Patience.

Mornings are always hectic for me.  I sleep in a little later than I should, I take too long in the shower which means my hair will be a little wet when I leave the house because my thick hair takes 8 million years to blow dry, I don't take enough time on what I'm wearing, I forget my earrings, I am making Ayla's lunch last minute, Ayla is watching her "Super Bass" music video that she loves so much, then I'm trying to brush her hair into a messy bun while trying to strap her into the car seat at the same time...  You get the picture.

This morning we were in the car and running late and I was hitting EVERY RED LIGHT!  And every other car was going SO SLOW!  I kept saying, "OH MY GOSH!" and "ARE YOU KIDDING ME?! GOOOOO!"  From the back seat Ayla said, "Paincience, mom!"

Patience is a word that I have explained to Ayla about 3 times in the past week.  I say, "Baby, you need to be patient!  That means you wait and you don't cry.  You be PATIENT."  That's the best way that I can describe it to my barely-two-year-old.  She'll repeat the word to me in her cute little voice, "paincience".  She throws the pain in there, which I think is appropriate for the word and it's meaning.

I once had someone laugh at me and say, "I love how you talk to your daughter, you treat her like she's an adult!"  In a way this is true.  I don't really baby talk to her.  I talk to her like a friend and even though I use big words, I explain them the best that I can for such a little person.  Some times I wonder if that is a good thing to do.  I say yes because she is 2 years and 3 months old and she has an astounding vocabulary!  She remembers and a lot of the time seems to actually understand what she's saying.  I love my intelligent little girl!  (Don't worry, we still have fun and I do realize that she's only two, I am not pushing her to be a grown up or depriving her of anything just because I don't use a high-pitched voice and use little words and add "y" to the end!)

This morning when Ayla said, "Paincience, mom!" I had to laugh.  I cracked up and said, "You, little miss, are way too smart for your own good!"  But she sure hit the nail on the head.  I was running a little late, but I still had time.  I did not need to be hitting the steering wheel and freaking out because the car in front of me was going the actual speed limit.  Some times I need to remember to breathe!  Good thing I have my little girl to remind me.

I love my little "old soul".

Ayla and I got to join the Lee family on a recent trip down to Arizona.  I wish I took more pictures, but I was having too much fun to remember to get my camera out of my purse apparently.  We got to attend a wedding and a mission farewell.  It was so much fun!  The weather was fantastic!  I sure wouldn't mind spending my winters in Arizona every year...  We all got sick except for Debbie and Kyle, they lucked out!  Even being sick the trip was still great.  I sure love his family.  I couldn't ask for a better group of people to spend time with.  Ayla and I are so lucky to have these people in our lives.  I know they didn't pick us, that was on Kyle, but they have opened their home up to us and they make us feel welcome (even if it's not the case, they don't show it!).  We love the Lee family!

Jaycee and I at the Mesa Temple

Ayla folding her arms and being reverent!

My Kyle and my Ayla :)

Taking a walk around the Temple

I love them!

Cute kids!

Enjoying the sunshine!

Those are really the only pictures that I got of our trip down south!

**************

The current theme of my life is patience.  It is a virtue I do not possess and one that I hope to acquire.  All of this work that I have been doing on myself, and the work that I need to continue doing and improving on everyday, will pay off.  It will!  I will achieve the goals that I have set out and this patience and all of this waiting, it will be so very worth it!

In the great words of Tom Petty.... "The waiting is the hardest part."

Last year around this time...

California 2010.

The west coast is calling my name...

Especially this:



I left my heart in Washington.

This year (like the past 2 years) we have been lucky enough to fly into Seattle Christmas morning to be with my family.

Ayla did well on both flights (to Seattle she was just happy and cute and to Utah she slept the entire flight).

While in Washington we got to:

• Open presents with family (on my mom's side AND my dad's side)
• Visit downtown Seattle
• Enjoy Ivar's clam chowder
• Drink delicious coffee
• Eat at Dick's
• See the Harry Potter exhibit at The Pacific Science Center
• Eat real Seattle Teriyaki (there is nothing like it in Utah)
• Spend time with the people I love the most in the state that I love the most.

It seems like we did a lot of eating.  Ooooh boy, did we ever.  My mom made a delicious dinner of Turkey, Roast Beef, Shrimp, Potatoes, Sweet Potatoes, Stuffing, Rolls, etc. on Christmas.  The next day my step mother Syl made an amazing Turkey and they whipped up some homemade eggnog.  And of course I had to visit all of my favorite places to eat and introduce them to Joseph (if he hasn't had them already) all in a quick 3 days!  I need to detox from all the food.  Yikes.

Here are some photos from the visit.  They are mostly from my cell phone because my camera broke a week before Christmas.  OF COURSE.

Ayla excited to get on the plane!





Ayla sitting in Grandpa Kurt's childhood chair, playing with uncle Aaron



She wanted baby Jesus

She found her favorite place at grandma's house

Grandma's present

Relaxing with uncle Chad

Ayla and grandpa John

Ayla and grammy Syl

Seattle!

Grandma and Ayla in the Center House

Joseph, Ayla, and Tonja in front of the snow globe in the Center House

Harry Potter!

The Pacific Science Center

Eating at Dick's after we saw Harry Potter

I wish that I had more photos, I would have hundreds had my camera not been broken!

I can't wait to get back to Washington again.  I am working on a way to be back there in the next 6 months.  Wish me luck!

Day 26.

Day 26 – A photo of somewhere you’ve been to.




Times Square, NYC June 2008

 I traveled to New York with the women of the Willden family.  My mom's husband Kurtis has an amazing mother who wanted all 15 women (and girls) to join her in NYC for an entire week!  We saw everything!  We took the tour buses around the city, bought black market handbags, ate pizza, ate hot dogs, lounged in Central Park, rode the subway (tons),  shopped at Bergdorfs, FAO Shwartz, drank frozen hot chocolate at Serendipity, climbed to the top of the Statue of Liberty, explored Ellis Island, saw Wicked on Broadway, saw The Lion King on Broadway, waited in an early morning line to be in the audience of the David Letterman Show and didn't get tickets, heck, I even went to a Met's game and watched my hometown Mariner's beat them 5-1!

It really was the trip of a lifetime.  I am so grateful for my step family and the opportunity to spend time with the ladies and fall head-over-heels in love with New York City.

If I didn't end up in Seattle, I would want to end up in New York City.  Even if I did have to live in a six-story walk up closet of an apartment.



My mom, step sisters, and I at Wicked!



Day 12.

Day 12 – A photograph of the town you live in.

PROVO, UTAH

Oh, Provo.  We have a love-hate relationship, you and I.  There have been manys days, weeks, and even months, that I have loathed you.  The people.  The scenery.  The absolute lack of culture.  I have wondered time and again how I ended up here...

This morning (Without even knowing this was my subject of the day for my 30 Days of Blogging.) I was driving to work and thinking to myself, "What am I doing in Provo, Utah?"  Generally when I have this thought, and I have it A LOT, I become angry and I think of Washington and family and everything that I love about home.  Not today.

Today I remember that I was not happy at home.  I was in a rut.  I was living a life that I did not want to be a part of.  At all.  I needed a change.  I needed something drastic.

Jump 4 years from that miserable time in my life... Oh I got drastic, alright.

Even though I can't bring myself to call this place home, I am willing to say that I have, at times, found myself content in Provo, Utah.  I do not want to settle here.  I absolutely do not want to raise Ayla here.  I want a great deal more for my life than Provo can offer me.

But days like today remind me that Provo is just what I needed once-upon-a-time.  Provo saved me from a life that surely would have held me back and brought me down in ways that I do not want to think about.

Thanks, Provo.

Recently...

Ayla and I recently had the opportunity to go to Washington state to visit family for 2 whole weeks!  This was definitely a long, much needed vacation!  It was the longest Ayla had been away from Joseph and I know if was rough for her to be away from daddy for so long!  It seemed like as soon as we got home from St. Louis we were off to Washington!  Getting a break from the heat in St. Louis and Utah was wonderful for Ayla and for myself!  We actually needed to wear jackets at times and I loved it!  I miss the Pacific Northwest a lot.  If I could move there tomorrow I would!

Here are some pictures from our trip:

Ayla and I on the airplane.

Ayla in front of grandma's house.

Ayla and Grandpa John.

Ayla enjoying the greenery!

Eating lunch at Grandma's!

.Petting some donkeys.

Watching Sesame Street with Grandma.

Ayla hanging out with Emory.

Eating ice cream with grandma.

The last fun thing we did was visit Pike Place Market in Seattle!

We also had some studio pictures taken of Ayla.  She didn't really like to cooperate, but we still got some good ones!

Ayla, my mom, and I made the 15 hour drive from WA to UT and Ayla did so well!  We drove over night which really helped a lot.  :)  Every time I make that drive I think to myself, I WILL NEVER DO IT AGAIN!  Flying is so much easier.

We're now back to our regular routine.  We're living in Eagle Mountain and Joseph is working away.  I'm in the process of applying for some jobs.  As much as I love being with Ayla I miss the social interaction and the second income.  I'm hoping to find an evening job so that Joseph and I can trade off with Ayla and we won't need to put her in daycare.  Wish me luck!

Here are some pictures of a recent day spent with our friends Kaitlin and Nina!