Wednesday, January 6, 2016

Eleventh Anniversary

Wouldn't it be lovely to have a long relaxed anniversary?

Yeah, I wouldn't know.

I got married December 30th. The majority of our anniversaries are spent at packed relatives houses. Don't get me wrong, I love our families but I'm sure no one is going to write a Rom-Com movie about an 11th anniversary spent in grandma's sewing room with three kids on the floor. 

Usually we sneak in a quick movie or dinner. I know my husband enjoys spending down time with me but I'm not sure likes "dates". So our anniversaries are low key.

People have suggest celebrating it a different time of year, but that doesn't work for us. I can't just celebrate it a random day it has to have significance. So I thought about important dates. When Brent and I were officially a couple... July 3rd. Fourth of July weekend doesn't really work, too busy with another holiday.
When we got engaged, my birthday, maybe September 25 or 27, I'm not really sure. Yeah, my birthday would be a bad time to celebrate us.

Our half anniversary is June 30th, once again pretty close to 4th of July. I can not think of anything significant to celebrate in the spring...


Anyway, back to my anniversary. But first, lets say, I thought about different days that would have been better. I actually couldn't come up with any, some people get married before christmas, some after, I picked after, and considering I'm normally very busy before Christmas and our daughter is born on the 12th, the 30th is much better than the 20th. So this year I accepted the date as what it is.

The 30th this year was actually a lovely morning. Cold and cloudy but lovely. I really wanted a picture of Brent and I at the Mount Timpanogos temple because its been YEARS since we've been there together. So we *randomly* woke up about 30 minutes early. Probably a blessing from the Lord, not random, Brent and I don't wake up early. I said to him, perfect lets go to the temple. He asked, is that what you really want to do? I jumped up of course!

 So we went without kids, walked around the temple in below freezing weather. Took a bunch of selfies, reminisced about being engaged and getting married. Made one loop around the temple and jumped back in the car. 
THEN
THEN
You'll never believe what happened, Brent willingly took me to a donuts shop I've wanted to try for YEARS! (I should say, I never once asked to go there before that day)

It was 45 minutes and truly a blessing from the Lord.
Because he knew what he had in store for me. 

My oldest son after two days at cousins houses came back. He wouldn't look at me, or talk to me, I wondered what happened. When he fell asleep playing legos. I thought oh it all makes sense, he was sick. (All his aunts said he had a blast up there, and after 20 hours on antibiotics he had plenty of fun to tell me about.)
So at 5 o'clock on my anniversary I took my 3 year old, my 9 year old and me to instacare. (My three year old also spent the whole day sleeping.) I wanted to throw myself a pity party but there was no time for that. We all had strep. I'm pretty sure I've had strep since before Thanksgiving. I did take a z-pac in the middle of December, but I never felt better.

After we left instacare, my pity plans were getting really close to the surface, when he hit the crest of the hill in Lindon on State Street.  I could see the Temple, the Temple I got married in, 11 years, and 6 hours ago. It was all lit up, and everything else was dark and cloudy.

My only thoughts were, the Lord is mindful. If he cares about the lilies of the field, and the birds of the field he knows what is going on with me.

I am a girl who is always looking for a miracle, who literally believes I can get a priesthood blessing, and take up my bed and walk. I've seen it happen, I've felt it happen. But that is not what the Lord was giving me on my 11th anniversary. But he did tell me, he is mindful of me.




Now, I have to finish my story. 
I dropped my sick boys back off at their grandma's with their dad, and went to get our prescriptions filled. With this new sense of hope. 
An hour later when I got back, I had 5 people (the other two had been to the Doctor the 23rd, and 26th) to give antibiotics to, and by this time it was past bedtime, I still had not eaten dinner, and I just spent an hour in the walmart. (I'm not a walmart hater, but I do hate the Lindon walmart.) 
I yelled at my husband in front of his sister, sister in law, parents, children, nieces and nephews. Because you know me, I like to keep it real. His father offered to take me to dinner. Instead I medicated my children, feed my three year old dinner (because he was magically hungry the minute he saw me), while we put everyone else to bed. Then we went to Iceberg for a late dinner. Yes, I really am that simple of a wife I just want protein, french fries and a milkshake for my anniversary. We then had an enjoyable time eating fries and ice cream, until we decided the employees wanted to lock up. Considering it was the first time we had spent any amount of quality time together since we left the airport after our trip to Spain, it really was an enjoyable hour talking. (I know I had to add that part, because Brent always likes to tease me for my whining. Oh poor, Lesli, she didn't get a date for 4 weeks after she got home from Europe.)


Two days later when we left town, I also yelled at my husband, I blame it on trying to open 5 child proof caps again, just like on our anniversary. Ok, I should take responsibility for myself. But overall I'm very tired, and I'm not that good a delegating work to my husband when it comes to packing. I don't know how to get him to help when he doesn't know who's shoes, socks, toothbrush, coat, etc is whos. That isn't a complaint its just a statement. He is super helpful at bedtime but it's hard for him remember who's tooth brush is who's. 
If he would have been given the task to give out the antibiotics, he would have asked, how much do I give each kid? And I would probably have yelled the response, I don't know, I read the package just like everyone else. (Between the four kids they were on three different types of liquid antibiotics, and they all had different doses because they weigh different amounts. Plus trying to remember to take my antibiotic too, has made me wonder if I'm losing my mind. I have to keep counting my antibiotic pills to see if I've taken my dose.) Overall its sweet that Brent thinks I can keep track of things that I can't keep track of. (My list keeping is my saving grace. I probably  have 3-4+ lists going at all times in the kitchen, I just have too much to keep in my head.)  I should also add, I never gave a child an antibiotics until my oldest was 5, so I don't have 10 years of experience only 5. That's not enough practice for 5 sick people at once.

Overall you add some more embellishments like someone puking during the strep test (thankfully that didn't happen) and this actually might be quite a humorous movie. I'm thinking the same genre as Date Night. Considering my freakishly strong redheaded three year old is terrified of scales and a doctor can't give you a prescription without weighing a kid, we do have some gold in this story. Yes, I hold him to get his weight, yes, he is still terrified kicking and thrashing about. 

We should start the movie with the drive out to Utah. When my daughter threw up in the car. Who knows if was carsickness or strep, probably both. But it was -2 degrees out, and the wipes kept freezing on me as I was trying to clean it up. 
It was beautiful. 
Motherhood is swell. 
Its a good thing I'm madly in love with Brent. I'd gladly spend an anniversary like that as long as I spent the beginning and the end with Brent.

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