Reflection

Today was fast and testimony meeting in church and I felt like I wanted to stand and share my feelings but I am ashamed to say that I let time tick away and I never got up. I do want to share some of my feelings though because I get strength when I can publicly express things. This past year has brought many changes and will bring many more changes as the year progresses. With a change in careers, Jake graduating from BYU and starting his new career, and a new baby in the way (yes, we are expecting in October), our lives are going to change yet again. Usually I am the type the resists change at all costs but as all these new events gradually approach, I am strangly calm about it all. I find myself not worried or stressed even though our world is about to be turned upside down. As I reflect on my feelings, I realize that I have finally learned a lesson that my Father in Heaven has been trying to teach me for a long time.When Jake and I got married my mouth was full of cankers from all of the stress and uncertainty I was feeling. I was unsure of what the future would hold and I struggled because I was used to being very much in control with what I did with my own life. All of these feeling returned few months later as Jake and I left everything behind and moved to California to a new life. We didn't have a job or any income, we weren't for sure where Jake was going to go to school, we found an apartment and finalized everything just a few days before we left, and we did not know a soul in the place that we were moving to. A leap of faith is a very mild description for what we were doing. But as I have mentioned before, Jake felt that this was the right move for us so I reluctantly followed. And yet again, change came for me when Tylie was born, Jake graduated from LACC, and we moved back to Utah to buy a home and start school at BYU. All of these times I felt like my life was spinning out of control and I was just praying for a miracle that somehow it would all turn out ok. It is so evident to me how the Lord was with us through all of these times and looking at it from hindsight, I feel foolish for stressing the way I did. All of those times, things worked out just as they should and I gained experiences through those trials that I wouldn't trade for anything. As I sit here writing this with tears streaming down my face, I can say that I am so grateful that I can see now what I didn't see then. And I know that I don't have to worry about the changes that are approaching. The Lord will, as he has everytime before, watch over my little family and we will end up right where we are supposed to be, right where He wants us. It is such a comfort to know that in those times that I don't know where the road will turn next, that I can place my family in the hands of the Lord and he will guide us where we need to go. I am often a very stubborn person who takes a long time to learn things but I have finally learned this. No need to stress, place yourself in the hands of the Lord and he will take care of the rest.

California (sigh)

So I was interviewing a man for a loan the other day and when I asked for his ID, he pulled out a California driver's license. Naturally I can't help but ask him what part of California he lived in and I mention that I lived there a few years ago before moving back to Utah. All he could say was "I am sorry you had to deal with that dreadful place. Weren't you glad to get out of there?" Well, quite frankly I was heart broken the day we left and I sat there in shock as he went on about the usual complaints about California ( too many people, the thick smog, the outrageous housing prices, blah, blah, blah). So, I apologize but tonight I feel I must defend my adopted state of California and point out a few things. There is a reason why there are so many people, why the smog is so thick you can cut through it with a knife, and why Hollywood's "A" list celebrities continue to buy up the real estate like it is the next craze on Oprah's "favorite things" list. I hope I don't offend anyone here but you don't see Wyoming or South Dakota struggling with there air quality lately, do you? It is because California is so beautiful and the weather cannot be beat. There are also many more things that you might never get to experience unless you live there. So, I have put together a "top ten" list for those of you out there who think that California is such a "dreadful" place.

10- Attending the famous Dodger games and enjoying the view you get from the parking lot of all of downtown LA after the game.

9- Shopping at the Fashion District. This can seem life threatening at first because it is in a ghetto downtown alley where if you don't speak spanish you are going to have a rough day. But after your first visit of finding all the fake purses and jewelry you can stand, you will be begging for more.

8- Taking walks in January with just a jacket (if that) and feel the warm sun of you back.

7- Going to all the free movie critiques before they come out. It doesn't get much better then seeing a movie before it is even released and for free!

6- Tylie being born in beautiful Cali. Now she can stand up in school and state that she was born out of the state- by Disneyland! (I was always jealous of those kids. I had never left the state, let alone live somewhere like California.)

5- The phone calls home to Utah as I am driving home from work. I would listen to my mom talk about the terrible snow storm the were having and I would just look around and see some bank sign read that is was 72 degrees.

4- Being able to wake up on a Saturday morning and decide that we wanted to spend the day at Six Flags. We would go and ride a few roller coasters and then go home. We were never concerned about missing a ride because we knew we could go back the following weekend on our summer pass.

3- The gorgeus purple flowers that would fall off the trees in the spring and line the roads. It would feel like something out of the Wizard of Oz as you drove through them. I almost felt like I was violating some art or painting by driving on the road.

2- Strolling through the weekly farmers market. AAHHHH! I just can't say enough about this. There is nothing like getting fresh produce and flowers from the farmer's market. We would buy strawberries that resembled apples, oranges that I swear were injected with sugar, and sour dough bread that turned into an addicition for me. Now I am really starting to miss that place!!!

1- And the number one thing about California (this is for Jake)- Going to the beach every weekend with our friends to go boogie boarding. Jake loved this more then anything else and he got to be very good at it. We had a blast with several couples every weekend. We would pack our coolers and snack on sold cut sandwiches and golf ball size grapes all day.

Now I am not unrealistic. I took plenty of turns sitting in LA traffic, groaning as I got pushed around in the LA subway by all the people, and laughing as Jake and I would pick up a house flyer and see the price for a 100 year old home. And I am not claiming that I wanted to move there or was even excited about the idea. To be honest, Jake pretty much drug me there kicking and screaming. But when I am wrong I will admit it. Jake was right on this one. Moving to California was the right move for us and I will never regret it. Some of my most fond memories of Jake and I together are there and will always be there. And because of this, California will hold a soft spot in my heart for as long as I live. Take it from me, California has it's problems for a reason. It is because everyone wants to be there and nobody wants to leave.

My New/Old Job

Due to the recent economy disaster the nation is going through, real estate has taken a dive and Jake and I have abandoned ship along with thousands of other agents across this great nation. I am maintaining my license so I can still do buisness if it ever presents itself but we are no longer going to make that our main career. Soooo, since Jake does not graduate until August, I started back at good old America First Credit Union as a loan officer. It is quite a strange thing working at a place, quitting, and then returning to the same job several years later. Many things change but many things stay the same. I was in a very different time of life when I last worked there. Jake and I had only been married for 6 months, Tylie was only a figment of my imagination, and I was still very immature and learning what it was like to be a responsible, married adult. Since I have returned, I have seen many of my old co-workers that I was very close to. They all ask me how "married" life is treating me as if I am still a newly wed. They all ask if Jake has decided on a major as if he just started school and is still trying to figure out what to do in life. It is surreal because I feel like I step into a time capsule each day I go to work. I love what I do and I wouldn't choose to be anywhere else but I can't help but step into my old life. It is a strange phenomenon that I am trying to get used to but I am hoping with time a I can place a new stamp of my new life. The life that I am 5 years older, 4 years into marriage, a happy mom of an adorable daughter, and much more experienced on the world. But then again, I won't take what I have for granted. Not everyone gets to step in a time capsule and go back 4 years in time. Maybe I will just enjoy it while it lasts.

Two already????

Tylie just turned two a couple of weeks ago. I was watching her play the other day and it suddenly brought me to a stark realization. She sings nursery songs, tries to dress herself, and can carry on a full blown conversation with grandma on the phone with me a room away. When did all of this happen??? I have struggled with the fact that Tylie is not my newborn anymore. I got used to the idea of being a "new" mom and now my baby is two. What now??? Well the natural response for most is that it is time for another one. My instinct says that this is right but I am very aware of what is in store for me now. My next one will grow up just as Tylie has and I will find myself thinking that I need another baby again. Where does the cycle end? I always laughed at my mom when she would cry at every little recital or graduation. Honestly, I just thought my mom was overly emotional. Now I know what she was thinking all of those times. I really don't know if I am ready for Tylie to take on this world. I am so afraid of her being hurt by someone and it will be a hurt that I can't just put a bandaid on and make it all better. I spend my life right now making sure that she won't get cold, hungry, tired, or hurt. As she grows up I am expected to let these things go a little at a time and let her learn to take these things on herself. Being a parent is much more emotional work that it is physical work. And the cycle will go on. I guess it is all just a learning process that we are supposed to go through in this life. But I can't help but sit here and watch Tylie and wonder what knid of emotional motherhood did I sign up for?