I was a shy kid. I still am really. I’d rather sit in a quiet corner of a restaurant with 3 or 4 people I know than go to a huge party with hundreds of people – those make me hyperventilate. I’m pretty shy at heart. When I started preschool at B.Y.U. at the age of 3 it was a super hard for me to make eye contact with my teachers, even though they were perfectly lovely. By Kindergarten I…
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How many of you right this minute, this very instant, have at least 4 dusty shoe boxes {or let’s be honest, IKEA boxes} crammed full of photos under your bed? In the back of your closet? At your mom’s house? I do. You don’t really want to know how many photos I have stashed away. My first baby was born in the pre-digital age so I have approximately 1,300 3×5 photos of her in huge boxes under the stairs. …
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There aren’t enough words in the English language to adequately encompass the range of voodoo that has been my week. Voodoo hoodoo. Picture the Twilight Zone, especially the freaky music part. Now throw in a family, a bunch of really important back-to-back deadlines for work, Valentine’s Day with 50+ cards and treats for kids, assorted school projects, a couple of reluctant trips to the gym, 4 stops at the pharmacy, two late night visits to the doctor, and one shellac…
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My husband’s distaste for Valentine’s Day is long and well documented, but it doesn’t mean he’s a complete curmudgeon when it comes to love. In fact, my husband is the most romantic guy I know, even though he spends vast amounts of energy protesting otherwise. This was our engagement photo. I wanted to buck tradition and go with something a little more casual than the traditional super formal fare of the day. We’re not really formal people, it isn’t in…
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I have the kind of pregnancies no one should ever experience. The kind of pregnancies that didn’t exist 100 years ago because the mother died 12 weeks in and stopped bothering everyone with her nonstop complications. I’ve talked a little bit about it here before, and even though I’m still haunted by the memories and don’t like to talk about it a ton, I learned some really amazing life lessons from the whole shebang. There’s something about flirting with death…
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Last week I wrote about my friend Kami Bigler whose sweet baby Afton Jean passed away after being born too soon at 26 weeks and 13 ounces. It’s been a trying time for Kami and her family, but the online community has rallied around them with love and support. It’s been a heartrendingly beautiful thing to watch, strangers from around the world sending love and prayers while the Biglers have had to do the unthinkable and bury a child. A fund…
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I told you last week Viktor was headed in for surgery to repair a torn rotator cuff. He had the surgery, he’s in recovery, and I’M still in bed, recovering from playing nursemaid. Turns out all those jell-o and ice runs are a little exhausting. For me at least, Viktor feels just fine. I was terrified for Viktor going into surgery. I’ve been under the knife enough times to know the risk, and to be worried with him/for him/by him/about…
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Fifteen years ago when Viktor and I were just dating, he had shoulder surgery. He recovered quickly because, well, he was a teenager. {side-note: I was a child bride} Over the passing years that shoulder has fallen apart, but his *good* shoulder has become a nightmare. When we went surfing last Fall, poor Viktor just paddled out in the water to encourage me. He can’t hold his arms above his waist, so one of his favorite pastimes, surfing, is completely…
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Today’s post is a serious one, about remembering Calvin. Three years ago on Saturday I received a horrible phone call from my dear friend Donna telling me her oldest son Calvin had been killed in a car accident. The whole thing was a nightmare, and I still don’t know how Donna walks around breathing every day. Calvin was an adorable, handsome, sweet, gifted 14-year-old who died too soon. Calvin’s accident was just that; something tragic, an avoidable accident. Calvin hated…
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