No man is an island.

I don't know how to express what I am feeling right now, but I am going to try. Tonight as I was snuggling and kissing and being kissed by my daughter, I felt overwhelmed with gratitude that I can share my life with her. Our hearts beat next to each other and I felt belonging. I love humanity. I love that we can belong to each other. I love being a mother and neighbor and friend. Now how is that for a sappy insta post? I just love.

I love my daughter.  I love being her mother.  I love this earth where I can raise her, and the heavens where I can be with her forever.  I love God and God's plan.  I will forever be humbled that He sent her to me.  Tonight as she lifted up her head to smile and me, and kiss me, and as I could feel her heartbeat next to mine, I felt so overwhelmed.  This life is good.

No man is an island, entire of itself...
Any man's death diminishes me, because I am involved in mankind.
And therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls;
It tolls for thee.

Med School for the Girls

Med school for us isn't so bad:

We live at the graduate housing at UNR called Ponderosa Village.  It is just about a 5 minute walk from Taylor's class, so he doesn't have much of a commute.  We get to visit him at school and bring him lunch.  Other than that, we party.

Lunch time!  Emmeline loves hummus!

It is nice to be in Reno where we are close to family and Emmeline has fun things to do.  She likes to go to the pool with her Grandma GJ, visit with her Big Grandma, and play with Grandpa Hardy.  It's not a bad life.

School Orientation

August 4, 2014 was Taylor's 18th first day of school.

Well, of orientation at least.

Emmeline and I dropped him off.  I insisted on taking a picture.  I may have embarressed him; I was in my pj's, and when I tried to get back in the car, I forgot the door handle was broken....so I had to climb in through the passenger side.  Starting out the school year classy.

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He had a great first week!  He has really good classmates, a beautiful building, and was very excited to start classes.

I went to one opening social with him, a barbeque with all his classmates.  He said families were invited...but Emmeline was the only baby.  We are not in Provo anymore.  One LDS med students asked me....so what are  you going to do all day, just...nothing?  I hope I won't be doing nothing; I hope that by staying at home, I will actively be raising Emmeline.

At the end of Orientation week was the White Coat ceremony.  It was a lovely event.  It will be years of hard work and study before Taylor deserves to don the white coat again.  Bring it on.

University of Nevada School of Medicine

This post is belated, but we [finally] made a decision.

Taylor is an MS1 at the UNR School of Medicine, and we couldn't be more excited.

I don't know if I care to remember the details of the last year of deliberation and decision making.  Turns out, making decisions is hard!  We were blessed with good options of where to attend school, but because we went crazy agonizing and over-analyzing every aspect of the decision, we felt like we were cursed with too good of options.  We started to be a little bitter, and we became disgusted with ourselves and our discontent. We have learned a lot about gratitude, humility, faith, and courage.

 In a nutshell, we spent everyday since October 2013 agonizing as to where we should attend medical school.  It seemed like such a big decision, but we will probably laugh about it in 20 years....the truth is it probably didn't matter.  We will be happy wherever we go - we have each other, we have the Gospel, and we are happy people.

Our top choices were University of Virginia in Charlottesville and University of Nevada in Reno.  We felt that one option would give us incredible experience, be an opportunity to live in a part of the country we might not otherwise be able to, and strengthen us as a family.  We felt that the other option would provide good experiences and familiar relationships for our little Emmeline, allow me to continue in my professional goals, and allow us to graduate with minimal debt.  

We probably made the mistake of asking too many people their advice, and considering each in-depth.  We probably made the mistake of thinking there was one correct option.  We have prayed that our Heavenly Father would bless us and bless Taylor's goals.  He blessed us with many good opportunities.  It is now up to us to move forward with faith and excitement.  God has touched every step of our journey - I expect and hope He will continue to do so.

So I still hope that one day our journey will take us to Charlottesville.  But for now, we are thrilled to be Nevadans.  Each day we feel confirmations that this was an excellent choice.  Taylor received a full-ride scholarship.  I got an excellent job.  Emmeline will get to know both sets of grandparents and great-grandparents.  Taylor has good classmates and good mentors.  We are grateful.

GO PACK!

Successes and Failures

Oh hello, August...how did you come so soon?

It appears as though I fail as a blogger and as a journalist.  I have tens of stories to tell and memories to remember.

Master's graduation, medical school choice, Memorial Day, Europe trip, nomadic life, major move to Reno, start of school, life as a mother.

And of course, every day of my talking, laughing, moving, flirting Emmeline.

But, according to the pics on my iphone, it appears as though we have also had major successes.  We are a very happy family.  We have a beautiful, curious, happy baby.  Taylor and I love each other more every day.  We have real moments and real happy moments.  Success.

This is what Emmeline is doing right now:

The Aunties who Saved the Semester

Many days people congratulate me on finishing a Master's Degree....with a job, and a newborn!?

But all the praise should go to a good husband, and EXCELLENT aunties.

Emmeline spent one long day a week with her Aunt Jane, and 3-5 days a week with her Auntie Morgie.  She went over to Morgan's apartment in the morning, would snuggle and sleep, then walk up to campus in the snuggly.  She was beloved by the Chatham Towne roommates, and became the mascot of the BYU Bookstore.  Emmeline was Employee of the Month the entire semester.  

Jane would sing and tell stories and teach Emmeline (yay for El Ed training!), and make headbands and bounce and play.  Even with full time school and work, Jane was so generous with her time.

Thank you for helping me finish, Aunties.  And thank you for loving my babe.  There is a special bond between a girl and her aunt.

Flipbook

Our lives are rushing by.  Looking at the photos on my phone make me feel like I am looking at a flipbook.  I want to just grab a day and hold it, and hold my two babes, and savor God's goodness.  But the days don't want to be held.  

A taste of my flipbook.