To the Future

When I was in Young Women's I had a leader who had the girls write a letter to the future telling everything about us in the present and share some goals that we were working on.  Then, as the next year's end would roll around we would read the letter we wrote to see how we did on our goals and to see how we had changed in our likes and our dislikes.

I'd like to do a similar thing right now but for my family.

I know that we will look back to this time of our life as quick and fun... a short season.  And, as fun as it has been we are ready to have our own home and to have our stuff.  Life should be that way.  We all need our own space and as much as we love family we need to have our own life so we can GROW and so we can continue to LOVE our family more.  I believe strongly in the quote that visitors can become like stinky fish if they hang around too long.  I am sensitive to that and believe that as lovely as this time has been we are becoming stinky. 

HOWEVER,  I must say that being close to family has been truly a blessing.  For 17 years we have longed for the day when we could be closer to family.  Here we are.  We enjoy going to church with Mom and Dad and the Shumans.  We spend every Sunday, almost the whole day with them after church.  We also enjoy at least one meal during the week with them.  Each week varies depending on our activities, but some weeks we enjoy several dinners together.  Some times we have them over to Marty's for dinner too where WE can host.  Marty's house has been aliver than it's ever been.

When Jeff is out of town Dad takes Maryn to Seminary (at 6 am).  I've been able to go over and help Mom with some chores 1 day a week.  It's fun to be spontaneous and go to movies or go out to eat or get together for some reason.  We get to babysit Cambri at least once a week while her parents go work out.  That's super fun for all of us! 

We are living with my brother, Marty... have been for 6 months now.  He has been perfect in his kindness allowing us to take over his upstairs and unfinished downstairs.  He's banished himself and his stuff to his bedroom.  I know he has given up his computer time and t.v. shows because we are here.  But, he has given us our space with a gracious smile... just like Marty does. 

A normal day for us is:

Maryn wake up 5:00'ish

I wake up 5:30

Make smoothies with the BlendTec that sounds like a Jet is landing in the kitchen.

Maryn leave 6:00

Wake up the kids at 6:15 (it is painful and agonizing to get them up when they are freezing down in the basement).

Read scriptures while they drink their green smoothies and breakfast at the counter.

Leave for school no later than 7:15

*here is where the day varies because once they are dropped off I 1)either stay and work at the school, go shopping, meet with Realtors, go to the temple or sit in the car and read and snooze. 2) or I go home and do typical mother chores.

Leave to pick up the kids at 2:30.  (it takes 45 minutes without traffic to get to school.)

Four out of the 5 days we wait 30 extra minutes for Maryn while she is in either Madrigals or Dance team.

Once home we do homework, dinner, tidy chores, make lunches (which I don't like doing.  I should because I am feeding my children but I don't like making lunches day in and day out especially when they go mostly uneaten or unappreciated and they need to have variety from day to day.  They are now major participants in the creation of their lunches.) play a game, watch a quick show or go to the park.

Go to bed around 8:00'sh only to start it all over again.

That is the basic outline of our day.  When we first got here it was hard for me to be OK with not having our stuff, not having our records in a ward to receive Visiting Teachers or not to be one, not to have a church calling, not to have the kids involved in anything extra curricular, no piano or harp practicing or dancing or sports or gymnastics, no neighbor friends to entertain.  Our life had been stripped down to the basics and I knew I needed to enjoy this simple time in our life because when I had my chaotic life back I would miss this slower version of it.  BUT, as we rolled into January I had the distinct feeling that "I am ready to have my life back."  I really am.  There is something said for have the order that comes from routine and a schedule and to have the kids busy growing and achieving.  I really miss it.

Here are some random thoughts about our life right now:

*I love Marty's kitchen.

*I love to read for a few minutes before I go to sleep no matter how late it is.

*Kaden likes to sleep with his huge bean bag chair on top of him while he sleeps so he can be warmer.

*Emmy is the first one in bed, reading with her head lamp even after I turn all the lights off.

*Both "bedrooms" have portable heaters in them.  Tonight Ady and Maryn's room was 56 degrees.  We hope the heater warms things up quick.

*Ady sleeps in a sleeping bag with lots of blankets piled on her.  Each night they fall off. Each night we try to pile them on in a different order to see if they won't slip again, but they do.

*They share a wardrobe hanger in the middle "room" with all their hang-up clothes.

*Maryn is taking ballroom dance lessons from Merrill 2 times a week now.

*Drinking green smoothies is a painful process for Emmy every single morning.  If she gets too grumpy I put her on the back porch to drink it.  When she's done, she knocks and I'll let her in.  Is that child abuse?  No, not when she's getting so many nutrients while she's out there.

*Ady takes forever getting ready to do anything.

*I know we wake Marty up every morning as the kids stomp around the floor getting their things together.  I know we wake him up with our tired fusses.  I know I wake him up with my loud whispers yelling, "hurry up!"  He is so patient as the loud Blendtec goes off at least once if not twice every morning.  Poor thing.  He won't miss our loud morning noises when we go.

*Maryn likes to eat things in her room.  I find wrappers of food stuff everywhere.  Gross.

*Emmy's harp has been with us the whole time but she's only played it a few times.  She had the musical number in Primary and played Lightly Row for it.  Makes me crazy cause I know she has lost SO much.  I have to give myself the pep talk regularly that it will be ok.  There won't be too much damage done and they'll relearn their things quickly.

*Marty's house is a great place for hide-and-go-seek.

*Emmy is crackin' us up.  I need to do a whole post on just what she says.

*Maryn likes to hang out at Grandma and Grandpa's house.  We now know that it's because there are 4 boys who live nearby who are "just friends."

*We love to play Wits and Wagers with the family.

*When the kids start feeling cooped up here at Marty's I take them outside of the Orem Rec. Center where they walk laps around the grassy field.  Sometimes it's so cold they run and get a good work out.

*We are so thankful that there hasn't been a major snow storm for us to fight with on our morning or afternoon commutes.

*We love to do our Saturday jobs to Marty's DISCO music.

*Emmy has had SO many colds.  She sniffs so much and drives everyone crazy.  Grandma makes her special ginger tea drinks and gives her broth with a straw.

*no body hangs up their bath towels!  Grrrrrr!

*Maryn keeps her personal bathroom pretty messy and she thinks the laundry room is her personal closet where she keeps all her clothes.

*I love to pull out of the driveway and say, "look at those beautiful mountains!"  When I see them it reminds me again that we ARE living in Utah.  Weird.

*We like to visit the Orem Library.

*With all that I drive I have listened to many audio books.  Love them!

*We have had fun seeing friends we haven't seen in a while.  Several more are on our list to see.

*We have enjoyed going to plays, shows, programs, concerts or sports stuff that comes from living in Utah where there is ALWAYS something fun going on.
*Ady wants me to tuck her in every night.  She doesn't like my kisses because my nose is cold on her cheek and because I give her too many kisses.  She wants to hug me back but my face has to be positioned just right for it to be a good hug.  I can't nuzzle into her neck like I want, instead I have to twist my head around in an unnatural position to face away from her.  She's a weirdo for sure.
*It's so great to read books with Kaden at night because he is also becoming a reader.  The bummer is that he knows when I am skipping pages now just to be done with the book faster.  He makes me read ALL of the pages.
*We have season passes to Trafalga which is fun to hop on over to do some miniature golf since it's only 2 minutes away.

This is a great time in our life!  We really are enjoying it!  Enjoying the Present but anticipating the future with great excitement.