I was 34 for a moment

Yesterday was my birthday. I haven’t considered posting anything for the last couple of months until right now. I’ve pretty much been on a non-stop pace lately. My brain is fried and it’s hard to think straight, but I don’t want to forget what I did and learned when I was 34.

My 34th year started with one of the best trips I’ve been on. Jason and I surprised my kids with a Disney World/ Disney Cruise vacation. We first spent four days in Disney World. We loved everything except… Chandler didn’t like it when I was taking pictures during Thunder Mountain. Did he fear my safety because I wasn’t holding on or did he fear the camera might be dropped? After all, it is the wildest ride in the wilderness. Chandler also didn’t like the Rock –N- Roller Coaster. I have to hand it to him for at least going on it. Ashtyn stood in line for the roller coaster, got the front seat, started crying, so they kicked her off before she could ride it. She was relieved. Jason didn’t like feeling panicky and claustrophobic when the Mission to Mars left him in seriously small quarters while they had a 15-minute delay. Ethan was happy and got his naps in whenever needed. There was one night I forgot to feed Ethan dinner before putting him to bed. I realized when he woke up crying. Oops. We somehow got a banana to hold him over till breakfast. Morgan soaked everything in with lots of smiles and enjoyed every minute of it. Our hotel room was in the perfect location, the Ducks court. My hockey addicts loved it.

The kids were thrilled to find out we were going on a cruise. The cruise was great…there’s just nothing better. Even Ethan throwing up in the shuttle in St. Thomas or Morgan throwing up during the night all over the wall by the side of her bed couldn’t damper the fun. There was karaoke, movies, beaches, jet skiing, snorkeling, swimming, and lots of sun.

Not feeling too well

Ashtyn saying "Hi" to me since I stayed on the ship with two sick kids at St Thomas.

The wonderful year also included the Iron Girl triathlon in Las Vegas, Salt Lake ½ marathon, the Spudman triathlon in Idaho, jeeping and hiking in Moab, exploring upstate New York with the Hosenfeld's, a trip to California with the kids, my siblings and parents, but solo from Jason. Another trip to California, adults only, to celebrate my grandparents 50th anniversary. We got into the world of boating and have had a good time learning the ropes. Jason got his anticipated Cougar Club BYU football season tickets and enjoyed going to the home games with family and friends. There was lacrosse, football, hockey, golf, ballet, jazz, hip hop, and lots of piano practicing. Ashtyn learned to ski and is awesome at it. We had the addition of two new dogs. I also have been able to babysit my adorable little niece every Mondays while Alisa is at work.

A great blessing was the opportunity I had to quit my job and become an official “stay at home” mom. A dream come true! My famous last words regarding my retirement from the Newborn ICU was, “with the blessing of not having to work and having more time comes more accountability for me. I will need to answer for how I use my time.” I was called to the Young Women’s 1 1/2 weeks later. Well that pretty much takes up any extra time I would have had…and then some. And I love it.

What has meant the most to me this year are the simple things. Being a mom to four healthy kids is so much fun and it’s so nice having Jason to share life with. I love going to the gym everyday. It’s a huge part of my life because of the friends I’ve made and the way it makes me feel. It's also so cool that my mom and two of my sisters work out with me. The Young Women are also a significant part of my life with how much time I get to spend with them. There's not a day that goes by that I don't have some form of Young Women interaction. Service is a miraculous thing. Everything always seems to work out. When I’m busy someone is always around to help take my kids here and there or fill in wherever I can’t.

my BYU boys

Another year is gone. While I'm 35 I'm going to try to hold on tight and make the most of it because before I know it I'll be writing "I was 35 for a moment".