2019: New Adventures

2019 wrapped nearly 15 days ago and I'm just now getting into my list.  2019 was a little bit more happening than past years. It definitely wasn't as heavy or hard, but there were some really difficult things sprinkled in among the fun, new adventures my family experienced.

She has no idea what it means.

1. Cami got braces: Oh man, this one was tough. We are very regular at our local dentist, every six months for a cleaning and all that jazz. Good ol' Dr. Staley took a look at Cami's x-rays this year and told us that we should check into orthodontics phase 1 now. She had multiple alignment issues with her teeth and severe overcrowding that was about to become worse with the loss of her baby teeth. We consulted a nearby orthodontics and jumped on the braces train earlier than a lot of kids. It's been a big adjustment and challenge for everyone involved. The visits are still kind of traumatic, but a lot of her issues have been resolved. Hopefully as a teenager she will spend little to no time in braces. She may not see it now, but that will be a blessing later in life (remember that part when I got braces at 25 years old after getting my bachelor's degree, getting married, and having my first kid?)

Road trip

2. Spring Break in San Diego: On a whim, Dave and I decided to drive out to San Diego to visit Dave brother's family. We road tripped the whole way there 12+ hours with the kiddos. They did incredibly well! Only struggling at lunch time when we could not find a fun play place for them to run around in. While in California, we went to a dog beach, Sea World, and a hike. The kid's favorite part of that trip was the dog beach so you know, who needs extravagant vacations?

This photo has nothing to do with his promotion.
It's my favorite from this year though. :D

3. Dave got a promotion: Dave worked hard for a promotion this year. It felt like he interviewed a lot of different places for the same job. It was so relieving when he received the promotion-and it was in Utah! It's been nice to have a little pay bump and increased responsibilities. Dave is really well-liked at Verizon and it's nice to see them recognize that.

 4. 2nd Grade: Cami started 2nd grade this year. Her teacher this year has really challenged her. It was an adjustment at first, but it's been so great to see her grow. She really enjoys reading and math. Right now she's loves learning about double digit subtraction. She's always been a numbers and letters girl. It's so fun for her to continue in that journey

I'm aware her eyes aren't open.
Smiling with eyes open is a foreign concept to Emmy.

5. Pre-Kindergarten: Emily is in her last year of pre-school at Puddle Jumpers Preschool. She thrives in pre-school most of the time. She's incredibly social and loves to talk and play. Her original teacher went back to get her degree in the middle of the school year so she recently started with a new teacher and it's been going a lot better than I expected. She rolls with the punches better than Cami (and me) do.

6. Amazon Affiliate: As a stay at home mom, I'm always looking for a side hustle. I donated plasma for the last year and a half and decided I didn't really want to FULLY DESTROY my veins. One side hustle I stumbled across was Amazon Affiliate/Associate Program. I decided to try it out. I started a group and it has grown to over 1200 members in 6-7 months. I will never be rich as an Amazon Affiliate, but it's so fun to see deals and save money. I only post things I would buy and it acts as a psuedo-wish list for myself. It's been a really fun project, but it has taken some time to find a decent balance between work and fun.

Actual photo of my book post initial printing

7. Hero Book: I finished my hero book this year and I did a nice, solid edit. After I finished editing it, I took a long look at it and decided this was my "trunk novel". A lot of writers mention that you should always put your first book in a trunk and never look at it again. This book was my baby though. It has so much of my life and my heart in those pages. It's too big. There's too much missing and not enough experience on my part to complete this project in it's entirety.

8.Tate Family Vacation: For the first time in a bazillion years-or maybe it just feels that way. 99% of my side of the family (except Andrew) met up for a family vacation in Cedar City. I literally can't remember the last time we were all together that wasn't for a tragedy. I must have been a teenager or something. So maybe decades? Anyway, I love my family so much and it was so much fun for us to be together. It was great to see all of the next generation get together and play. Late night games and random adventures with my family are my favorite.

9. Hunt/Larsen Family Vacation: Two years ago we started doing big family vacations with Dave's family every other year. This year we ventured to a beautiful house on the Oregon coast. The view was amazing and the company fantastic. I'm grateful to call Dave's family mine and I'm glad we have these extended vacations so that I can build relationships with those that are far away and experience the dynamics of his family. Highlights included crabbing, exploring tide pools, playing on the beach, whale spotting from the house, and fireworks at sunset.

The smile proves that this was before surgery

10. Sinus Surgery: This year I had more health stuff than I anticipated. I developed this awful cough that kept me up for several hours every night. Thus began my journey to health: seeing three different doctors at my primary care center, two visits to an endocrinologist, dozens of antibiotics, two visits to a pulmonologist, 2 x-rays, 2 MRI's, 3 visits to an ENT, and one massive surgery in August. A normal person has 8 clear parts in their sinus cavity. I was down to one working normally-massive infection and blockage. The recovery was a lot worse than I expected-probably because my sinuses/septum was so jacked up. Dr. Gilbert saved me. I sleep all night long now. It's so beautiful because sleep is SO important to me.

11. Dance: The girls are trying something new this year: dance. It was quite the adventure to find decent studios that aren't going to cost me a car payment every month. Emily absolutely loves dance. She is a mover and has a never ending supply of energy. She loves dancing to anything and everything. She is thriving at dance. Cami has found dance a little bit more challenging than she likes (aka she cannot do the splits like so many other girls in her class). It's been a lot of fun to see this side of the girl life.

12. Cami's Baptism: This year Cami turned 8! After quite a few discussions this year and a little bit of uncertainty, she decided she wanted to be baptized as a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. She's such an incredibly sweet girl. I'm very lucky to have wonderful daughters that love the Savior as much as they do.

sneak photo

13. New Hobby: Dave picked up a new hobby this year. We are big board game people and have really ventured into some heavy strategy games. Not D&D, but it could be in the same realm. Dave's Dad used to (still does?) paint miniature figures. He mainly does models of WWII airplanes. Dave picked up the hobby on a whim and has really become fantastic at it. Even his early pieces are amazing looking. It's so great to see him use his creative energy. Dave's always had a bit of artistic streak and it's fun to see him use it so well!






No photo here. Sorry?   14. Myriad: My old boss at Myriad hired me on as a part time temporary clerk to help out with authorizations for a while during the busy season. I LOVE MYRIAD. It's been so fun to see the friendly faces and work out these problems for people. Even in the clerk work, I find a lot of satisfaction and reward being back at a company I love with people I care for.

No photo here either.    15. Spaceeee: This is literally how my next book is titled in my save file. When I quit my job, I had this really cool idea for a science fiction book. It's been kicking around ever since and I  let it out to play this year. The book has actually morphed into a sort of duology (2 book series). It's such a fun book to write! I would like to write every day...if only I had the energy and time! ha!

No photo.  16 Choir: Cami started another side project after school on Fridays. She wanted to join choir at her elementary school. It's super low key and she has a lot of fun. There's a performance later this year and I think the songs they sing are Disney themed songs so of course it's fun for every one.

Last no photo 17. Support: This year I stepped out of my comfort zone and I asked for help and support. I've never been good at that (who is? I would like to meet them). I feel so blessed to have the family and friends that I do in my life. They stepped up to my needs and they stepped up fast from babysitting, Fiiz drinks, sharing my Amazon page, participating in the page, driving my kids to school/back, etc, etc. I've never felt more supported in my entire life. If I trust fell right now in the middle of my kitchen, no one would catch me because who could see that right? But if I called, texted, facebook status/messaged I needed a catch, I feel sure someone would be there as soon as possible. I don't know if I deserve that kind of support, but it makes my life seem a lot more bearable and lot more happy.We need each other in this world. It's not weakness.

I do not pick words every year. My memory is terrible and I would hate to fail because of ONE word, but if I could pick a word to describe 2019, it would probably be GROW. One step at a time, word at a time, relationship at a time, thing at a time, whatever at a time.
What is life if you aren't growing and trying to do better? I'm trying and 2019 was some little steps in the right way.