Confessions

It is very possible that I am 

unhealthily obsessed 

with my daughter.

There.

I said it.

Happy ONE YEAR Albuquerque-versary

One year ago at right this very minute, we were pulling into Albuquerque with 

a moving van, 

a car on a trailer, 

another car, 

and no idea of what lie ahead of us.

We pulled in, Javi having never been here, and jumped head first into the craziest year of our lives.

Craziest, and most wonderful.

Just before driving away from our Utah life.

Saying goodbye to our first apartment

To commemorate the highlights of this year, we each made a list while eating lunch at our favorite deli.

The List of the Mister:

The birth of Celine

Doing a news story from a hot air balloon

The "homeless" story that essentially made him famous in the ABQ

Receiving a new car AS A GIFT

and

Being made the Branch President in our church.

The List of the Lady:

The pregnancy and birth of Celine

The Balloon Fiesta

Starting my Master's degree

Countless trips to Utah, Wyoming, and Alabama to visit my favorites

and

exploring this place.

Our favorite places around the ABQ:

The year-round Farmer's Market

Marshall's

Nothing Bundt Cakes

Schlotzsky's Deli

Pottery Barn

Flying Star Cafe

2-5 Sonic Happy Hour (only 2-4 in Utah)

Lulu Lemon

Blake's Lotaburger

and

Green Chile

The things we could have done without but can laugh at now:

The cockroaches,

The time we were robbed,

Moving 3 times in 7 months,

and

Leaving my phone on top of the car and driving down a 6 lane highway

Why we're happy to be staying a little longer:

The Alvarado Park Spanish Branch of the LDS church,

Living in a city where everything is so close,

The friends we've made,

Javi being the "Voice of the Lobos" as the ESPN radio commentator for UNM sports,

The Balloon Fiesta round 2,

and 

More exploration while being less pregnant.

Thanks for a fantastic year, Albuquerque.

You are fabulous and we love being apart of you.

Dear Baby:

Day 1

Today is your 8 week birthday.

To celebrate I just put you down for the night

in your crib

in your own room

for the first time.

Week 1

I might as well have just dropped you off at college.

That's how emotional I am about it.

Week 2

I mean, come on.

We live in a two bedroom apartment.

It's not like you are even down the block.

Nope, you're just a few feet away and I still feel like sobbing.

Week 3

I was fully expecting you to have a meltdown which would signal to me that you needed to still sleep in Mama's room.

My heart is crushed.

You fell right to sleep in your big girl bed and didn't even meltdown like I wanted.

Week 4

Now I'm the one having the meltdown

and it's not pretty.

Week 5

I guess I just didn't realize how quickly everything would pass.

I guess I didn't realize that one second you would be my little wrinkly newborn and the next second I would be crazy about your little belly and rolly-polly legs.

I had no idea how quickly we would go from trying to figure each other out to being best friends.

I really didn't know that every teeny bit you grew I would be so happy and so heartbroken at the same time.

Week 6

You are a dream come true.

I had no idea how wonderful it would be to be a Mommy.

You are far better than I ever could have imagined.

I just wish things would slow down a little.

Actually, a lot.

Week 7

I love you little nugget.

Happy 8 week birthday.

Sleep well in that big bed.

Week 8

I'll just be crying myself to sleep in the next room.

Words about each other

So, lets see.

God put us on this earth with each other.

He put us here so we can _____________ .

What?

Why did he put us here together?

Well, I just finished watching the news and getting caught up on my facebook news feed.

According to the news reports and my news feed, God put us on this earth with each other so we can

Call each other names.

Ignore each other.

Kill each other.

Beat each other up.

Hate each other.

Be disgusted about each other's...

religious views

political views

&

sexual views.

Be intolerant of each other's choices.

Talk bad about each other on...

facebook

blogs

the internet

behind each other's backs

in front of each other's faces

&

in front of news cameras.

Discriminate against each other.

Criticize each other.

Make fun of each other's...

weight

clothing choices

sexual orientation

standards

&

beliefs.

Be jealous of each other.

Complain about each other.

Steal each other's belongings.

Steal each other's children.

Steal each other's significant other.

Pretty much, it would seem that we are here to make each other miserable.

That makes me sad.

BUT

Whatever happened to remembering that we are ALL imperfect?

Whatever happened to cutting each other some slack?

At what point did someone make our minds believe that if someone thinks or lives differently than us that we have to hate them?

When exactly did we get the right to take things away from each other?  

When, in those brains, did it become ok to take away someone's life, stuff, loved ones, or someone's ability to choose for themselves?

Somewhere we got off track.

Maybe instead of posting that thing about our political views that makes those that believe differently than us feel stupid, we could just keep it to ourselves.

Maybe instead of showing hatred because a man loves a man or a woman loves a woman or a man loves a woman or a woman loves a man, we could just love and let love.

Maybe you could let me believe in God the way that I want to believe in Him.

Maybe I could learn more about and respect more of your religious views, or lack thereof.

Maybe we could look past choices and just love 

EACH OTHER.

Love the 

PERSON

rather than hating the 

CHOICES.

That could be nice.

To the church going women of the world

I feel like I am learning so much every day I am a Mother.

Let me just tell you about what I learned yesterday.

It is an absolute miracle that church going women continue to attend church after they have children.

Read: I'm shocked that every LDS woman isn't inactive.

Lets just talk about this for a second.

Yesterday was Celine's first day at church.

Daddy was in meetings by 8 am.

Mama and baby wake up, feed, both bathe and get ready, get the fish marinating, feed again, and then I've got to be playing prelude by 10:40.

Baby sits in her car seat next to the piano because Daddy is still in meetings.

Half way through prelude the baby starts SCREAMING.

Everyone in the ward starts passing your baby around.

Sacrament meeting starts and you're at the piano, Daddy's conducting the meeting and the baby is....who knows.

After you play the sacrament hymn, you go to sit in the congregation unsure of where to find your baby.

Sacrament prayer is said and suddenly someone delivers your baby into your lap.

Baby screams during sacrament meeting.

You wait in the foyer with said screaming child peeking in so that you're there to play the closing hymn.

Second hour, the girl has got to eat.  

This church doesn't have a mother's room.

Steal the key to husband's office and away you go.  (Only other option is going into the bathroom and sitting on the toilet to feed her)

Third hour, you are now the ONLY member of the Young Women's presidency because your two counselors moved to Utah.

How do you teach and care for a human at the same time?

Luckily, this week it is combined with the Relief Society.

Baby screams through all of the third hour.

Baby likes church.

She can't wait for next week.

So anyway, I pledge allegiance to the church-going women of the world.

It's not just sitting, often alone, through the meetings trying to entertain (and keep quiet 1, 2,....7 kids) but you also have to get everyone ready: hair combed, shirts ironed, ties tied, shoes shined, and fed BEFORE church and then AFTER church everyone is hungry and wondering when dinner will be ready

and you still have no idea when the Daddy will get home.

Hungry children.

No time frame from the Daddy.

Dinner is over cooked.

Again.

Winning.

It's a real good thing that I know with all of my soul that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the true (and it is...Go to LDS.org to learn more) because I am sure that the church going women of the world would not be racing back if it were strictly to have a good, relaxing time.

Now, a call to action.

If your mother was one of these fantastic church going women of the world, call and thank her for not killing you and your siblings and your father in the process....and for not going inactive.

Amen.