Sweet Goodbyes

Saying goodbye to people you have grown to love is really really hard. We did it when we left Rexburg, California, and Florida and here we are doing it all over again. I'm getting used to the pack-your-stuff part, but the saying goodbye part will probably never be easy. Still, it offers us a chance to see what kind of impact we've made in the short time we've been here. One of our little friends, named Holly, made us this sweet card and going away gift. 

She's a budding artist and I loved all the colors and attention she put into these drawings for us. She even hand made the envelope! The card says "Happy Travels" and came with that cute little worm with the goggly eyes. Holly told me the worm is a book mark and you can stick it in your book to keep your place. A bookworm? That's SO clever for a 7 year-old! When she handed me the card she told me she made it for us since we're going away. I instantly knew I had to post it on the blog because it was one of the sweetest and most heartfelt things I've ever received!

More goodbyes passed today since it was Atley's last day of school. We took cupcakes to his friends and a card and treats to his favorite teachers. Shelby (pictured below) was always so sweet to Atley and even Holly when I'd bring her along to pick him up. She and his other teachers (Amy & Heather) took such good care of him. They made me feel like he was as special to them as he is to me. What more can you ask from someone who you trust to look after your child? Shelby has been talking all week about how sad she'll be when Atley goes, but she put on her brave face for him and tried not to cry.

The worst part for me was, I know Atley is going to miss school and his teachers and friends so much, but he just doesn't really get what's going on yet! He's so blinded by the fact that we're going on an airplane to see Grandma!

I guess maybe it's better that he doesn't know what's going on. When we left Rexburg (before we even got out of the city) he started crying and telling me he wanted to go back home. It broke my heart. At least this way we can get on with what we need to do without having Atley and Holly upset too!

More goodbyes are coming and I can only hope that this sacrifice is going to be worth it in the long run.

Too Bad It's A Year Late!

September 16, 2011. That's the day we first arrived in England. Do you remember what a hassle we had? Well, I most certainly do. If you feel like you need a reminder check out the blogpost. The worst of it all is that we had no idea where to even start. No idea how to work the bus system, no idea where the stores were let alone what time they closed--frustrating. I cannot tell you how many times I have said to Ian "the University should put together a 'welcome to Sheffield' packet with all that information in it." Well, since it's time for move-ins we found this little beauty in our mail slot!

Yep, sure enough this year was the launch of the new A to Z Accommodation packet for couples and families! I'm starting to think they've bugged our house and are listening for our suggestions. Maybe they're reading my blog too! In that case, I think every house should come with a massage chair and sauna! Not that it will help me, but it doesn't hurt to try! 

We started thumbing through and found all sorts of gems that would've been a life saver in our early days. For example: page 4 has contacts like maintenance, the police, and the health center. Page 6 talks about the trash service; when pickup is and what can be recycled. Page 10 lists some places to get a bite to eat. Also included is a list of nurseries to send your children to, local grocery stores, and even things to do in the neighborhood! I was really wishing we had access to something like this when we moved in when I turned to the last page and found....

US!

Now I'm sure they're watching us! But I'm wondering how they got us all sitting together and looking at the camera...

Alright, the jig is up. Once upon a time (a few months ago) we had a camera crew come to our home and interview us about our experience here in University housing. They told us they were putting together a video to put up on the school's website. Well, no video yet, but we were glad (and surprised!) to see that used our picture for this. At least now we know it was a legitimate interview! I'm especially glad that they've put together something for all those families with jet lag trying to figure things out when their brains are only half working. 

Still, isn't it ironic that we're the poster family for this packet considering we had none of this information? I'd say so! And couldn't they have chosen a better photo? I have a bunch that we just took that would've been better than this!

A Birthday & Thoughts on Getting Older

I was blessed enough to celebrate my birthday this week! I say "blessed", but it's only since my birthday came and went that I have come to feel this way.

Mary Kay Ash (the founder of Mary Kay Cosmetics) has become famous, in part, for her best kept secret--her age. She said "a lady never reveals her age" and "a woman who will tell you her age will tell you anything." When I first heard that (in one of those Mary Kay parties your friends-turned-Mary Kay Reps rope you into) I thought it was ridiculous! So, I did some research to find out when she was born. Surprisingly, I found conflicting information and any certainty about her birth year still alludes me. She successfully hid her age and it may forever be a mystery since she has now passed on. This led me to wonder, why is it that women try to hide their age? It's not that big of a deal, is it?

Well, that was before my ??th birthday came up. All of a sudden when thinking about my birthday, I started to feel old! What was so magic about this number that made my whole idea of age flip upside down? Well, I can't really do emotions half way so I went from loving my birthday to pretending like it wasn't happening. When Ian asked what I wanted to have for my birthday dinner, my brain in pity party mode decided Mud was the right choice. My sweet husband picked up on my 'pity me' routine and quickly nipped it in the bud. He asked "what do you want from your birthday?" Huh? What do I want from my birthday? Are you sure you don't mean what do I want for my birthday?

Well, after careful consideration of that question, I decided that for my birthday the best thing I could get from it is knowing that I'm loved. I wanted the people I love most to send it back in a special way.

Now for the "here's what happened" part you were probably expecting from a birthday post. ♥ I woke up to the smell of bacon and knew instantly that Ian was making me a special birthday breakfast. ♥ Then we opened my birthday cards I had received. ♥ The kids sang me a rousing rendition of happy birthday. ♥ Ian walked Atley to school which gave me a break and an excuse to rest for a day from exercising. ♥ We spent all afternoon together holding hands and cuddling while we watched our favorite shows. ♥ Ian did the dishes and ordered Chinese for us for dinner. ♥ I got lots of love notes from people on facebook. ♥ I skyped with my Mom & Ian's. ♥ Ian made me Mud for dessert. ♥

A couple of those things probably need a bit more explanation, especially the last one. My breakfast was everything I could've hoped for--bacon, eggs (made just right), toast, apple slices, a cinnamon roll--if you were thinking 'spoiled' just now you're totally correct.

Ian's birthday card was the best he has made yet. If you didn't know, my husband is brilliantly talented with arts and crafts. This year my birthday card was a Passport. Inside I found replications of all the stamps from places we've been this year including a new one with my birthday on it. He wrote a short poem that says "A passport allows you to travel the world with plenty of countries to see. You and I have travelled a lot but with you there's no place I'd rather be." Too cute, right? Well you might find it cheesy, but it's one of the few cards I've gotten that have made me cry.

After reminding Atley and Holly that it was my birthday I managed to put both my children in tears within an hour of waking up. First, Holly. As soon as we opened my card from Ian's Mom I knew there was trouble afoot. It say "Birthday Queen" and had a picture of a crown on the front. When she saw the crown she gasped and said "Oh! My beautiful crown!" I reminded Holly that it was my birthday and therefore my card. Cue the tears. Next it was Atley's turn. He was so sure that "my" birthday means "your" birthday. Once again, reminding the kids it was my day brought on the tears. Normally these reactions don't bring on the warm fuzzies but in a weird way they kind of did. I'm not sure why or how, but it was so silly it made me smile. I also got to give them big hugs and kisses while I reassured them that their turn is coming and there would be cake like crazy!

Mud. Ian is really really really good at turning my frowns upside down. He took my pity party mud idea and made it come true. A little bit of chocolate mousse and some bourbon cremes made the perfect mud treat and easily brought my smile back. He even added a little Daim bar to mine to make it look as if my mud had gold in it! Very cute and creative.

Besides all the love from people two things specifically made my birthday extra special and helped me get over feeling "old". The first was a talk given by Elder Russel M. Nelson. The talk is about gifts we receive from God. After detailing specifics about why our bodies are an amazing gift from God he says:

"If the body's capacity of normal function, defense, repair, regulation, and regeneration were to prevail without limit, life here would continue in perpetuity. Yes, we would be stranded here on earth! Mercifully for us, our Creator provided for aging and other processes that would ultimately result in our physical death. Death, like birth, is a part of life. Scripture teaches that "it was not expedient that man should be reclaimed from this temporal death, for that would destroy the great plan of happiness." To return to God through the gateway we call death is a joy for those who love him and are prepared to meet him."

 OH! So getting older isn't a punishment, but an act of mercy! Well that changes things!

The other thing I read came in one of my birthday cards! It's a short poem that says "A birthday is the time of life when one more year is gone. A golden year that God allowed to let us carry on. Indeed it is a compliment to pass another mile, for God must feel our being here is somehow worth the while." When I read that I think of others much better than me who have already passed on. It's not necessarily that I'm doing wonderful things and desserve to be here, but more that he doesn't see me as a finished product yet. He is allowing me to carry on because I have still more work to do for him. I take that trust as the highest compliment.

As I kept these two things in mind I thought of my beautiful children, my loving husband and all the other people who wished me a happy birthday, and wondered how I could be sad about getting older? Truth is I couldn't.

Though Mary Kay wouldn't approve I can say after a wonderful birthday celebration, I'm 25 and feelin' alive! I have a lot to be grateful for. As my husband likes to say, I'm just getting better with age. I'm the healthiest I've been in my adult life and I have two great children and a husband who I'm crazy about. How many 25 year olds can say that?

Look again at the contrasting opinions and pictures of the people above. Which one looks more happy? Mary Kay honestly looks plastic and if she smiled too big I think she might crack. Elder Nelson? That man looks old but genuinely happy!

A big thank you goes to everyone who helped me feel loved yesterday and brought me to this liberating  conclusion. Love ♥ love ♥ love ♥ right back at ya!

Family Photos...again

I think Ian gets tired of me arranging family photo shoots. In my defense I only really get the urge once a year. What's even better? This time, he actually enjoyed it!

We arranged for our friend Leo Bojesen to take our photos. He was super responsive to our timeline (considering my procrastination as a result of Ian's silent stubbornness) and we were able to schedule a shoot within about a week of contacting him. Brilliant!

After fussing over what to wear I decided to go for the red, white and blue. I found some little flags on sale (post olympics celebrations) and decided 50p was worth distracting my kids for a bit. Little did I know they'd still be playing with them a week later. Best 50p I ever spent!

I talked with Leo about what we wanted; a Sheffield shoot to really showcase our time here. He suggested we take a walk through our favorite places. It was the most relaxed photo session I've ever done. So relaxed in fact, that when we got back home Ian made a point to tell me it was the best photo shoot we've ever done! Score!

The best part is, we got beautiful pictures at some of our favorite spots with all my favorite people! Here are some of my favorites photos!

Who doesn't love a little cuddle in the park?

Love for Daddy.

The "green man."

I think she got wet. She was more afraid of the water than I expected.

Nice reflection, handsome boy!


Remember how I said I lost all that weight? I think this shows that off pretty well. Not to mention my two adorable walking companions.

As soon as we have a new home these are going straight up on the wall. I'd post them all here, but then there wouldn't be an excuse for you to come around to our new place, right?  I said it before and I'll say it again, I couldn't be happier! Thanks again, Leo!

Mission Accomplished!

You see that smile? That's the smile of 200+ hours of research and writing, 14,000 words and over 50 pages written, bound and ready for inspection. That smile is hard work from 3 semesters successfully completed. That smile is relief. That man? My husband!

The title of this little baby is "Analyzing the Evidence of Security Trends: Transnational Organized Crime and Infectious Diseases." I know it's a long title, but I guess it prepares a person better for what is beyond the cover.

The paper isn't officially due until Wednesday, but this over achiever turned it in last Friday! I am so glad to have that paper out of my hair too! The stress even gave me a cold sore--yuck! How I got the cold sore and Ian got nothing is beyond me, but I can take one for the team.

With the mission accomplished the real question is, now what? Well, as far as the paper goes it'll be shuttled around to a couple different markers and taken before a board before we know what the official mark is around late November, early December. *Sigh* It's a long wait. In the mean time, Ian has begun applying for jobs. Unfortunately, he won't really be able to submit his transcript as proof of a finished Master's until he actually hears back about his Dissertation...in December. I'm kind of hoping they take a look at him anyway and leave the proof of Master's completion for later, however unlikely that may be.

So in the mean time we're headed to Florida to enjoy some family time. Grandma and Grandpa and a lot of sunshine are just what we need at a time like this, right? From there the plan gets a little hazy.

I feel like we're leaving a place we love and have begun to think of as home for complete uncertainty. I often wonder what the Lord has planned for us. Is there a plan from here? How can we figure out just what it is we should be doing? Well, as I thought about these questions Ian showed me a video that really seemed to help. Check it out!

If I have faith that there is a plan for our family and I know that God is the master of that plan, what the plan is doesn't really matter, does it? It only matters that I can see far enough into the fog so I know where I need to step next. As for now we know we're leaving Enlgand (pause while I cry about it) and heading for Florida. The fog has settled in pretty thick after that and so my brilliant idea to create a 5-year plan has become my brilliant plan to trust the Lord's eternal plan. 

This is one of those times when the Lord will show me his hand in my life. I will see him working to help guide us because I know at this moment there is nobody else who can really help. As long as we do our part and continue to be willing to take the path we're given, we'll be blessed with experiences to help us grow together as a family and as individuals into the people who he knows we have the potential to be. It'll be a ride. Here we go!