In a Decade

Ten years ago, when my blog was an infant, I made a post titled "In a Decade" and this is what I wrote, in reference to the years 2000-2010:

"I  just want to point something out.

Last decade, from 2000-2009, I was very productive.

In this time I graduated from:

Middle School- 2000

High School- 2004

(mission- 2008)

and

COLLEGE- 2009

Go me. 

So I've started thinking of some goals for this next decade. 

So far I've come up with:

Spending every January somewhere warm (inspired by Brazil- this year's January escape)

.....And that's all I've got so far. 

But hey, I've got a whole canvas of decade ahead of me. 

Here's to the next ten years."

And isn't it kind of awesome to find old little writings like that? And now to be able to look back and see what it is that I did with that "canvas of decade"? I dare say I had a very productive decade once again.  ;)

Here's the abstract to this post, for those of you who don't want to read the whole thing:

I got married and had four babies. And now we're ending the decade with two more girls added into the family. That's six kids, people. We bought two houses, both in Utah (um, as in we sold the other before buying the next.) Buck went to grad school and has had a great career. I started a non profit. We traveled quite a bit. And had a variety of pets. 

Now, for the two of you who will read this (hi mom!) here's the whole download. 

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 I started off last decade newly graduated from college, and I was in Brazil traveling for a month. 

 After I got home I went on an epic cross country road trip in the middle of winter with this super cute guy that I was dating. His name was Buck. (*Spoiler alert* the road trip was a success and this particular relationship went really well.)

After the road trip we both moved to Utah because we didn't know what else to do (and here we remain ten years later hahaha) We dated. 

And then we got engaged, much sooner than I was anticipating, but hey when you're so sincerely asked, you go for it. (photo from our wedding invites)

That year, the first year to set the stage for the decade, was crazy. After engagement and a few jobs, buying a cat together, (see tiny Miso all cozy on our laps?)

Going on an Alaskan cruise,

A trip to North Carolina, and Idaho-

 Buck and I got MARRIED!

 And it truly was the best day. 

And the honeymoon to Hawaii wasn't half bad either. 

And then, surprise! We ended out the year by becoming somewhat unexpectedly pregnant and (finding out in North Carolina after spending Thanksgiving at a beach house), and ringing in the new year at Disney world. 

2010 will always be a banner year to remember! 

2011 we bought a new house- our home. I gave birth to our first daughter. And thus began the real adventures! We started some traditions like Celebrate a Country day and Raspberry picking, that we still do to this day! Buck started his master's program at BYU.

2012 was such a sweet year. My postpartum depression was much better. Life with baby June was so tender. We got to go Hawaii again and North Carolina. We spent slow days sitting under the big tree in our yard and swinging in its branches. We also lost our pet tortoise twice.

2013 I threw my tea party, we went to Washington DC, we got our dog, Abe, I discovered my place in the mountains, walked a poodle, went to Oregon, Buck and I went sailing and on a hot air balloon and horse back riding. We went to South Carolina. My sister got married and I got pregnant with Hazel! 

 2014 I gave birth to Hazel! Buck graduated college with his masters and we took a ride in a limo, we went to Yellow stone and I nursed Hazel on some sand dunes, I ventured to DC by myself with June and baby Hazel. This particular year we went to both Disneyland AND Disneyworld! It was crazy.

 

2015 My sister had her first baby, making me an aunt! Buck's sister also got married! And Buck's parents moved to Utah from North Carolina! We got a pet bearded dragon. Buck and I learned how to fly on the trapeze. We went to the Oregon coast again! 

And then, one of my all time favorites- we went to Maine where we stayed the night in a light house, felt the country's first sunlight on a mountain, caught lobsters, and communed with the sea. This year I got to see the Sun rise on the east over the sea and a sun set in the west over the sea. And go from Portland Oregon to Portland Maine. I also turned 30 years old, speaking of new decades. I also had a miscarriage. This is also the year I started on the journey towards my non profit. 

2016 was wild, we sold our bearded dragon, later on in the year we also had to give away our dog, Abe, which was very sad. One of the biggest things for me happened when I got to go back to Armenia (where I had served a mission for my church in 2008-2009) and I got to go back with a friend AND for a photo workshop with a National Geographic photographer. It was life changing for so many reasons! Buck and I got to go to Zion national park. I officially started my non profit as a government approved 501(c)3 and had several events! I got pregnant again, this time with Rosie! We got to go back to Myrtle beach, South Carolina. I got to go to girls camp. We went to Lake Tahoe with my family. I gave birth to Rose! 

2017 was spent more lopsided than any before- the whole "three kids is the hardest" thing proved to be somewhat true. We spent more time at home than ever before. I took my first venture on medication for postpartum depression. But that summer we got to go to a magical cabin in McCall Idaho with my family. I started doing service projects with my girls. Buck's grandma passed away. so did my cousin Micheal. I took a road trip with a friend and our six kids! haha We raised butterflies and released them into the mountains. We sheered some llamas. We went "glamping" at bear lake. Buck, Rose and I went to Oregon. (we go there a lot! haha) I did yoga with goats. And then a huge trip was taken to Italy for Buck's brother's wedding, where I officiated the wedding! I also kept up with events for my non profit. We started building our new house. Rose turned one and few weeks later I found out I was pregnant again. 

And then there was 2018- oh 2018! Having three kids and being pregnant was exhausting. By the end of May our new house was done and we moved. It was truly bitter sweet. I will never ever, in all my life forget all those special years in our first home. Moving to our new home was a humbling experience. We felt so grateful for the blessing and somewhat undeserving! Buck and I did get a babymoon in California and that was lovely. We did a small family camp out at bear lake. I kept my non profit afloat. My grandpa passed away. But then, you know, I gave birth to Johnny. We took a family trip to the Grand Canyon and Southern Utah. The postpartum depression was dark but thankfully I ended up getting on some life saving medication. Buck almost died on Thanksgiving from sepsis and was in the hospital all that week. So 2018 was a crazy year! 

2019 brought with it much healing. And a lot more time spent at home than ever before because if three kids were hard, then imagine us with four. haha But that summer we got out and went to Lake Powell and then that fall to Disneyland. Our cat, Miso, we got way back when were were engaged, ran outside one day and never came back so we ended up getting a new cat, Astrid, later on. And June got pet rats for Christmas. Buck's grandma passed away and so did another one of my cousins. Buck took June on several camp outs. And I went to the Philippines for my non profit! And then in a crazy turn of life events, we ended the year with two new refugee daughters in our home that will be living with us for a year or two.

So do the math people- I started out the decade single and I ended it with SIX kids living in my house that I'm the mother of.

There were so many other things in all those years- so many different kinds of festivals from ice to flowers, so many dates Buck and I were able to take and over night get-away's and interesting anniversaries. I never missed a month of attending the temple. We fully celebrated every holiday and birthday. We went to countless dance recitals and swim lessons, I dyed my hair pink and purple a few times, we roasted lots of marshmallows over a camp fire, hiked many trails, and took so many trips to Boise to see my family. My babies and I survived four high risk pregnancies. There were many other weddings and funerals. We kept to our own traditions we made of Celebrate a Country day, annual raspberry picking, and doing something new together for our wedding anniversaries. 

There were, of course, a lot of hard times and times of growth. For this decade I say that my hardest trials were those that came from postpartum depressions and sometimes prenatal depressions. Such dark, dark times! Adjusting to motherhood was also very hard and still is, (haha.) 

But honestly, honestly. Reviewing our decade has been a sacred experience I wasn't expecting. I've been crying these past couple hours and I poured over old photos and writings. What a beautiful and full life! And I know I'm not just looking back incorrectly with rose colored glasses or anything like that, because I know through all these years I have always felt so overwhelmed with gratitude for all the blessings. SO MANY BLESSINGS. And I know that this coming year or decade will come with it new, harder trials. But I feel pretty sure that I'll be able to look back on those with gratitude as well, one day, just as I can now of other previous hardships.

And can I just say how HAPPY I am with myself and my dedication to jounraling, both on my blog here and in my own personal journals. It's so rewarding for me to have it all documented and remembered. It makes it all worth the time and effort! I'm also so grateful for my ability to tell a story of our life with my photography and it was fun for me to see that ability grow over this past decade. YOU GUYS! KEEP A JOURNAL! However you want to that works for you, just DO IT. It is so important and helps with processing emotions and hardships, it naturally causes you to always take note of all the blessings, and it keeps a record so that when your husband claims a certain even was one way, you can win the argument but pulling up old entries that prove other you're right. ;)

And I truly believe that the more grateful your heart is, the better your life will be. More good will find you and you'll find it. Over and over again, the blessings keep building in a wonderful cycle of positivity.

So there it is. A HUGE post for a HUGE decade of full life living! How different this next one will be! It feels like this past decade was ten years of Buck and I growing up together and now we begin to grow old- into the thick of the school years with all our kids! At the end of this next decade June will be ready to fly the coop! We could even have a little African grand baby! Who knows the adventures that await! I'm so excited! Let's do this!