Working where???

I feel like we are in the middle of no where. We are a few hours inland and it feels like all small towns and country roads.

Overheard: "We have a few sales reps heading to Utah to work so we need to figure out what techs are going to go install for them."

Utah? You mean that place I've been pining after for several weeks? That Utah? I'll go!

No. It's spelled Eutaw. It's just another little town in Alabama. No one is going to Ut-ah, Utah.

Not yet...

new house...again...

We've moved out of our corporate housing and into...more corporate housing. We're in a hotel for the remainder of the summer. I'd complain about a few little things, but some of the people in our office have been in hotels the entire summer! It's actually a lot nicer than I had imagined. And the breakfast is like real breakfast. I've been wondering how in the world we are going to eat nutritiously for the next while, so this is a huge relief that at least one meal a day will be decent.

So today we...settled in. Woke up to wet sheets (no, no accidents, just a lot of humidity). Tried to convince Mason to stay in our room. went shopping for milk and grapes. Found out driving to the store is a bit unnecessary, as it's practically on the other side of the parking lot. We attacked the room with antibac wipes. Tried to teach Mason to keep his shoes on or put on socks. Father and son played golf in the hallway. Mace was reunited with the remainder of the techs- he ignored Uncle Joe and hugged Trent. Went on a date to Subway with my boy. He hugged and kissed me enough to make me blush.

I found out this place is around the corner:
It's a historic plantation house. In a previous life I would have made it a point to visit here. Probably not going to happen in my new MomOfAToddler life.

We have two queen beds in our room. Every time Mason even moves in his sleep I launch out of bed thinking he's falling off. He's fine.

The pool here is closed. That's what the sign says. Some clerk said otherwise. Mason thinks otherwise. We will find out for sure when we climb the fence tomorrow and see if we get kicked out or not.

i hate shopping

Dear Mall Owner:
Don't put the maternity store next to Victoria's Secret. Standing outside, pondering which door to go into, knowing you have to choose what you should be wearing and what you want to be wearing, walking away empty handed, and then leaving the mall early bummed out.

No pregnant lady wants to buy matronly clothes with pleats and elastic waist bands when there is a much more appealing store so close. And no, we're not going to go next door because that's not going to help us feel much better about our protruding stomachs.

It's just not good for business. Just saying...

Words of the Week + my own 2 cents

A Mother's Song

I'll slow down my footsteps
and sing a sweet song.
We'll share nature's wonders
as we stroll along.
***
With your hand holding mine,
I'm so happy to share
the magic that's here,
all around, everywhere.

-Janet Lawler
(first and last verse)

I love being a mom. I know I have to say that, but I mean it. When I read this poem in one of Mason's library books I felt that it described one of the best parts of parenthood. The teaching. We walk slowly, sometimes SO slowly, but imagine how slowly you would walk if you were to see the world for the first time. He holds my hand so firmly...his whole hand gripping one of my fingers. On our walks he notices every airplane. He gets elated about finding a good stick. He'll spontaneously stop and smell the roses, even if the bush doesn't have any flowers. It is magic.
I so enjoy showing Mason new things. Yesterday I introduced him to the wonderful world of water balloons. I tried telling him how his life would never be the same after this, but he just wanted to get back to throwing them at his dad.

He is very affectionate and polite. Every hug and every "oh! thank you MaMa" makes me feel validated. I can't believe there was a time, and there certainly will be again, when I had to pick him up when he was sleeping because that was the only time he'd let me hold him.
At night, when I'm tucking Mason in, we lay down together and read and talk. Mason likes to have our heads touching. I can feel his little brother practicing his wrestling moves in my stomach. Jason comes in to pray with us. When all the tucking in and kissing is done, I usually leave the room with both Mason and I giggling about one thing or another. It's those few minutes that I am blissful and understand my purpose. It's those moments I try to hold onto when things get hard and hectic.

(Minneapolis 2008: He's about a month old and happy in his sling and I look really really young.)

vaguely familiar

It's been a bad month for sleep.
Things are looking up.
Mason only got up once last night and then slept in until 8.
I have this unusual refreshed, energetic feeling.

We all woke up happy. We had a huge breakfast. I was dressed before nine. It's not yet one o'clock and we've gotten so much done. I forgot how it feels to get enough rest. Hopefully it lasts so I can relish it for the next few months before it's gone for good.

Here's sneaky little Mason. He likes to wait until I've made the bed and then crawls in and gets comfy.

I love...

I love that marriage doesn't get boring. You'd think that it would. Nope.

So Jace, I love that you vacuum the house while Mason and I hide with a blanket over our heads, screaming and laughing and pretending you are a dragon.

I love playing card games with you. I've never laughed so hard at a game of Speed in my life. You can't block!

I love how hard you try to keep talking to me after you've departed for dream world. "I don't know Ash but yeah its okay like mumble mumble you just gotta mumble good job and love all."

I love when you are trying to tell me something funny but you are laughing so hard you can't even talk. Or breathe.

I love that you take a quick break from work to play Duck Duck Goose with us. I know our silly version is wacky but you are a good sport to put up with us.

I love that when you are excited you express it in such a goofy physical way. I love your little jigs and jumps.

I love that you leave me love notes and sign them with your first and last name. Thanks for clarifying who it's from.

Global Gospel

I like to travel. I had the chance to visit some really neat places when I was single. Jason doesn't like to travel. Fortunately for me, his job has given us the opportunity to continue to see new places. Since being married we've lived in California, South Carolina, Colorado, Minnesota, Virginia, and Alabama. After each place we move home to Utah.

In Utah, the LDS religion is a big part of society. As a matter of fact we refer to it as "the church", as if there is no other. In all of my travels, and in each place we've lived, we've had the opportunity to find chapels to worship in and meet members of our church. Although the make up of the congregation changes, the good feeling amongst fellow members is always the same. We are always greeted and welcomed. There is something about being LDS that makes the world a little smaller. No matter where we are, there are always questions like "do you know so and so", "my daughter goes to BYU", and "my grandson served in that state". Ironically enough, we usually make at least one semi-close connection with someone.

In some wards we are quickly integrated and made to feel like long time members. In other places we are introduced like new visitors every week. Sometimes we are grouped as the "summer workers". In our current ward they actively try to recruit us. I've never in my life had so many people encourage us to move into a ward permanently. This is a small, older ward and they are eager to have more members, more strength. One lady brings our son a new book every Sunday and just melts my heart.

I'll confess, there are times in this ward that I have to physically concentrate to keep my eyebrows from raising. Some comments are unusual. Pivotal words in a scripture are mispronounced thereby drastically changing the meaning. The meetings are conducted in a typical manner, but laced with casual southern hospitality. For example, in Relief Society, a teacher could be mid-lesson, even mid-sentence and will stop to greet a late comer sneaking in the back. The women share their strong opinions with out reservation and without waiting for a break in conversation. Back home the teachers are usually gifted with clear communication or extensive knowledge. That's not the case here. I'm not saying that to be judgmental, for I've learned so much from my time with these people. Their faith is simple. And their faith is strong. Every time I feel myself being critical, it is followed by an opportunity to have my testimony deepened. The experiences that are shared are close to miraculous. They believe in prayer. They trust in the priesthood power. It's been a wonderful experience to be surrounded by these faithful saints.

Words of the Week

Good Timber

The tree that never had to fight
For sun and sky and air and light,
But stood out in the open plain
And always got its share of rain,
Never became a forest king
But lived and died a scrubby thing.

The man who never had to toil
To gain and farm his patch of soil,
Who never had to win his share
Of sun and sky and light and air,
Never became a manly man
But lived and died as he began.

Good timber does not grow with ease:
The stronger wind, the stronger trees;
The further sky, the greater length;
The more the storm, the more the strength.
By sun and cold, by rain and snow,
In trees and men good timbers grow.

Where thickest lies the forest growth,
We find the patriarchs of both.
And they hold counsel with the stars
Whose broken branches show the scars
Of many winds and much of strife.
This is the common law of life.

-Douglas Malloch

for the record

Although I write about most of our adventures on Mason's site I thought I would include a few pictures of our summer. Then I realized I'm the one who takes the pictures so I'm not going to be in many of them. I found these two, one of the Gator Farm and one at Pensacola Beach.

So, for the record, I was here.

Day to Day

I feel bad I haven't written more often lately. Living in Alabama is certainly a new kind of life. I have a couple of half finished essays in my head, but honestly there's just not a lot going on with me to write about. My life is either focused on one kid or the other, and I update their sites more faithfully. Mason is a delightful challenge; Lucky helps us focus on the exciting future. Jason works hard and I'm proud of him. Our lives are quiet. Our day to day activities don't change much. I still haven't even met some of the other wives out here. But that's fine.

I have everything I need.



It's really hot here. The heat index was between 110-115 last weekend. I'm a big sunscreen nazi, but even sunscreen won't help in heat like this so we stayed in. For the first time ever, Mason got a bit burnt on his shoulders. I felt like a huge failure. We were swimming in the rain that day.

We go to the library every week. I check out a quick mystery, parenting books, and a movie. Mason gets to choose whatever he wants. It feels good to read regularly again.

I've discovered how much I need to be outside- now that it's just too hot to be out. I really miss the mountains, of course. I also miss our yard and the parks. Some times I get bored, so I try to focus on the simple, sweet life of being a wife and mom. We're fortunate to have Jason around, even though he's working and can't always play with us.

And that's life. It's mostly thinking about the next meal I need to get ready and wishing Mason took regular naps. And trying not to look at the calendar too often...

Happy August!

The Shed

We ate here. On purpose.

announcing...

(Jason put it on Facebook so I guess we're official now)

Today we found out we are having a boy. Which means we are having a baby!

We kept it quiet for a while. As quiet as puking all the time can be kept. Most people found out by a call like this "Hey I have some news and I need some help". (Shout out to all the substitute "moms" Mason has had lately).

It's exciting to find he's a he, he's healthy, and that everyone is okay. I'll certainly say this year has already proven to be the most trying time of my life. It makes the joy all the sweeter. We've only known the gender for a few hours, but we've already made grand plans for "our boys".

Click here for Little Lucky's site.

home

What is home?

Is it our house? The place we list as our permanent address? Is that home? We know our neighbors. We like to work on the yard. I can walk around in the dark and not stub my toe. Our books sit on the shelves just-so. We paint the walls and dream about future remodeling. Our son's feet make a pitter pattering sound in the hallway. Is home the place you think you are for the few seconds before you fully wake in a new place?

Is it my childhood home? The place I always feel welcome? The place I feel so comfortable I act a little less than my adult self? It smells like home, but it's not a specific smell, but the essence of memories and time. The place where everything is so familiar.

Is it the place I spend my extra time? The location of most of my memories? The place on the mountain I feel I could drive to with my eyes closed? We go to work, to rest, to gather, to share our lives with each other. It's a spiritual location, similar to how you'd imagine God's home. I love it for it's trees, the view, the rain, the pond, the dusty roads and even for the mosquitoes- for that is what love is.

Is it the far off land? The place I knew nothing about and will probably never see again, but as soon as I was there it felt right? Felt like home. I felt such unjustified ownership, such illogical pride, for that part of the earth. I could picture myself happy there... even though it was so far away from everything I called "home".

Or is it where your heart is? Where you feel you have to go to continue to breath? Even though the physical location is one I never would have chosen, it's where I want to be. It's where we can be together, it's where we are a family. The actually dwelling is just a temporary place, but I feel like we have permanence as long as we're together. Perhaps as long as you have love, you have a home.

Many hands make...the grass greener

When Jason left for the summer, our plans were for me to finish up a few things, wait for him to get settled into corporate housing, and then go join him shortly. Well, things didn't turn out like we planned. He ended up spending something like 80 days in a hotel, my little projects turned into big problems, and other unavoidable delays prevented my departure from Cedar.

Finally things were coming together and my days of single parenthood looked to have an end in sight. The only thing holding us back was the sprinkler project.

When we bought the house we were told it had functioning front and back sprinklers, which we found out it didn't when the snow melted (do I sound bitter? I'm trying to get over this, but it's been hard). So before I could leave I needed to get our landscaping guy to finish his trenches, finish the sprinklers, and lay sod. It ended up being way stressful and taking much longer than anticipated.

But I am choosing to focus on the positive parts of the ordeal. Time was out and I was down to the wire to get my grass in. Truly, the car was packed and I was ready to leave the next morning and the sod still hadn't been delivered. Thank heavens for amazing family and friends that showed up that evening and helped me get it in. I was so grateful to have people I could call for help.

My brother Nate was especially helpful and I don't think the project would have gotten done if it wasn't for him. I was so proud of my little nephews who showed up to help, even though the sod rolls weighed more than they did. My sister Kristi even showed up early to help me finish last minute things in the house. Her girls brought friends to help...I'm sure laying sod is what every teenager wants to do in their spare time. My home teacher Jason and long time friend Terral were both indispensable. Tons of people offered to help as well before and after.

Now when ever we enjoy our new backyard, I'll be filled with gratitude and reminded of the people that are my "people" for a reason.

(and if I get home and the grass is dead I will have a come apart)

I would be amiss without mentioning my neighbors, who are helpful beyond helpful. This picture is of them mowing my front lawn. They took over that chore when Jason left town. They "oversaw" every step of the project. They still call to tell me every time my sprinklers go off at the wrong time, or every time a family member stops by my house. As they always say, What are neighbors for?

alabama

Wondered why they were putting the books in plastic bags at the library. Then out of no where the rain started. People were waiting outside to see if it was going to let up. The rain got heavier. I kicked off my flip flops and ran for it, splashing through the puddles that were more like small ponds. Got to the car in about 20 seconds. Got soaked to the bone it that same amount of time.

The sky was clear by the time I got home.
I think I am going to like it here.