Insomnia

How is is that you can be sooo tired that you're practically nodding off in whatever position you're in....but when you hit your pillow, you are wide awake and cannot turn your brain off? It seems in that moment all of the world's problems hit you like a ton of bricks and you feel you must resolve each and every issue before sleeping. And even if you WANT to sleep and try multiple times to turn over or to adjust your covers, pajamas, and pillows, sleep just won't come.

At this point, I had no other choice than to take a Tylenol PM as I have been awake now for 2 1/2 hours just tossing and turning (Poor Spencer..i'm sure his sleep isn't restful either with me being so fidgety). Hopefully this helps as I will have to be up in 6 hours! And let me tell you...I'm quite grumpy when I haven't gotten at least 8 hours.

Bring it! If you won't come sleep, then i'll make the most of it. Heck, Spencer might even wake up to a spotless home, with even nook and crannies sparkling. Eh, I think i'm getting ahead of myself...I AM too tired for that. So Law & Order, I'll settle for you. Which brings up another thought provoking question--how come Dish Network has NOTHING on at 1:30 a.m.?

Sigh....

Where to begin...

I know this will probably not suffice, but since it HAS been such a LONG time since I have written, i'm gonna have to do most of my updating with bullet points. And if you want to know more on a specific bullet, feel free to text, write, call, or facebook and i'll give you all the info you want to know:

• Went on a cruise to the Caribbean with my siblings and parents--we visited Haiti, Jamaica, Grand Cayman, and Cozumel, and had a BLAST! Thanks to Mom and Dad Williams for covering all expenses and allowing us to have such a fun reunion. It's always fun getting together with siblings and parents as we all live so far apart!
  

• While I was gone, Spencer moved us (with help from a WONDERFUL Mother-in-law and sister-in-laws) into our new home! We're so excited to be here even though it's temporary. We love having the space that a little apartment doesn't allow. Along with a new house came a new, more flexible job for me. I'm still in the real estate business, now working for Legend Real Estate as one of their managers. I only work 13 hour weeks from my home and they pay our rent too! Spencer is finishing up all applications for dental and graduate schools (we're covering all our bases this year) as well as working for Marriott and Legend Real Estate. Things are busy, but we are loving every minute, me especially. Since Maddie was born, I worked 40 hours a week at Liberty Square Apartments and never got to be a stay at home Mommy! But now since I can work from home (and only 13 hours!), I'm enjoying life immensely. Not only can I be a mommy, but I have time for a social life and callings which was near impossible before.

• We have enjoyed a summer full of fun events with both sets of Grandparents and aunts/uncles. Both the Empeys and the Williams have been able to come visit and spend time with us and it's been so fun! We love having family visit!

• Potty training--I expected this to test my patience and leave me quite frustrated most days, but it ended up being quite painless. Maddie is still perfecting the art of pottying, but picked it up quickly. We cleared our schedules for a whole week (no girl time or play dates almost killed me!) and dedicated ourselves to the cause. Within a couple of days of running around half naked, she understood the process and could go by herself. Once we introduced panties, the trick became trying to make her TELL me when she needed to go as she couldn't pull her panties down in time (lots AND lots of laundry). But we're in the clear on that one! She now tells me (sometimes at the last minute though) when she needs to go. With time and practice, she'll have no problems, i'm sure. And now we're not stuck at home all day!

• I've become quite obsessed with canning. Spencer let me open my birthday presents early as it was all canning themed--and if I waited until mid-October to open them, i'd miss the opportunity to can peaches and apples, etc. So now that I have the proper equipment, i'm gonna jump right in! We went and bought a 1/2 bushel of peaches from a local provider and will start this weekend! If anyone would like to join me, i'd be happy to have you here to help! I'm planning on doing peaches, apples, strawberry jam, and homemade salsa if any of those tempt you! :)

So far these are the things that I can remember about our summer. I know this is just a quick recap, but I have made it a goal to be better and post at least once a week for friends/family. Unfortunately, writing on my blog is the first thing I start to neglect when there's a lot going on, but NO MORE! Or at least that's my goal. But if it's anything like my goal (or dream, rather) to fit into a size 2, then it might never happen!! :)

Love to all!

I. Have. Been. A. Terrible. Blogger.

Life has been crazy, and the first thing to go for me is my blog. But no more!! I owe it to my family members and closest friends (who CONSTANTLY ask me to update) to keep all in the loop! But tonight is just not the night to finish at where I left off. Just too much to say... And since t is now almost 11:30p.m. and I'm about to turn into a pumpkin, I will be going to bed now. But I am promising to all who read this that I have made it a goal to become better at writing about all of our adventures!

Much love!

3 Days Left!

It seems all so surreal--I feel like i've been at Liberty Square for forever (4 years almost to the day), and now in 3 days I will be done! Bittersweet, merely because we'll miss the sweet deals we've gotten like free rent, salary AND health insurance, but MOSTLY sweet since I'll get to go to a more flexible and smaller complex which will allow me to be with our sweet Maddie girl. :) It's ALSO only 4 days before I embark on a Caribbean cruise!! HOLLA! For my dad's 60th birthday, my mom planned a cruise for her, my dad, and all the siblings--only catch? No spouses allowed which means I hafta leave Maddie and Spencer behind for a week. Sad for sure, but I am excited to spend time with my parents and siblings. :) And you know...beaches and sun sure sounds good too :)

Here's a snap shot of what I'll be seeing in a few days....

Be jealous...Be VERY jealous.

Not What We Expected..

I've been TERRIBLE at blogging lately--so many things going on in life and not any time to sit down to really jot down our happenings. Most importantly, our lives are being taken in a different direction than we expected. Spencer applied to dental schools and after 'X' amount of time, no real offers have been given, so we had to make other arrangements for our family. The stresses of working at Liberty Square have gotten to me, and in about 6 days, I will be done as the Office Manager. This is GREAT news for multiple reasons, mainly that I will finally get the chance to be a stay at home Mommy...

It makes no sense to move outside of Provo, so we found a small complex that we will start managing at the beginning of June called Foxwood Apartments. Although I will still be working, office hours are only a maximum 4 hours a day and the office is the front room of our home. :) This does have both advantages and disadvantages (the only disadvantage being you can't ESCAPE the students--they KNOW where you live!), but i'm excited to at least have the opportunity to be at home with our little Madster. :) Spencer will work maintenance at the complex and has starting working for Marriott again part-time. If anyone needs a "Friends and Family" discount on a room, we can give it to you! :)

It's been so interesting to see how Heavenly Father's plan works--you set up your own ideas of what your life is going to be and then realize that our Father's plan for us is QUITE different than you had in mind. And although there were many tears and stress involved, He helped us through and provided a way for 1) me to be at home 2)financial obligations to be met with new jobs and 3)for us to have a rent free HOUSE while we're at Foxwood. Yes, dental school will have to wait another year, but what's a year in the grand scheme of things? Will our lives be that much altered because of 365 days? I think not. Spencer knows and has felt strongly that he needs to pursue dentistry, so we'll reapply again this upcoming June.

It's nice to know, though, that no matter what, the Lord provides a way for all of us, even if it's not necessarily what you expected. I have grown so much through this experience, mainly because i'm a worrier by nature. But now I have exercised a great amount of faith and KNOW how important faith is in dealing with not only big rites of passages but little moments in a day as well. How grateful I am to know how much my Father in Heaven loves me--He loves me enough to challenge me so I will have the opportunity to learn and grow. What more can I ask for?

Going Private....

I haven't written in forever, but I'm writing a quick blurb to let you all know that we're going private! :) There's many reasons we're doing this, but mainly to keep our family secure. Feel free to email me if you'd like to be added to our blog, though--we'd love to include all of our friends!

Roadtrip to Ohio

My sisters only live three hours apart even though they're in two different states (Michigan & Ohio). So after Christmas, we all headed down to visit Kimberly and her sweet family. On the way there, how do you think Maddie was entertained? You guessed it...High School Musical 3 all the way! She LOVES that movie and still asks for it at least four times a day. She can pretty much sing every song and is getting the dance moves down too! :) She didn't seem to mind the three hour trip with her portable DVD in front of her! (Thank heavens for technology!!)



Look at how intensely she's watching! You can tell she's enjoying herself or else those headphones wouldn't be on---normally she hates anything on top of her ears, but when HSM:3 is the movie playing, she doesn't flinch! Oh how I love that sweet little girl! :)