Why Sheridan, Montana

Many people have asked us why we are moving to Sheridan, Mt. I thought I might take a minute and try to explain. I'm going to try to add some pictures and with those, if you know us at all, it will all make sense. It is an incredibly beautiful part of Montana. Quite different from Utah and in some ways very different from anywhere we've lived in Idaho. Sheridan sits in the Ruby Valley surrounded on all sides by mountain ranges with names like the Ruby, the Tobacco Roots and the Pioneer Mountain Range. Running right through the middle of the valley are three "major" rivers. They are major for those who dabble in fly fishing and study history however they are nothing in size compared to the Snake or even most parts of the Boise. These rivers all flow into the Missouri eventually and then on to the Mississippi.

The valley itself is full of wildlife and the major industries are agriculturally related (i.e. ranching, farming, etc.). The town has less than a thousand people in it, although there are several more towns along the highway that are roughly the same size (kind of like Henrieville, Cannonville, and Tropic). There is a separate elementary and junior/senior high but they are still small schools. They have a small ward with its own building and the people are so welcoming. Every time we have visited the ward, they have welcomed us with open arms. Every single person came up to us to find out who we were and whether or not we were moving in. It was the first time in a long time that was quite this welcoming.

All of that aside, the real reason we are going is that when the offer came to buy part of Ryan and Bobbie's property at such a great price, we knew we had to include Heavenly Father in the decision. It was an extremely difficult decision and we went back and forth many times. We are comfortable here and love the life we have been creating. We do have family in Montana who need the influence of the gospel and to get it need family who will live it, and set a good example. As a family, we discussed it for a long time and when it came down to it, the spirit whispered that it was right. It is scary giving up the security we have right now but that will come again with time. The most important thing is that we included the Lord in our decision and are trying to follow the spirit. We know that if we do that we can't go wrong. There may trials and times of uncertainty, but those are there to teach us to be humble and to continue to rely on the Spirit for direction.