Christmas 2025

I spent my first Christmas in Utah since 2021. It was so weird not being in Yakima. Wesley, William, and I spent Christmas Eve at my mom's house. We ate at Crown Burger and saw the drive-through Christmas lights at the Fairpark. On Christmas, we opened presents and had lunch with my mom and the Turleys. We then went and visited my dad and Mara at their new house in Draper. I finished the evening with Stranger Things. We all have the after Christmas sickness but we at least have the break to get through it.

Burnout

I am suffering major burnout from juggling a toddler, a new job, and a doctoral program. The good news is I'll have two weeks off from school and one week off from work. I will be using the free time to gather old family photos. Only five more days!

UVU Update

I am in the midst of preparing for spring semester at UVU. I am figuring out which instructional assistants want to come back, which classes are eligible, and who the professors want. I also have to hire additional philosophy instructional asdistants. It will be stressful to tell some IAs they won't have a class next semester since there are fewer eligible sections. I am enjoying my new job though! Only 1.5 weeks until Christmas break!

Haven Ward

Wesley and I have been in our new ward, the Haven Ward, for just over two months now. It is a lot like Riverbend. There are lots of young couples and older folks. There are lots of apartments in the ward boundaries so there are a lot of people moving in and out. People are friendly so far and we have already spoken in sacrament meeting. We do not have callings yet. So far, William will be the only child in nursery. It is SO nice to now be in the same stake as Leanna and her family.

Thanksgiving 2025

For Thanksgiving this year, Wesley and William went to Yakima. Wesley gave me an out and I got to stay in Utah. It was fun to spend Thanksgiving with just me and my mom like the old days. I also saw my dad and Mara's family. I've used the time to myself to get work done, go to the temple, and see my family. I am excited for my husband and baby to get home though. I really tried to give thanks and recognize all I have to be grateful for this year.

Utah Activities Fall 2025

We had a lot of fun around the state this fall. In September, we went to the Utah State Capitol building, Utah State Fair, and the Mat Kearney concert at the Sandy Ampitheatre. In October, we went to the Aly and AJ concert, circus, Cornbelly's, a BYU basketball game, and the bison roundup at Antelope Island. In November, we went to Dear Evan Hansen at Pioneer Theatre, the Jesse McCartney concert, and the Titanic exhibition. I love living in Utah.

15 Months

William turned 15 months on Wednesday and had his appointment with his pediatrician on Thursday. He is officially back to the 49th percentile for weight. He is still not walking but says several words including Mama. I can't wait to see how he continues to grow. I love my baby.

Thyroid Update and Sick

An update on the thyroid situation. I had an ultrasound and my thyroid is completely normal. On the other hand, I have the worst cold since the death illness I had last year. My nose is awful, my voice is gone, and I can't taste anything. This is my seventh illness this year. Pray for me.

Scary Medical Findings

I had my annual well-woman exam today. My doctor discovered I have an enlarged thyroid, so I need an ultrasound and additional blood testing. I have a lot of anxiety around medical things after everything that has happened with me and my family. I will update when I get the results. On Halloween of all days too.

Diving into Doctoral Research

I am in probably the most difficult class in my doctoral program so far. We are starting our research and my professor has very high standards for academic writing. I know this will help prepare me for the dissertation. My preliminary research topic is assessing the impact of anti-DEI laws on social science curriculum.

Doctoral Research and Writing

I started my new class on Wednesday. It's all about developing our doctoral-level research and writing skills. We are also starting to dive into our research topics. It will be a lot of work but at least it's only until December. I know I will be more prepared for the dissertation.

National Society of Leadership and Success

I was invited to join the National Society of Leadership and Success at Purdue! I'm so excited to continue to develop my leadership skills and get involved as a doctoral student. There are some good training and service activities I can participate in.

32 Years Old

I officially turned 32 on Monday. When did Leanna and I get so old? I have done a lot of reflecting since my birthday. I have achieved so many of my goals. I'm in my dream job, working on my doctorate, and have an amazing husband and son. I'm truly blessed. For my birthday this year, I celebrated with my mom and Leanna by doing Cheesecake Factory and the mall last Friday. I celebrated with Wesley and William by having brunch at STK on Sunday. On my actual birthday on Monday, it was a pretty normal day but we got Handel's for dessert.

Moving

We officially moved out of our Sandy apartment on August 15th and have been staying with my dad ever since. We are moving into his South Salt Lake duplex tomorrow. It should not be as bad since most of our stuff is still packed. It will be nice being closer to Leanna. It will also be nice to be in a house, especially now with William being older. I will update!

Crazy, Crazy World

There's not much going on this week but it's a political firestorm right now. I'm truly scared about what is going on in this country. Everything I learned in my political science degree has gone out the window.

UVU Instructional Support Coordinator

As of the beginning of September, I have left my academic advisor position at SLCC and am now an instructional support coordinator at UVU. I am hiring, training, and supervising all the instructional assistants within the College of Humanities and Social Sciences. It's a little overwhelming getting up to speed and doing something new. The campus is also closed right now due to the murder of Charlie Kirk on campus on September 10th. UVU has definitely been put in the spotlight. I will update!

Responsive Curriculum Design

I am 6 weeks into my 5th class in my doctoral program, Responsive Curriculum Design. We are learning how we can make our curriculum and instructional methods more diverse and inclusive. My program's director did eliminate the diversity, equity, and inclusion class, which I have already taken, from the program requirements. That just demonstrates the current political climate we live in.

Sean’s Birthday 2025

We celebrated Sean's birthday on August 23rd by bringing flowers and doing the balloon release at the cemetery. He would've been 37 years old. I'm so grateful for eternal families and that I can get to know him after this life.

Utah Activities Summer 2025

As the summer of 2025 comes to a close, I want to recap the fun activities we did. In June, in addition to the Cedar City trip, we saw Finding Neverland at Hale, High School Musical at BYU, a Weird Al concert, and a Bees game. In July, we hiked to Timpanogoes Cave, saw 12 Angry Men at Hale, and watched the Days of '47 Parade. To wrap up August, we hiked to Ensign Peak, saw Survivor:Antelope Island at Desert Star for our anniversary, and went to BYU Education Week. My dad also took me to the Goo Goo Dolls concert.

1 Year Old

William officially turned 1 yesterday on August 12th. My baby is growing up so fast. He's officially a toddler now. It feels like just yesterday I was in the hospital with him. We had two Winnie the Pooh themed birthday parties for him. He showed no interest in his smash cakes. I think Henry is the only 1-year old I've seen who actually smashed the cake. He's still babbling and scooching along furniture. He has not said his first word or taken his first step yet. Poor boy also had a bout of the stomach flu this week. I cannot wait to watch him as he continues to grow up!

3-year Anniversary

Wesley and I celebrated 3 years of being married on August 5th. I cannot believe how fast time has flown by. I never do anything for that long, so I must really love him. I appreciate him so much and he is one of my greatest blessings. In 3 years we have lived in Boise, moved to Utah, changed jobs, started a doctorate program, and had a baby. We celebrated by taking William to Market Street. Wesley also made us our own adventure book like from Up. I'm looking forward to many more adventures.

Purdue Educators Club

I finally have joined a club at Purdue. After the drama of trying to join the student advisory board in 2023, I have joined the educators club. It doesn't appear to be very active, but I'm hoping to gain some leadership experience.

Riverbend Ward

Since we only have about three weeks left in our current ward, I thought I'd write about my experience. We moved into the Riverbend Ward when we moved into the Legends apartments in May 2023 when we moved back to Utah. I'm a nursery leader and Wesley is the Sunday school secretary. I taught nursery three times and then gave up. With three apartment complexes and houses, it's a very transient ward. It was socially hard at first. I have now made a friend in my ministering sister. There are lots of other young couples with babies. There are the apartment vs. house politics. Most of the ward leaders live in the houses.

11 Months

William turned 11 months old last Saturday. I can't believe it's almost been a year since he was born. I got the Google Photos reminder that one year ago today was our baby shower at Wesley's work. William is now having 3 solid meals a day, has 4 teeth, and is getting ready to walk. I remember all the anxiety I had while I was pregnant with him and now he's becoming a little boy. I'm beyond blessed.

Idaho 4th of July Trip

Wesley, William, and I went up to Boise over the 4th of July weekend. We got to visit Tyler's family, Wesley's dad, his cousin's family, and our friend, Jared. We got to go to Harper's 3rd birthday party and spend some time with our only niece. We also got to do some fun things around Idaho like the Hagerman Fossil Beds, the Boise parade, and Zoo Boise (we got to feed the sloth bear!). It was a great trip and I hope we make it a yearly tradition.

Ethics and Accountability in Leadership

I'm in the last stretch of my Ethics and Accountability in Leadership class. It's my fourth class in my EdD program. We've had a chance to analyze some interesting case studies. I have a big paper due next week that I want to mostly finish before our Idaho trip. The professor is very dedicated and inspirational. I have about a year left of coursework and then a year for my dissertation.

Cedar City Trip

We just got back from a 2-day staycation to Cedar City. My mom also came with us. We drove down on Thursday and saw Macbeth at the Utah Shakespeare Festival. The actors were wonderful and we had great balcony seats in the outdoor theatre modeled after the Globe in London! William stayed at the festival childcare center during the play. It was his first time being watched by a non-family member but it sounded like he was fine. On Friday, we drove to Cedar Breaks. The red rock and hoodoos were beautiful. We then drove back to Sandy and stopped at Brick Oven for lunch on the way home. We also all have colds today so I'm 4/4 so far on getting sick on vacation.

Aquarium Maybe

It has been since December 2023 that I quit being an animal handler at the natural history museum. I probably would've quit anyway due to my difficult pregancy, but the work culture became too toxic with the bossy older volunteers and a new supervisor. Since then, I've been wanting to get back into volunteering with animals. With motherhood, work, and my doctorate, I also don't want it to take up too much time away from home. I completed orientation at the Loveland Living Planet Aquarium to be an education volunteer. Now I'm not sure if the required 8 hours a month is feasible. I'm looking for an opportunity where I only have to volunteer once every few months. I've been looking at Thanksgiving Point, the Ogden Nature Center, and USU Botanical Center.

10 Months

William is officially 10 months old. He has his front two bottom teeth coming in and is trying new solid foods. He also continues to crawl and stand. He is getting closer to walking. He can also understand a few words. He is so sweet and loves spending time with people. He is so close to 1 and time has flown by.

SLCC Retreat Committee

I am officially on SLCC's academic advising retreat committee and I am helping plan our annual retreat. I am planning a service project and we might hold the conference at Megaplex Theatres. I am so happy to be on a committee and develop some more leadership experience. There are also lots of changes coming to SLCC that I will update on when I have more information.

Utah Activities Spring 2025

We have done more fun activities around Utah this spring. In March, Wesley and I saw Little Women at Hale Center Theatre. In April, we took William to Tracy Aviary when it was half price tickets for Volunteer Appreciation Week. In May, I went to one day of BYU Women's Conference with Leanna and our mom. We also saw Utah Opera's production of Madame Butterfly. That was really good but very sad. It had some beautiful symbolism. Near the end of the month, Wesley and I saw the national tour of Wicked. This was my second time seeing it after seeing it on Broadway in New York City when I was 16. On Memorial Day, we went with the Turleys to the Harry Potter exhibition. That was fun except for an unfortunate misunderstanding with a stranger at one of the screens where you could perform spells. Finally, we met up with Wesley's cousin this morning to go to the Syracuse Temple open house. I am excited for more fun this summer.

9 Months

William turned 9 months old last week. He's officially been out of the womb for as long as he was in the womb. He is eating more solid foods. He continues to crawl and can stand up on furniture. I'm so proud of him. I feel like my body has mostly recovered too. It will never be the same as it was pre-pregnancy, but I feel at least functional.

Academic Advising Conference

I got to go to the regional conference for Nacada (a national academic advising association) on Monday and Tuesday. It was held downtown at the Marriot at City Creek. Most of my SLCC coworkers were there and we got some good professional development on how to improve as academic advisors. I attended some interesting sessions on how to best serve queer and generation Z students. It was fun to go to a conference and spend some time in downtown Salt Lake, but the socialization aspect was exhausting.

Kaitlin’s Open House

Kaitlin and her new husband, Clayton, had their open house on Saturday. They got married in April in Mexico. It was at a country club in Farmington. It was so nice to see Kaitlin and Jessica. Jessica is also engaged now and planning her wedding. It was so nice to catch up with my friends since Utah State.

8 Months

William is officially 8 months old! He is now crawling and can stand up if he is holding onto furniture. My little boy is growing up so fast. He is also babbling more and eating more solid foods. No sign of teeth yet. I also feel recovered. I am able to stand and walk for normal periods of time.

Easter 2025

William celebated his first Easter on Sunday! On Saturday, we took him to get a picture with the Easter Bunny at Cabela's. On Sunday, we went to church and had an Easter party with my mom and the Turleys. William had his first Easter dinner in a high chair. We also did an Easter egg hunt for the boys in the front yard. Peter and William even grabbed some eggs.

Caribbean Cruise 2025

Wesley and I got back from our eastern Caribbean cruise with his family on Sunday. It was so fun. William stayed home with my parents, so we missed him so much. I also got sick with both a cold and stomach bug. We still had a great time. We sailed on the Norwegian Escape out of Miami. Sat, April 5: We flew into Miami early after an overnight flight from SalT Lake. That day we went to the Everglades National Park, Biscayne National Park, and the Miami Hell's Kitchen. We mostly saw birds and alligators. Sunday, April 6: We boarded the ship and played some mini golf and hung out in the water grotto. We also did lots of trivia and game shows on the ship. Monday, April 7: It was a sea day. We did more trivia, I attempted the ropes course, and we saw Choir of Man. Tuesday, April 8: We went to Ocean World in Dominican Republic. We did a sea lion and lovebird encounter. We also went to their beach and and the dolphin and shark shows. Wed, April 9: We walked around Tortula in the British Virgin Islands and did the ship's thermal suite. Thurs, April 10: I was sick with the stomach bug but we still went to the Trunk Bay beach on St. John's in the U.S. Virgin Islands. We also saw the Adele tribute show on the ship. Friday, April 11: I got sick with the cold but still did some trivia. Saturday, April 12: The port to the Bahamas was cancelled due to high winds so our ziplining excursion was cancelled. I did some trivia and hung out in the room because I wasn't feeling well. Sun, April 13: We returned to Miami. We saw the Ft. Lauderdale Temple, Flamingo Gardens, Wesley's childhood home, and visited his family who live in Florida before our flight back to Salt Lake.

Utah Activities Winter 2025

We have been able to do some fun activities the first few months of this year. In January, Wesley and I saw Kiss of the Spiderwoman at the Sundance Film Festival. It was very timely as Sundance is leaving Utah for Boulder in 2027. It might've been our last chance to go in Utah. In February, we went to Clark Planetarium and saw a dome theatre show while Jamie was in town. In March, Wesley and I saw Little Women at Hale Center Theatre. We're so lucky there's so much to do and explore in Utah.

7 Months

William is 7 months old and growing up so fast. He is so ready to crawl and can sit up on his own. He is eating baby food and babbling. There are still no signs of teeth yet. He is also having some sleep regression. I will update!

Spine Surgeon

A couple weeks ago I met with a spine surgeon about my back pain and scoliosis. It was definitely the most confusing doctor's appointment I've ever had. There was definitely a communication breakdown and I left with no good information and advice. He said my scoliosis was severe (60 degree curve) and I would need surgery, probably two in my lifetime. But then he essentially said there would never be a good time for me to have the surgery; not with a baby or older kids. Therefore, I should not have surgery, then he ended the appointment. It was very confusing and he didn't explain his reasoning. He didn't ask about my back pain or function. I definitely need a second opinion and will probably do the surgery after I have my second kid.

Kaitlin’s Bridal Shower

Kaitlin's bridal shower was on Saturday. It was a classy affair with a fancy spread. It was so nice to catch up with her and Jessica. We also got to talk to her cousins we knew at Utah State. She and her fiancee are getting married in Mexico in April and her open house is in May.

Educational Systems 2.0

I am retaking Educational Systems this term. I regret withdrawing from the course back in November and putting my course progress behind again. I have to give myself grace though because I was suffering from a bad bout of Covid and in a bad mental place. At least I have a majority of discussion posts done and know what to expect from the assignments.

6 Months Postpartum

William is now 6 months old! It's been such a joy watching him grow every day. He's such a happy boy. We've started giving him a couple teaspoons of solids a day and he is getting ready to crawl. My physical recovery was going really well until Saturday when I got excruciating pain on the left side of my back. It still really hurts to walk. I'm hoping it's just a muscle strain. I'm accepting the fact I might need a spinal fusion sooner rather than later. I have another appointment with a doctor on Wednesday to regroup. It has been disheartening because I was doing my physical therapy exercises and feeling so good. Now I'm just back to a worse position than I was before. I'm hoping to have better news next week.

Valentine’s Day 2025

It was my 3rd Valentine's Day being married to Wesley on Friday. It was the fourth Valentine's Day knowing him but we were still just texting in 2022. We celebrated by going out for sushi on Friday and doing a couples massage on Saturday. It was also our first Valentine's with our sweet William. We had a chance to make him a Valentine's Day card at the Super Bowl/Valentine's Day party we had with my mom and the Turleys last Sunday. I am so grateful for my family.

Katie Visit

Katie was in town for skiing most of last week. I got to see her twice. Once for dinner and once for a manicure with my mom. We were super close when we were both single and I stayed with her in Boston and Denver. We had a few years where our relationship was a little strained. This was pulled forward by Katie and Leanna's estrangement. Since William was born, we've been talking more and growing closer. I hope to remain in good relations with her and stay on her good side.

Physical Therapy

I have been doing physical therapy for my back pain for the past month. I have been working with a great spine physical therapist. During our sessions, I do heat therapy, localized acupuncture, and learn exercises. I feel like my back pain has been improving. I am also having some pelvic pain when I walk. My goal is to be able to walk longer distances and do standing activities without too much pain. It's still been hard walking around the grocery store. We went to the Bean Museum at BYU on Saturday before Wesley's grandma's birthday party and I had some bad pelvic pain and had to sit down. I am just going to continue my exercises and hope my body one day heals.

Education Advisor

At the beginning of December, I was switched from advising for the psychology and criminal justice programs to advising for the education program. It has now been more than a month and I am still learning. The education program is a lot more nuanced since students are interesting in becoming a wide variety of teachers and transferring to a wide variety of programs. It is keeping me on my toes though and I am happy to offer advice since I have worked in so many teaching roles. It also fits my doctorate in education program.

Politics

Yesterday Trump was sworn in as president for a second term. I did not watch the ceremony. Although I still keep up on the news, I am not as interested in politics as I once was. This surprises me considering I have a degree in political science and used to teach American Government. I think I just have too much chaos in my life now to be consumed by political chaos. It will be interesting to see how the next 4 years go.

5 Months

William turned 5 months on Sunday and I can't believe how fast time has flown by. He is now 16 pounds and 30 inches long. He can hold his head up, flip on his belly, and is starting to scoot around. We are also going to start feeding him baby food soon. I also cannot believe it's been 5 months since I have given birth! My body will never be the same.

Welcome 2025

It is 2025 and a new year! My New Year's resolution is to do the physical therapy to take care of my lower back pain. I also want to love and honor my husband and son. I will give updates for how I am doing on these resolutions throughout the year.

Yakima 2024

Christmas in Yakima this year was not as miserable as 2023 with the pregnancy bleeding, anxiety, and sickness. I still got sick but at least my body waited until the day we flew home. This year we went to the Bavarian Christmas village in Leavenworth, WA. We also did the Yakima haunts with Miner's, El Porton, movies, and the mall. At least I had my baby this time. A whole week was a little long to be staying at the in-law's though.