The BIG Decision

For the past week or so, my mom has been talking about having us stay here while Ryan is in grad school. She talks about how fun it is to see the grandbabies every day, how fun it is to cook together (which, honestly, is not that often), and just how great it is all around having us here. For a while, I put my foot down and said that there was absolutely NO WAY I would live in my parents' basement for about 2 years.

Then, Friday night, I started thinking about it--and it started making sense to me. There hadn't been a 3 bedroom place open in Wymount for over a week and it seemed like the rush was over. And, as I talked about in an earlier post, the medium sized rental market in Provo is non-existent. I was sure that we'd be staying in the basement by default, if nothing else. The other thing that both Ryan and I were sure about was that it would either be my parents' basement or Wymount.

So, Sunday, we decided to fast about our housing situation. Mainly to know what we should do...should we commit to living at my parents' house or should we be patient and wait for another opening at Wymount? By the end of the day, neither of us had any particular feelings about it one way or another.

Monday morning, I got online and checked the Wymount website. Nothing. I checked again a while later. Still nothing. I IMed Ryan and asked what would happen if a 3 bedroom, first floor, North Wymount apartment opened up right then, what would he do? He replied that he wasn't sure, but speaking of...THREE 3 bedroom, first floor, North Wymount apartments had just been posted on the website! We knew, from experience, that those 3 bedroom places went fast--so we had to make a decision RIGHT NOW.

It was really a tough decision. Living at Wymount had felt like the right option almost from the time we sold our condo. But, staying here in the basement seemed to be falling into place as well. I was SO confused as to which one would be the best choice for our little family. Ryan and I IMed back and forth for about an hour deliberating the pros and cons of both options. I must say, organizing the pros and cons really didn't do much for me, except frustrate me even more. While all of this was going on, one of the three apartments disappeared from the list, which definitely added pressure to our situation.

I finally walked away from the computer for about 5 minutes to clear my mind. During those 5 minutes, I knew what the right decision was. As much as I dreaded the coin-op laundry facilities and boring white walls of Wymount, (which we're not allowed to paint), I knew that's where we needed to be.

Ryan applied for the apartment we had agreed upon--and later that day, he received an e-mail telling us that it was ours. The apartment is available June 11, but we probably won't move in until the 16th. Now that the decision has been made, I feel really good about it all. But, MAN, what a tough process to get through to make that decision!

Am I Getting Warmer?

You would think after almost 3 weeks of daily showers in my parents' basement bathroom that I would know by now. You would think after almost burning my hands and feet I would remember! But somehow, every time I'm ready to hop in the shower, I've gotta go potty. And, after you potty, you ALWAYS flush. It's not the pottying that kills me. It's the flushing. I consistently fail to remember that flushing while in (or just before getting in) the shower is like asking to be scalded. Once I turn on the water, I start to ponder why the water seems much too HOT for the position of the faucet. It only takes me about 5 seconds to remember--and then I have to stand at the back of the tub, freezing cold, while the water runs its course. It doesn't take more than a minute or two for the toilet to stop running and the shower to return to a normal "faucet position-water temperature" relationship. In that minute or two, I think that next time I'll remember and plan a little better. Obviously, after three weeks, that still hasn't happened.

A Disciple's Life

I have been reading Elder Neal A. Maxwell's biography for the past several months...maybe even a year because I remember reading it when I was pregnant with Whitney. Anyway--with all that has been going on in the past few months, I haven't picked it up again until a few days ago when I started walking on my parents' treadmill. It's nice to have something uplifting to read while I exercise.

Anyway--as I have been reading these past couple of days, the book has pointed out many of Elder Maxwell's talents and how they compare to the talents of other people he has worked with in CES, (such as Elder Oaks). Reading it has really helped me better understand that we really all do come to earth with different talents and abilities. One isn't better than another and conforming to those that I think I should have isn't a good idea either. Rather, I need to be grateful that the Lord has given me my own set of talents and abilities and use them to reach my potential and fulfill my mission here. I don't need to worry that I'm not Elder Maxwell or that I'm not Elder Oaks or any other wonderful person. I just need to go about my duties and be willing to let the Lord put me where He needs to be when He needs me to be there.

The Provo Rental Market

I am SO tired of looking for a place to live! Granted, it's only been about 2 weeks now that we've been looking--and only a week since we knew that we were for sure staying in Provo. But, I'm already tired of it!

Ryan and I are looking for a 3 bedroom, (or LARGE 2 bedroom), place within walking distance to campus that is within a certain price range. Let me tell you, I don't think anything like that exists in Provo! It's even hard to find something like that outside of walking distance to BYU. There are TONS of 2 bedroom places, but all of them are smaller than or the same size as our condo. Do we regret selling? Nope. Not one bit. Are we frustrated with what we are, or I should say are NOT, finding now that we've sold it? Definitely.

I realize that there are worse things than living with your parents. I am really grateful that we have a place to live for now. But, I really miss having my own place. I just want life to get back to normal. I'm sure it's harder on me than it is on my kids. What child doesn't like going to Grandma's house? And, living there is 100 times more fun than visiting every once in a while. But, I am more than ready to get things put back together in our own home. It will probably take more patience and time than I really want to take--but I guess all things in life that are worth it are the same way.

Hink Pinks

The other day, Carissa and I had a great conversation. We started by talking about the oxymoron "Jumbo Shrimp" and then quickly morphed into the rhyming context of Hink Pinks. She and I named off one or two and the conversation died out as we both got really quiet. Then, I suddenly started laughing because I realized that we were both silently thinking about words that rhyme with shrimp! So far, we've come up with blimp, chimp, whimp, pimp, gimp, limp, crimp, and maybe a few others that I can't remember. The Hink Pink conversation, which started last Thursday has still not ended. Every so often, we will text each other new clues, (we've exhausted the word "shrimp" and have started on other words), or just say one when we see each other. I guess the whole thing could be considered a little juvenile...but it has kept me busy thinking of all of the rhyming words I know. If you can think of any, feel free to leave them in the comments.

We just got a let-ter...

...We just got a let-ter, We just got a let-ter, and I know who it's from! Has anyone else seen Blue's Clues about a million times? Speaking of Blue's Clues...Kallie will find her Blue's Clues book or see it on TV and say, "A too! A too!" It makes me laugh.

Anyway--back to topic. Ryan's official graduate school acceptance letter arrived today. It was postmarked at BYU on March 1, but went to our old address, so it took FOREVER to get here! I'm excited that it's now officially official and look forward to Ryan starting his program in the Fall. I really think he's going to enjoy it.

Now, if we could just find some decent housing to last us for the next 2 years...

Being a Mom is SO Not Glamorous!

After a few months of trying to set up a blog, I've finally done it! I was going to start yesterday, but things were a little crazy from the moment I got up. Here's what happened:

Kallie being the busy and inquisitive child that she is, likes to unsnap, unzip, unvelcro, remove, etc. every piece of clothing she's wearing when we put her to bed. This means that I usually find a naked, cold Kallie, and sometimes a few damp spots when I go to get her out of bed in the morning. Her diaper and jammies are usually either in her bed with her or have been thrown within a few feet of it.

Yesterday morning was about the same...I say "about" because there were some key differences this time. One difference, the blanket was covering her feet. Since I had heard her talking at midnight and again at 4:30 a.m., I don't know how long she had been laying there naked--the clothes could have come off at any point in time. The other difference was that this time, there was a pile of poo in her bed! I was thoroughly grossed out! As I was surveying Kallie to see how much she had on her, I was telling her, "Yuck! Gross! We don't poop in our bed! That's yucky! Eww!" And, she in her lispy, almost-2-years-old speech pointed at it and said, "Uck! Gwohss!"

After a morning bath, (she had just had one the night before), I cleaned up the rest of the mess. I scooped up the pile onto a paper plate, since that was the easiest thing to grab to get rid of it, and walked Kallie into the bathroom with me. And, I had her flush the "Uck! Gwohss!" down the potty while I explained that's where poopies go. She was rather unfazed by the whole situation--especially because, in her mind, poopies don't go in the potty, they go in the diaper.

All through this whole episode, I kept thinking about all of the celebrity moms. I wondered if they had ever woken up to a pile of poop in the crib? I wondered if they had ever scooped up that little pile and had to flush it down the potty? It was at that moment I decided being a mom really isn't glamorous at all.