a working mama

There is so much to be said about being a working mother! I deeply respect those mothers who work with little ones at home. Granted, we all do it for different reasons and I respect some reasons more than others, but in most cases it is a sacrifice they make in order to provide a better life for their family. It is literally painful to leave that precious little one at home. And single working mothers?! I have more respect for you than I could ever say. I can not imagine how hard that is day in and day out. Bless you for your never-ending sacrifices!

I grew up with the joy of having my dear mother in the home, there to care for us and always just be there. I always knew this was a priority of mine. I knew that circumstances would have to be pretty grim for me to leave my children and work full-time. I would much rather go without many things and be home with my children than work just to be able to afford a second car or cable or other things we don't need. I went into nursing knowing it would give me flexibility and the ability to raise my children while still working a little bit if I so desired.

While I greatly respect working mothers, I also think it takes great courage to be a stay-at-home mother. It is not the easy way out. It is a difficult, never-ending job. Sometimes leaving for work would be a much easier option and a nice break compared to staying at home. We have to be confident in our worth as stay-at-home moms when many of the women and mothers in the world are out working full-time and pursuing their careers. We must remember our worth and be sure of ourselves and our decisions to stay home. I truly believe the most important role we could ever have as women is that of a mother.

Elder Christofferson said in the most recent General Conference address, "The Moral Force of Women,"

"A woman’s moral influence is nowhere more powerfully felt or more beneficially employed than in the home.

In all events, a mother can exert an influence unequaled by any other person in any other relationship. By the power of her example and teaching, her sons learn to respect womanhood and to incorporate discipline and high moral standards in their own lives. Her daughters learn to cultivate their own virtue and to stand up for what is right, again and again, however unpopular. A mother’s love and high expectations lead her children to act responsibly without excuses, to be serious about education and personal development, and to make ongoing contributions to the well-being of all around them.

What I mean to say is that whether you are single or married, whether you have borne children or not, whether you are old, young, or in between, your moral authority is vital, and perhaps we have begun to take it and you for granted. Certainly there are trends and forces at work that would weaken and even eliminate your influence, to the great detriment of individuals, families, and society at large.

A pernicious philosophy that undermines women’s moral influence is the devaluation of marriage and of motherhood and homemaking as a career. Some view homemaking with outright contempt, arguing it demeans women and that the relentless demands of raising children are a form of exploitation.⁸ They ridicule what they call “the mommy track” as a career. This is not fair or right. We do not diminish the value of what women or men achieve in any worthy endeavor or career—we all benefit from those achievements—but we still recognize there is not a higher good than motherhood and fatherhood in marriage. There is no superior career, and no amount of money, authority, or public acclaim can exceed the ultimate rewards of family. Whatever else a woman may accomplish, her moral influence is no more optimally employed than here...

And do not be afraid to apply that influence without fear or apology. “Be ready always to give an answer to every [man, woman, and child] that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you.”¹² “Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine.”¹³ “Bring up your children in light and truth.”¹⁴“Teach [them] to pray, and to walk uprightly before the Lord.”¹⁵

Read, watch, or listen to full talk here.

Anyways, back to the subject... I recently got a job as a prn (per diem/as needed, which means I only have to work once every two weeks, but can work pretty much as often as I'd like) nurse at the Methodist Specialty and Transplant Hospital on the surgical floor (pretty much Med-Surg/lots of post-ops). I had orientation all day for a week and a half and as I was talking to my mom one day and was trying to figure out would be best to do with Jude, she immediately offered to come out and help. I resisted at first as they already do so much for us, but I quickly accepted and am so, so grateful she came! What would have been a highly stressful week and a half that would have been a strain on all of us and especially hard on Jude was a pleasant, enjoyable, fun-filled, and even relaxing week and a half! She took care of all our meals, did lots of laundry (no small feat with an apartment laundromat across the way &a little one in tow), took out the trash many times, cleaned, cooked, took us out to dinner, grocery-shopped, fixed Jude's blackout shade, helped me get started on a few projects and even bought all the supplies, taught me how to crochet, kept us on our toes with a few wild games of Clue, enjoyed a few episodes of Dick Van Dyke and Andy Griffith with us, and cared for Jude like the little Lord Fauntlaroy that he is!

My dear friend Maddie watched him the first day and I am so forever grateful to her for her kindness and for going above and beyond to take care of Jude. In the good hands of Maddie and Mimi, he ate great meals, took good long naps, and continued in his happy, carefree ways!

It was so difficult leaving Jude but bearable knowing he was home and happy as can be playing blocks with Mimi and running her toothbrush charger all around the house. Her and Jude visited me at lunch some days and that just took me to the moon and back! One day we Facetimed during my lunch break. I would call Jude every day at lunch and that helped, too. He would sleep for 2-4 hours (good sleeper!) after lunch and then pick me up soon after so I really was only missing a few hours with him.

Granted, I had a lot less stress and responsibility since my mom was here and she took care of everything, but I noticed myself so much happier about life when I was home. I would run to Jude every day after work like a wife to her returning soldier and hug him and kiss him until the sun went down. I would catch myself just grinning at him like a fool as he played and went about his business. I enjoyed the little moments with him more. I savored my time with him whether we were laughing under the comforter for a few precious minutes in the morning before I left or if we were sight-seeing at the grocery store right after work.

My time has been more precious. I just want to spend it with my loves. I realize how very blessed I am. There are plenty of things to stress about and a long to-do list, but I couldn't care less about any of those things after a week and a half of working full-time and missing my family so much. I have remembered what really matters. I remember how blessed I am and how precious every moment I have with them is. I remember that reading books and playing Mr Potato head with Jude is infinitely more important than making sure the floor is swept and swiffed.

I met some adorable friends at orientation and am excited about my new job. It is a huge blessing and a perfect solution for us. I think I will enjoy getting out and using my skills and learning, yet it is infrequent enough that I won't miss Jude too terribly and I can still dedicate myself in full to being a mother and wife. I am grateful to be done with the seven-hour days of sitting on my tush watching PowerPoints, listening to speakers, and endless Meditech training and happy to be home for a few days, but we sure do miss Mimi already!

"The Miracle of Forgiveness" Book Review

I finished reading, "The Miracle of Forgiveness" by Spencer W. Kimball a while back, and I wanted to share about it here on my blog before I change my "What I'm Reading" over there on the side. I wrote a review on Amazon after I finished it so I thought I would just share that. :) There were several negative comments about the book, so I felt the need to share my thoughts! I think this book is an absolute-must-read for every mother out there.

"In response to some of the reviews about the frequent references to sexual sin, I find this direct quote from the book insightful (found in the chapter 'Avoiding Pitfalls' under subtitle 'Pitfalls for Youth').

"In this book I have deliberately made frequent reference to sexual sins, and this because of their gravity and prevalence. In the present chapter one could hardly fail to emphasize these errors in relation to avoiding pitfalls of sin, especially as they affect the youth of the Church in an era of increasing immorality, permissiveness, and commercial enticement."

How true that statement is! Sexual temptations are bombarding the youth and society in general like never before whether in the form of pornography, music, movies/TV shoes, immodesty, casual communication and references to sexual subjects, etc. The list goes on and on because it truly is everywhere. It seems clear that Satan puts his strongest focus on tempting us with sexual sins because they are so difficult to overcome and far-reaching in that their effects can cause such great emotional distress in the lives of all those affected. It is true that sexual sins are one of the most abominable in the sight of God for he is truly entrusting us with the power of creation.

This book may be difficult to read for those who are not in a place where they are trying to repent and grow closer to God. This book is written out of love and a desire to help us grow closer to Him through repentance and learning to apply "the miracle of forgiveness" in our own lives. May we read it without feeling defensive and ponder as we look inward to try to better ourselves.

I have found the reading of this book to be insightful and inspiring. Also, as a new mother, I feel better equipped to teach my children how to avoid these pitfalls that can cause such heartache and long-lasting sorrow. Yes, it is slightly uncomfortable to read at times, as he is straight-forward and doesnt sugar coat things, but that's what we need to hear! When it comes to these difficult subjects, maybe we need to be a little less "politically correct" and give ourselves a more clear right and wrong to chose between. It most certainly has brought to my attention some weaknesses of my own that I need to work on, but as I accept that I am weak, I know that through the atonement of Christ I can become stronger every day. Because of my Savior I am able to keep trying and face each day with faith and hope and that is what this book is trying to help us work towards."

Protect the little ones

I'm feeling a lot of different things right now. Feelings and thoughts that need to be written or they will just keep eating away at me. Dan came home and told me about some recent stories he had heard on the news about bullying.

One is of a 14-year old girl in Florida who was bullied so heartlessly and extensively by another 14-year old and 12-year old girl, she ended up climbing to the top of an old mill and jumping off, resulting in her death. Read more on the story here.

The other story is of an fourteen-year old boy who was brutally and viciously killed by other teenagers. Read more on the story here.

My heart has been heavy and hurting since I heard of these devastating events. Thoughts like, "They were just kids?!" and "What is our world coming to??" and "Why?!?" kept coming back to my mind. And then I looked over at the precious innocence of my little boy who is only concerned about barking, making a soup out of his lunch, and the sound of a helicopter outside. My heart then broke about a thousand more times. My precious child will be faced with bullying and unkindness. He will see and hear things that are upsetting and scary and I will not always be there to protect him.

I was filled with a sense of my great responsibility as a parent. I didn't even slightly understand the feelings of love and protection I would have until I had this little child of my own. But now I do. I understand that his safety is my job. It is my responsibility to try to get him through childhood, tween- and teenhood safe, protected not only from physical harm, but emotional and spiritual harm.

My dad describes the teenage years as being in a cloud or a fog. They are in this (oftentimes miserable) fog and do not even realize it. They think they know what's best and can see ahead, but they can't. As their parents, having survived this fog ourselves, our job is to safely guide them through. Even if they despise us for it and do everything they can to fight it and are kicking and screaming the whole way. Once they get out of the fog, they will realize their previous state of confusion and thank us for protecting them and being good parents. 

I always want to be close with my children. I want them to be able to talk to me and tell me if someone is bullying them so we could take care of it. I want them to know family is above all else. We will do everything in our power to protect each other. I will not be afraid to stand up for my children, even if I may offend another parent or may not be "politically correct." My allegiance is to my family. I will unrelentlessly defend them, protect them, and fight for them and thanks to the knowledge I have of life after death, I know even death can't stop me.

It's so hard as parent! They want to be independent and run free and we have to learn how to let them be free while still protecting them. I'm thankful for my family and thankful for the knowledge I have that I know that girl who killed herself is in a better place.

today - [conference, humbled]

Today I feel grateful.

Today I feel blessed.

Today I feel humbled.

Today I feel special.

Today I feel loved by an omnipotent, eternal God.

I stayed up late working on my blog (what do you think?!) and waiting for the man of this house to come home from night fishing (I won't even tell you what time he got home... I'll just say it's later than the number of feet you have). Let's just say I didn't make it and have absolutely no recollection of him coming home. Anywho, off topic. I woke up to a 6:00 am phone call from a dear friend telling me she was going into labor and was wondering if I could watch her sweet little boy. I magically was filled with life, ran downstairs and literally hopped over the four-foot tall back patio wall so I wouldn't open the loud door and bother Jude (who knows).

I spent my day with two twenty-two month old boys. I watched them play. I helped them color. I tried to keep them from hurting themselves. I took Sharpies away from them. I cuddled with them. I tried to watch Conference with them. I played train and Noah's Ark with them. I changed diapers and made food and poured milk and was happy. It was a good opportunity for me to have two. I really haven't babysat another child a whole lot so it was fun. They would feed off each other and teach other new naughty things and sometimes give each other little loves of their sort. Jude's competitive side came out a little bit &he was suddenly keenly interested in answering every question I posed about what animal made what sound or where the horse was, etc. I so enjoyed my day with those two.

I only really watched 2 or 3 talks from today but it was just nice to have it on even when we weren't watching it all. When I first turned it on the boys laid by each other and got watched it intently for a few minutes. It was heavenly. I watched President Monson's talk and Elder Holland's talk and was touched to my heart's innermost. 

HOW BLESSED WE ARE!

We are loved by an eternal God.

We are here on this earth with a purpose.

We are here to be happy.

We will be able to live with our families after death in a magnificent place.

Goodness. How very blessed. To hear these words of hope and inspiration and guidance and love is humbling. To have words spoken that tell me just what I need at this time in my life. Those messages of hope are enough to give me hope, an eternal hope. The tears were dripping down my face during President Holland's talk and when he talked about nienie. I feel like I know her and hearing her story from his perspective and hearing how she felt was so inspiring. She is a special soul that touches so many lives. 

I have a job interview on Monday. A peer interview where they ask me behavioral type questions. I'm a little nervous, but the more I talk to my Dad and hear conference the less nervous I am. I know it will be fine and if it's supposed to work out, it will. I tell ya what though, I loose it fast when I don't work. But I pick it up and get back in there and surprise myself every time. I looked through my blog and read every past post about 'nursing.' It was entertaining and introspective and makes me grateful I write things down. I felt grateful for my past as I read through those posts and also very grateful for my present. 

It was in the 90's today as it is every day. I wouldn't mind if it cooled down a little. I actually have a bad case of fall fever. Goodness, can't it come?! Can't I wear a sweater?! Can't I put Jude in his jeans and adorable button-up shirts?! Someone told me it will cool down in January. I didn't like that idea. 

Dan is a happy camper. He is enjoying school so much. It is just wonderful. He is doing well and might have gotten a 100% on his practical. Oh, that boy! I'm so happy he is happy. He is like, a different person that a year ago at this time! I like this guy. Jude adores him. "Da-E-Go!" Dan is always leaving for school, so Jude has gotten in the habit of always saying "Daddy go!" even when Dan is not going, like in prayers. It is adorable and hilarious. And every time we say a prayer together... (he repeats the last word of the sentence) and I say "I'm thankful for mommy.... say Mommy" he gets a big grin on his face and says "mom mom mom" and my heart melts. I love him 

so much.

He is perfection in human form and I am the absolute luckiest to be the only person on Earth who gets to be his mom. I am the recipient of that amazing, incredible love. It feels good.

Today, let's just be grateful. For wherever we are in life. Even though we wish this trial has passed already, it hasn't. That's okay. It will. Let's just be content. And move forward with faith. And remember these beautiful words from the General Relief Society meeting that were for me. (And maybe you, too;))

Credit

just a really good day overall.

There seem to be a couple requirements for what I consider a good day...

I feel rested.

Jude eats &sleeps well.

Check to both of those! I indulged myself in a lovely little afternoon nap underneath my gingham lime green blanky with the light shining in on my through the window, with my baby Jude sleeping soundly next door (for his third-day-in-a-row THREE HOURS NAP... cue fireworks) and my baby Dan sleeping soundly on the other next door.

Bonuses:

I didn't over eat. And ate pretty healthy, too.

The house was clean.

I read my spiritual enlightenment, The Miracle of Forgiveness, in the afternoon (as opposed to 11:00 pm fighting tired eyes).

I feel peaceful &excited about the big decision we made &are moving forward with.

My brother got his accounting externship with a BIG FOUR company!

We saw the bunny (BUBBBBA!!!) outback this morning and excitedly watched his little white tail hop away into the woods.

Jude and I played outside for over an hour and enjoyed the slowly setting sun, the cool breeze, every dog in the neighborhood, marvelled at the cows for a good ten minutes from about 15 feet away, and went on a marvelous little walk through some woods nearby along a stream.

I have felt inspired and creative today, especially when we pulled out the GLITTER SIDEWALK CHALK!!!!!!!

I can honestly say I savored every moment with my little 21-pound companion today. I didn't once wish it was nap or bed time already. I didn't tense up my face &widen my eyes in frustration as he poured his entire lunch on the ground. I was actually not once short or impatient with anyone I came in contact with! WAHOO!!!! This is due to the healing power of the atonement of our Savior, Jesus Christ. He heals all wounds. He brings peace to my heart. He turns weaknesses into strengths. He fills me with hope and joy.

What I learned: The quality of my day does not depend on what I accomplish as far as my To Do List goes, but when I let go of my worry and just savor these beautiful little moments in life.

"Be happy. This is your life."

That quote used to be my quote on my Facebook page... Lately I've been needing to take my own advice! Life has been so unpredictable for us. It has been a very long and ever-changing road. As soon as we think we've "figured it out" and we know what we're doing, our plan quickly no longer becomes a plan and we are back to square one. I frequently ponder what lessons my wise Father in Heaven wants me to learn from all this.

One of them is to be happy now. Even if you are making no money or you still don't have that degree or you are ten pounds overweight or your house is anything but blogworthy or you have relationships that a little rocky. I have heard this cliche quote a hundred times, but as I recently read it in the book "Heaven and Back" by Dr. Mary Neal (highly recommended), it left a hankering on my heart.

"Life isn't about waiting for the storms to pass, it's about learning to dance in the rain."

I heard myself tellin gothers, "I'll just be happy when we find out where we're going...". I was essentially saying, "I'm no thappy now, but I will be when _____." That is a dangerous place to be. Happiness comes from within. Not from Birmingham, AL or San Antonio, TX.

As we find this happiness, we can also find peace. As we learn to let the Savior deep into our hearts, center our lives on serving and loving others, and focus on what matters most, we can find peace regardless of our circumstances. I have a sure knowledge of my purpose here on this Earth, that I am a daughter of a loving Father in heaven who knows me and wants my happiness, and that I can be with my family forever and dwell with Heavenly Father and Jesus. These truths, if I let them, should cause "happiness" seep out of every pore of my body.

At times I find myself in a frenzy of this's and that's that seem so very important. I found myself unconsciously comparing my life to others. This blog world is a very interesting community. It brings great support and continuing of friendships but it can also be dangerous. We may find ourselves comparing our lives to others when all we can see is a small slice of their life, usually their most sparkly and delicious-looking slice. Can we all commit to loving our much-nicer-and-prettier-than-we-think selves, our cute, imperfect husbands who may not always know how to eloquently express themselves in our love language, our beautiful children who don't sleep as long as we wish they would or eat as many organic non-GMO's as they probably should, our unorganized home that we doesn't have one DIY'ed piece of furniture in sight, our hair that is not currently in a "Braid Wrapped Chignon," and the fact that we do not own a coral-colored tulle skirt and probably never will? 

I am blessed beyond any comprehension and if I can't be "happy" now, when will I be? What matters is that I sincerely enjoy being with my son and husband every day, that I love them with life and passion, and that  I try to strengthen my relationship with my Heavenly Father and Savior. If I can really learn to do that every day, everything else will be okay. Let's chose to see the good in our days. There's a lot to be seen!

I am happy now. I am thankful for my mind and my Spirit and my spiritual inclinations that cause me to ponder and try to better my life and the life of my family. I am thankful for these hard times because I'm learning a lot!

dandy lion delight

A few words that come to mind when trying to describe how things have been around here lately...

nuts

disaster area

stressful

insane-o

disbelief

Dan's surprise call from The Dean of Admissions at UAB Optometry School on a Sunday night

No, that was not an announcement... unfortunately.

A big mistake was made when dealing with his letters of recommendation which has turned this whole thing in a slight nightmare.

One round trip ticket to San Antonio, TX... departure: Friday

One little baby with a stomach bug, on top of a new diagnosis, and a haggard mother trying to... just trying.

This precious child has been through enough.... PLEASE!!!!?!!!

Dan working seven days a week and having to work with a couple icky people talk about crude things and use vulgar language

A home that was r.i.d.i.c.u.l.o.u.s.l.y pig-pennish. It has been out of control. 

Other words to describe these little lives over here...

clarity

gratitude

love

peace

Dan standing up to prevously mentioned people at work and asking them to not talk like that around him and that is was offensive to him. (They were respectful &I am so proud of him for standing up for what's right)

I met with the Dietician today. She is a saint. We talked for an hour and she has helped me greatly.

Heavenly Father answering little prayers, like "Please bless Jude that he will sleep while Mom has gone to see the Dietician (as he has been sick and throwing up all day) so Daddy can sleep in the other room (after a long night of work) and that he can keep his food down and get some rest..."

Starting tomorrow I am DAIRY-FREE... this is big for me. I'm doing it for my little Jude. I don't want to wean him. He will stop when he's good &ready. :)

Dan staying home from work and it ending up being a perfect blessing.

A job interview

Jude took three baths today (He loves to say "no" and wants to stay in the tub forever)

Two nights ago as I was getting Jude ready for bed, he was lying there so contently on the carpet. I was lathering his body up in a thick layer of coconut oil &he was just laughing and smiling. I said, 

"Why are you so happy? Is it because you love your mommy so much?"

He looked up at me and said, plain as day...

"Yeah"

It wasn't "no" and it wasn't any other word, it was yeah. He whole-heartedly agreed.

the big moment for me today:

I was speaking with the dietitian and she told me about the Facebook group for parents of children with EE. She told me not to be surprised if I see people on there from Tennessee, Alabama, North Carolina, Georgia, or other states in the area because their clinic are the specialist of EE in the entire region. 

And we live 25 minutes away in little old Boiling Springs. And we ended up here and we thought it was for Dan... didn't work it. It was for Jude. Heavenly Father sees the big plan. He knew what Jude would be going through and that we needed to be here.

Overwhelmed with gratitude.

This blog post is slightly confusing, but so is life. Especially ours lately. 

Can't wait to see what tomorrow brings!

loving him was red...

Last Monday for Family Home Evening we sang "The Wise Man Built His House Upon the Rock," said a quick prayer, and Dan began the lesson. We haphazardly flipped through the Ensign and pointed to all the pictures of Jesus, repeating his name and try to teach Jude little snippets about his life. Jude was energetically running from one side of the living room to the next, climbing onto &off of the couches, and riding his pink plastic pony. As we were finishing up &wondering if it was all for naught, we found one last picture of Jesus and called Jude's attention to it. He walked over and very purposefully leaned his head in and gave Jesus a big kiss. What?! He was listening! He innocently taught us a powerful lesson of his spiritual intuition. He knows Jesus. Of course he does...

Tonight, Dan was at work all evening and Jude and I played in his room. Jude was fiddling with the iPod so I turned it on for us, Red by Taylor Swift. We both got all giddy-like and started dancing and giggling. He threw his arms up in the air and repeatedly opened and closed his hands. He then clenched them in the tightest fists he could muster and as his whole little body trembled he slowly lowered them down to his sides. Funniest and cutest. New dance move. He then ran over to me and collapsed in my arms for a hug and the tears began (mine). The love I have for this child is the most indescribable, unwavering love I have ever experienced. Never a disappointment. Never an argument. Never a misunderstanding. Only the most pure, unadulterated love. A foundation of perfection to build on, so any future disappointments, arguments, and misunderstandings could never alter my feelings for him. Like air in my lungs and blood in my veins I need him and he needs me. After a stress-inducing doctor's visit and blood draw experience from little arms earlier that day, this moment with my baby was everything I needed to remind me what truly matters. That every and any joy and life's goal or dream will be fulfilled right here in my home, in these quiet moments in our PJ's. Not at a graduation or an award's ceremony or in a bank account, but right here.

I am learning so many lessons. As I look back on the days and months and years, I realize I am happy with who I am and I am becoming the woman I want to be. I am so ridiculously thankful for how Heavenly Father is molding me and teaching me and helping me. I could say so much but it is past midnight, my weary bread-winning husband is falling fast asleep by my side, and Jude will be singing to me in a few short hours. With that thought, good night!

T H A N K F U L

I have been on the verge of tears for the past day. I have just been feeling so thankful, humbled, and blessed for my family and where we are in our life. I have been enjoying my D&C class to no end. It fills me with so much light and inspiration. I know it was divinely designed that I am taking right now, when it has been such a help to have a little extra spiritual boost on my side.

I am thankful for the Gospel.

I am thankful for my Savior, that through him I can find eternal happiness as I am continually learning to repent and draw closer to him.

I am thankful for my loving Heavenly Father, who always answers my prayers and blesses me way more than I probably deserve.

I am thankful for my dear husband, who has the most beautiful green eyes that I can see his whole soul through. I am thankful for his sweetest heart and that I am the one who gets to know that heart better than anyone else.

I am thankful for our creation, my little boy. He is my world. I am thankful to be his mother and all that that word entails.

I am thankful for our families and their love, support, and deep care for us. 

I am thankful that we are taking a new path in life. Although it may feel like we are jumping over rivers with crocodiles and snakes below and crossing rickety old bridges fifty feet above the water with no idea what's on the other side, we are fearless because we are holding on to each other soo tight.

our pursuit of HAPPYNESS...

It's funny how we think we have life all figured out...

and then things change.

And all the sudden all our plans are gone,

and we realize the only plan we have is that everything will work out because Heavenly Father is in charge of our plan.

His plan is our plan and we're okay with that.

Our plans to go to medical school and live here in our pretty little house for four years?

Nope.

Dan resigned from medical school on Friday...

and we're moving.

on our way out from VCOM... for the last time!

He realized it wasn't for him or for us as a family. He realized that it wasn't best for our eternal family and that money and position really don't matter. The sacrifice of being $200,000 in debt and being "indentured servants" for the rest of our lives is not worth it. And for what? For Dan to work long hours in a job where he is controlled by the government and not enjoying what he does? It all culminated last Wednesday with Obama's victory. Dan told me he had not really been enjoying school at all and just hadn't said anything to me about it.

stopped by the park afterwards... what!? time?! what do we do with it?!

eyes closed in pictures... so in right now. 

It was stressfulcrazyscary few days but we are feeling better, really good even. We know, without the slightest doubt, that we doing what is best for our family. We are thankful for this lesson we are learning, even if it took our life savings to learn it. It was worth it. Because now we'll never look back. Dan has (re)realized Optometry really is what he wants to do with his life day in and day out. It just suits him. Remember that talk in conference two times ago? I forget who it was by but he shared a story about a father and son driving home late one night. They came to a crossroads and didn't know which way to. They both felt like they needed to go right. So they went right. Before long, they came to a dead end and realized right was wrong. The son asked his father why they both had a feeling that they should go right when it was the wrong way? His father told him that now they can confidently go the other way and know it is right. Heavenly Father doesn't always answer their prayers in the way we think. This is us. We were supposed to move to Boiling Springs for a few months and do medical school for a few months and if we could take it back and go straight to Optometry school we wouldn't. We know we have learned lessons through all this that we have needed to learn. We can move forward confidently (humbly confident) in this direction and we know it is right for us.

so excited, jude's legs started kicking and he "ooo oooo!!"'ed when he noticed them :)

QUACK QUACK

We are excited for what the future brings. We have been humbled and are thankful for it!