Some Rest for the Weary

I've always considered myself an ambitious person. I try to be the best I can be at everything I do. But after this last year, I'm beginning to feel certifiably nuts. Here's a little recap of the last 12 months:

• September 14, 2010: Got engaged at the Provo temple.

• October/November 2010: Embarked on two very long business trips to Flagstaff, AZ and Ft. Dodge, IA to observe two Purina pet food plants (yes...true story). Both trips involved flights, long drives in rental cars, hard hats, and steel-toed boots.

• December 8, 2010: Worked my last day as an Instructional Design Lead at Allen Communication Learning Services in Salt Lake.

• December 9, 2010: Started my new full-time job as an Instructional Designer for Imagine Learning in Provo.

• August 16, 2010-December 10, 2010: Drove from Woods Cross to Provo at least 3-4 times a week to see Nate as he worked through his second year of law school at BYU. We were crazy in love...what else can I say?

• December 11, 2010: Moved from Woods Cross to Provo (somehow downsizing from a four-bedroom house to a teeny two-bedroom apartment).

• December 11, 2010-March 15, 2010: Couldn't sell my house in Woods Cross, so paid the mortgage on the house AND rent on the new place. :(

• December 18-20, 2010: Drove a VERY long way from Provo to Dallas, TX.

• December 23, 2010: Married my love in the Dallas LDS Temple. The best day of my life.

• December 27-29, 2010: Braved a blizzard that covered the majority of the intermountain west to drive from Dallas back to Provo. We thought we might be found frozen in our little Honda Civic somewhere between Salina and Nephi.

• Sometime mid-January 2011: Became pregnant with my second child.

• January 2011-April 2011: Taught Halle's primary class of three Sunbeams in our BYU married student ward.

• January 20, 2011: Celebrated Halle's fourth birthday.

• February 1, 2011-May 1, 2011: Endured pretty constant nausea and emotional distress as my first trimester inflicted its wrath on our newlywed relationship.

• March 11, 2011: Celebrated my 30th birthday. 

• Mid-March 2011: Finally found wonderful renters for the Woods Cross house (Nate's cousin and her family).

• April 25-April 28, 2011: Took a much needed family vacation to Disneyland and the beach, which Halle still mentions in her prayers every day.

• May 1, 2011-August 16, 2011: Nate and Halle took the bus together from Provo to Salt Lake so he could work as a law clerk at Christensen & Jensen and she could be babysat by my mom and grandma in Bountiful. She also went to two dance classes each week.

• June 2011-August 2011: Taught the Temple Preparation Sunday School class in our new Provo Married Student Ward.

• June 3, 2011: Found out baby #2 is a girl.

• June 17-19, 2011: Celebrated Nate's 26th birthday and his first Father's Day in the same weekend.

• August 9, 2011: Christensen & Jensen offered Nate a full-time associate position upon graduation and passing the bar. We are so grateful.

• August 16, 2011: Nate started his third and final year of law school at BYU while I continue to work full-time at Imagine Learning until the baby comes.

• August 18, 2011: Halle started Provo rec youth soccer.

• August 19, 2011: Switched from an OB to a group of midwives during my 32^nd week of pregnancy in hopes of having a more humane experience (mission accomplished, thank goodness).

• August 23, 2011: Halle started her second year of preschool.

• August 27, 2011: Moved AGAIN to our current home in north Orem so we could have more space for baby girl on the way.

And here I sit on the evening of August 31, 2011, thinking back on the whirlwind of a year our family has had: two moves; working full-time and switching jobs; getting married; adjusting to our new blended family; expecting a new baby; law school; church responsibilities; figuring out how to be landlords; scheduling babysitting for Halle (often driving her up to Bountiful) and shuttling her to school, dance, and soccer; and I'm not surprised that I was up last night puking my guts out in my third trimester, not my first.

Overall, I'm just incredibly tired. And I KNOW that's not going to get any better once this baby girl makes her debut (in only six weeks!). So I'm setting a goal to let things slide a bit more than I normally would for my health and sanity's sake. I let myself get run down—I've had headaches and nausea earlier this week followed by stomach pain and vomiting last night. As unbelievable as it might seem, my pregnancies bring a ton of nausea and not really any vomiting. And I hate throwing up so much that, before last night, I don't think I'd allowed myself the disgusting opportunity since before I was pregnant with Halle (about FIVE years ago). So, my body is obviously telling me to slow down. And I know I need to listen.

In spite of everything, I'm grateful for the blessings we've had as a family this year. I'm so grateful for a wonderful, patient, and loving husband who works unbelievably hard and takes such good care of me and our girls. And I'm grateful for a loving Heavenly Father and Savior who have protected and blessed our family and undoubtedly make up the difference each day. I'm looking forward to what the next year has in store for us.