Keeping up with the Lunds: November 2024

November started as it always must... with the decorating of the tree. It is an expectation that the Saturday before KK's birthday, we will work all day to put up the Christmas decor. I have a love/hate relationship with our tree. I LOVE it when it is all done and we are all cleaned up, but until that moment I am enmeshed in a wide variety of negative emotions. This year, I had to stop twice and go for a drive. I don't know how, but just as I was about to give up entirely, miracuously, it just somehow finally came together. I even think this could be one of the best years. There are very few things in my life where perfection is the expectation for me. But the Christmas Tree is one of them.

I get super in to it and it is serious business.

No body better put something somewhere it doesn't belong

I love when people take pictures of the bishopric and send them to me with a note of gratitude.

Nothing makes me feel more proud

Little Miss Kaleigh turned 14 this year.

We re-decorated her room for her birthday, so the actual physical, wrapped presents were few.

And I felt horrible about that even though we had spent SO much money on her

cute new room. It still felt horrible not to have multiple gifts to give her.

We had some cake and icecream with Papa and Nana the night before her birthday.........

We celebrated the night BEFORE because.......

I had a work retreat that I was required to attend on her actual birthday.

I cried when the date of the retreat was announced and then it turned quickly into anger and resentment.

Anger is a secondary emotion. I was really feeling some anxiety and fear and for sure some saddness.

How could I miss my child's birthday because I was being required to go play Phase 10 and talk about having Crucial Conversations at a cabin with my co-workers for three days?

I didn't know how I was going to tell her.

And I was SO mad at my bosses.

When I finally got up the courage to tell her the sad news, she took it surprisingly well and I was so grateful because it was so hard for me to miss her day. I really did not want to go.... AT ALL.

I don't like after hours work activities in general and I doubly don't like overnighters with work people... I almost can't think of anything worse.

OR MORE AWKWARD

times infinity squared.

I painfully over packed my suitcase... feeling more and more emotion with each item I put in there.

I already don't really do very well when I am away from home.

Even when I am traveling with my loving family members. I really just only want to be at home in my own house with my own stuff in their correct places.

I don't sleep well and I always have a ton of "what if" anxieties that are super hard to deal with.

I imagined every possible horrible scenario.

Nightmare. To. Say. The. Least

BUT

We arrived at the breathtaking cabin up in Brianhood after a really fun drive up the mountain.

And now that I am home my reflection of my work retreat was...

It actually ended up being one of the best work related events I have ever attended.

I simply have to admit that it was acutally so fun.

We had a great time together. We were so productive. And the cabin and the weather was absolutely amazing. I loved being there and looking out the window at the winter wonderland.

It was actually nice to get out of the office and my family had fun without me, something I never thought could be possible.

I somehow landed my own room.

And by "somehow managed"... I really mean I negotiated or rather begged and bartered to get my own room. I don't think anyone was particulary jealous of me. Afterall it was a "bonus" room, oddly shaped, and in a strange place in the house. It was filled with baskets of toys and the sleeping option was a "twin" sized sofa sleeper.

But whatever.

It was so cozy. And I didn't have to adjust my behaviors to accomidate anyone else. I slid the window open just a tad so I could feel the cold air coming in all night. I sat in front of the window for almost an hour and watched the snow fall in the darkness.

The first night we were there was the night of the Presidential Election.

I had some uncharacteristic stress over the unknown outcome. I don't typically think too much about politics. There isn't anything I can do about it, so it makes no sense to worry about it too much. But I was very worried about the possibilty of our country electing one of the dumbest women on our planet, to run our nation. All predictions leading up to election night were leading us to believe this was a strong possibility.

We were involved in all kinds of activities and games all night.

So when it was finally time to go to bed it was late. I was SO happy to be in my own room all by myself.

I got all snuggled in and turned off the lights, thinking I would just fall asleep right away. But that little room was suddenly swallowed up in PITCH BLACKNESS.

Like couldn't see a thing and there was no chance that my eyes were ever going to adjust to it either.

I didn't like it one bit and I knew no sleep would be happening in a room that dark.

Luckily, I had a TV in my little room, so I crawled on the floor and fumbled around until I found the remote.

I managed to figure out how to turn the TV on and I found the channel with the best election coverage and I laid there on my little couch, that I didn't pull out and listened to the commentary all night long and watched the map fill up with a whole lotta RED.

I didn't sleep hardly at all, but it didn't bother me one bit. I was in there all by myself.

Doing whatever I wanted, not bothering anyone.

And I didn't feel anything but complete contentment. It was the strangest feeling.

I will always remember election night 2024 and where I was and how I felt.

It was so weird to feel that happy especially after how mad I was originally about being there.

Will and I are 3 days apart in age.

Two spazzy and emotional Geminis.

We are so alike and we tease each other all the time about getting old

and how sore our bodies are all time and how technilogically challenged we are.

He calls me "Sis"

It snowed 4 inches overnight that first night

We had several brainstorming sessions about hot topics and got a lot done

And ate a lot of junk food

Good thing the day we left the skies were clear

I was not only so happy that I was able to attend, but I was also so proud of myself.

It isn't easy for me to do things like this, but I did it and I felt very good about it.

Don't worry... cows just walk in the middle of the street in Parawan

BYU and Utah were rivals in 2024

It was a blah game. I fell asleep during half time

While I was at the retreat, our microwave died.

We weren't too sad that our stock model appliance was done.

It definitely served our family well, but it was kinda lame.

We bought a new and upgraded model but it was 3 inches too big for the hole.

So Rals broke out the saw and hacked up our cupboard

NICE

My assistant, Rachel is having a baby.

I was so glad she invited me to her shower.

It was the cutest baby shower I have ever been to.

I was able to meet her mom and mother in law, who I have been

hearing about for 2 years.

Her mom did such a great job decorating

So.... when we got home from the retreat, my boss called me into her office and asked if I would consider going with her to San Diego in two weeks to attend a Summit with all of the top industry leaders.

I immediately broke out into a sweat and wanted to start crying.

How could she do this to me? Did she not know that already had a freak out this very month because I had to travel somewhere for work? How does she not know that I can't do these things, like at all?

I tried to come up with an excuse that sounded believable on the fly, but it only just made me sound silly and quite frankly a little neurotic. She told me to think about it and give me my final answer in a few days.

I went home and had a melt down to Raleigh. And he mustered up some compassion for me and then gave me a pep talk. He told me I can do hard things and that going would benefit my position in the company and help me show my dedication and loyalty. But I could only think of all of the things that could go wrong.... starting with having to drive for no less than 14 hours in a car alone with my boss.

That is 840 minutes where I could say something completely stupid and jack myself up professionally forever.

I said several very sincere prayers.

I asked for some much needed courage and confidence.

I quickly received a very clear and undeniable answer that I was definitely supposed to go and more than that, every fear and anxious thought that I was desperately trying to have, immediately left my mind and I actually started looking forward to going. I packed really darling clothes and bought a new computer bag to keep all of my treasures in.

We left on a Sunday afternoon after church and there was hardly one minute of the entire 7 hour journey where we weren't talking or laughing. It was really a fun drive.

The weather in San Diego was perfect.

In between sessions, we would walk around downtown in the Glasslamp District.

We learned SO many things from the new friends we met.

I also learned that even though we were among the elite in Vacation Rental Leaders, our company was running near the top in policies and procedures and practices.

Companies from South and North Carolina, Florida, Georgia, Michigan, Hawaii, Oregon and Colorado were in attendance.

I was so proud to say who I worked for. Everyone knew who we were. They had all heard of us. And we were by far the biggest by 200 properties.

David Angotti is a genius

There is nothing that shows you how much you love your life more than being away from it for a couple of days in a slightly stressful situation that is inherently difficult for you.

We arrived back home at midnight on a Tuesday night and I crawled into bed and snuggled with my lover who I am seriously tired of "missing" this month and I don't want to do it anymore for a very long time.

So my little son, who isn't so little anymore is genetically predetermined to be the hairiest man on the planet given that he is the son of Rals and the grandson of L. James Little.

We strongly encouraged him to shave his mustache off... even though it is No Shave November.

This day marked the beginning of an unpleasant lifetime ritual.

But the kid is only 12 years old and is already shaving.

Sorry Son, I had nothing to do with this.

We were so blessed to have a Giving Machine in our little town this year.

Papa and Nana gave each of the kids $50 to select things they could buy for people who are struggling this holiday season.

They chose things like a doctor's office visit, an education kit, a chicken and a nutrious meal.

The line was so long it took an hour to get through.

So many good people anxious to donate.

And we were there on a Family Home Evening night, so it was extra long.

But we had so much fun and saw many people that we knew.

Thank you Papa and Nana for such a fun family activity

This Thanksgiving Day was definitely one of my favorites.

I love Thanksgiving day so much. I get a TON of time off at work.

That gift cannot be underestimated.

It is such an easy, care-free holiday. No outlandish high expectations.

My little family is so easy to be with. We are not complicated and we are all okay with that.

It is just fun to lay around and tease each other. We all get along really well.

I love being with them and I am so glad we get to be here living life together.

I loved every minute of this 2024 day. We woke up early and went for a very freezing walk.

We got ourselves all pretty and turned on the Macy's Parade and made up a batch of

incredibly delicious crepes. The kids kept telling me to take pictures of their masterpieces.

Each one better than the last.

KK.... never wanting to smile with her braces.

No matter how much we beg to see them.

We watched football and visited.

It was only us and Papa and Nana.

The food was the best we have ever made.

The turkey could not have been more perfect. It was so moist and flavorful.

And Papa made macaroni and cheese for the kids. They thought he would forget, but he didn't.

They know he loves them when he makes mac and cheese for them.

Peyton and I delivered gifts to the ladies we minister to and then she drove me around a while and backed my car into the garage like a pro. I thought it was one of the best days of the year.

And......we ended the month with a dead battery in the truck.

Rals went to the battery store and bought a new one and brought it home.

He and Walt watched two YouTube videos on how to change it out

(apparently it's a little more difficult that your standard battery switch).

Nevertheless, Walt did the work, while Dad advised.