May 2017

May began with my last days in residential property management.

I had total mixed emotions.

I was afraid of the unknown.

I was terrified to start over.

I was sad to leave some good friends.

 But, there was one undeniable fact....

I knew I was doing the right thing, as scary as it was.

Never, one time did I question that.

The last time I felt that way it was 2007,  when I was changing my entire life.

I was scared, but I never questioned the right-ness of it.  

I struggle making decisions on my own.
I am trying to change that.
I can hardly decide what to wear without asking
for someone else's opinion. 
However, I have determined that as much as I struggle
with making daily decisions, I make large one's very easily and
with virtually NO help at all. 

This job change was a NO BRAINER



I cannot believe that I operated under the illusion that

it was okay for me to work day in and day

out in that environment.  I felt that

because I was good at my job and knew my stuff,

I needed to stay there and that stepping outside of that

would not be smart.  But, one week into my new job,

I knew and could feel the difference and I cannot believe that

I put up with, what I put up with, for so long.... WAY too long.

Is this new gig stress free....?  No way.  But, it is so different.

What a blessing.

In the middle of all of MY job drama,  Morgan interviewed

for a new job at Dr. Burke's office.  She never ceases to amaze me.

She is so confident in herself and better than that, she envisions

her life and its like she "wills" things to herself.  

She had 3 really great interviews and they offered her the job. 

Her first day was the same day as my first day and it was really fun to 

kneel down together and say a prayer in the morning before we left.

And wish each other good luck and to share our stories 

at dinner.

It's also been fun to get ready together in the morning

and have morning devotional with the little girls.

We read from the Friend and then we say a prayer.

What a great way to "Armor Up" in the morning.

Raleigh started this tradition on the first day of school

and he has NEVER wavered.  I wasn't able to join

them because I had to leave so early in the mornings.

My schedule is different and so NOW, I get to.  And I LOVE it.

 Peyton is typically very reserved

and shy.  Or maybe serious is a better word.
I was surprised that she accepted the challenge of

taking on a speaking part in her First Grade Program.

I was so sad (and lame) this week.  Both of our kids had 

their end of the year assemblies and I unfortunately, was

new to a job and didn't feel like I could ask for any time off.

  I am so blessed that my sweet, husband, mom, dad,

Kori, Kami and Ryker attended both of them and helped my

kids to feel loved and supported.  I don't think they even noticed

that I wasn't there.  We are so blessed to live close to our wonderful

family who love these kids so much.  

Allie got her braces off.

Her teeth look beautiful and she looks much older.

 Here is my new boss, Melanie who took her

daughter to her orthodontist appointment 

at Dr. Burke's office and ran

into this cute receptionist. 

 Father and Sons is always in May.

Last year, Ryker had the stomach flu and they couldn't

go.  Luckily, this year the flu hit him the week before.

Papa went with them.

They say they had a great time, although, that is just a straight lie.

How could anyone have any fun doing this?

 Sleeping on an air mattress with NO pillows

 Fishing

 Sleeping in a tent and (in my dad's case) the back of a truck

 surrounded by dirt and bugs...

 And FREAKIN' SNAKES...

who's child is this???

Look at these two lefties with their right handed gloves

Meanwhile...... back at home 

The girls had a Girl's Night Out,

We went to Cafe Rio for dinner.

We got chips and "appacado dip".

Because KK LOVES "appacados".

"They are a superfruit".

Then we went to YogurtLand for dessert.

And we topped off our night by watching Cinderella...

the new one from 2015. 

It is seriously the best movie that I have seen in five years.

I bawled through the entire thing and I haven't felt that

good in a very long time.

And then, we crawled into our warm clean beds
(both bug and dirt free and so comfortable and warm) and

slept totally peacefully.

What a fun night.

Daughters are the best

Mother's Day was probably my best ever.

I really loved it.

I think it's because overall, my life is so happy.

I am in such a better place.

Anyway....  one of the perks of having daughters is

they not only remember that it is Mother's Day...

but they give THE BEST gifts.

I died over the gifts that I received from all of my daughters.

So thoughtful and darling

Raleigh bought me a new iPhone with more memory and a

bigger screen, since I use my phone so much more now with my new job.

He also bought me a super sturdy case because I drop

my phone at least 10 times a day

We had a lovely day at Church with me, not having to teach.

And we got ready for the family to come over for a BBQ

Kori was able to talk to Garrett and his companion

And we enjoyed being together....  a lot.

It was a really fun party.

We celebrated the end of school with Friday Night Restaurants at Outback.

It was delicious.  I didn't look at the check, so I could enjoy myself.

It's kinda weird when you are scrolling through your Instagram feed

and you see a watercolor of your family by an artist you don't

know.  I guess my mom knows her and sent this photo to her.

But, this is my all time favorite picture of my siblings and this little

painting is adorable.

 The first day of summer was chaotic.

With Morgan now working full time and

Allie not ready to be a full time babysitter.

We juggled the kids around.

My mom and dad had them in the morning

and Quincey and Vince took them in the afternoon.

They took them to Yogurtland.
I am sure this cost them a fortune and I bet they threw
half of it in the garbage, like they always do.

 It's horrifying when YOU are the only

birthday in primary and they make you

stand up in front of everyone while they sing

to you.  Oh my gosh....  get me outta of here.....  PLEASE!!
I will literally do anything....  program passer outter??
PLEASE?

 Raleigh bought me Depeche Mode tickets

for my birthday.  I could DIE.  

I am SO excited and can hardly wait until September.

I went to 6 of their concerts from 1986 - 1991.
We are all a lot older.  I am old...  but THEY are way older.

They used to put on fabulous concerts with technics, lights
tons of energy, no swearing, no drama and THE BEST music.
I hope they are still good and that Dave is able to shake those hips like he did in the 80s

 I share a birthday with my niece, Savanna.

She had a pool party.  I pretended it was my party too.

Allie

Allie looked freakin' adorable this night and 

I was so proud of her.

 Memorial Day was easy and stress free.  Raleigh and I woke up early and went to the gym and did some holiday shopping.  Then we came home and did some chores around the house.  And got ready for the day.   We met Papa and Nana and the Ellsworths at Cafe Rio.  First of all, I have been in lines at Disneyland that moved faster than that line.  Second, I have never seen a burrito as big as the burrito I ordered and to make matters worse, I literally ate it in FOUR bites because by the time I finished standing in that ridiculous line, I was STARVING.  And then, I felt like I would NEVER be able to eat again.

We went to the cemetery after dinner.  We visited our Grandmas and walked around the cute little park and saw some ducks.  It was 100 degrees.  But we had a really nice time.  It was a lovely holiday.  

Sexy

 We continue to get cute weekly letters and super cute pictures from our missionary.  He is doing really well in SA and says the cutest things in his letters.  He sure is a nice boy.  And I feel like I want to say that Morgan is really lucky.  But, the truth is HE is the lucky one.  I am so proud of her and the way she lives her life.  And if he really does become "my future son-in-law"  (which is how he signs his emails to me) he will have made a really good decision.

It's pretty amazing that this is where I get to work now.   That this is my new view.   I feel so grateful that I get to be happier and positive and that I am no longer reminded on a daily basis that people are absurd and down right mean.   What a blessing it is to be happy.

My May Conclusion:  As hard as change is for me...  some changes are AWESOME.   Prayers definitely are answered, in the Lord's time, of course.  I have learned that, line upon line.  I really love being with my family.  They make me so happy.  I love summer.  I love eating dinner in our back yard and sitting out there until the sun goes down while the kids play.  I love warm weather clothes and activities and taking a break from a pretty rigid and complicated routine.  I am grateful for my husband who is the calm one in our family.  He doesn't take anything in life seriously and he constantly reminds me of what is important and what doesn't even matter.

8 years ago....  we were about to add a new baby to our family.  And we never thought for a second about how hard it was going to be to throw a baby (or two or three) into our complex life, we just knew that we wanted to add to US.  Over these years, we have juggled and finagled and have been creative with our schedules and our resources.  It has been SO hard.  We stopped to reflect on this the other night and we cannot even believe that we accomplished what we have accomplished.  Our big kids have been invaluable.  Our Papa and Nana have been heaven sent.  But, we have finally arrived at the point where we can see the light at the end of the tunnel.  Our smallest (in age) baby is about to start school, marking what we have deemed "the end of our childcare woes".   We feel tremendous triumph in this.  In MY mind.....  this is where it begins.

So I say.....  LET IT BEGIN