Catching Up

Lots has happened this month and I feel like I'm playing catch-up. Here are 6 big things that have gone on: 

1) We painted our kitchen cabinets white. Our house is much improved with this update and I regret not painting the cupboards sooner. I always felt like the floors clashed with the cabinets. The white in the kitchen looks so fresh and clean. (The cabinets were filthy we discovered as we were sanding and painting them.) We appreciate all the help we had from family to get this big project done.

Out with the old

Cutest helper there ever was

In With the New

2) James got his first haircut. This was much needed, but I didn't want to get rid of his precious curls. He did really well and was able to sit still while sitting on my lap eating his first sucker.

Look at those curls

Check out my hair and my new pajamas.

3) My mom successfully defended her thesis and now has her Master's Degree in English from BYU. I was able to watch her talk about her 30 plus page thesis and was impressed by her knowledge and research. She has taught me to value education.

4) I went to Park City with some friends from my ward. We went to Suss Cookies in Midway on our way. I'm mad at myself for only ordering 2 cookies because I think they honestly are the best cookies I've ever had. We went shopping, ate way too much, went hot-tubing, stayed up past 2:00am talking, and had a blast. Some of my friends ran a half marathon Saturday morning. I trained with them and thought about joining them, but have been having some knee problems and didn't end up running the race. I'm kind of glad I didn't because it was an extremely hilly course.

5) Andrew and I ran the Strawberry Days 5k yesterday. The course seemed much easier to me this year, but I'm in much better shape. I improved my time, but think I could have gone faster because I had a lot of energy left at the end. I finished in 27 minutes and 17 seconds and Andrew's time was 27 minutes and 47 seconds. My grandma and James cheered us on at the finish line. We're hoping the tshirts will be better next year. My knee felt pretty good during the run, but is sore now.

6) We bought a new car! This wasn't something we were planning on, but Andrew's car broke down a few weeks ago on the freeway. The timing belt broke and because Andrew was going freeway speeds, it also damaged the engine. His car was only worth about $2,000 and to repair the engine it would have cost $1,800. I've been talking about the Lancer dying/blowing up for years and I guess it finally happened. My parents were so generous to let Andrew borrow their truck for a couple weeks until we figured out what kind of car we wanted. After much debate, we finally decided to purchase a Hyundai Sante Fe. We test drove several cars and were surprised by how much we liked a van. I don't want to drive something so huge quite yet. We bought a 2017 Hyundai Sante Fe and they call it "Storm Blue" with a gray interior. I will not miss car shopping one bit or dealing with pushy salesmen.

This was the car I drove in High School. I'm not too sad to see it go.

Love the car, dreading having a car payment

Here's to a less chaotic July!

Piano Recital

When I started advertising about piano lessons, I put on my flyer "Annual Piano Recital" without thinking too much about it. These words have haunted me ever since. I wanted to stay true to my word, but wasn't necessarily looking forward to putting a recital together.

The recital is now over and it was a smashing success! (Coming from an unbiased teacher.) My students made me proud. There weren't really any hiccups and the students remembered their songs. I played the teacher duet with many of my students which made the students sound extra polished.

I was pleased that 10 of my 11 students were able to make it to the recital. I was unsure about where to hold the recital because some of my students live in South Jordan and others live in Pleasant Grove. I decided to rent a room at Prattland Music in Lehi. It was a good halfway point for my students and there was a grand piano. 

Unfortunately Andrew wasn't able to make it to the recital, but he has a good excuse. I was extremely bummed he missed it. I really wanted Andrew to see how hard I've worked and meet some of my students that he doesn't know. Andrew and James were quite sick (stomach bug) on Saturday, so they stayed home. I tried to have my mom record the recital, but we ran into some issues. I'm grateful that my parents and grandma were there to support me. Here is a copy of the program:

My students treated me like a celebrity and I left with Reese's and other chocolates. I cherish teaching and look forward to putting my brain to work and coming up with games and activities for my students to enjoy. 

The fantastic news is that my flyer said "Annual Recital," so I won't have to think about doing this again until 2019! One of my students at their lesson today asked me, "Am I going to play this song at the recital?" I happily responded, "there won't be a recital for quite a while." 

In all seriousness though, the recital wasn't too much work and definitely exceeded my expectations. It's important for students to have something to work towards. 

Mother's Day

I rarely say that I love social media. Mother's Day is one of the days I actually enjoy it. It's so fun to scroll through and see so many pictures and tributes to women. I hopped on the bandwagon and posted a picture after taking far too long deciding what the caption would be. Soon after, I deleted the picture because it was a little blurry. I wanted the post to be perfect for my mom.

This was the caption: Mom, @j5denning thanks for teaching me: to love reading, to value education (she's graduating with her master's degree this summer), to always make room for dessert, to attend the temple often, to obsess over pizza, and the real meaning of the word love.

I'm so grateful for my mom. She is such a big part of my life. I told her she fits many roles in her life: nana, friend, mother, sister, teacher, organist, student. She fulfills all of them well. It's comforting to know that I can ask my mom for help at anytime. 

I saw "Momma Bear" come out several times growing up. My mom would do anything to protect her kids and go to great lengths to ensure our happiness. Over the years, I have seen my mom experience hard things and deal with difficult people. I don't know of someone who is more forgiving than her. 

My life will forever be blessed by how my mom raised me. I hope to be as selfless as my mom was and still continues to be.

Mother's Day takes on more meaning for me now that I'm a mom. Being a mom brings me so much joy! James is so happy and adds such a fun dynamic to our home. I'm not going to sugarcoat my life and say that motherhood is perfect or that I love it every second of it because that is not the case. Like all jobs, there are hard days. I will say that the good, far outweighs the hard though!

Blowing kisses to daddy

Reality... Taking pictures with a toddler is hard work!

Being a mother requires so much patience which is something I lack. It's sometimes easy to forget that James is small and doesn't quite understand or know better. For instance, yesterday, I taught sharing time. I had so many props and materials for my lesson that we had to drive to church instead of walk like we usually do. I had ten wrapped presents in a basket in the back seat next to James' car-seat. He immediately tore into a present, ripping it. I wish I could say that I was patient with James, but I definitely raised my voice and went into sacrament meeting irritated.

Someone gave a great talk in church about how no mother is perfect. We are all just trying our best and I should not expect perfection for myself. I'm so grateful to be a mom and to learn from James daily. He is adorable. (He now says "hi" and waves constantly, even to strangers, which melts my heart.)

I have strong feelings on women and know many women who have motherly qualities who aren't "mother's" by definition. I have a single friend who would love to be a mother someday, but it hasn't happened. She is an amazing aunt to her niece and nephew who she babysits frequently. She also watches her friend's kids for free all the time. 

I have another friend that has been trying to get pregnant for years. Being a mom is what she desires most and I can see how hard it is for her that her dream hasn't come true. She has worked with children in church for years and is the epitome to me of a nurturing, loving mother. 

Another person I know doesn't necessarily want children right now. She works with kids all day and gives her whole self to her job. She is being a mother.

No matter what our circumstance is, women all have the power to influence children's lives.

Family Trip

Andrew, James, and I spent Wednesday-Sunday of last week in California. My mom flew there with us and my dad was already in California working. We had a wonderful time!

We left for the airport on Wednesday morning at 4:45am. We arrived in Long Beach at 7:50am and immediately went to my parents' condo to drop off our luggage. Andrew and I then headed to Disneyland. My mom watched James, so we could enjoy Disney alone. 

We got to spend time together as a couple and it felt like we were dating again. We had a blast walking (over 6 miles) together through the parks. Andrew's one request was that we ride the new Guardians of the Galaxy ride. We did and it definitely kept my heart racing. Andrew said I was gripping his hand and knee pretty intensely throughout the ride. 

Cars Ride

Toy Story Mania

Andrew won

We also did the following: (I'm sure I'm forgetting stuff.)

• Space Mountain
• Thunder Mountain
• Indiana Jones
• Soarin
• "Frozen" the play-- It felt like we were on Broadway. 

The park wasn't too crowded. In fact, the tickets were a little cheaper because according to Disney's calendar it wasn't a "popular" day. Splash mountain was closed for part of the day and CA screamin is closed for several months. Andrew wanted to stay for the fireworks, but we ended up leaving around 6:45pm. I guess we're getting old. We were exhausted from waking up so early and both had headaches.  We picked up Round Table Pizza on our way home which didn't disappoint.

Thursday morning was spent lounging around recuperating from all of our fun. In the afternoon we strolled down Main Street in Seal Beach. We also went for a walk in Naples which I really enjoyed. The homes there are worth several million dollars and all have spectacular water views and docks. (We ended up doing this same exact walk again Saturday night.) Andrew said that is where he would want to live if he was a famous author, so his desk could look out over such a beautiful area. We ended the afternoon by seeing my dad's office, meeting his co-workers and getting burgers.

Seal Beach

Walk

Friday morning, James, Andrew, and I went shopping at the Toys R Us and Babies R Us which are within walking distance of the condo. Because these stores are closing, everything is discounted. James ended up with some play food and a new outfit. We also found a Petco and showed James the fish and cats there. He saw some dogs and started barking with an extremely deep, raspy voice. His bark his hilarious.

My dad got off work early and we headed to the Newport Beach temple. It was so kind of my dad to babysit James while Andrew, my mom, and I did a session. What a gorgeous temple! After the session, we went to the Newport Beach Pier where we rented bikes and rode on the beach. James rode on the back of Andrew's bike and was not a big fan of the helmet that covered his eyes. (We're bad parents and finally just took it off.) 

Saturday morning my mom and I went for a run on the beach. What a view! We did encounter some ocean water and our shoes ended up getting soaked, but our socks were almost dry by the time we were done with our run. We brought Nick's burritos home for breakfast.

Saturday was the warmest day and we wanted to bring James to experience the ocean. By the time we got back to Seal Beach the wind had really picked up which was disappointing. I was kind of a wimp and wrapped myself in 2 towels to stay warm while we were on the beach. James adored the beach! He loved playing in the sand with toys and as predicted, he ate sand. He liked standing in the ocean water and watching the waves cover his feet. At one point, we had to snuggle him in a towel because he was shivering. You never would have known though because he was all smiles. 

James loves Papa!

We cleaned off from the ocean in the pool and James loved splashing around. I took a needed dip in the hot-tub.

Saturday evening Jill and Rob came which was nice because it's about an hour drive for them. We met for dinner at an authentic Mexican place in a not-so-good area. All the girls ordered Carne Asada fries which were divine. After dinner, we walked Naples (again), but this time we showed Jill, Rob, and my dad the neighborhood. We went back to the condo and the boys watched some basketball while the girls went shopping at Target. (Which we can walk to from the condo.) I got a new pair of shoes! We brought back pie from Polly's for everyone.

Mom is taking the pic

Naples Walk #2

Sunday morning we went to church and then to the airport. I love the ward by the condo. It's always refreshing to hear from different church members and their experiences. I was able to attend Relief Society which is rare for me because I'm in primary. The spirit was so strong! 

James slept on our way to Long Beach and on our way home which is why we look so happy.

I'll always remember this trip and the time we were able to spend as a family. I'm really blessed with the best and can't thank my parents enough. They babysat for us multiple times, let us stay in their nice condo for free, and even let us use my dad's car, so we didn't have to rent one. 

Reality came quickly once we got home and hit us like a ton of bricks. Massive amounts of laundry needed attending to, our empty fridge needed to be filled, and Andrew's new class began. I think it's time for another vacation! 

I Ran Away to CA

My older sister, Jill, got asked to speak in stake women's conference. My mom thought it would be a nice surprise to fly in and surprise her by attending the conference. Jessica and I were on board, but unfortunately Lindsey couldn't make it.

With the passing of my grandpa, things didn't quite turn out the way we anticipated. His funeral was Thursday morning in UT and Jill spoke on Saturday morning in CA. We decided to still go on the trip because we all wanted a break. We had to tell Jill we were coming though, so she could arrange her travel plans for the funeral.

When we arrived in Long Beach on Friday afternoon, we immediately wanted food and went to Roscoe's. Chicken and waffles is such a weird combination, but it's comfort food and it hit the spot. (Especially after a jerky Uber ride.) We then did lots of shopping at a second-hand store. I ended up coming home with twice as many clothes as I came with. I even bought heels. 

These dresses weren't quite as cute as we hoped

We went to Seal Beach for the sunset. It was chilly and windy, but that didn't stop us from walking around the cute main street.

My dad works in Long Beach and has a condo near there. I have never been to the condo before, and it was cool to finally be able to see it. It has 2 pools and a hot-tub which we utilized! The condo is within walking distance of lots of shopping and tasty restaurants.

Friday evening after our parents went to bed, Jessica and I went to Target. We both found clothes. (typical) We also did some grocery shopping. I'm not used to having to bring in my own grocery bags. We're spoiled here in UT because we don't have to pay for grocery bags. Apparently straws are on the outs in CA now as well, so we didn't have those at any of the restaurants we went to.

Saturday morning, my mom and I worked out which felt nice after eating so much good food. There are never enough meals when you're on vacation! My dad, mom, Jess, and I then drove about 45 minutes to Jill's church. Rob, Jill's husband, also came to hear her speak. Jill did a fantastic job and spoken on perfectionism. She gave a beautiful tribute to my grandpa at the end.

We took a quick tour of Jill and Rob's apartment. I need to hire Jill to decorate my house. Although their place is small, Jill has maximized every space while making the space feel bright, beautiful, and comfortable. She has her book collection organized by colors of the rainbow. We also got to see Dolly, their new cat, for a split second before she ran into the kitchen cupboard because we're terrifying. 

Jill and Rob followed us back to Seal Beach and we hit lots of traffic. I could never live in California for this reason. We stopped and got salads at a place near the condo, did a little shopping, and rested. Later, we went to Duke's, a restaurant on the water at Huntington Beach. Once again, it was cold. The wind was biting, but Rob came to the rescue with some blankets from his car.

Worth freezing our buns off

We ended the night by playing rook and warming up in the hot tub. Sunday we went to church. I love to be outside of UT because it reminds me that not everyone is the same which I like! I loved the ward and enjoyed the fabulous Sunday school teacher. We walked on the beach in the afternoon before we flew home. 

It was refreshing to get away from reality for a bit. This trip came at the perfect time and James was in the best hands at home with his dad. I don't think he even missed me.