March 2022

 March was almost the most boring month of the past decade.  We literally did nothing.  Which is really A-OK with me.  I quite like boring and being boring and not having any drama or stress.  It was kind of like snuggling with a really big cat... without the gross cat.  Why do my children love stinky animals so much?  

Kate practices her labotomy skills on Allie and Allie almost passes out and has to eat a granola bar and drink orange juice.

It's so fun to have the big kids in the same state.  They are able to get together frequently.  It is a very good thing for all of them to be together.  Each one of them benefits in a different way.  

Morgan... Brayden... Quincey

Our beautiful Red Cliffs Temple is coming along so nicely.  I love driving by it every day.  Each time I drive by, there is something new going on

Speaking of temples:

Raleigh accompanied the young women to the temple in Cedar City.

It was KK's first time and Peyton's second.

They had so much fun and loved being there with their dad

Allie came to visit.

I was so excited to see her and we made several plans 

But....  she got sick.

And just like she used to do when she was 5, she was sick in almost every room of the house.  

Instead of saying "I am sick, I will stay in this ONE room and keep my germs isolated to this ONE room.  That way, I will not pass them on to anyone else".   Instead, she moved around, to nearly every room, ensuring that all of us had an equal chance of transmission.

Miraculously, we all survived unscathed.  

Meaning, it was probably food poisoning and not a contageous stomach bug.

I did feel sorry for her though. 

That is never fun and she was very sad.

Nevertheless, it was fun to see her and I was so happy for the time I DID get to spend with her.

Crepes for dinner

Celebrating her return to health by eating all of her popcicles 

The very biggest news of March was Raleigh's new job.

It is a very good story.

He wasn't the happiest in his job.  But, he never complains.  

Occasionally, he would tell me about his day and I just could just hear a tone in his voice.

When I finally asked him if he was unhappy at work, he said "when people start wanting to leave a job, it's usually not because of the job itself, it's because of management."  And then he proceeded to tell me story after story of micromanagement and borderline abusive behavior by a member of upper management that he has to deal with every day.  That begins to take it's toll.  Even on people with high levels of patience and tolerance.

In November, our friend bought a business and approached Raleigh about running it.  

He was so excited about the opportunity because he looked at it as an opportunity to get away from his current manager and the thought of working for a friend was very appealing. 

He felt great about the new opportunity and started moving toward that new adventure.  

However, I felt very unsettled about it.

It just didn't seem right to me and even though on paper it was perfect. I wanted to be supportive about him moving on, but I felt uneasy.

I began to pray, even though it wasn't even my thing to pray about. 

I prayed that if this wasn't the correct path for him, that something else would come along and block his path.  I knew it would have to be something big to get him off of the idea of having his good friend be his boss.  And getting to leave a job where he was unhappy.

Well, that very thing happened.  He hadn't even applied for the job and yet there it was.  A gigantic roadblock that fell right from the sky.  He had his first interview for a somewhat introductory position.  He was just going through the motions, thinking the whole time, this was kind of a joke.  He had a second interview with a new group of interviewers.  Then in the middle of the third interview, they told him that he was no longer interviewing for the introductory position, but for the manager of the introductory position people that would be hired after him.   And suddenly the job he wasn't very excited about was super exciting and he was very excited about it.

He accepted the job.

Which ended up being for so much more money, I could quit my job and we would live exactly the same as we do now.

In the meantime, his friends business was not going as planned and he was SO relieved to hear that he didn't have to disappoint Raleigh with his bad news.  We truly are so blessed.  I am shocked by that every month.  The endless, countless blessings that we receive is mind blowing to me.  

We have one more week of hellish spring break vacations.  I stress myself out leading up to each weekend.  I also add undo worryings upon myself by not hiring enough people to cover the insane work load and scheduling photo shoots and adding unnecessary projects on myself.  Like an idiot.  I will be so glad when it's over.

I am happy March is over and that April is upon us, even though April brings with it A HUGE HUGE EVENT that is causing me to almost lose my mind....  

The story goes like this

At the very end of 2019, Raleigh was given a very prestigious award at work.

And one of his prizes was a full paid trip to Maui.

Well, 2020 happened and NO ONE was able to go to Hawaii, so the April trip was put on hold.

9 frustrated months later the company just paid him out for the trip.  But, the flight couldn't be paid out.  We were just given 1 year to book a trip with the vouchers.  

We planned to go to Waco to go to visit Magnolia and Joanna.

I had that plan in my head.

One night, I came home from work and Raleigh announced that our trip was booked.  I said "okay, lay it on me, when are we going?"  And he said, April 2022, but we are not going to Waco, I chose somewhere else.  And I can't change it.

We are going to Europe and I booked us on a Business Class flight, so you can conk yourself out and sleep for the whole flight and when you get there in London and Paris, you will LOVE it and it will change you and you will be so glad.  We will go to Downton.  We will go to Versailles.  We will see the Queen.  And the guard will change and we will be there to see it.  And we will go to Ted Lasso's neighborhood.  And ride on a double decker bus.  And take the Chunnel underneath the channel at a very high speed.  And we will kiss under The Eiffle Tower and walk along the Seine.  And I can love you on another continent.

And he was SO excited I almost forgot that this will terrify me so badly I will be paralyzed with fear for 10 extremely long hours TWICE!  Pooping my pants.  Having a nervous breakdown.  I cannot even think about it without having a panic attack.  I am not sleeping very well.  When I wake up in the middle of the night and I think of it, I am up for the day.  No more sleeping for me.  I instead over think and over worry.  So pathetic am I.  I know.  Who repays her husband, arranging a trip of a lifetime, with tears and anxiety? Only me.

The truth is, as in the case of everything in my life...

I fear the unknown until things are memories and then I enjoy them.

I am planning my outfits wisely (comfortable sweatshirts and cute comfortable shoes)

I bought some travel bags and aquired some conk out drugs.

I was actively involved in planning the itinery and even offered a few suggestions.

And....

This time next month, as I look back on the photos of our trip... 

I WILL LOVE LONDON AND PARIS.