Hey there...

Hi guys,

Not sure who reads or who even checks anymore, because you know... dearth of all dearths. But I just felt the need to write tonight.

I'm home with my feet propped up on the couch recliner, listening to the Little Women soundtrack. It's beautiful music that makes me feel closer to the home I grew up in. Sometimes you need that.

I recently finished a wonderful book:  The Boys in the Boat. I was intrigued, inspired, captivated, uplifted, and so enlightened. I gained such a rich perspective of American life in the 1920's and 30's. It was a wonderful precursor to the Olympics (3 more days!) and left me feeling inspired by my grandparent's generation--their humble origins, their perseverance, and their overall unconquerable spirit and character that was such a solid bedrock for raising the people who then raised me. I'm grateful for the tenacity of those who lived through those difficult poverty-, war-filled years. What shining examples of faith and perseverance.

I finished the book yesterday and started another in the same day. I never would have guessed myself to get sucked into book-reading. After literally decades of indifference to pleasure reading, books have become dear friends to me. My time spent reading feeds me. It's my greatest escape. Unfortunately, it's tough for me to pick up a book without being promptly sucked into a nap. :) (Oh, by the way, I'm pregnant.) You know how they say, "eating for two?" I feel like I'm napping for 20. I just can't get enough! I guess raising two little girlies and growing another baby really takes it out of you. How do moms have their sixth and seventh children?!? ... I won't even go there in my head. One day at a time, yes? :) The Lord will see us through each day if we invite Him and allow Him to.

A week ago Sunday, Blake and I were asked to speak in Sacrament Meeting. It was the Sunday of Pioneer Day and we were asked to speak on religious freedom. There has only been one other talk that has even come close to being as humbling as this topic was for me. (And that one was a doozy! But that's a story for another day.) As you can imagine, the topic has the potential to be very politically charged, so Blake and I felt a lot of pressure to handle that stick of dynamite in just the right way. I think in the end, our messages came across well, and I felt blessed and made adequate to what had been asked of us. That's a nice feeling.

Yesterday, I had a facebook friend post a meme completely flying in the face of religious freedom. And I felt compelled to say something. Otherwise, what was all of that stuff I said in my talk just one week earlier?? Just words? I didn't want to be a hypocrite, and wanted to do my part to defend religious freedom and our constitutional rights in the first amendment to the free exercise of religion. At first the conversation was going well, but then the other individual took a combative turn. I handled it as well as I could and promptly ended the conversation as graciously as I could, but I was just left with the sickest feeling. His words had made me feel inferior and stupid, and like never speaking up again. I called my sister for moral support, affirmation, and assurance that I had done the right thing and handled the situation well. (She's great at that sort of thing, and she came through with flying colors last night.) But I was still left feeling very... defeated? I don't know, I guess that's part of the territory when you stand up for what you believe and for what you think is right. Which makes it worth it. Hard to swallow, though.

I saw an article on Pinterest that made me laugh:  5 Reasons Playdates Suck and What to Do Instead. Totally laughed out loud. I generally hate playdates. With a few precious exceptions of individuals I love being around (and man, am I grateful for those people!!), I hate getting together with other moms and their kids. I eagerly opened the article, and was disappointed that I didn't like their other suggestions either. Bummer. I guess this means I'm a grump-a-frump recluse? Oops. Haha, I suppose I'm just in a particular season of playdate-aversion. I'm sure I'll get back to liking people at some point. But until then, I'm not going to put the pressure on myself--I'll just get together with the kindred spirits I love, invite other kids over to play, put myself out there when I can manage it, and just do my best.

Blake got on the roof in the 100-degree heat today to set up an antenna that just came with Amazon Prime 2-day shipping. (Because holy cow--Blake is officially a student again! Ahh! He starts his MBA on August 22nd. Hard to believe we're back to that stage of life. Blake keeps joking that he feels like Emperor Kuzko: "Yay! I'm a llama again!... Wait." It'll be an adventure to be sure!) Why did he set up the antenna in the blistering heat? Because he's awesome, the Olympics are coming, and he knows his wife loves the Olympics. This will be the first time since leaving our parents' homes that we've had TV in the house. A large part of me is sad about that. I like not having TV, but for the Olympics every two years, it's worth it. It will also be good to be able to turn on the news and crank up the volume so we can hear updates from our bedroom closet during tornado watches.

Well, thanks for listening, friends. Just felt like talking tonight. I hope you have a great one, and enjoy the upcoming Olympics!

Remember me?

Remember how my blog died?  Yeah... well that happens to the best of us. On the bright side, it's because I was living life in all of it's lovely, muddy, spin-your-head-round-in-the-best-and-worst-ways-possible glory. :) So perhaps you'll hear from me this year, perhaps not. But for today, I'd just like to say that  I.  LOVE.  FAMILY.  I love my girls, my mom, my dad, my sister, my brothers, my sister-in-laws... I love my husband. I love his parents that have become my parents. I love my brother-in-laws.  I love the plan of salvation and knowing that I can have all of these people that I love so dearly forever. God is good, life is sweet, miracles happen.

That's all.

Until next time--

Annie

Photo Drop

Because my blog reader (intentionally singular... if anyone besides Beth reads this, please make yourself known in the comments section) is routinely photo-deprived and is also currently being harassed by unending tax returns, here is a lovely dump of pictures from the recent past. Here's to documenting life!

Once upon a time...

...We folded laundry
(Her hair has grown so much since then!)

...We made cookies

Can you tell she enjoys helping?

...I was pregnant

(Taken on Halloween)

...We had our third annual Hull Family Christmas "Slumber Party" 

(Eliza is evidently thrilled - and Beth, look how beautiful the countdown is!)

...We had a Christmas Tree

(Ohh the beauty of the self-timer on the camera. This was the best we could do.)

...Little Sarah was born

She's the spitting image of her big sister

...We made more cookies

Eliza melts my heart.

...Eliza turned two and found out she loves birthdays and birthday parties and anything birthday because it means there is probably a funfetti cake. :)

...We had another fun Costa Vida picnic for Valentine's Day

Our Little Valentines:

Adorable Thing 1

 Adorable Thing 2

Sarah was a "newborn" for maybe four weeks. I can't believe how alert she is and how much she engages with us! She's a big girl--at two months she has already entered 3-6 month clothes. Keep putting on the chunk, honey!

Back to the previous format.

Ahem...

Once upon a time...

...I was domestic and made bread.

...and strawberry jam.

...and had a mom-epiphany in which I decided to let Lizie play in a pan of water. 

We call it making soup.

...It snowed! A lot!

(Another self-timed winner.)

...and Lizie loved it.

(Until she face planted in the snow.)

How's that for a photo dump? There you go, Beth! If this wasn't a good save-me-from-taxes-I-need-a-break distraction, I'll eat my hat. :) Have a happy day!

Sizzle sizzle

You know what's intense?  Liquid nitrogen. Particularly when it's blasted point blank onto sensitive parts of your skin. After moving to Texas my feet exploded in warts and I'm currently working on getting them removed. Today was the second treatment and holy toledo... this is serious stuff! I will be very, very glad when this is all over. But let's hear it for modern medicine, right? Woo!

My doctor's office is right next door to our favorite movie rental place--Family Video. (I wish they had them in Utah! You guys would love them! I've never seen a movie rental facility that could adequately compete with Redbox, but these guys sure can.) So as a reward for being a brave girl and in the name of Friday Date Night, I picked up the newest Hunger Games that came out today. Looking forward to taking it easy and snuggling with the hubster tonight. :)

Happy Friday!

The Little Things

One of the simple joys of laundering for little girls:

Pink Dryer Lint

"Now ye may suppose that this is foolishness in me; but behold I say unto you, that by small and simple things are great things brought to pass." -Alma 37:6

The 14 and 15

Forgotten Post... pretend you're reading this at the end of December. :)

***

Can we really be just a few weeks out from 2015?? It's amazing to me how fast time goes the older I get. And I'm not even old! Just imagine the hyper-speed I'll be feeling 20, 40, 60 years down the road. I don't know how older people do it. :)

Well, it's time for my annual list... I revisited The 13 and 14 and it's fun to see how the year has turned out compared to what I envisioned. This was an idea sparked by one of my dear high school girlfriends and I think it's a tradition I will continue over the years and as our family grows.

Without further adieu, The 14 and 15.

Memorable Things from 2014

1. Blake starting work at BNSF Railway in January, and being transferred to a fantastic department in September. Seeing him love his job is one of the best things in the world for me.
2. Falling in love with Texas. I love the area we live in. I love the fields and the open space and the sky and the cows and the fast highways and the rolling hills. I only wish Texas were an easier drive to Utah.
3. Getting pregnant with Baby Girl #2.
4. Closing on a house in May and gradually settling in and making it 'home.'
5. Being embraced by our 'Texas Family.' Both the relatives we have out here in Texas, and the ward family who has welcomed us into their lives with open arms.
6. Visitors and vacations! We enjoyed Mom and Dad Briggs in March, Kyndal in April, Mom and Beth in April, Mom and Brynn in June, Quinton over the summer (on internship at BNSF), and Dad Hull on multiple occasions on business. Come see us anytime! We also loved getting a late-summer vacation to Utah for me and Eliza, and returning to Utah as a family for Thanksgiving.
7. Extensive personal growth from the callings that we've been in. Blake is currently working as the Executive Secretary and I'm blessed to be in Primary with 100+ primary kids.
8. Going to the BYU-Texas game. Probably our favorite "Texas Adventure" from the year. (Thanks, Dad!)
9. Having Quinton in Fort Worth on a summer internship--hopefully he brings himself (and a wife!) back in 2015 after he graduates!
10. Reading the Book of Mormon.
11. General Conference, especially the October sessions. It's my favorite holiday second only to Christmas!
12. Christmas for the first time on our own. It has been delightfully simple and meaningful--just as Christmas should be.
13. Lots of growing experiences that come with home ownership.
14. Game nights and dinner parties with Matt and McKenna and friends in our ward.

Things we're anticipating in 2015

1. Welcoming Baby Girl to the world. (Hopefully on my birthday!)
2. A momentary slow-down of life. The last few months have seemed to be too much, too fast for me. I'm hoping when the baby gets here, that I'll have the opportunity to regroup, reground myself in my little family, and refocus on what is most important, without other pressures and expectations muddying up life. (We'll see if this was just a fanciful idea!)
3. I'm excited to see what Eliza has in store this year. She changed so much last year and I can't wait to see what she's going to learn, do, and say next.
4. More opportunities to learn how to balance and prioritize in life.
5. Potty Training. Roll up your sleeves, my friends...
6. Continuing to make our house a home. Finding my niche in decorating.
7. Weddings? (I'm looking at you, Aaron, Beth, Quinton, and Courtney...)
8. A vacation in Texas. San Antonio?
9. Blake starting grad school in the fall. BNSF is offering him tuition reimbursement for his MBA! Even though it's a little daunting to contemplate returning to the student life, this will be a wonderful growth opportunity for all of us.
10. Encouraging Eliza in her development. Reading together, facilitating new learning experiences, etc.
11. Having a chance to hold and mother a baby with the knowledge I gained the first time around.
12. Reading the Book of Mormon.
13. Setting and achieving goals--individually, as a family, and as a couple.
14. Another Texas Christmas at home. Perhaps with some visitors? :)
15. Taking our budgeting up a notch. Oh how I love me a good, purposeful budget!

We'll see where 2015 takes us. Life can be crazy, but it's a pretty neat ride!

Living on Purpose

Once upon another time, I had a roommate Melissa. I will love that girl to my dying day, but I'll have to save my Ode to Melissa and Suzy post for another day. One thing Melissa introduced me to is the Day Zero Project. It's a perfect heaven for goal-obsessed individuals like myself. The basic idea is that you make a list of 101 things you want to accomplish in 1001 days (just under three years). Big things, little, things, important things, trivial things...  Back in 2010, I didn't make a full list, but I remember some of the goals I had thought of that would go on my list if I had one.

I recently made an account on dayzeroproject.com and I'm working on compiling my own list of 101 Things. It's amazing to me just how different they are from the list items I had brainstormed four years ago. Most items pertain to things I want to do as a wife and mother, many of which are seemingly insignificant. But they reflect just how much I have changed and grown since my single, college self.

Voluntarily leave the house every day for a week. Oh how I love my dear little hermitage. This goal will be a blessing to Little Lizie who dearly loves adventures.

Make a music video with my daughters. Eliza's current song choice would undoubtedly come from one of the following fine cinematic masterpieces: Mary Poppins, Enchanted, or Tangled.

Make my mom's carrot cake.

Achieve a weed-free lawn.

Nothing all that magnificent, but just little things that will remind me to live my life on purpose. I want to be a "drag a chair to the counter and let's make cookies together" mom. I want to be a "let's go on a picnic somewhere we can see a temple and sing primary songs" mom. I want to be a "let's take on a home project together and create something beautiful" wife. I want to be a "let's have a garden this year" wife.

Most of what I do in my day-to-day life sometimes feels rather uneventful. But my life really is living. And it's rich, beautiful, dynamic living. Sometimes I just have to remind myself.