And Just a Few More...

Schutz gals by Lindy Lou

This summer, Lindy Lou graced Provo for 6 weeks. Oh, it was a happy 6 weeks indeed. Lots of 7 Peaks with kiddos, 44 oz-ers, cupcakes, photo shoots, projects, borg togetherness....and to think she moved from here (a street away, essentially) just 2 months before we came. The Gods must be crazy.

Anyway, Lindy wanted/offered to photograph me and my girls. With an emphasis on my girls. Since she's a fab photog, we totally obliged. Just thought I'd post some of the results, and let you know that she's going to start taking pictures for others, too. Catch: she lives in Georgia. BUT, she does come to the UT for visits. Here's a linkety to the photo section of her blog.

I finally got some of these beauties printed. And hopefully, I'll get to framing them tomorrow. Anyway, on with the show.

NYC On My Mind

Top of the Rock, looking downtown.


The morning we arrived, in Central Park. Hazy head from an hour sleep on the red eye. But, oh! The Park! I adore Central Park. Probably one of the coolest places EVER.



Chocolate Peanut Butter Pie at Bubby's in Tribeca. Chocolate ganache on bottom, peanut butter mousse/goodness on top. Weight Watchers, here I come! (seriously)



From the Brooklyn Bridge. Sidenote: Jon and I came here 3 months before we were married. We went to Barge Music in Brooklyn and read the lines from Whitman's poem, "Crossing Brooklyn Ferry" that are engraved into the railing overlooking the Brooklyn Bridge. Later, when we designed our wedding rings, Jon had "Drench with your splendor me" (from the poem) engraved inside my ring. I chose a line from Neruda for his, "My dove, my globe." But anyway, this is a happy spot for us. Almost 12 years....



Jon with the famous Dada Duchamp Bicycle Wheel at the MOMA. A highlight of the trip.



2 weeks ago, I came home from an errand. Jonnie greeted me by saying, "I booked us tickets to NYC for the weekend after next, and tickets for you and Leah to Paris in November." Well hello to you, too! Backstory: Jon and I have never flown anywhere together for a getaway sans children. Why? Lots of factors, but the number one factor? MY ANXIETY! I have been worried for all these (8) years about both of us getting on a plane without our kids and the plane going down. But this time he sprung it on me, and NYC? I knew I had to overcome my fears.

The biggest factor was childcare. Turns out my parents were busy this last weekend (the weekend we originally planned the trip for). So, in a quick turnaround, we realized they were free that very weekend, like 3 days later. So we changed our tickets, got a hotel, and jumped on a red-eye before I could even start freaking out about it. (I must add that we decided we must make a WILL of sorts before the trip. I really didn't like writing out who would care for our children "should we be incapacitated or killed." But I took a deep breath and did it anyway. For the sake of the children.)

And guess what? We had the time of our lives. An itinerary that was the perfect mix of sites, food, shopping, togetherness, alone time, sleep, treats, history, ideas, discussions, fun. We walked our feet off, missed our flight home, gained a few pounds (hopefully offset a wee bit by the walking!), and reconnected. I'm posting some pics here, but will soon detail our trip itinerary on darlyblog. For now, enjoy the pics.

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Pics by the fab Lindy Lou

This summer afforded a few delights mixed in with the insanity that happens when your husband studies 24/7 for the Bar Exam. One highlight: a 5-week visit from Lindy Lou, Anders, and Will Will. She's a soul-sister, a confidante, a positively delightful friend, and an amazingly talented photographer . . . (and lots of other things, too). She volunteered to snap some photos of my and my girls on a mid-summer night's eve at her mom's Provo home. My girls were delighted to take part, and I'm pleased as punch with the results.

Thanks, Lou. We love you. And miss you to pieces.

The Neverending Fourth of July

Not that we don't love the holiday, but since it fell on a Sunday this year, Provo celebrated for 3 FULL days. Aye, Aye, Aye. We had lots of fun cousin time, play time, fireworks, parade, more fireworks, dinner, more dinner, desserts (man, I love Ina Garten and her flag cake---but word to the wise: the frosting calls for 4 cubes of butter AND 3 blocks of cream cheese. Really? So I used 2 cubes of butter and 2 blocks of cream cheese, and frosted the cake and the batch of cupcakes. That's more like it.) It was as delicious as it was pretty.

Dia de los Padres

Jon inspecting his Father's Day goodies. The See's Chocolates were gone within 48 hours!
This French toast was pretty darn tasty. Used Ina's brioche french toast recipe (but since I checked 3+ stores in Utah County and made a few calls in search of brioche to not avail, I used the big fat Texas Toast from Macy's. It was actually sufficient.) with orange zest....and then I got creative and sauteed sliced almonds and bananas in butter. YUM!

Here we are...

I have gone through tons of spray paint since we moved in. (Note the mirrors). I love the colors of Esther and Phoebe's bedroom. I am eternally drawn to saturated brights. I sometimes wish I could be more subdued. Maybe next house, which might mean maybe never.



Happy gals on the top bunk.....a little play place, since no one sleeps there right now.

More of Us . . . .

From top to bottom: Phoeberoni-and-what-not chilling, Leah with a "helicopter" on her nose, a happy Giz playing Polly Pockets, a happy me with a new short haircut (why do I ever grow it out?), and Leah's birthday party cupcake. I don't think we can fit 9 candles next year. We'll have to go for cake or get smaller candles.

The Peonies and the Wall

I wanted to drink in these peonies! Have you ever seen such magnificence? Yes, I speak in the superlative most of the time, but these are worthy of their ranking. I told Leah she could pick out some flowers for her baptism while we were at Costco. And then I saw the peonies and told her that she had to pick these. How's that for agency?

I had to take pictures because they looked so amazing against my wall (which is actually more red and a bit brighter than in this picture). The colors together were that crazy kind of dissonance/harmony where the two notes are kind of too close together to be just right, but they actually sound better that way because of the tension. Eye candy. Can't wait for next spring.

Where Have All the Flowers Gone?

Long time passing . . . . Leah Bluette turned 8 in May. What the? She was baptized the first Saturday in June and was the picture of darlingness. It was a fabulous day--both sets of grandparents were able to attend (thanks for traveling Jane and Bill), as well as oodles of aunts and uncles and cousins. My talented and amazing mom sewed her dress for her----from a vintage pattern. The dotted Swiss with the satin sash were the perfecto combo. We modeled that part of it after, "girls in white dresses with blue satin sashes." But, Leah chose more of a turquoise-y blue. And that suits her just fine.

Celebrating Ph.

Crusty face, darling girl. (I don't wipe faces very often. I think I should, maybe, so pictures like this could be framed and displayed.)

Cheers!

Our Phoebe Laura turned 2 in February. She's a delight to everyone! Her most common word (until chicken pox) is "YES!" Who ever heard of a 2-year old loving YES? Now, sadly, it's "ope" (nope). Hopefully she'll be a yes girl once she's rid of the nasty scabs. I think she will. In these pics, she's playing with some new fun birthday presents. She loves Polly Pockets and can literally play with them on her own for an hour. This is a whole new world for me, and I love it.

And by the way, a month or so ago, we were eating dinner at my parents' home with my grandparents. Out of the blue when there was a slight lull in the conversation, Phoebe lifted her sippy and said, "CHEERS!" We all started laughing and smiling. It was one of the cutest moments of my life. We had done cheers several weeks before for my grandpa's birthday, but hadn't done it since. I love to think of her brain pulling that one up and deciding it was a cheers-worthy moment.

New Home and the Chicken Pox

Like I've said before, housework is NOT my forte. These pictures do not show our house in the best light because I can't manage to get anything done. So why pretend that it looks awesome when it doesn't? We still have lots of work left to do (there are some pretty atrocious light fixtures), some more bathroom remodeling, pictures and art to hang . . . but it'll happen. One funny thing: People in our neighborhood keep asking us how we like the house. When we tell them we LOVE it, I've had responses such as, "really?" and "We wanted to buy it, but it needs SO MUCH work." Jon and I laugh. We've done a lot of little projects, but we're wondering what they're talking about for the most part. I guess some people might want to gut it and add a crazy colonial facade or something. As for me and my house, we love the clean lines, sleek exterior, and cozy feeling. It's definitely feeling like home.

This last couple weeks have been pretty fantastic. (Sarcasm noted.) Phoebe has the chicken pox. A bad case. A sad case. She's on the mend. And no, she didn't get vaccinated. Not because I'm against the vaccine, but because they were "all out" last time we went to the Dr. Argh. One cute thing, though: it's been rough, we were at the ER one night because she got a secondary infection in the diaper area and it looked like the flesh eating bacteria. The other morning Ph awoke next to me in bed. I asked her, "are you ok?" She looked at me with sleepy eyes and said one word: "HAPPY." Now that's a day maker!

New Digs---Just a Peak!

A little disjointed, a lot messy. But when is it ever going to be perfectly tidy? Never. Trust me.

Arrived

Sitting at my new desk. Just unloaded my first load from the dishwasher. Inaugurated my new oven/stovetop for a humble dinner. Looking out the window to the park, where Jon has the two olders playing for a pre-bedtime get-the-wiggles-out frolic. Baby (really not a baby! 2 yrs and counting!) is slumbering in her crib. Getting used to new quarters. It's been a bit of a doozy of a day, but I'm counting my blessings.

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Happy Spring!

I Blinked My Eyes,

Or so it seems, and my world changed. The past 8 months has taken my little family on an interesting journey that I would have never ever have anticipated. It started with Jon's job loss and the uncertainty and jaw-dropping reality that comes with something that monumental (and quite-honestly, painful). And then the "what-in-the-he**-are-we-gonna-do" phase, and then the sometimes distinct, ever-questioned impression that maybe, just maybe, we should up and move nearer to family in good ole Utah.....and the indecision, the indecision, the indecision. And the leaving the fabulous friends and support network we had built in Sacramento? And the home we had come to love and make our own? And Jon's burgeoning career and list of California contacts? Can I just say that was a hard phase?

My first fear when I heard that Jon lost his job was that we would lose our home. I couldn't even let my heart internalize that possibility for the first few weeks. But, bit by bit, I realized it didn't matter. Money is nice, a comfortable home is great, but all that really matters is family. (And since I'm an open book, I'll just add that for part of that tumultuous time, family seemed to be fading slightly, too.....it's heinous how in the midst of trials, you can really lose your footing and direction. Thanks be to a good counselor who helped us see beyond the petty little things, and realize we have something great going on. Something very worth fighting for and holding on to. I love the counseling profession. I'm going to be a lifelong recipient of good counsel from outsiders. So helpful. You should go, too.) Back to the money thing, one night I had the image of a circle come to my mind, while mulling over the impending doom of our home. I realized there would be other places, other homes, other money. The large chunk we lost on this home didn't matter. It was a bummer, but it didn't matter. Not one bit.

So we moved to Utah. And Jon was still wondering if it was the right decision while driving the Penske across barren Nevada . . . . and I had moments of doubt myself as I crossed the great divide (or is it the Great Basin?---I think both are apropos.) But here we are. And I would be an absolute loser if I didn't catalog the blessings that have come from that leap of faith and oft-seeming idiocy.

I'm not going to detail what has happened in the past few months. BUT, I want to catalog the upshot of what has happened. I almost can't believe how blessed we are! It seems like this story could be an infomercial for The Effectiveness of Faith and Prayer. Almost cheesy and moralizing! But it is what it is, and I'm thrilled that we've been the recipients of so many of your prayers, so much love:

*Our home in Sacramento went through the short-sale process in a near-record 3 months. We had an offer the 2nd day it was on the market. And we sold to a young family, so I'm happy that the joyful noise of children will continue at 4957 Tufts. I hope they have dance parties in the "Peace Room."

*Jon was offered a contract job working for a water firm in Irvine, CA, but is able to do it long-distance. We were excited, but realized that this was not a long-term solution, since it wasn't necessarily a great career move. But, it is money!

*We found and fell in love with a home directly across the street from a park and the elementary school that Leah is going to. We didn't think it was wise or possible to make this jump right after the loss of our other home. But, after lots of trepidation and inspiration, we made an offer, and it was accepted. The best part is that this home has a basement apartment that we can rent out. Our mortgage will be much less than renting something similar. And, it has been vacant for 4 years. I think it was waiting for us to come. Really.

*Jon got a call from a SLC water attorney a few weeks ago that he was interested in talking with him. The email stated, "No suit required." Really? At an attorney's office? Long story short, Jon basically came home from the "meeting" with an agreement that he'd start working part-time until he passes the UT bar, and then he'll start on a more full-time position. And for those of you who know Jon, he wasn't pleased about the commute. We had just offered on the home in Provo, and felt really good about it. Well, SLC said he could come up 2-3 days a week, and work the other days from Utah County, i.e. from our basement. And eventually, even move his practice to Provo permanently. What? Utah water law? Work at home? Low billable hours? We had toyed with the idea of Jon signing on with a different attorney in California whose billable hour requirement was beyond insane. His paycheck would be, too; I wasn't even tempted. Not a bit. I want my husband to be around. He wants to be around and help raise our girls. This new job is beyond what we could have ever hoped for. He starts on Monday.

*We closed on our "new" (code word for somewhat crusty, outdated, but fabulous bones) home without any major hitches. We're busy working and painting and doing some minor changes.....it's fun to try and do as much as you can with a tiny budget. Lots of elbow grease. Lots of compromises that bring about good things. I always intend on taking before and after pics, but guess what? We've already dismantled kitchen cabs to paint them, and taken out the linoleum and took nary a picture. Oh well. Why change habits this late in the game?

*Phoebe Laura turns 2 on Saturday. We will happily celebrate her and our new leaf in/lease on life.

I guess all of these miracles attest to me that God is in the details. He wants to bless us, and will. There might be a lot of agony along the way, but holding out is well worth it. And, it ain't over yet. We've still got miles to go.....