Hello Dear Family and Friends! We finally did it....we started a blog. We have been overwhelmed with emotions of love for our family and friends as we've experienced life's changes over the past year. We have been so blessed with wonderful, supportive families, and dear friends who have encircled us with love as we have lived across the country and far from home. We also have so many incredible life-long friends that we think of often and want to be better in touch with. I have a longing to reunite with all the amazing people who have blessed my life through the years. This blog is a place where we hope to share our lives with you, post weekly thoughts and pictures, and share stories- we hope it is a place of reuniting and staying in touch, and that you, in turn, will share with us what you are doing in your wonderful lives and families.
Please visit often....we love you all.

A little update:
As many of you know, we spent the last 6 years living in Massachusetts while Matt worked on his Ph.D. It is no secret that we LOVED it there! It became home. Ashlan was only 4 weeks old when we moved there, and so it really was where we built our first home as a family. We loved the beauty, the trees, the gorgeous Fall's, the pumpkin patches, apple picking, and carts on the side of the road selling fresh fruit, vegetables, and flowers. We loved the history and culture, and quaint towns of the East Coast. Boston, Vermont, Maine, and NYC became our favorite spots. And, of course, we love the people we met while there. Isn't life amazing? Heavenly Father is so kind to give us so many incredible experiences and so many people in our path to learn from!

Matt graduated last August with a dual Ph.D. in Evolutionary Biology and Entomology. YEAH!!!! For those of you who don't know, he does DNA research on Scale Insects, and now bat flies. I married an amazing man- and his hard work is only a fraction of what makes him amazing. We sold our home and moved to upstate New York to start a Post Doctoral Fellowship at the University of New York, Buffalo. It is such a fun experience to live in different parts of the country and experience all each area has to offer. We are a hop, skip, and a jump from Niagara Falls, and just down the road from Palmyra and the church sites of the Restoration of the LDS church. It has been a very special experience to visit those sites often and feel the spirit that is there. We have been welcomed warmly here and are excited for all the adventures ahead. Ashlan is in 1st grade and loves it! She is especially fond of math, but it is rare to find her without a Junie B. Jones book nearby! She is our outdoor fanatic, and will pick up any bug anytime, thanks to her Dad! Elli is attending a home pre-school that I am doing with some other mom's and it has been perfect for her. She is an indoor fanatic- just kidding- but she does change from one dress-up to another ten times in a day...no joke. She loves dance class. Matt really likes his job and we keep busy renovating our house- that's become a hobby for me and we love doing it together. (Although someday I would kind-of like to move into a house without bright blue bedroom carpet...I'm two for two right now!) We're also keeping busy with family trips and visits (more pics and posts to come), and can't wait for the fun activities of summer. We are healthy and happy and life is good. Below are some pictures to recap our lives over the last year......

Easter 2008- Sweet girls and Matt's favorite Easter egg- he was sure it would win the Easter egg roll!

































































Gruwell Family Christmas Tree- we love to go into the woods and cut down our own!
















Christmas Darlings




















Ashlan at the Pumpkin Patch

















"Elli the Cat" on Halloween
























Matt's favorite hobby- fly-fishing


















Daddy-Daughter time- hiking in Southern Utah



















Celebrating Matt's graduation on a cruise- just the two of us! We enjoyed my new sport, scuba diving...(Matt's been certified for years)





































Matt awarded honors- we love him!