Changes upon Changes

I have let the ol' blog sit for several months, sorry!!  Here is one of those ridiculous epic update blogposts I never read, since there have been so many updates on my life in the past six months!

1. Oma.

Our dear German grandmother passed away in December.  If you've ever heard stories or talked to her, you know what a true gem Margot is.  We have been grieving her death for a year now, since we truly thought it was going to happen January 2016.  She sure showed us. We're glad she did.  This blog is usually for humor purposes, but I'll get real with you for a bit.

I got to be at her side several hours on her final night of mortality.  I sang her German Christmas carols while she fitfully slept and snored.  She hadn't been awake for a few days, and we knew she was departing soon.  I am so so grateful for that opportunity to be there.  It was tough to walk in the room and see the skinniest old woman I almost didn't recognize.  The previous time I saw her was right before Thanksgiving, and she was eating and happy to see me and Tabitha.  In just a few weeks, she had lost so much weight and life.  I was very emotional to see her in that state.  Aunt Chris came to spend the night so Oma wouldn't be alone, and I gathered my stuff and left after having been there from the moment I got off work.  Oma passed only 4 hours later, around 2:30am.  It was peaceful and she didn't fight it.  Around 5am, I woke up, checked my phone, and saw that it had happened.  I grabbed my car keys and headed up to Bel-Aire.  Oma and Chris were already gone, so I just took a few minutes and soaked up some final memories in her bedroom by myself.  The Spirit was very strong.  I knew the reunions with Opa/Bev, her parents, sister, and brother were very happy moments.  I knew it.  That meant a lot to me, since I witnessed some less-than-awesome moments of Bev and Oma together when Bev lived with us.  I know that they are happy to be reunited and full of love and respect.  I am truly grateful for that time I got to spend in her room feeling the Spirit.

Schlaf in Himmlischer Ruh.


2. Orem.

I moved!!  Late Spring 2016, I was thinking how happy I was in my place in Deer Haven in Provo.  I was so content.  I suddenly had a feeling - "What if God wanted me to move?" I brushed it off, thinking, nahhhhh.... I wouldn't be happy doing that. He knows that.  Then I thought, "What if that thought wasn't my own?" This was incredibly unsettling.  I asked God to help me figure out what was happening.  This was all in my car going 80 on the freeway.  I looked up at a billboard, which said, in block letters, kid you not, "MOVE".

I took that sign as a sign.

I still didn't feel great about it, so I told myself that if God wanted me to move, something would happen that would kind-of force my hand, and I stopped worrying.  However, over the next two or three months, I was able to really get used to the idea that it could be happening soon and that I'd actually be ok with it.  Then, in July, our landlord texted us that he was selling our condo, and we had about 30 days to get out.  Well, FINE.

The stress twitch in my eye started right away, and it hasn't stopped, even though I'm settled and it has been months.  Haha.... ha.

I looked for weeks for a place without any luck.  I needed to bring my piano and the roommate situation wasn't falling into place naturally.  My parents, BLESS THEM FOREVER I LOVE THEM OH MY WORD, called me and said, "Hey, we want a place to stay when we come to town. How about we buy a place and you live in it with a roommate."  Ding ding ding!!!!  Becky (my roommate at Deer Haven) agreed and we got to continue being roommates.  My parents came to town and we did a quick tour of the places I had picked out.  They both felt great about a condo in Pheasant Meadows by the golf course in Orem/Vineyard.  We purchased it and could move in September 15.  This gave us three weeks of being absolutely homeless since our landlord had already sold our place in Deer Haven.

I was so grateful to Andrea - bff all growing up - for letting me stay in her basement in Cedar Hills.  Gorgeous home, gorgeous family, gorgeous area.  I got to have my meals with the cutest kiddos and I loved being there.  Unfortunately, it was probably the toughest month of Andrea's life.  She lost her brother in an ice climbing accident in Pakistan.  I didn't know if I should stay to help around the house and help take care of things so she could be with her family more - or if I should leave so she wouldn't need to have a freaking squatter while she was grieving.  I was privileged to stay and help.  I played the piano at the funeral and it was a really really nice service.  Climb those heavenly peaks, Scott!

Yeah, that photo is pretty old...This was when we were wedding dress shopping for Andrea.

Becky and I got all moved in around the end of September.  Our place is nice and we are adjusting to the quieter atmosphere having only two of us!

With Becky at the Payson Temple Open House

3. New Ward

I joined the mid-singles ward (ages 31-45) in SW Orem.  I truly love it - though it's full of lots of characters.  That has been sooooo entertaining and so exhausting.  That (recent) sex offender who asked me out was the one I was most excited about - until that fun google search.  He never followed through on an actual date after asking me out, and I didn't bring it up again.  I have a good feeling about a few others... 

Oh, relax.  I haven't been asked out by anyone I want to go out with yet.

4. Electrolysis

My last post was about my life-changing electrolysis commencing.  I am still getting that done about every week or so and am loving it!!! Kim, my electrologist, is super fun to talk to, and I actually look forward to our sessions together, even though they hurt. A lot.  I even gave in and asked my doc for a Lidocaine prescription.  Don't judge.

5. Christmas and Thanksgiving and Jackbox Games

I got to spend Thanksgiving and Christmas with my brother Evan, sister Heather, mom, dad, and nephews Sam and Ben.  Thanksgiving was in San Jose, and Christmas was in Orem at my new condo!  We had everyone staying there (including Heather's dogs) for a couple weeks, and it ROCKED.  I love having family together in one space.  Ok, ok, so there are some drawbacks and a lot of crying, but then we move on and hug and sure love being together.  I was introduced to Jackbox games by my friends in Deer Haven.  They are multi-player, single-room, online games played on your phone/tablet and centralized on your computer, which I hooked up to my brand new awesome large TV.  You compete against each other to be the wittiest, the smartest, and the most artistic.  Love love love these games.  We laugh and laugh for HOURS.  We also played unprecedented amounts of Scum, Hearts, Golf, etc with playing cards.  And Farkle.  Lots of farkle.

This pic encapsulates a lot of what our Christmas looked like. ♥

Some others from the holiday:

You should all get Jackbox Games.  This is from Drawful. Hilarious game.  It was a booger with legs, by the way.  That was my pictionary-like clue.  This is what I drew.  The other word bubbles are what people thought it could be.