Oops. This post got started and left in draft form, so you're just now getting it off the press.
~written August 15, 2014~
My goodness. What a glorious, mixed-emotions, why-in-the-world-isn't-my-husband-here, can-we-take-Grandma-home-with-us-please-mommy last two weeks it has been. Every penny of that plane ticket was well-spent and has paid in rich dividends in family relationships and a strengthened marital relationship. Seriously, I got home yesterday and Blake and I have practically been transported back to the newlywed stage, which is completely delightful.
Me saying that sounds a little funny (and perhaps borderline TMI) because as of Monday, we've been married for 3 years. I think some of the 60-years-married folks out there might still consider us newlyweds, but whatever.
Because I'm feeling scatter-brained, out come the plus sign bullets:
+Happy Anniversary to us! Let's give a shout out to the saintly husband who let me buy a plane ticket that was going to get me home the day after our anniversary (but consequently save us 200ish dollars). Being apart on our anniversary actually had some benefits. I'm reminded of the 17-day internship Blake took in Mexico while we were dating. Gushy, desperate lovey-dovey texts galore. This time, we also had the benefit of being able to call and skype at will. Absence makes the heart grow fonder. :) We're actually going to have a belated anniversary day this weekend so we can celebrate our marriage together. Because marriage--even the normal, growing, sometimes--really-challenging, kind--is worth celebrating.
+Eliza slept in a portacrib for 2 weeks and apparently got used to sleeping back in a cage because she just fell out of her bed during her nap. Oops. Hopefully that'll be a one-time deal and her subconscious edge-of-the-bed boundaries are now revitalized and up and running.
+North and South. My goodness, what a gripping chick flick. I've only seen it once and I hadn't remembered that pretty much it's a heart-breaker 99% of the way through and the last 1% is glorious because of the previous 99%. I love it. I could watch that final scene five times in a row and still be breathless. Side note- what are the chances that Blake and I look like that when we kiss?... Hmmm...
+I was shocked to have the sliding doors open at the SLC airport and not be assaulted by humidity. It was wonderful! It was rainy and quite chilly for what we've been used to and I wore a hoody on most mornings and a jacket almost the whole trip. :) Silly Texas heat...
+So pretty much the only parenting I have to do when I'm at the Hulls is diaper-changing and making sure Eliza gets a nap and goes to bed at a decent hour. There would be hours at a time where she'd be off having the time of her life with the kids--and she'd come toddling in with a huge smile on her face. She had so much fun! She also loved the Utah grass. It's like lush carpet compared to the stuff we have in Texas. I almost wanted to get down and rub my face on it, it was so soft.
+Courtney is home!! We really missed Blake, but I'm so grateful Eliza and I were able to be there at the airport. I know missions are wonderful, but families are just plain meant to be together and it's so nice to have that together-feeling when someone's been gone for so long! The night she got home, Mom, Courtney and I stayed up girl-chatting for several hours. We just couldn't help ourselves! The lack of sleep landed me with a cold for the rest of the trip, but it was so worth it. It was the first chat-fest of many while I was in Utah. There are very few things I love more than that.
+This was outrageous: how was it that BETH was the last family member that I got to see once we got to Utah?!? Seriously. Not even funny. But we had some grand old times together! We did some much-needed shopping (mostly for Eliza), enjoyed being in the garden, girl-chatting, going to the temple, gushing on Eliza, and just being together. I was so grateful that Beth took a few days off work so we could all be home together. Thanks for a glorious weekend, Hun!
+While we were home, we got to meet sweet little Miss Abigail, Jake and Christy's daughter and Eliza's newest cousin! She is tender and beautiful--I forgot just how little they come. She was just about Eliza's size when we brought Eliza home... I could scarcely believe it. It was fun hearing Jake and Christy's perspectives on making the parenting switch from one to two. It definitely sounds a little bit daunting, but Jake and Christy do such a good job at incorporating humor and a take-it-one-day-at-a-time attitude to tough things. They're such great examples to me and I'm so grateful they're making this transition first so I can call Christy for advice when our #2 arrives!
+We had an awesome Briggs BBQ at Dan and Karen's while we were home. The whole family together (minus Blake who we missed!) with great food, balloon launching, karaoke (yesss!), and even a home improvement project for the boys. It felt so, so good to be together. Aside from the little things like home-grown peaches and corn-on-the-cob, that feeling of being together is what I crave most when I'm home in Texas.
+Notice how I said 'home' in Texas? I haven't doubted that Texas is home, but it was interesting to be sitting at the DFW airport and feeling like I was leaving home. But at the same time, going home in a way, too? That house on 2500 will always be home to me, but 'home' is really being with the ones you love... Although I was surrounded by family that I love dearly, I felt very incomplete to not have Blake there as well. I guess this is just evidence of the Blake and Annie Hull family really blossoming into its own entity.
Well, there's definitely more where that came from, but this post is approaching novel-length so I'll wrap it up. We were so glad to go, so glad to be with family, and so glad to come home and be with Daddy again. Family is seriously the best. I'm already looking forward to Thanksgiving! :)
Monday, September 15, 2014
A Normal Saturday
Oh my word. Where in the world did the summer go?? Honestly, my lifestyle right now makes it feel like it's always summer, but I've seen a major change in a few things that let me know that summer is over and fall is politely knocking on my door:
#1: Scheduling with the other women in the primary presidency has become 500% less insane. And that number might actually be conservative. Most of the summer, we were having to do "virtual" presidency meetings via massive email threads. There was a counselor that I went over a month without seeing face to face! Busy, busy moms with busy, busy kids! It makes me grateful for the more simple phase of life that Eliza and I are in, where 'busyness' for generally constitutes some sort of adventure of our own making--going to the park, going swimming, going to the library... Sometimes it doesn't feel all that magical, but when I slow down and really take a look at small moments in our day, there is so much magic to be seen and treasured.
#2: Texas is finally cooling down a little! This last week, there were a few days that I would go so far as to say that it was actually cold. Although, my "cold" threshold has changed dramatically this year. After 100 degree weather and 90+ degree nights for several weeks, it dips down into the 60's and 70's and I pull out the hoodies and storm Walmart for emergency generators. Just kidding on that last part, but still, since when did 70 degrees become "cold"?? I am so, SO excited for the Texas autumn. Spring was amazing and I've heard fall is equally wonderful. I'm so grateful to live in a place that has seasons!
There are some fantastic summer adventures I ought to update you on, but I'm just going to talk about normal life as of late for a little while.
Saturday was such a fun, normal day. We slept in, (which was divine because Eliza has been a bit excessive on the early-rising lately) and once Eliza did wake up, we brought her into our room for some family snuggle time. She doesn't usually put up with such shenanigans, but the house got pretty cold that night (see previous definition of cold) and she was excited to come snuggle under all the blankets in between Mom and Dad. I love moments like that.
[insert picture when I can figure out what I'm doing]
We finally got up and ate breakfast, and even though it was late morning, it was in the 70s so Eliza and I were able to bundle up and go on a walk while Dad mowed the lawn. It's amazing how much easier it is to walk briskly when it isn't 95 degrees outside! Blake had just finished the lawn when we returned from our walk, and we decided to clean out the garage. Eliza thought it was great fun. Blake organized as I swept, and Eliza took great pride in helping with the dustpan. (I really want to find some Eliza-sized cleaning supplies. She loves sweeping and feeling like Mommy's domestic helper.)
We pulled the cars back in once the garage was pristine, and Eliza and I went into the house while Blake trimmed our hedges back. (Turns out the hedge-trimmer is a little too much excitement for her liking.) Lunch, an afternoon of church-prep, and a hotdog BBQ that night made for a great day for everyone. Blake and I wrapped up the evening with a few episodes of Psych and some full-belly laughs. Happy normal-Saturday to us!
#1: Scheduling with the other women in the primary presidency has become 500% less insane. And that number might actually be conservative. Most of the summer, we were having to do "virtual" presidency meetings via massive email threads. There was a counselor that I went over a month without seeing face to face! Busy, busy moms with busy, busy kids! It makes me grateful for the more simple phase of life that Eliza and I are in, where 'busyness' for generally constitutes some sort of adventure of our own making--going to the park, going swimming, going to the library... Sometimes it doesn't feel all that magical, but when I slow down and really take a look at small moments in our day, there is so much magic to be seen and treasured.
#2: Texas is finally cooling down a little! This last week, there were a few days that I would go so far as to say that it was actually cold. Although, my "cold" threshold has changed dramatically this year. After 100 degree weather and 90+ degree nights for several weeks, it dips down into the 60's and 70's and I pull out the hoodies and storm Walmart for emergency generators. Just kidding on that last part, but still, since when did 70 degrees become "cold"?? I am so, SO excited for the Texas autumn. Spring was amazing and I've heard fall is equally wonderful. I'm so grateful to live in a place that has seasons!
There are some fantastic summer adventures I ought to update you on, but I'm just going to talk about normal life as of late for a little while.
Saturday was such a fun, normal day. We slept in, (which was divine because Eliza has been a bit excessive on the early-rising lately) and once Eliza did wake up, we brought her into our room for some family snuggle time. She doesn't usually put up with such shenanigans, but the house got pretty cold that night (see previous definition of cold) and she was excited to come snuggle under all the blankets in between Mom and Dad. I love moments like that.
[insert picture when I can figure out what I'm doing]
We finally got up and ate breakfast, and even though it was late morning, it was in the 70s so Eliza and I were able to bundle up and go on a walk while Dad mowed the lawn. It's amazing how much easier it is to walk briskly when it isn't 95 degrees outside! Blake had just finished the lawn when we returned from our walk, and we decided to clean out the garage. Eliza thought it was great fun. Blake organized as I swept, and Eliza took great pride in helping with the dustpan. (I really want to find some Eliza-sized cleaning supplies. She loves sweeping and feeling like Mommy's domestic helper.)
We pulled the cars back in once the garage was pristine, and Eliza and I went into the house while Blake trimmed our hedges back. (Turns out the hedge-trimmer is a little too much excitement for her liking.) Lunch, an afternoon of church-prep, and a hotdog BBQ that night made for a great day for everyone. Blake and I wrapped up the evening with a few episodes of Psych and some full-belly laughs. Happy normal-Saturday to us!
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