Motherhood

Lately, my mind has been on the more "simple" things in life... not the extravagant, turn-up-your-nose, socially acceptable things.

To me, there is nothing more beautiful than a mother. Honestly. I look at a woman who truly VALUES her calling as a mother. It seems like these women are few and far between now days. It's heart breaking that motherhood is so greatly mocked. Motherhood doesn't make you "less". It makes you "more". I am not the same person I was two-and-a-half years ago. I am better than I was.

I have made the decision to go back to school this Fall. Nic and I are so excited and we feel this is the right decision for us at this point in our lives. I'm going to be a nurse... not for the title, not for the money, not for the "arrogance" that seems to come so easily to so many fulfilling this career (let me clarify... not ALL nurses are arrogant, just the... arrogant ones. Those who know what I'm talking about understand the repetitive nature of this confusing pile of words). I'm going to be a nurse because I have a PERSONAL understanding of the importance of GOOD nurses, nurses who CARE about more than their textbook knowledge and proving how much they "know". I'm going to be a nurse who sees the personable side of people. I'm not saying it's going to be an easy thing to do... but in the words of one of the EXTREMELY FEW doctors I trust, "the moment a person in the medical field doesn't feel... doesn't cry at the loss of one of their 'patients'... who doesn't truly love those they are working with, need to quit their job and move on to something else." It's too easy to put feelings aside. It's too easy to build that wall that keeps you from connecting with another soul.

Nic and I have learned the value of those who are willing to be vulnerable and care. That is why we are both going to be nurses. We aren't going to be "just nurses". We are going to be great nurses.

However, if Heavenly Father tells me it's time to be a mommy on this earth again, I will most willingly put my schooling on hold to fulfill the amazing, magical, difficult-but-so-worth-it calling of being a mommy.

Because in my opinion, nothing is more important, nothing is more priceless, nothing is more powerful or influential than a mother. That is who I want to be, even more than a nurse. I am a mother. I always want to be a mother. I will gladly sacrifice the "things of this world", the many things which others flaunt, and I will do it because I applaud all those amazing mothers out there. Education is a blessing, it's wonderful. But, my own (humble... ehem) opinion is that a mother doesn't need to have an education to be a good mother. She needs special skills that come from the heart, from the soul. You can't learn that in any college or university, elite or not.

To you mothers, you true mothers, mothers of the heart, my applause and support is in your behalf. Thank you for loving these precious little ones.

PS One year ago this month...

PSS I'm not saying a woman should NOT get an education. I'm just saying, it's not a pre-req to be a good mother. ... ... ... just wanted to clarify.

Maybe When You Have A Bad Feeling In Your Gut... You Should Listen...

Larry, Jo, and Me. These guys are our HEROS!!! Thanks so much for rescuing us from all things bad at an airport!!!



So, Nic and I decided to go to Texas for a few days for our Anniversary! We had sooo much excitement and we just couldn't wait!!!

But... I was having Anxiety Attacks. Honestly. I'm not joking. I have never felt anything like it. It was terrifying and it consumed me. Completely. I just felt like we were going to die... the plane was going to crash... something! With some help from those who have had similar experiences, we decided to go.

I'm not making light of the Anxiety I was feeling... I now have a new understanding for those who suffer from Anxiety. But, there is some comical relief in all of this.

Please read the 13 steps below...

1. Our flight from SLC to Pheonix (where we had a layover) was delayed due to weather. We may miss our connecting flight to Austin, but we decide life is an adventure! Why not be adventurous?!?!
2. We land in Pheonix. Our connecting flight left 10 minutes ago. It's the last flight of the day to ANYWHERE in Texas. :( Luckily we have some family in the Pheonix area.
3. Our luggage is lost. We have nothing... not even our cell phone chargers and our phones are nearly dead. Yeah, we've learned from this.
4. We quickly call our relatives, Larry and Jo, who live close to the Pheonix airport and let them know what's going on. We will call back when we figure out what's going on with our luggage.
5. Two and a half hours later, luggage not found. Phones almost dead. Larry comes and yells at the dumb luggage people. Our luggage is found ten minutes later.
6. Take a swim in Larry and Jo's pool. So fun and so relieving!
7. Next morning, we are on stand by for the first flight to Houston, Texas (we were originally supposed to fly into Austin). There is room for the people listed BEFORE us... but plane fills up RIGHT AT OUR NAME. We have to wait for three hours before our booked flight to Houston.
8. Get on plane. Plane has "small problem". It will be a few minutes before take off.
9. Okay, plane has "big engine problem". Get off plane. Will be an hour.
10. 45 minutes later, GET BACK ON PLANE THAT HAD ENGINE PROBLEM WHICH HAS BEEN "FIXED". Anxiety returns.
11. Plane takes off. Breathe.
12. Hard, no... VERY HARD landing. Thought plane was going to flip over. Apparently so did everyone else. But, it didn't.
13. Get luggage, meet up with friends, get the heck outta the airport.

But, we made it.

Texas Lovin'

Since I kinda like this goofy guy, and this goofy guy kinda likes me, we decided we'd take a little trip for our five year anniversary!



So, off to Texas we went! We decided to go visit our good friends, Chad and Donna and their way cute girls, Keana and Kameha. We were in the big city of Brenham! Woot! Woot! We had fun just kickin' back and relaxing. I just have to say... I ABSOLUTELY LOVE TEXAS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!







This is us at the house from the movie "Hope Floats". This house is soooo beautiful and it was so awesome to be there! Don't worry, we asked the owner if we could take pictures on his porch. He was very nice!



So, a great story about the next three pictures... we decided to go to SeaWorld in San Antonio. We get there and it's flippin' expensive to get in, right? So, the lady at the ticket booth tells us if we have a coca-cola or pepsi (can't remember which it was) product of any kind then we'll all get a good discount. Well, we didn't have anything... so... to the recycling garbage we went!!! And guess what?!?! Donna was the one who ended up getting the prize! We got a discount... but, still, even with the discount it was ridiculously expensive.





We, of course, HAD to feed the dolphins! They are so cute! I just wanted to pick one up and HUG IT!








Just playin' around at SeaWorld!




We stayed in San Antonio for a couple of days! I love San Antonio! It's such a fun city! We had a great time... minus the scorching heat. Ug.






We did the Riverboat Ride! It was so cool to hear about the history of San Antonio... the floods, the buildings, the roads, the river... it's all so fascinating. I really enjoyed this!




We also visited The Alamo. I loved being in the Alamo. I love history and I especially love being in a historical place and FEELING the spirit of the past there. This was a big highlight for me.



We visited Lake Travis. This lake is absolutely stunning! Just beautiful! If swimsuits don't suit you... there's a beach here that probably will. Nothing like going swimming in the nude. :(


This actually looked a lot cooler in person...











We didn't think to bring swimming suits, so Chad and Nic made the most of what they had. Nice thighs, ya'll!!!



Donna and I gathered seashells along the shore line. Donna is such a cute and thoughtful mommy! She wanted to get these for her little girls so I decided to help. It was incredible to see how tiny some of them are! Heavenly Father is in the details.




There was a HUGE biker group at the restaurant at Lake Travis. I asked one of them what the big ride was for (charity, fundraising, etc. etc.). Apparently it was just for fun! Hundreds of bikers, and their amazing custom bikes! Nic's a motorcycle man and he was droooooooling all over the place!







We stayed at a cute little Bed and Breakfast while we were out there. It was on a working-farm. It was really fun!




And to finish off the trip, we HAD to tour the famous Blue Bell Ice Cream Factory! Mmm, their ice cream is so creamy, so delightful! Keana looked so cute in her awesome hat! Nic and I had hats too... but we forgot to take a pic of us looking so stylish.