Baby

A little text conversation I had at work with my beautiful wife:

Gini: I think I have a vampire baby, because he is beating the crap out of me.
Me: Do you want to be turned? I can do that.
Gini: You can't. You're not even a vampire.
Me: Oh...
Gini: I need edward to do it.
Me: Oh for HECK'S sake
Gini: Sorry. Maybe its his baby...


I guess I missed a lot at that movie she went to.

Thanksgiving

I should be in bed but I just finished some epic Harvard Business School case studies for class and need to unwind so I thought I would blog.

Updates:

- Gini is in her third trimester and is only about 5 lbs heavier than when she started.

- We are under contract to purchase a town home in Holliday

- We both have the end of our semester in the next two weeks

- Holidays are right around the corner and so is a move

Basically life is good for us right now. Tonight Gini and I were talking about our marriage and how we still haven't developed into those standard roles, with both of us working full-time, working on our master's degree, and Gini pregnant we haven't had much time to relax and anything that needs to be done gets done by whoever can do it at the time. It is fun and I really enjoy this way a lot better. There are days I know when I need extra help and there is Gini to help out and pitch in even though she is 6 months pregnant (she is don't let her tiny belly fool ya) and then there are days I can help her out. It is awesome. I am glad we both don't just have our tasks that we strive to do and then take a break when they are done.

Anyways, things are going good for us. We will keep you up to date on the home situation.

Gini's Latest Love

I am so proud of my wife. Today without any prompting she went into my hunting tote and came up with this fabulous outfit. Doesn't it just fit her?

Elk Hunt and other Awesome events

So the past week has truly been a spectacular one, and it should be considering I start my MBA program tonight and free weekends are about to become an endangered species. Let's start it off with last Thursday.

Gini's Dad gave us some REALLY good tickets to Mary Poppins so we went to with her sister, my sister-in-law and our two nephews. Gini's nephew loves movies and plays and is just so smart, he can memorize a play or movie from watching it one time and then wants to reenact it a billion times, it is really cute. My nephew loves Mary Poppins, whether he is watching the youtube video of Let's go Fly a kite for the 50th time at 11:30 PM while everyone is going to bed or he is doing stepping time everywhere he goes, he is truly a fan of Mary Poppins. Both of our

nephews were really into the play and it was really good to see that. We both really enjoyed spending the night with them, and I loved going to the play with my wife. Here we are

The next day we went to Logan, and watched Lori and Kassie play volleyball in the USU tournament. It was a lot of fun and I am starting to enjoy volleyball, I can't wait until Gini coaches our kids.

Sunday night I began my pilgrimage to the land of my forefathers, the Clear Creek area. For the past three years I have gone on the archery elk hunt with Greg down above Scofield. This year has been by far the most epic. I arrived up there Sunday night and setup my tent in the dark. I was really excited to sleep in a tent because I had bought this really nice tent like 3 years ago and never got a chance to use it. It performed like a champ.

Well so Monday morning we wake up and head down into a canyon. I took some zinc on the way down because I wasn't feeling too hot and was hoping to hold off a cold as long as I could. Well no one told me to take zinc with food or you'll get really sick. I got really sick, in the bottom of a canyon, like lost my lunch sick. We got close to the elk that morning but no shots. That night we rode the horses to the bottom of a different canyon and went for a hike, we got into the elk good. There was a herd of about 9 with a really big spike at like 70 yards I couldn't really see the whole herd so I stayed out of the fray but Greg got some shots off, but no hits. We then rode horses out of that canyon and were so glad that we had them, it was one steep son of a gun.

Side-note; to say I was out of shape would be an understatement. I have been working my nice cushy job in an office all day while Greg has been out on his feet, he was kicking my trash all over the mountain and I was glad he was there or I probably would have hiked half of what we did.

Tuesday: We wake up and go to check some feeding grounds, on the way Greg says hey let me borrow your range finder. I go to grab it from the belt on my bag and it is gone and I say ohhh crap. Right then I know that it is at the bottom of the canyon where we tied the horses up. I just had this feeling I was hoping it would be in camp but I knew it fell off when I was messing around with the horses last night in the dark. So we go look for it around camp. Finally we both realize we have to go back down into that steep canyon. We get on the horses and go and sure enough right where I got on the horse it was just sitting right there in the dirt. So we decide to hunt that area again. I see some elk at like 40 yards but they are through the trees and so I don't have any shots. It was so cool to just watch them move and interact. Finally they know something is up and they take off. So Greg and I are finishing up for the night when all the sudden we see this herd coming out of the trees at like 200 yards. I tell him and we hunker down, out walks this HUGE bull elk. We closed to 150 yards and then we couldn't get any closer because it was all open ground. We watched him and the cows for about 20 minutes before they decided to go the other way. Way cool. He was bugling at Greg and making sure we knew that was his place.

I know this is long but just bear with me.

Wednesday: We start off on a walk, I am tired and trying to take it easy and half way through the walk I realize you know taking it easy won't kill an elk I should just suck it up and hunt. So I just start heading to the bottom of this canyon. I can hear a bull bugling and so I make my way towards him. I am walking along a great trail when I see a cow coming my way at like 125 yards. I duck behind a tree and peak out and see she is on my same trail, so I range two turns one at 50 and one at 30 yards. I draw and lean out she hits the 50 yards turn and turns right towards me and is coming closer so I lean back behind the tree and lean out the other way she turns at 30 yards and I put right on her and let it fly. Direct hit, I can see the arrow sticking in her. She has no idea what just happened. She just turns and walks off like nothing is going on. I was like ohh crap I didn't hit her good so I am trying to nock another arrow when she just lays down like 10 yards away from where I shot her and die. I was so shocked and surprised. I look at my GPS, 8:15 AM.

The rest of that day was spent getting her out of the canyon and by rest of the day I mean I didn't leave the bottom of that canyon until 7:17 PM when I got in the truck to head back to camp.

It was sooooo much fun and I loved every minute of it. Here are some pictures and a video I made to keep myself occupied as I sat at the bottom while Greg made trips with the horses packing my cow out.

If you can't tell from the pictures this isn't very friendly country.

As if this all wasn't exciting enough, I hit a really nice 4-point buck just past the dam in Scofield, he didn't do more than a dent even though he rolled up my hood. I was really blessed.

The past week has been an amazing time for my memory banks. I can't wait to feed Gini and Emily good elk steaks.

Denver

I don't really know what to write. Other than this trip wasn't planned as efficiently as possible. I could have probably caught an earlier flight home instead I have been working from the Denver Hampton Inn for the past 5 hours because my review finished up a bit early. Sucky. Anyways, Denver is really pretty it is really flat and green I was really surprised with how much I enjoyed the country.

Things couldn't be better for my family right now. Gini and I just got back from an epic weekend, complete with slumber party at our apartment. I'll let her tell the story because it was her idea and she was so excited about it. Needless to say we watched quite a bit of tv this past weekend and really enjoyed watching movies from our childhood.

There really hasn't been much on my mind other than the fact I need to get in shape and elk/deer tags go on sale tomorrow at 7 AM. just in case anyone was wondering.

The summer is flying by. Today is actually 3 months since I started working for Savage, feels like only one month. It feels really good though. I love being in control of my career and having time to really dissect problems and situations.

Props to my wife for taking me to the airport this morning at 5:15 since my car is in the shop. She is definitely a keeper, definitely. I just love her to death and kinda miss her, after such a fun weekend in Newton and in Salt Lake it felt like last summer leaving her. Like we were two college kids head over heels in love. Who would have thought vacays were so good for a marriage? I guess I better start using my vacation days for more than just hunting...

Houston

I promised myself I would write every night on the road to keep people up to date. Yesterday, my boss asked me if I would go to Houston to help with a new operation we had just acquired. It would be a short trip so I called Gini to see what she would think. This is how the conversation went:

M: Gini, how are you?
G: Good
M: Work asked me to go to Houston
G: (CONCERNED) Umm OK

M: I leave tomorrow but come back Friday
G: Ok


So then I get home and we talk about the trip and the reason behind it and she goes ohh phew I thought you were saying we were moving to Houston. Ooops, I will be more clear about why I am leaving town next time.


Houston is a very special place for Gini and I, more for me than her because it was here that she first texted me and we started getting to know each other last summer. I will tell you all the story because it is kind of cute. However if you are my brother please stop reading there is nothing for you after this point, just know that Gini and I met here.


I took a job with Savage last Feb, Gini and I met in March and I told her about my sweet job but we were just really casual friends. I started my job and was really excited to be traveling and seeing the world, on my first solo trip I came to Houston. I remember Monday getting here and going to work and just loving it and then coming back to the room and being so lonely and bored. I cried myself to sleep Monday night because I wasn't sure I made the right choice to take this job. Earlier that day I had facebooked Gini and told her to text me so we could hang out that weekend. I had totally forgotten about it. Anyways, Tuesday was the same; work was great but that night I was so lonely in the hotel room with nothing to do. It wasn't fun at all. Late Tuesday night as I was really sad and second guessing my decision I decided to pray and ask for help with the loneliness. As I laid in bed Tuesday night shortly after that prayer, Gini texted me. I totally forgot about facebooking her and it was like a lifesaver. It wasn't anything serious and neither of us thought anything of it just that we now had a friend to talk to at nights.


Little did I know that the next year would change my life so much.


This is us at the Draper Rodeo before







and after I got hurt.





Gini took such good care of me and got me ice for my hand and was there for me when I needed it, just like a year ago in Houston, she has always been there for me when I need it.


I am the luckiest man alive. On the plane ride down I just thought about her and I and everything that has happened since that night over a year ago.


I realized just how loyal and honorable my wife is. She is also hardworking. Who else would start their master's degree when they had just finished their undergrad and finally have a summer to themselves? My wife is also so fashionable, I have never met a better dresser. I love her outfits and she always looks so good. My wife isn't just these things she is also the most beautiful woman I know. I say beautiful not just in looks (she is extremely good looking) but beautiful as in something so much deeper. Like if I were blind and never had the opportunity to look at her I would know she is beautiful just by hearing her voice. She is the beauty that will never change and will always be beautiful because her beauty is on the inside.


Anyways, sorry for those of you not wanting something as sappy as this is, but I just have been thinking about it as I sit here in the hotel where it all started.


Houston is still hot, humid but has really good food.

Wild, and I mean REALLY wild cow milking

This year we chalked up another W. Three-peat. This one wasn't as glamorous as the last two. We didnt have a professional videographer. It was still fun. So I will give you all a recap. My team consisted of Gold, Johnson, and myself.

Gold is first on the rope and leads the cow out of the chutes. She clears and I run for her head and incapacitate her by covering her eyes and just making being upright hard on her. As i got to her she started bucking, tossed her horns and stepped into me and I lost my balance I knew I wasnt going down and i wasnt about to let her get the best of me so on my way down i grabbed the rope. I am now face down in arena dirt getting drug around by her. she is standing right over me and i just can hear her bellowing in my ear and am waiting for some lane frost stuff to happen or her to roll over me. All the sudden the rope starts pulling through my hand and I can't figure out why. it is because she is taking the rope and half my palm with her. By now I think that is it we lost, people who lose their cows dont win. but i get up and see my teammates chasing her. So we chase her down. Get her milked and win. so awesome. On the way back to the exit gate someone lets a mad brahma bull out on accident and it decides to use me as target practice. He got me good in the side.

k maybe it wasn't a bull, might have been one really angry cow. I would be too if strangers were grabbing and trying to milk me all night. anyways, no serious injuries, some rope burn, a couple bruises from where she stepped on me and a cut on my belly.

It was well worth the W though. I get to tell everyone in the office that I am a rodeo star.

What happened to my hand? I hurt it in a rodeo this weekend, nbd.

Own the night, like the 4th of July

This quote really touched my heart when Chad Lewis used it to close out Stadium of Fire on Saturday night, after B Paisley rocked the house. Nothing I love more than country music, summer nights, fireworks, and this country. I love the month of July. For a couple reasons.

1. The fourth of July is always a fun holiday. Nothing can top celebrating the USA. Nothing. I love this country and I love going to celebrations that focus on it and everything that has gone on with this country. One of my favorite memories was the second summer I was back from my mission we did the framing for Greg's shed on the 4th. It was a lot of hot work but awesome to see things come together. I look forward to 4th of July projects every year now. What better way to celebrate and honor the hard work that people before me have done than to do some of my own.

2. Rodeos. I tried to find the perfect Chris Ledoux lyric to show my joy but I couldn't. It is a toss up between 4th of July Rodeos and Mighty Lucky Man. I just love them. The Draper Days rodeo has become a tradition for me and two good friends from college where we get together every year and attend. It is this Friday and I am so excited. Not as excited as Gini is because this year we have health insurance...bring on the wild cows!

3. The 24th of July. Basically in Utah July is a month long firework fest. This year they decided to put it on steroids by making most fireworks legal here. No more trips to Wyoming for most folks. If this had happened 10 years ago I would be in heaven. I would be blowing stuff up all summer long. Well they aren't as fun as they use to be when they are being set off all dang night. Gini and I went to a movie last night because we were sick of fireworks and knew if we went to bed before midnight we wouldn't be able to fall asleep because it would sound like we were living in downtown Baghdad. (not only was it the best time to go to a movie but it was a really good movie, go see Larry Crowne when you can, I have never not wanted a movie to end so bad in my whole life.) But more importantly this celebrates the pioneers in my life. It is awesome time to think of all my ancestors who crossed the plains and spread out all up and down this state. Craziness.

4. The number one thing about July is that my countdown to bow hunting begins. This year is going to be awesome. Greg is healthy, I got a new rest, and I can focus on what I am doing without worrying about what I missing in school. Oh baby I am sooooooooo excited.

So here is to the month of July, she started off good, lets just ride this wave to an awesome August.

BORED

So I started this new job. All the other accountants are so busy with the KPMG auditors here no one has time to really give me any work....so bored.

Price Round 2

So I promised Gini last summer that every night I spent on the road I would blog just to keep my mind focused and centered on more important things.

So I came back to Price with Savage. It was a great day, last summer I made a coordinator cry and so today I spent the whole day talking with her and auditing her again. It was a good way to get back into the trenches. It went really well.

I brought my fishing pole and as soon as we were done I headed up to Scofield to squeeze in a good trip. Needless to say it was a blizzard. There was so much snow I had maybe 100 ft of visibility. It was really coming down. I debated whether or not I should just skip it but I was already there so I got out and got skunked. It was alright because I love being up there no matter what. I also saw two big cow elk right off of the road that got me excited for bow season. I love the outdoors.

Life is good, it is rough right now missing my wife and sleeping in a bed all alone but I can make do for one night. Maybe she'll be able to turn the heat up and actually sleep at a decent temperature since she won't have to worry about my warm blooded body in the house.

Until next time.

Wow

So it has been a crazy ride these past two weeks. I have loved every minute of it, after delayed snowy honeymoon to Park City at an epic hotel I returned to my last week of school. Currently I have taken four of five finals. I am so excited to take the last one. I am also excited for fishing and I almost drove down today. I really need to go fishing. Anyways, life is good for my wonderful and beautiful wife Gini and I. We are still looking for a good place to live.

Mallory taught me how to have a memorable Easter. You study Christ's last week leading up to Easter. An apostle said, "The atonement didn't start in Gethsemane nor ended on Calvary." It didn't start at the triumphal entry either but it is a great place to start. So yesterday I gave an

fhe lesson on cursing the barren fig tree and today I read about Christ's parables about being a hypocrite. In Christ's greatest lessons they can be boiled down to one simple phrase I feel like.

Trust me.

He is the Son of the living God, the creator of this world and the Universe. He is all powerful. Don't just worship him at church, or just read your scriptures. But trust Him. When I learned this concept and I realized in my life I wasn't trusting Him as much as He was begging and pleading me to, and I started striving to do everything I could to trust Him more; my whole life changed. I still have a long way to go. Incredibly long. Like incredibly long. (Just ask my wife, I

have always wanted to say that ;)) But I know that if I trust Him that path will get shorter each day.

Life is good, last final tomorrow, great weekend ahead of us. I graduate on Friday. Babysit Garrett a little bit, and by babysit I mean totally load him up on sugar. Life is good.

What says Easter better than baby chicks?

Epic Week

I cannot begin to tell you how epic this weekend was and how awesome this week is gearing up to be. Friday night Mike got into town, and Saturday night Mallory did. I wish I could say I was surprised when I got home Saturday night and Mal and Mike were up watching Modern Family, while they both texted, played games on something, and carried on a conversation with each other. They obviously got all the multi-tasking skills from our family as Cathy and Gini will tell you Brian and I have none.

I am so excited Mallory and Mike could be here this week. I am totally destroyed that I have to take a test today so I had to leave early last night and be down here late. I hate that I have class tomorrow but nevertheless Mike and I are working on an epic night for the G-man. His life in Cache Valley will never be the same.

Yesterday, my mom had all the children and her parents over for dinner. It was so much fun. I brought Gini along. It was funny because the last time she met Mike was the first time Gini and I hung out. She met him for like 5 minutes that night and just introduced herself. It was good though because I was able to say hey Mike remember that one girl you met that was my friend, yea we are getting married. Really smooth conversation. Anyways, she was nervous because I guess everyone in our family talks about him and loves him and looks up to him or something. I personally don't know what is so great about him ;). She was afraid she was going to bless our family with another epic line revolving around pink thongs and putting them in people's faces. It went off without a hitch, although the whole swamp cooler/AC story did come out. Ask her about that one.

Life is good, general conference was amazing. Gini and I went to the Saturday morning session and we really wanted to hear from two speakers. 1) Elder Perry and 2) Sister Stevens, she is in Gini's home ward and we have spent quite a few minutes talking to her. She is such an amazing lady. Well we were blessed that they were the first two speakers Saturday morning. We couldn't believe it.

This post hasn't had a theme. I just felt like writing because life is so good right now. I ran out of space in my journal and haven't written in it lately and so things were bottling up. Life is way good just 6 more class periods before I check out for a week. I am so excited.

Final Decision

I have been on the phone with everyone today. We made our decision last night, slept on it, and I went to the temple this morning just to double check. We are confident we made the right decision by going with , drum roll, (scroll down)

Savage, we are staying here!

followup to patience

So just as I am telling myself to be more patient, my phone rings. Deloitte and Touche just offered me a job....details will be arriving shortly.

Patience

So I have been having a great time my last semester at BYU, being engaged and on the job hunt. Really great time. It just seems that everything in my life right now revolves around being patient. I obviously need to take a chill pill. This is easier said than done for a Phillips.

So the semester started off awesome, had some good job interviews lined up that all went REALLY well, lots of good connections, small world stuff, just really exciting. Let me run through them with you, they all are for the same job so it is even more fun.

1. Savage Services - the company I worked for last summer, I went in hoping for another summer job and they talked about a full-time offer. I was shocked at first and got really excited. Everyone, and I mean everyone, at this company are great people I never meant someone I didn't like. It was a really good place for me to work. So I had a slew of interviews with them and two and half weeks ago I had my last one. At the end of the interview some words were said that could have been construed as a job offer but I didn't want to put the horse before the cart. So I follow up when I haven't heard form them in two weeks. Come to find out they are still waiting to get approval on the job....okay.

2. KPMG - Southern California, sunny, warm, and best of all Disneyland right there ('Nuff said). Great company, and a really good career path. After my first round interview with them, they called me and had a phone interview about 4 or 5 weeks ago. The lady said two weeks, gave her her two weeks and emailed her and she said they were still figuring out hiring. okay. So then a week later I email a friend who works there and explain my situation. He says call me, lets chat. I do and come to find out they really are trying to figure out their hiring. They just won a bunch of contracts and are looking at how they'll staff them and whatnot. So he said be patient I won't let you down.

3. Deloitte - Washington DC, government consulting. Sweet gig. Deloitte attracts the best and brightest minds in the accounting world. They are known also to work those minds to death. On campus interview, invitation for 2nd round in Arlington. So I head out there two weeks ago. I am the only BYU kid in a sea of random NC colleges. It was fun though. GREAT interviews. Everyone was so nice. They said one week, now they say two. So I talk to a friend of Gini's who works in Salt Lake and he informs me that BYU is actually one of the early interview spots. So my second round was before a lot of first rounds. Anyways, just gotta keep waiting.

4. PwC - They have been one of my favorite companies for a long time; basically since I heard about them. First round on campus, goes great, talk to my friends in the Salt Lake office, they recommend me, talk to Gini's dad and he has a friend recommend me. Anyways, the lady calls at the first of Feb. and says she will email me over some dates. Nothing doing. On my flight home from the Deloitte interview, I am sitting in first class next to this young girl on her way to vegas for President's day and I see she has a financial accounting textbook. So I strike up a conversation,

"are you a student?"

"No, I am a professor"

"oops sorry"

"No I just got my PhD, in accounting I teach at West Virginia"

"Ohh that is cool I goto BYU" (everytime I say this to people in industry I just imagine their eyes lighting up and going ohh you go to byu? all awed and jealous; it never happens)

Small talk

"Did you work in industry?"

"Yea I started the PwC federal advisory practice"

LIGHTBULB - another connection; we chatted about it for a bit and then she fell asleep and I couldn't because I couldn't say no to the stewardess everytime she came down the aisle offering goodies, so after about a dozen diet cokes I was sitting pretty about midnight

ANYWAYS, so last week I get this email that says we'll see you at the office on the 4th of March...okay that works for me. Then on Wednesday they email me and say we need you to come out on Tuesday. So I am like thats fine it is your money. So I change my plane ticket from Thursday to Monday and I am just getting all geared up for it.

I know I have rambled, but this is it. They can all be summed up by saying, I need to keep waiting. So hard. I am getting married in a month. I am graduating in a month and a half. This is hard for me. I am a planner, I love mapping out my life. I learned though that I need to learn patience. I need to take every chance I can to learn patience and trust. I am very confident I will find a good job. I just wish I knew about it already so I wouldn't sweat finals ;) maybe that is why I don't know. Life is still good even though technically I don't know what I am doing in 2 months.

My life is good....real good

So today was a great day. I had a second round interview with Savage. While it was nice it was kind of intimidating. This is my career, supposedly I know something about working and business after all these years of school. Really I don't feel I do but I won't let them know that.

I love blogging and I am sad I haven't had more time to blog. I love getting my thoughts onto paper, it seems that everytime I sit down and begin typing a flood of thoughts and ideas wash over me; letting me know that it has been far too long since my last post. I am a very deep thinker and I often look for correlations between everything that I am doing. How football relates to business or life, or how some idea relates to God's glorious Plan of Happiness for me.

One idea that has been on my mind recently is Plato's allegory of the cave. He uses it to illustrate that the most readily available information may not be true and we need to examine everything and get to its source before we can find out how true it is. When we do actually remove ourselves from a cave of easily attainable stimulus and seek that which actually exists our lives take on new meaning. I can't help but imagine that Plato was inspired to share this knowledge with the world. I feel like I have been making my way out of my own cave the past few months. As my mind has been drawn to all the changes going on in my life I am forced to find the most important things and ally myself with them. I by no means live on any higher state of enlightment, but I do feel that I am starting to get a better understanding that what I thought was worthwhile and important really isn't and those things that I thought were stimuli, were nothing more than shadows and echoes of the real world.

Tomorrow I fly to Virginia, I don't know if I will get to see my favorite sister but if I don't it will still be enjoyable knowing we are close once again. I miss and love her but am so proud of her also. I am really looking forward to interviewing out there and seeing if it would be a good fit for me.

For those of you who haven't seen Gini and I had our engagements taken, you can see the pictures in all their glory here. Life couldn't be any better for us right now.

In keeping with the title, I want to share one last quote.

"I am the gatekeeper of my own destiny, and I shall have my hot day in the sun."

Life is Good

So I wanted to drop everyone a line and let them know I am still alive. Life couldn't be any better right now.

1. Gini and I are making great wedding plans. They are coming along great and hopefully we'll have a lot of the big ones out of the way so when March rolls around we can just focus on things that go wrong.

We have been registering which is a ton of fun. I really enjoy seeing our lives come together. It is a lot of fun and I feel that since we are both a little older than most of our friends who got married we have watched them all get ready and now we are able to have our own time. It hasn't been a chore yet.

2. School is great. Funniest thing happened in my class the other day. I have a freshman development class. The teacher says, ohh Chris has announcement. I look up and see this kid just beaming, I got my mission call...then another kid pipes up, yea me too. Wow not what I was expecting. I am old. School is going great though this semester and I am really enjoying myself.

3. I am having A LOT of success on the job front. I wanted to share this with my family because I know they have been praying for me. I had one job interview today, one tomorrow, one on Friday and one next Tuesday. I am really excited for all of them. Two falls ago I did an internship helping a small business owner figure out some finances. It was a lot more than I could chew at first and I had to ask for help from my professors and do a lot of research on my own, but it was so rewarding. I learned so much. I have been looking for a similar job to that, and I have been blessed with three sweet interviews. We'll know February 1 if I get any 2nd rounds. It will be interesting to see where I end up.

I want to say thanks to all those who have remembered us in their prayers and especially me on my job hunt.