Ready or Not

It's finally fall. The season I've been anxiously anticipating for about, oh, 8 or 9 months now. And you know what? I'm SO EXCITED to meet my baby girl! Sure I'm fat, tired, uncomfortable, and life is scary and changing fast, but it also feels like anticipating Christmas morning. Why didn't anyone tell me that part about pregnancy? How excited you get to meet your baby? Seriously, no one talks about it. Everyone focuses on how horrible the end of pregnancy is, but it does end and you get a precious little child out of it, so who cares!

My fall centerpiece (and almost empty cake stand that until recently held yummy pumpkin muffins. You'll just have to take my word for it; they were good). Underneath the green, all the leaves are turning yellow and the days keep feeling more crisp. I love it! What a delightful season to enter the world for baby girl. I know her Uncle Ross would love her to come on his birthday and be a little ghoul like him. I'm more than ok with keeping the Halloween birthday tradition alive. Only time will tell.

My Brother the Hero

Pictures stolen from Facebook. Thanks, Ross, you had a boat-load to choose from.

Today my baby brother officially become a missionary. He's off to serve for 2 whole years in Concepion, Chile, and I couldn't be more proud of him. He will learn to speak fluent Spanish, teach the Gospel, become immersed in the people and their service, and will surely change some lives, no doubt including his own.

Ross and I have always shared a weird special connection. I don't know what it is, but I have always felt like he's a little older than he really is and somehow on my same plane. Call us "kindred spirits". Our 5 year age difference never slowed us down growing up, all the way through my high school years, and even when I came back for the summer during 3 years of college. When he came out to BYU for his freshman year, we got to relive that just a little bit and I'm so grateful for it.

Ross is one of those anomalies among us. He's a talented musician and composer, actor, filmmaker, scholar, dancer, free-runner, writer, snowboarder, drummer, budding chef, pianist, swimmer, and a spiritual giant.

Heck, he's basically good at everything he touches -

 like Midas.

He's also a goofball,

 and a philosopher,

 a comedian, 

an adventurer, 

a true friend,

and now, missionary.

Boy, I just read this through one more time and lost it. In case you didn't know, I kinda love this kid. And will miss him like crazy. I've done the waiting-for-a-missionary thing before, I know I can do it again. (Except this time we're already an eternal family, so that really helps.)

God speed, Elder Wilcox. Use your Midas touch on the Lord's work in Chile.

Love Letter to September

I love your hazy sunlight and cool morning air as the heat begins to fade.

I love your wild sunflowers blooming all over the hillside and golden mums that start to make their appearance.

I love your harvest markets, country fairs, and football games.

I love that feeling of Halloween on the horizon (and I'm stoked to decorate for it).

I love the way you welcome in fall while gracefully sending summer on its way for another year.

You sure love beginnings and ends, little transition month. You do a great job of it. If only you could do what life in August failed to do and calm down a bit!

Thankfully, the fast pace means the end of pregnancy is near and my little one will be here in one month! Here we are at 34 weeks:

Remembering 10 Years Later

10 years ago today, I remember sitting at my lunch table as a high school freshman and hearing rumors of an American plane being hijacked...and that was all we knew. Understandably, censorship was high that day at our school filled with students who were kids of Delta Airlines employees. Whispers circulated all day until one brave teacher in 6th period finally ended class early to explain the whole situation. I remember how panicked he was, especially as he drew the Twin Towers on the whiteboard and dramatically wiped them away to show that they had been destroyed.

I remember coming home and seeing the footage for the first time on the news. I watched as the planes hit and then the towers fall over and over again on every single channel. I remember we ate spaghetti for dinner and Sister Purdy cancelled Mutual that night. Little details like that still stick for me. I remember the fear and uncertainty that gripped the nation, even my own parents, as we contemplated the threat of further attack and going to war. It felt like the world was ending.

Then I remember the patriotism and faith that was rekindled in everyone following the attacks; how every home flew an American flag the next day and the morning Pledge of Allegiance/moment of silence held profound significance for the first time.

To this day I'm amazed that people would question "Why would God let something like this happen?" when it was a blessing in disguise for a nation on the brink of completely losing faith. It united us like never before, to each other and to our God. I think sometimes we have those same thoughts when we face our own personal tragedies, but the answer is the same.

I could go on and on about it, but I this is one of my favorite videos that summarizes those same thoughts. I'm sort of on a Mormon Messages high right now. :)

Bunnies?

Just a few of the bunny things baby girl has inadvertently collected. 

I see a theme here and love it.

 

My inspiration: 

It has opened the floodgates of creativity for her room (when we move and have a room for her, that is) and all the fun projects that go along with it: making shabby chic bunting from fabric scraps, collecting stuffed bunnies, finding deals on Beatrix Potter books and an old tea set. She really only has the basics and not even a real nursery, so I'm entitled to some cute touches, right? (Meanwhile, let's not get into the fact that she won't know, care about, or remember what it looks like and that it's all for me.)

So Long, Sweet Summer.

Taking  a much-needed day off today. My eyes were so red and puffy this morning when I woke up that I could barely keep them open. Oh, and the backaches. Hurts all day unless I'm lying down. I think I've been pushing myself so much lately with everything that my body finally said "NO!"

As a follow up to my latest post, we're doing much better. Just a lot of stress all at once with new job, start of classes, broken down car, baby on the way, every possible thing backing up and breaking down in our apartment at once, unexpected bills, late nights trying to get it all done, all that fun stuff. But blessings always follow trials if you have faith and remain faithful through them.

On that note, Sam started his LAST semester of his undergraduate career this week! This is very exciting and relieving at the same time. We're glad to finally be moving on with life. The sad thing about it is it also means summer is over, and I'm always sad to see it go. It's been a pretty good one this year and I'm glad we've been able to fit so much in. Not to mention the weather, which has been rather pleasant overall.

Just getting ready for fall now. I swear each day the mornings get just a little bit cooler and I can't wait to see the leaves start changing on the mountains. And hang my fall wreath. And make pumpkin muffins. And wear long-sleeve shirts. And break out my vanilla and fall spice Scentsy bricks. And get ready for Halloween. And get ready for the baby NEXT MONTH! Yikes!