Easter Sunday.

Yesterday was bliss. We had my cousin's homecoming at 9:00, then spent the rest of the day egg-hunting & playing with my family. It was perfect. Couldn't have asked for better.

Doozy.

Broken back+Bronchitis/Pneumonia*Laryngitis=My week. For real. It started on Monday with me completely throwing my back out. Somehow I threw the top half to the right & the bottom half to the left. Not sure how. Followed up on Wednesday by me running a fever/chills/sorethroat/deathly cough. The Doc says it's either bronchitis or pnuemonia (they're treating it as bronchitis so they won't have to run xrays. If I don't respond to the bronch meds, then they can assume it's pneumonia. Since yesterday I thought I was going to die, I think the xray would have been easier. But with some antibiotics, you get a lot worse before getting better, and today I'm feeling somewhat human. So, maybe they're working). And as an extra bonus, I was lucky enough to catch laryngitis to top it off. So, if you call & the sick bullfrog answers the phone, don't worry. It's just me. On the upside, I did catch Hollie on Dada's chest after a scary dream. Something about how the shadows were playing on her beautiful face made me run & get my camera at 3 am. So worth it. Here's hoping this week will be better than last.

New love

This is Hollie's new favorite thing to do after tubs. Wrap her neckid (besides the diaper) self in a bwink (blankie) & play. First in her room. Then in mine. Oh, I love her and all her quirks.

Paths

If I were to take a magic wand to my life, there isn't much I would change. There are things on my want list (bigger house, nicer yard, more money to travel with), but at the core, I am happy with my life. I struggle - we all struggle - but I am infinitely grateful for what I have been given. That may seem like a strange thing to proclaim to the blogging world. But my existence was recently belittled, so it's been on my mind lately. We all have our own lists of things that we need in order to be happy. I feel like I have my list. I'm in a good place & on the track I need to be on. My list may be different than yours, but that's how it should be.

Months ago, I remember being challenged in Sacrament meeting to take a deep look within ourselves (Jared, was that you?). I must have heard it subconsciously amidst the battle for reverence with a 2 year old, but it stuck with me & I've found some areas that are in much-need of renovation. I want to be a better mother, friend & daughter of God. I think that being at peace with ourselves, following our Savior & knowing that we are walking the path that Heavenly Father has set for us are the things that bring happiness to our lives.

And for me, this little face brings happiness, too. I hope that we all have our own brand of happy juice.

Remember Halloween?

I had the yummiest bumble bee ever!

Vacate.

Remember last year when I got this for my birthday? Well, this year I got this...

So, my parents & youngest brother booked this cruise to the bahamas months ago. Sam & I couldn't afford for both of us to go (Dear Economy, I hate you. xoxo, Me), plus we couldn't leave Hollie with someone else for 9 days. I had resigned to my fate & was all prepared to seeth with jealousy the whole time they were gone, but when the week of the cruise rolled around, I was seriously dying to go. By this time, however, the whole ship was completely booked except for 1 (literally, only 1) slot. So, what does the hubbs say? "You should go with your parents & brother. I'll take the week off of work & stay home with Hollie. It can be my birthday present to you." Seriously? Seriously. Best hubbs ever. So, I booked a last-minute flight, left Hollie, Sam & my camera at home (btw, thanks Dad for bringing yours), and headed south for a week under the caribbean sun. It was uh-mazing! Really. Truly. Loved every single minute.