April 2019

In April our health was much improved!! We were still sick for the first week which also happened to be spring break which was a bummer but those antibiotics kicked in and we all began to feel better. Hallelujah!

Kam was in Hawaii over spring break on a school trip and he had the time of his life!! I am so glad that he got to go on this trip. It was a great way to wind up his senior year and his high school years. The entire music department (band, orchestra, and choir) were invited on this trip so Kam got to be with all of his best friends and his girlfriend. Not bad! Ailey was not thrilled that she didn't get to go but when she is a senior they will go either to New York City or to Florida so she will get her special trip then.

Here's a pic Kam took from the plane flying into Honolulu.

Jonathan and Kam texting that they had arrived and were alive.

Kam and Jonathan...best friends since first grade.

Kam and Caleb...another one of his good friends that he has had since middle school.

Kam, Abbey, and more friends.

Abbey and Kam on the beach.

I was begging that kid to get a hair cut in Hawaii! He looks like one of the Brady Bunch's blonde cousins. He refused. He thought his hair was amazing. To each his own. LOL. Kam had the greatest of times and came home and announced that he was done with cold climates and that we can visit him in the future in tropical lands. Sounds good to me.

Then it was General Conference and I LOVED it! It is like its own little holiday weekend around here and I liked that it didn't fall on Easter this year. I like GC to be its own thing.

This year the kids requested fruit parfaits as one of our special breakfasts. The other day was donuts and chocolate milk. I did request that they pick something easy. Neither Tyler nor I were feeling spectacular and had zero energy to whip up crepes or a waffle bar extravaganza. We went easy this year and also had some simple snacks and it was GREAT!

There were so many amazing talks and so much wisdom and inspiration shared. I definitely felt inspired to do more to make our home a sanctuary and to be more diligent in teaching our children the gospel. The talk that has stuck with me the most was the one by Elder Jefferey R. Holland about respecting the sacredness of the sacrament. So much wisdom and wise counsel was shared. I love being inspired and motivated. I also appreciate the reminder of the things that I need to work on and do better.

In between conference sessions Kam got the mop chopped!! My prayers were answered!!

Then it was Bryn's Birthday and I already posted about that and about Beverly.

Bryn finally started Track and Bloomsday Training. It started nearly a month late due to all of the snow. Bryn runs track for a city team and also has Bloomsday Training through her school. Bloomsday is a big race that our city hosts and all of the elementary schools have Bloomsday Training after school which is essentially a *running club*. Bryn loves it and does it every year even though she never runs in the actual Bloomsday race because it is on a Sunday. BUT...this year they brought back the JUNIOR Bloomsday Race and had it a few weeks earlier so Bryn got to train for it and participate in it. Bloomsday training has been a great help to her with track because it keeps her running five days a week rather than just three.

Ailey had dance team tryouts. The girls have to tryout every year. Their positions on the team aren't guaranteed. Ailey had a pretty stressful couple of weeks...lots of morning practices and evening practices. She made the team again and was happy about it! This last year of her being on the dance team has been such a great experience for her. Reilly's time on the high school dance team was not the greatest. She did great and her team was very talented but her coach was a nightmare. Good coaches make such a big difference and make it a positive experience for the girls.

Kam got fitted for a tux for Prom. He wanted a gray tux and picked this one out himself. I think he did a great job! I thought his tux was pretty cool. Tyler went with him and I made him snap a few pics. Kam was thrilled about that! Hey, we have but one boy and it has to be documented. LOL.

Abbey's dress was navy so Kam went with a navy tie and vest. Love it!

We got to go visit Beverly again. This time we went with Kelley and Elle. These two girls were so excited to see their puppies again and to play with them.

They were a little bit bigger and so cute and cuddly!!

How cute is this pile of pug puppies! We made sure that they all got a lot of love!!

We gave my dad one of those Ancestry DNA kits for Christmas and he finally got his results back. Nothing too shocking...darn it! Ha ha! I am excited that now both of my parents have taken the test and are linked to me. It was interesting to see how much of my DNA I got from each of them. I got more of my mom's DNA than my Dad's but I am still a pretty good mix of both of them.

Bryn ran in the Junior Bloomsday Race and loved it! It was her first *official* race that wasn't with a team. She had a great time despite the fact that it was raining and super cold.

We were freezing our butts off waiting for her to cross the finish line! We had to get hot chocolate asap after the race!!

A couple of hours later Bryn had her first track meet! She really got her running in that day!

We froze at that too!!

She did great! Especially for her first meet of the year and having just run another race earlier that day.

This kid amazes me! You COULD NOT PAY ME enough money to RUN on a regular basis!!

After all of that running Bryn needed to refuel at Krispy Kreme!

Then Tyler and I had to hustle it to finish up all of the Easter prep and shopping and then get home ASAP because it was also PROM! How many things can be on the same darn weekend?! Prom post is forthcoming... but for now:

Abbey and Kam are the CUTEST!! AND...they had such a great time!!

EASTER was bright and early the next morning...which I already posted about:

My mom had cataract surgery on one eye the day after Easter. She needs to have it on the other eye too but she has a bunch of things coming up and so is delaying the other side for a bit. I have some photo gems from this experience which she demanded that I not post on social media and as I respect her wishes I will only post this:

The waiting room! 

But I will say that the unseen photos had a pirate vibe that was extremely enjoyable. LOL. My mom did well with the whole process and can see great! At least in one eye! ;)

Bryn ran in her 2nd track meet and shocking to no one...it was 40 below! I had to actually grab a blanket for Tyler to use!! That is some serious cold people!! Before this I ran over to one of my favorite nearby vintage/antiques stores that was having an early morning sidewalk sale and saw a bunch of my friends and hung out chatting for awhile. Needless to say by the time I got there with that blanket Tyler was basically an icicle!! Come on warmer temps!!

Do we look like we were having fun? We weren't. I think we need to join Kameron in his future tropical location. But Bryn did kick butt for her team during the relay so we slightly rebounded after that and when she was done we headed straight for some more hot chocolate!!

After the meet we had to hustle it up to the high school where Ailey's dance team was having an auction and recital. Luckily Reilly and Hunter were able to be there early for the auction. We got there just in the nick of time as the recital portion was beginning. Kam was working all day.

Ailey did a great job! We had fun cheering her on. At the recital the dance team performed all of their routines from this year and then each grade level had to choreograph and perform a dance. There are only two freshman on the team...Ailey and Emily...but they had the very best dance routine of them all. Normally these are meant to be kind of funny especially the seniors routine but Ailey and Emily went hardcore hip hop and it was awesome! I'll have to post a video later. Her coaches loved it! Ailey's auction items also went for a good amount of money so Ailey was thrilled about that!

After the recital the dance team had their own awards ceremony, ate pizza, and went bowling. They had a great time!

Ailey lettered in dance and won the Hot Tamale award!

Bryn had school spirit day and it was "Tourist":

We got to visit Beverly for a 3rd time this month and we were so excited to see her:

Beverly is now 5 weeks old and starting to get chubbier and more active. She is so cute!

Elle and Henry and Bryn and Beverly.

Reilly and Hunter also got two pets this month...GUINEA PIGS. Reilly is an animal lover and has been wanting some kind of pet for a long time. So guinea pigs it was. Rodents are revolting and guinea pigs are rodents although Reilly, Hunter, and Bryn assure me that they are adorable and cuddly. I'll take their word for it. Reilly took Bryn out on a sister outing as her birthday gift...pedicures and dinner anywhere Bryn wanted. Bryn chose Taco Bell. Ha ha! The highlight was going over to Reilly's to see those darn guinea pigs!!

Kameron got a new job. His old job had hired so many people that Kam was not getting the hours that he needed to save for his mission which is coming up so FAST! He got hired at one of my favorite little local restaurants here and it sounds like they will give him all of the hours that he needs including full time once he graduates. Yay! He starts next week.

Kameron also did something that I would have never expected in a million years...HE SANG IN CHURCH!! What?!?! Kam is not someone I would call a singer. In fact, when he was three Tyler once heard "tuneless chanting" going on in Kameron's room and asked me what the heck Kam was doing in there. I said "singing". So...it weirdly turns out that Kameron sings bass. It's not tuneless chanting but a very deep resonant bass. Who knew?! This hidden talent was discovered this year by some of his friends that are in choir. Anyway, the bishop wanted a musical number from the graduating seniors last Sunday in Sacrament Meeting. The two other kids (one boy and one girl) are amazing singers who are in elite choirs and ensembles. I was a bit concerned about this singing trio. But...Kameron did a really great job! I would've snapped a clandestine picture or video but Tyler and I were sweating bullets for him. No need. He did great! We were also a bit concerned that he was slightly swaying and we kept thinking that he was about to pass out. (He was SUPER NERVOUS!) Tyler was ready to sprint up to the stand to catch him! Of course the song had about five million verses and Kam swayed through them all but stayed upright. I guess he was just feeling the music! LOL. We were so proud of him for doing something new and outside the box. Not only that but he totally nailed it. He had a huge grin on his face when he sat down in our pew and even let me hug and kiss him in CHURCH! Ha ha! We were super proud of him!!

No picture of singing Kam but a Sunday selfie of us to document the momentous day!

The Japanese Garden at Manito opened up for spring and we were super happy about that. We love it!

Bryn was excited to see that her favorite koi had survived another winter. :)

I've been busy getting ready for Farm Chicks which is less than a month away. I am swamped with painting and projects and generally freaking out! I have also been super busy with church stuff. Our ward council did a big visiting blitz and went to visit a bunch of families. My secretary had a premature baby and thankfully that baby is home and doing well. I also got fresh hair extensions put in. Hooray! This was the first time in a year that I bought new extensions. I took the best care possible of those suckers and was able to have them moved up three times as they grew out. I went slightly longer and I am still getting used to it. Not much longer only about an inch and a half longer but it FEELS a lot longer.

I had book club at my friend Rebecca's house last week and it was a lot fun! We read the classic book To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee. That is such a great book! The last time that I read it was in high school and it was fun to compare and contrast what I thought about it then versus now. Ailey is currently reading it in high school and it has been fun to talk to her about it and even Tyler decided to give it a reread since I had been raving about it. It's been fun to discuss it as a family and we also had a great discussion at book club.

Now we are onto May. Our 24th wedding anniversary is just three days away. Tyler and I are headed out of town for a weekend getaway in Seattle. We can't wait!

10 Things to Tell You: #6

10 Things to Tell You: #6 Who Did You Expect To Be?

Here is another writing prompt from Laura Tremaine's 10 Things To Tell You...Not who did you "want" to be or who did other people expect you to be? But WHO did YOU expect to be at this stage of your life? Are you that person?

This is an interesting question and one that I have thought a lot about. My answer is ...yes and no. In most aspects of my life I am who I expected to be. That is comforting. I am grateful that there isn't a big disparity between who I expected to be and who I actually am.

The things that I expected I would be and am/have:

1.) A wife to a great husband.
2.) A strong and loving marriage.
3.) A mother.
4.) Awesome kids.
5.) Live where I hoped I would live.
6.) An interesting life.
7.) Religious.
8.) A good friend and would have good friends.
9.) Work that I am passionate about and that I enjoy.

Things that I didn't expect I would be or have:

1.) A stay-at-home mom not a career woman.
2.) A husband with two chronic life-threatening diseases.
3.) Not naturally thin...bummer!
4.) Complicated family dynamics and relationships.
5.) Not a world traveler...yet.
6.) Don't live oversees.

In many ways and, in the most important ways, I really am the person that I expected to be. I am a wife to a good man that I love and who loves me. He respects me, appreciates me, and is my very best friend. We have a good strong marriage. We both are willing to do whatever work is necessary to keep our marriage strong and healthy. We both value our marriage above all else. I did not expect that he would be a diabetic and also have heart issues. Not at all. That has been a hard and scary reality that I did not expect.

I always thought that I would be a mother and I am the mother of four terrific kids. I wasn't sure how many kids I wanted when I was younger. I was the oldest of five kids and spent so much time taking care of my siblings. I felt like a seasoned mother before I ever became one. Also, I despised babysitting for other people... no money was worth it! I still don't love watching other people's kids. But I always knew that I wanted kids of my own.

I never in a million years thought that I would be a stay-at-home mother. I grew up with a mom that worked full-time and even went back to graduate school with four kids and one on the way to get her masters degree. I grew up with busy, full-time working, successful, yuppie parents and we always had childcare while growing up. Several live in nannies and Kirk and Jordin went to daycare after we moved to Kansas City and stopped having nannies. I thought I would most likely do the same. I will add that that being a working mother was also what was expected of me by my mom. Although unexpected and bucking the norm in my family, being a stay-at-home mom has been one of the biggest blessings in my life.

I live where I expected to live. I always wanted to live in the Pacific Northwest. I also always wanted to live near the lake and I do. Although there are other areas that I wouldn't mind living too. But I always knew that I would move away from where I was raised. I always thought that I would live an interesting life and I do. It isn't constant adventure and thrilling excitement but it is an interesting one. I have experienced a lot in my 46 years. Things that would surprise most people and I have come through it stronger and more compassionate.

I am not naturally thin! That was a rude awakening! LOL. I always thought I would be... like when I was a kid. I thought it would last forever. Nope.

I am religious. I always knew that I would be despite growing up in a non-religious household. I guess I have always had a believing heart. I have always felt like I was part of something bigger than myself. I have always felt a connection to Deity and that I was a child of God. Despite being raised with religion being something that was looked down upon and mocked by many in my family and despite being raised in an area that wasn't kind to kids from non-religious families. I always knew that when I was older and lived on my own I would be religious and I am. This is another huge blessing in my life. What I did not expect was how much I would enjoy learning and living the gospel of Jesus Christ. It is my anchor. I also love the scriptures. The words are beautiful and poetic and bring me comfort.

I always expected to have good friends and to be a good friend. Moreover I always expected that most of my childhood friends would remain my friends on into adulthood and most have. I have great friends...old, new, and in between. I am a loyal friend and once you are my friend you are my friend for life.

I expected to have work that I loved and was passionate about and I do. It does not look anything like I thought it would look like when I was younger. All through Jr. High and High School I wanted to be a journalist. I took so many journalism classes, worked on the school paper, and then I decided that I wanted to be a broadcast journalist. My high school boyfriend, Aaron, worked at a local news station in Kansas City. His job was to go out with the reporters and cameramen. He was a cameraman's assistant. I thought that was pretty cool. Due to Aaron's job we hung out quite a bit at the news station and I learned a lot. Those Kansas City newscasters were so kind to me. They let me sit behind the desk and read the teleprompter and even recorded me reading the news in case I wanted to use that video to apply to college. Back then I wanted to go to Northwestern. They kindly let me pretend to do the weather and ask them a million questions. But then things changed. My family went through some horrific things and I ended up in counseling trying to deal with all of it. I decided that I wanted to help families like mine and decided that I wanted to be a psychologist. I signed up for Psych 1 and 2 classes my senior year of high school and loved them. (My kids high school has nothing like that as electives. Sad.) I decided to major in Psychology in college. I was so sure that was the path for me. Who knew that I would end up having a vintage home decor business as a side hustle while raising four children and that mothering and this little side business would bring me so much joy and personal fulfillment. I don't regret not becoming a psychologist. Especially after working in the foster care system for a year and a half I know that I couldn't have dealt with serious emotional issues day after day. My stint nearly did me in. I am an empathic person and just suck in the feelings and emotions of those around me. That was a hard time. I think I am doing what I should be doing in this season of life. I have always been a very creative person and my vintage business fulfills this need and keeps me inspired and energized. I have all kinds of future goals and ideas!! And...my kids keep me hopping all day...everyday!! Even the grown up ones....especially the grown up ones. LOL.

I thought that by now that many of my family's issues from childhood would have been worked out and strained relationships healed but they aren't. ( I do have a relationship now with my biological dad which is a complete shock.) My family dynamics/relationships are complicated and frustrating. People have to want to change...or get help...or do the work to heal. Even my extended family dynamics (aunts, uncles, cousins) is complicated and I never expected that to be the case. I was completely blindsided by that. I guess I just had a very naive view of life and about how families should/would be. Even Tyler's family dynamic is complicated. Maybe that is more common than I previously thought. Tyler and I are determined that our children will have a different experience. That has always been our goal. I NEVER wanted to repeat the dysfunction that I grew up with nor wanted that for my own children. Tyler and I always wanted our children to feel loved, valued, safe, and secure. They do and I am grateful for that.

I always expected that I would be a world traveler and that I would live oversees at some point. That hasn't happened...YET. But as the kids get older Tyler and I have more time and money to travel. Eventually we will travel the world together and maybe even live in another country for awhile. That is something that we both would really love to do.

I guess I expected that I would be rich! Ha ha! I am rich in love. I am grateful that I have always had the knowledge that wealth does not bring happiness. I grew up living in nice houses and my parents drove nice cars and were successful... and we were absolutely miserable. I live in a house smaller than I thought I would (for now) but it is the coziest, happiest, most peaceful, and loved-filled home in the world.

I thought maybe this writing prompt would make me feel some regret or dissatisfaction with my life but it doesn't. Yes, there are still goals to be accomplished and dreams to pursue. But overall I am very much the person that I expected I would be when I was growing up and I am grateful.