Nathan graduated from nursing school at Ameritech (woohoo!) and passed the big ol' NCLEX exam (woohoo!) in time to get accepted into his Bachelors of Nursing program at Westminster (woohoo!).
He also got several nursing job offers, and accepted his favorite of all the options- working in the postpartum and labor/delivery units at Pioneer Valley Hospital (woohoo!). He works grave shifts from 6pm til 6am, and sometimes I feel like I only see him when he's sleeping. But other times it's awesome because he only works 3 nights a week, and we get to hang out all morning together!
I started my job as the program director of Sistema Utah at American Preparatory Academy. It was nuts for about a month while I figured out what I was supposed to be doing, and while the teachers figured out what they were supposed to be doing, and while the students figured out what they were supposed to be doing. I also taught two beginning violin classes a day for about a month, which is funny- especially when each of those classes had about 40 students in them. Oh boy. But now we are fully staffed, and the schedule is down pat, and I am getting the hang of being an administrator, and I even really like it most days!
And I am still teaching 12 private cello students. I didn't have the heart to drop any of them, so they come one right after the other all day Saturday. I feel like I never have a day off. Something's gotta change there!
We bought a new car! It's a mint green 2006 Toyota Prius, and we really like it! Clementine HATED it for the first few weeks, and she would cry her guts out any time we even went near it. Weird, right? But she's warmed up to it now. It's so nice having the freedom to drive somewhere when ever I need to, without elaborate plans and pickup/drop off arrangements.
And we moved to a new apartment! It is a cute little condo downtown in the capitol hill neighborhood/marmalade district. We are absolutely loving it! We love being able to walk to memory grove or temple square or city creek canyon or city creek mall. It's exciting to explore the little historical nooks and crannies of the city and find delicious little places to eat. I love the big windows and the openness of our floor plan. It's fun to get our stuff out of storage- to use our own furniture and dishes that we haven't seen in years. And with a little help, Samson is getting the hang of being an apartment dog.
We also bit the bullet, joined care.com, and found a completely awesome nanny to hang out with Clementine for a few hours a night, a few nights a week, between when Nathan leaves for his work and before I get home from my work. I feel like it was one of our best decisions yet to get her on board to help out with our little lady. Instead of the mommy guilt that I thought I would have, I feel complete peace of mind knowing that Clementine is in good hands.
AND last but not least, our sweet Clementine turned ONE YEAR OLD! What?! How did that happen? It feels like she has been a part of our family forever, but also this past year has gone by so fast! I love belonging to that baby girl. It's so much fun watching her be herself. She's so smart and tease-y and kind of naughty but she wants to be good, and she really loves me. I love that. It might be selfish to think, but it wasn't only her birthday, but also my one year anniversary of motherhood. Nothing in my life has changed the way I think and do things as much as it did when Clementine came into the world. And I felt like that was worth celebrating a little bit.
And that's us on the flip side of our stressful summer. I still get kind of stressed out when our apartment isn't all put together yet, or when Clementine's toys are endlessly all over the living room, or when I have 256 unread emails in my inbox that all need a reply or when the Clarinet teacher at my work decides to up and move to Canada without telling anyone. And I feel kind of selfish when Nathan is sleeping all afternoon following a grave shift, and I just want to spend time with him. But more than stress and selfishness, so many things are going great right now. And that's what I want to focus on.
Remember when my blog used to be fun? And when I used to write regularly? Man, I miss that. Thanks for reading.
4 comments:
Don't forget to explore the park on the south east corner of N. Temple & State Street. The one with the big waterwheel. Grandpa Beckstrom built that. It's always nice to feel a part of him there. Love you guys!
Oh, that funny thing called change. It is often good but always challenging:) Keep blogging when you have time. I'll miss seeing you all at least weekly on Sundays.
Sounds like things are going well! That's great that Nathan found a job he likes and that you found a nanny you trust. I'm happy for you guys. :)
WHAT??? Aunt Jan, I didn't know our Grandpa B built the water wheel there! We love the free summer concerts in that park. No one ever told us that! Jamilyn, :) Love your update. I didn't know the nanny part! Happy for you!
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