Short Thought Tonight

My work week ended with dealing some immature adults last week.

My weekend was spent potty training my daughter.

While potty training was long and frustrating and difficult, it was worth it.

And my daughter's attitude and effort was outstanding.

Wish I could say the same about the grown-ups in this world.

Thank goodness for kids.


For the adults out there, stop being adults.

Be more like children.

Plans, then Life.

When we got married we took great care to avoid sweeps, as in television news sweeps. We avoided February for this reason. We thought march wold be perfect. That March 16 was perfect, because it is the day before Russ's favorite holiday.

Then we moved to Texas.

And there was a little festival called SXSW.

And our anniversary is spent with Russ covering the festival or resting up from a crazy work week.

Sad to say, our anniversary's have become simple in celebration. And this year, being a not so great celebration year of #6, we shall again keep it simple.

A post-wedding trip to the Salt Lick, and then maybe working on my kitchen light remodel some more.

I don't mind- this year.

And as much as I'd like to think it'll get better in the future, I try not to plan. Because you make plans, and then life happens.

This week is kicking my butt

This week I've been in training in Austin for my job and it has thrown my little life topsy turvy.
Spending 2 hours in traffic on the road makes me angry, tired, and just grumpy. I don't know how people drive that every day!

And to be honest, I am spoiled. I live 3 miles from my office.

It reminded me of when I went to Russ's work Christmas party.

Many working moms asked me how I was adjusting to being a working mom and how hard it was. I responded that it wasn't that hard at all. Everything is close, so I'm not spending a ton of time driving that could be spent together. We still get that together time.

And Russ is the one who gets her out the door every morning, so my mornings Ernest really disrupted.

But this week, I am feeling it. I am feeling the tiredness of working and the lack of energy to do anything but play with my family each night.

On top of it all, today I learned that a dear fried, mama Hayes died this morning. She was a force of good in this world. She was absolutely inspiring. I miss her already.

So, in short, this week has been awful. It has made me grateful for the life I normally get to live. Here's to the weekend coming up soon, and good elks full of routine in the future.

(Artwork by my niece, Georgia. It makes me smile)

Goodbye 2012...

Goodbye law school.
And bar exam.

Goodbye Waco.
Goodbye stress and worry and studying every night.

Thank you, 2012, for the lessons and the memories. I am grateful for all I learned, for friends I call dear, for family and unconditional love. I've grown, learned, and changed. I am a better person than I was when 2012 started. Thank you...but let's not do it again!

Because I Have Been Given Much...

has it really been almost a year since I've last posted?

Well, I couldn't let today pass me by without posting what I call a "Thankful-mony". It's like a testimony and an award speech wrapped into one.

So this Thanksgiving the Wilde's look back and see a year full of blessing, large and small. So many to count, that I cannot count them all. But let's hit the big ones...

Sadly, I am out of storage space to put pictures on here... So I'll just mention the things that have made me break down and cry a few times today, even though there are no pictures accompanying them.

1. That Phoenix made it out of the NICU and is doing so well.

2. That I graduated from law school, and I have moved on with life!

3. That I passed the Texas Bar Exam, and I am a licensed attorney! Hooray!

4. That I have an excellent job, a wonderful job, a job that enables me to have a lot of time with my family.

5. That I have Russ by my side, making this journey with me!

Life is good in the Wilde house. My cup runneth over with all the amazing things that have happened this year. I know that it is not every year- we have hard years ahead. But I never thought that we would receive all of these blessings. I thought for sure something would not work out. But we have been so blessed, and I will do my best to pass on the blessings I have received. 

Father's Day!

Just have to say Happy First Father's Day to the best dad I know!

Russ is really the top of the pops! I can't imagine doing this parenting thing without him! He's the best. But don't take my word for it, see for yourself:

Baby Shower

Yes, we are alive. Phoenix is just too much fun for us to remember to do anything else but talk to her and rock her to sleep.

But! We are not the only ones celebrating Little Miss Phoe (pronounced Fee)! Here are some pictures of a wonderful baby shower thrown by some near and dear friends!

Friends Munching on the Awesome Food.

Hanging out and talking about New Jersey and the best burger in San Marcos

Same as above! Cute & Happy Ladies.

The expressions of these friends crack me up!

The Spread- sooo delicious.

Add caption

I call this one, "The Hil Classic"

A series of funny faces from me:

Super Happy

I didn't understand how awesome this gift was- but now I know! Swaddling blankets are the BEST!

I thought, "YESSS... I've seen grandmother make these and I am so glad I have some of my own!"

Weird face, but such a wonderful gift from my friend Whitney.
I am spoiled and blessed to be surrounded by some of the most amazing women.

Again, weird face.

Sitting contemplatively at the end. I kept thinking about how many angels I am surrounded by!

And then this is the icing on the cake! Cute decor for Phoe's room!

Thank you friends! When my princess was born we weren't sure how bad her lungs were. I had this fear that no one would celebrate her life or know she existed. Having this time with my friends was like hearing that fear shot down entirely, and an answer back from Heavenly Father, "She exists, and there are many who love her."

More to Come!

So behind on my blog... but let me just say this tonight:

I LOVE SUMMER!!!

• Late night FroYo at the Twist & Shout
• House remodeling
• HP6 pt. 2
• Trips! (Bryan, Chicago, SLC)
• WEDDING!!!
• Russ's Birthday!
• Teaching ballet
• Yoga

Can't Wait for the fun. Oh wait! No need to wait. I started with a late night FroYo tonight with Jess & Ian and Rebex & Joseph.

Quote of the evening goes to Joseph:

"My favorite part of the Book of Mormon is the part about Sam and Frodo."

Let's Hear it For the Moms!

Mother-in-Law:

* Raised 3 fantastic boys all on her own!

* Excellent homemaker; I've been known to call her "the Martha Stewart of Springville, Utah"

* Always has interesting stories about her job

* Really good cook, always giving us the latest kitchen gear (most recently a S'more machine)

Bonnie I absolutely I admire you! Thank you for being so wonderful!

Happy Mother's Day!

Momma Bear:

* My best friend.

* Has seen me at my worst, and still loves me! : D

* Raised 5 kids! 5 should-be juvenile delinquents!

* Always took us to church, has scripture study, and family prayer. Even when Scott would read the scriptures super fast just to get through them. Or when I refused to come up to the living room for family prayer. This means she is very patient.

* Great cook! Showed me what sticky buns are! And Potato Cheese Soup!

* She's a nurse. That's kind of like being a mom twice!

Happy Mother's Day!

Step-Mom:

* The thing I realize most about Dealia is her patience. With children, cooking, and just life.

* Speaking of children, she's great with children! Kids are just drawn to her!

*Speaking of cooking, she's amazing! Best salmon I've ever had!

* Wonderful to talk to. It's so peaceful and I never feel rushed or that she's not listening.

* Great laugh. I love it when she gets going and can't stop!

Happy Mother's Day!

HAPPY

MOTHER'S

DAY!

all the mom's out there!

Restart: Beginning with Sunday

I have piles to blog about. But I want to start by blogging about yesterday.

Yesterday was a fun-filled day at the Wilde household.

First, my dear friends for José and Sara Beth came to visit. It was a short visit, because José flew to D.C. today.  Still, we had a lot of fun cooking dinner together, playing games, and just talking. So. Much. Fun.

Secondly, I graduated for the LDS Institute of Religion! I had one class to finish from before my mission and I finally did it. I know this isn't one of those things everyone does, and that most people don't think this is a big deal. But I wanted to finish what I started many years ago. So even though I don't think it makes a huge difference, or that it'll really impress anyone but myself, I'm glad that I finished it!!!

Finally, I was able to celebrate my birthday with the ones closest to me (geographically and personally). I do wish I could celebrate with my siblings, parents, etc. But that's just not possible to do when we live so far apart. So I am grateful that my friends took time out of their day to be with me.

I remember looking into their eyes as they sang me 'Happy Birthday' and thinking, "I am so blessed to have so many friends that care!"

Thank you guys! Such a great day! (Plus Osama was caught and killed! Bonus!).

Well, here are some pictures of the events! More adventures to be blogged about tomorrow.

Accepted

Texas from the Amtrak ride I took earlier this month.

I had a conversation today with a man from my law school class. As I talked with him, I learned that life had been hard for him. Many parts of life had left him rejected. He had not found success in some areas of life that are most basic to happiness; family, work, and religion.

Part of my heart broke for him. Because I've watch my classmates be dismissive of him the past few months. Today was my first real interaction with him. We were working on a school project together. I never realized that there was so much silent sorrow from someone right in my class.  I don't think I made his life any easier. But I listened. And it made me realize something. Nothing fantastic. Something I have thought and felt before. I guess I should say it reminded me of something.

Sometimes we get so caught up in our own happiness and survival that we forget to look around for others who might be drowning. Who may be worse off than us. Or maybe who are doing the same as us, but don't have the support structure that we may have. We get caught up and find ourselves saying things like:

• "I feel bad for people who aren't as happy as I am"
• "Those poor people on the planet who will never know how good life is. Sucks for them. Sure makes me grateful I'm not one of them. I'm so glad that's not me."

Or, if they're similarly situated as we are:

• "They should've done that differently. Yup, I see them struggling but they wouldn't struggle if they would do it my way."
• "Wow, they're having a hard time. But so am I. And they should really be the one to make efforts to help me out in this hard time."

And I guess these thoughts could fall under either category:

• "Huh. They're struggling. Well, that's messy. I don't want to get involved. I'll just come around afterwards and show them I care."
• "Well... I don't really approve of how they're handling things. I would do things differently so that means I can't help."

Now, I think I'm guilty of this too. I've been in this Practice Court program for just as long as these students who have been cruel to this man. I've heard of my classmate's tragedies and felt indifferent. Or I've ignored their problems. But this is not right. I am wrong. Those people that were this man's friends? They were wrong.

Do you see how much all those statements focus on ME?

It should go the other way around. It should be about them. Regardless of our opinions on how they handle their problems. And I don't think it takes much. 5 minutes to listen. A hug. Baking cookies with a friend, maybe. But not much.

But it makes the world of difference. I saw it in this man as he walked away this afternoon, after we'd talked for 5 minutes. I noticed he had his bounce back in his walk. I noticed that I felt better. As though somehow our 5 minute conversation had lessened the load of reading I have to do tonight.

All we want in this world, as least from each other, is acceptance. And when we listen and serve, we accept one another. I hope I remember this. So the next time I get the opportunity to judge and walk away that I choose to stay, take 5 minutes, and help in some small way.

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If you want to read more about this, Here's a talk that also came to mind for me:

Gifts of Love- Elder Eyring

I love the story of the jar of cherries.

General Conference

Maybe I'm a pessimist, but every time General Conference rolls around I always think, "There's no way they can beat last time!"

But I am always proven wrong. Yesterday and Today have been NO exception. I was amazed with the understanding that came from every talk. My prayers were answered, my cup has been filled, and I am rejuvenated.

Two of my favorites were Elder Cook's talk and Elder Scott's talk.

Elder Cook's talk (the gems that I love):

• LDS Women are incredible! And it's true! I often feel this way about the sisters I get to teach in Relief Society.
• Every sister has a different circumstance. It is not our place to judge their choices and what we think they should do. We just need to love. I loved this because every major choice I've made has been made after prayerful, serious consideration. It can be frustrating that after all this some random person thinks they can tell me that my choice was wrong. This part of his talk made me feel empowered.
• The bishop delegates so that he may spend time with his family. I really took this to heart this time around.

Elder Scott's talk (the gems that I love):

• He talked about when he and his sweet wife were married. If you don't know his story, I recommend you find it. They are an amazing example of true and lasting love. He has never remarried and I think she died more than ten years ago.
• He talked about the notes they send to each other and how, at the time, they seemed so insignificant. But after she passed away, he realized that she had saved them and she had treasured them. 
• Enjoy marriage, become unified.

Ah! I just loved Conference! I know it'll be even better in October!!!

A Happier Thought

Man, yesterday's blog was a downer wasn't it?

Ugh. Well today is April Fool's Day. So I should do a fake-preganancy post or a "We're moving to New York" joke or something. But I'll be honest. I'm not a fan of this holiday. Someone once told me, "There's truth in jest." And so I'd rather not mislead, and yet secretly not mislead, you.

But I would like to post something happy. So here are a few things I'm loving lately:

This is Judge Kinkeade. He's my Professional Responsibility professor.

He makes Practice Court fun and bearable.

Perhaps this year's Easter Dress?

So pretty.

If you want to buy it for me, click here.

Tonight's plans. Movie night. 

Recently re-rated PG-13!

Cheese. I love the cheese.

And looking forward to:

Last Surgery Post; a Thank You

Well, tomorrow it's been a week since I've had surgery. So I think it's appropriate that I stop blogging about it... tomorrow. So this is the last post I'll be writing about my surgery. I am almost healed (except I can't wear pants. Those darn buttons hurt my belly button stitches). So I thought I should just post a little thank you to a few of those who were supportive.

First, a thought. I think it's interesting to see the people who show love and concern when you're going through a hard time. I am sort of surprised by it. It's like realizing who REALLY cares about you. That said, I count people REALLY caring for me as those who even send a text message, or leave a message on here. I just don't have pictures of them. But still, I'm very impressed by those who have called or contacted me at this time. I have felt very loved.

But here's a shot of those who've been with me in person:

My mom and Marjane for an afternoon of crochet.

My best friend Tiff. She's prego, in school, working, and a mom/wife. She left all this to be with me at my time of need. What a remarkable friend. I'm so grateful for her!

And then, after my everyone left and I was by myself, my friend (and visiting teacher) Rebecca came to the rescue to help me make cookies and keep me company while Russ was at work. Plus we just had a good ole time. I will tell no one of the gluttonous TV show we enjoyed. (ANTM)

And most of all:

Sadly I do not have a picture of Russ during this past week. So this photo of Russ doing his Christmas dance will have to suffice. Honestly, Russ is the best. He has made the food this whole week. Good food- gourmet french toast. Corn beef and Cabbage. Breakfast potato hash. 

Now I've known for about 7 years that Russ is awesome. But this week Russ has been EXTRA awesome. And I have just been amazed by it. Here's an example:

I opened up his computer to blog yesterday and I saw this:

At first I was confused. But I realized that when I was having a ton of shoulder pain over the weekend, Russ had done a google search to find out how to ease my pain. This is just a small example of how sweet Russ is. I just can't imagine life without him. It would super suck.

But really thanks to all who've been here for me. I'm still on the mend, but I am so over blogging about it.