the summer so the branch will look much different when we arrive permanently at the end of the summer. But they were welcoming and say they look forward to our family coming.

We are in negotiations for renting a house. The price was right to start with but the house needed some work. They want to raise the price considerably to do the work. Both sides seem to be willing to work it out so hopefully we'll be able to close the deal soon as we'd like to move by the end of this month. The kids and I will leave for the states around the 7th of July with Todd coming a couple weeks after. We'll be in the states til mid August then return to start the next phase of experiencing the Middle East.

I only spent one day in Bahrain where we thought we were moving. I've only spent a weekend in Jordan. So I'm not completely qualified to make a judgement on which place is better. My impressions overall though is that I think we made the right decision. If we're going to have a Middle East experience, Jordan is the better place to do that. They still have the modern life but there is still a sense of history and a slower pace. And much better weather. Bahrain seemed more like any other modern American city to me.

So overall, I'm happy about the decision to go to Jordan. Maybe too it's because I feel better about this move. Bahrain just never seemed to feel quite right. I just couldn't get excited about another move but I chalked it up to not being over such a major move from Salt Lake to Kuwait less than a year ago. While I'm not excited about the prospect of unpacking all that stuff again I am looking forward to experiencing a new place and hopefully seeing more historical sites--something Bahrain was lacking--unless you count the mall that was built 5 years ago compared to the modern one built only 2 years ago :)

So off to Jordan it is. This month will be a busy one for Todd with work making the transition from his job here in Kuwait to the one in Jordan. We've got to get ourselves organized to determine what we want to take to the States vs. what the movers will ship to Jordan just in case our stuff doesn't arrive to Jordan before we're ready to leave for the States. Todd has a business trip for a few days in Italy which I am lucky enough to go with him. Our niece, Sara, is coming from the States to babysit for us. Thank you Sara! Hope you survive my kids and the Kuwait heat! The kids are in school for a few more days so there is all the end of year field trips and parties. We're excited for our trip back to the States and hope to see all of our family and friends there!