The Tall and Short of US

 I've mentioned this in a previous post, but I wanted to expand on it just a bit. When we moved to Colorado in 2014, I was newly pregnant with Lincoln. I transferred my job as a Phlebotomist from Provo to Colorado in a town called Westminster. I loved working. It was more of a social thing more than a financial need. I started working there as soon as we were settled. It was great! They gave me a raise (read: Colorado is very expensive).  Things started out great. It was a new facility, a new team, and great managers. I pride myself in how I was raised to be a hard worker. A good work ethic was instilled in all of my siblings growing up and it's something I've learned to appreciate as an adult. But sometimes it bites you were you're too loyal at work. Slowly, I was opening and closing the facility. That meant I was up at 4 am to commute to work, work a double, and close down and leave by 9 pm or later. And then commute home. It was rough. I was pretty sick in the beginn...

I knew sharing about our most recent attempt to conceive meant opening a very vulnerable door. I don't usually share about such sensitive things until after I'm pregnant for a lot of reasons. In the past, when others were aware of our attempts to conceive, I was often bombarded with questions about updates, if we were successful, etc. It's already so exhausting and draining to get bad news from the doctor, but it's even harder to have to "report" the failed attempt to others. I quickly learned when to share and who to include in such intimate parts of our journey. I know, know , the questions from others were from places of complete love and support, but it was just very hard to tell them. Somehow I was more focused on their feelings and emotions than my own and I can see now how harmful that can be to my mental health. Just the other day an acquaintance that is aware of us trying to conceive asked me for an update on my situation. While it came from a good pl...

 Wow. What a wild ride these last 9 years have been! On September 3rd, 2012 we were engaged to be married! It seems like yesterday and a lifetime ago all at the same time. I was feeling really nostalgic, so I wanted to write down a brief history of our courtship 9 years ago. Spring Semester 2012: I had been living in the same apartment complex for a couple years and felt I had outgrown it. My time there was a blast, but I was ready to move on. I signed a year long contract and paid lots of money toward a newer, nicer apartment a couple miles down the road. I was ready for change. I'd exhausted all my options with dating (or so it seemed ;) ) and felt the push to move on. Little did I know, my husband was moving in around the same time! I decided to throw a little ward BBQ on the back patio of the apartments to give the new tenants a chance to meet. Ward stare, fresh meat, new options, etc. You know! Who was new to the crew! A perfect excuse to check out the new potentials! No shame...

In January Thomas was called to serve as the bishop of our local congregation. He is a full time volunteer for the members of our local ward family. He will serve in this position for the next 5 to 7 years. When he was asked to come in for a meeting with one of our local leaders, they made sure I was able to attend. We suspected he would be asked to be the bishop but it wasn't a sure thing. I kind of knew it was coming and Thomas was in slight denial. 😏 They pulled me in first and asked me a few questions about Thomas. I was sooooo tempted to tell them he was a very busy man and that I never ever saw him, but I held my tongue. (Being the bishop can require a lot of time). I know they knew he was an amazing man, but they definitely needed to hear it from me that he was as golden as he seemed. And he really is as golden as they get. 😏 They pulled Thomas in for a few minutes for a one on one. Then they called us both in. I was so anxious at this point because I still wasn't cert...

 There once was a man with a zipper on his heart. He was kind and gentle and warm from the start. He gave out pieces of his heart to the sad, The lonely, the hurting, the pained, and the mad. Each piece that he gave made each burden lighter, He helped the weak feel strong, the sad ones brighter. But as he gave and he helped and he saved, His heart dwindled into an empty cave. The people he helped went along their way, But nobody stopped to listen to him say, "The pieces of my heart and all that I give, are pieces of me and the love I live.  I gave what I had to the sorrowful and weak,  but the love they had for me was bleak." You see, he didn't require that much. Just a hug or a handshake or a gentle touch. The cave in his heart grew sad and empty, It needed a boost and good news a plenty. Little Faye was sad and asked for a piece,  but the man said "I'm sorry, the pieces have ceased." Faye turned around and lowered her her head, She felt empty inside, her s...

It has been so long since I have made it a point to sit down and write. I have so many drafts of stories and pictures and entries that I never hit publish. Today, I'm hoping to break that hiatus and get back into a good habit of writing in our family journal. Having three kids, being a working mom, the bishop's wife, keeping up with a household and all the other day to day things are keeping us so busy. But it's a happy busy.  A few weeks ago someone called me a working mom. I laughed because I've been staying home since I was about 12 weeks pregnant with Lincoln back in 2014! But as I thought about it, I had to agree! I am a working mom. After quitting my job after a really terrible, scary and unhealthy situation at my last workplace (more on that later), I immediately started working in childcare. I was a part time nanny for a really sweet family that ended up being our lifelong friends. A few years after that I started doing childcare from my home. It wasn't ver...