In preperation for our move overseas we took a week to go see "Fremily" (Friends that are family and family that are friends). We drove up to Utah which took two solid days. I am loving the kids ages. Everyone did great thanks to Nintendo DS and DVDs. There was a lot of driving so we didn't get to stop much, but when we saw this rest stop near Moab we couldn't resist!

Here is Kat stretching her legs!
Jason and Adam took a hike up and around the formations. Can you see them? On our first offical day in SLC we had to go out Tooele to run an errand. We took the time to re-enact when me and my siblings first saw the Great Salt Lake. It is stinky! The building to the left is the Salt Air. It was the buggest dance hall in the country back in the early 1900's then it burnedt down. Then they made it a amusment park, then THAT burnt down. Then they made it a water park, then THAT flooded. Now this much tamer version of the original is a venue. Bor-ring! We did get some Salt Lake Taffy and a bottle of salt from the Lake though. The most important and fabulous part of our trip was visiting Lowell and Elaine Wright. They are part of our family's history. The short story is that a long time ago we were part of some missionary work along with the other people in this picture. It was a life changing experience and set the stage for all of the other good things in our life. That is the VERY short story. We spent hours together rehashing old war stories and swapping updates on our favorite people. Our kids played together late into the night. It was the highlight of our trip. The next day we got to visit the Temple with the Wrights and Thompsons and it was a very special experience.

3 couples who met up in Russia- the Jeppsons, the Thompsons and the Livingstons. We all have three kids- It was SO fun to see them play together. We call them the Russian cousins. They don't know we are arranging marriages!

We also got down to see Jason's siblings Candice and Brian and their families. Kat LOVED being with her girl cousin Grace! We went to a pirate place that is like Chuck E Cheese. After that we hung out at Crispy Creme. It was so good, we started dreaming about moving back!
We also got to see my bro John. He introduced us to Sub-Zero Ice cream. You pick the cream and toppings and then they add liquid Nitrogen and voila! Ice Cream! We also stopped by and visited Jason's Grandpa. We love him so much! We even got him out of the house to eat at Olive Garden. We talked about genealogy and flying planes. I am so glad that we have such an amazing ancestry! We talked so much we didn't take a picture.

On our last day we got all the way up to Logan to see Jason's cousin Brody and his family. It was so great. We hadn't seen eachother in about 10 years but it was like not a day had past. On our way home we went out of the way to visit the four corners- DOH!
Then stupid Blogger wouldn't let me take off these extra pictures. BOOOOOO.

Also on the way home we stopped in Roswell to visit the UFO museum. I thought I was a believer before! When I was a kid I used to think that if I thought about aliens they would know I know and come for me. Reading about everyones close encounters made me antsy! Over all it was a great trip for such a short time. We have no regrets- just close family and friends we wish we could visit with more often!

An Announcement 6 months in the making.....

I know I have been remiss in posting but that is because my life has been so busy with things I couldn't tell you! But finally I can! I'll let the senior VP of EA tell you:

So can you guess who is leading this project in Ireland? You guessed it! In a stunning plot twist Jason will be the CS director in Galway. To apreciate what a big deal is you need to think about where we were a year ago and what Jason thought he would be doing. When we left Luxembourg in 2008 it felt like we would never see Europe again. We were starting over and trying to figure things out. We tried starting a business with my brother James but after a year of struggling plus a hurricane it just didn't come together. So Jason went back to his resume and what he knows, which is customer service and call centers. EA knew they were getting a great CS a guy, but what they didn't know is how valuable Jason really is. As they started to look at the global needs of launching games in French German and English, Jason thought Ireland would be a great solutions for CS. Once they started looking into it they decided it would be smart to put all of CS there and asked us if we would be willing to live overseas. We said yes and then had to keep it under wraps as the company did its due diligence. Today it was finally announced publicly and you can find it on many international websites like Forbes, Marketwatch, and the Financial Post.

Last week we went over to check out Galway and get an idea of whether or not we could actually live there. I have dreamed of Ireland my whole life. Growing up a Keating I just always "felt" Irish. I thought going there would be like returning to the Motherland. Don't get me wrong its a beautiful place filled with beautiful people, but it will have it's challenges too. In 2008 I was really done with living overseas and if this opportunity would have been in any other country I would have said no, but I have made peace with the Nomadic life we accidentally lead and I know that, as always, our unexpected journey will bless us in ways we could not have imagined. The schools are very different, the Mormon population is very very small, but I do have this in common with the Irish: they love to talk, tell stories, play music, and laugh. Here are some pictures from our covert trip:

Now the announcement is finally made we can start to make our move. Our lease here in Austin runs out June 30th. During June we will be visiting Utah to see all the relatives and friends there, then in July I will be in Virginia with the kids to hit two family reunions, some annual dinners with HS friends, and doing a lot of genealogy. By the second week in August we should be in Galway. So if you are in America there are two options to see us before we go- if you are in Europe.... well I told you so! I told you we never say goodbye forever! There might be some out there saying Livingstons- you so crazy! But we have come to terms with who we are. We might not be ever able to give our kids a hometown, we may never be the richest family on the block, but we will always say yes to what God has in store for us. And we are ok with that.