High School Class Reunion

Normally when someone speaks of their high school 10 year reunion, you might expect to hear something like, "Wow, I can't believe it's been this long!" But in my case, I totally CAN believe it. There is a ton of proof: I am no longer in denial of the wrinkles between my eyebrows nor the stretch marks everywhere else. Ten years is a third of my life! So, yeah... I can believe it's finally time for that reunion.

The only reason I'm writing this is so I can acquit myself of repeating the familiar phrase, "There is absolutely NO way I'm going to that reunion." I will be attending, in a sort of way, through this blog post. There is a Facebook page for the Class of 2002, and if anyone wonders (doubtedly) what Stacia has been up to, they may want to click that link to the trusty ol' blog. They will end up here, and I can catch them up without making them listen to the whole spiel face to face. If you are one of those people, and are already bored.... Stop reading! ....Now! Really, my feelings won't be hurt. And just to make myself clear, I'm not avoiding the reunion because I don't want to see everyone, it's simply because I probably have the best life out of everyone and don't want to make them feel bad. (I hope you caught the hidden "LOL" in that... my husband just read that and told me someone might take it seriously.)

Okay, to start the synopsis of the last ten years of my life, we begin at BYU-I in Rexburg, ID. No, it's not because I didn't get accepted to BYU- Provo... truth is I didn't even apply there. After good ol' Mr. Bigo's class I knew I wanted a career in something botanical and BYU-I had a great program. So I got my Bachelor's degree in Horticulture and started my own wedding floral design business. It was pretty successful, which surprised not only myself, but probably my worried parents too, who wondered why their daughter chose to pursue an unlikely career. After an experience of a lifetime at a study abroad in Europe, I found myself transferring to the Provo campus to finish my last year of undergrad with my boyfriend: the tall, dark and handsome Juan Chavez. To make a long, mushy love story short, he proposed and we got married. After working in the floral industry while Juan finished his degree in Business Finance, I gave birth to a sweet baby girl, Siena. Two weeks after she was born, we moved out to Philadelphia where Juan was starting dental school at Temple University. That was like moving to a foreign country for me, but I grew up fast and learned a ton about other people, as well as myself. While there, we experienced a schload of new things. We learned how to use public transportation (believe me, that is a shock for everyone who moves from Provo to a big city;) we opened our eyes to world cuisine which started a whole "foodie" thing for our family; we made friends with people from all walks of life; our home was broken into and robbed (which shouldn't have surprised us... we are talking about West Philly for heaven sakes;) we traveled all up and down the East Coast; another tiny cutie, Qiana, was born into our family; and we made it to graduation day. Luck had it that Juan was accepted into a general practice residency in Utah, so we made the cross-country move and have loved the year that we have been able to spend here close to family again. Three weeks ago, we welcomed a new addition to our family… little Ezra. Juan is thrilled because he isn't outnumbered quite as much now. The latest happenings are that we are looking into dental practices in both Park City, UT as well as Dallas, TX to start his career. Who knows where we will end up? Either way, we are happy and feel very blessed.

Well, there you have it. (Now exonerate me from not attending the reunion!)

One Week

Ezra turned one week old yesterday. He's still just as cute and cuddly and is growing more and more aware of his surroundings as well as less and less lethargic. There is a lot less going on around the house because I've decided it really is smart to take it easy. Unfortunately, I learn that the hard way by the end of Week One with ALL of my pregnancies (this one included.) It gets a little hard to sit back and relax when the house gets destroyed by two cuties using their imagination. I've been very blessed to have so many good friends and family lending a hand. (Your generosity has been very much appreciated!!! The girls have both made the transition as well as could be expected; Siena took to Ezra like a mother hen, but Qiana had a much harder time adjusting. Really, she is still making the adjustment. She does love her brother, she just wants to be the baby of the family still. Potty training is a no-go right now but I have hopes that it will get done before her third birthday. The sleepless nights are better than I had expected maybe because I hyped myself up for it. The harder adjustment so far is the morning wake-up routine. There is no "sleeping an extra 10 minutes" anymore. ;)

News to mention:

Siena started her Zumba class last Thursday and it is so cute to watch!

Qiana tells Juan that she doesn't like "those things" on his face. (whiskers)

I am learning how to type in the iPad a little faster, change boys' diapers a little better, and how to multitask at 3 am by reading my magazines while pumping for Ez's next meal.

Juan is getting more and more contacts in Dallas, which is exciting. Unfortunately, I'm growing more and more uneasy about living there because of all the tornadoes. (Today there was a devastating tornado in that area.) Sticking with our motto, I will sign off by saying we will "Study it out, Make a decision, and Que sera, sera!"