Old Habits.

Old habits die hard.  I often find myself in this repetitive cycle of deciding to give blogging or journaling a try, and then I just stop.  I really have no excuse.  It just hasn't been a priority.  I do think I have been able to stop and write down my thoughts and experiences after huge milestones, because I want my posterity to have a record.  Most often, after I have gone several months without writing what has been going on in life I get overwhelmed with the thought of catching up since I last wrote.  So I have decided that I will dedicate this next single paragraph to doing just that, and then I am moving on... so here we go:

Since I wrote last October we decided that Matt working full-time and being a full-time graduate student in a rigorous program was not feasible for our family life and happiness.  So after two weeks working as an RN at the local hospital he gave his notice and has been focusing all of his time and energy on studying and getting through school.  We are fortunate that I can continue to work part-time for the University of Utah, and that we have school loans that will help us survive. (even though I hope I don't get an ulcer from the stress of going more and more into debt!)  Leaving his job paid off because he finished the semester with all A's, and only one B+.  I was called to serve as the Young Women's Beehive Advisor.  I teach the 12 and 13 year old girls.  It is a fun age, and these are such good girls.  In December, we flew back to Utah for almost an entire month, traveling up and down the state to see both of our families and catch up with our close friends.  The day after we returned to Champaign, I received the phone call that my Grandma Betty Pace had just passed away.  She had been been battling Alzheimer's Disease, and she finally was at peace on the other side.  It was hard to know I wouldn't see her again in this life, but I am so grateful to be a part of an eternal family and know that I will see her again someday.  Olivia and I made a quick trip back to Utah for the funeral, and then made our way home to Illinois where Matt was happy to have us with him again.  Since that time our days are filled with school, church service, and chasing Olivia around.

Last fall was hard.  Matt didn't really feel (and some days still doesn't feel) valued in his program.  It has probably been one of the hardest things we have had to do.  Live so far away from family.  Having to start over and make new friendship, while still wanting maintain old ones.  And then adjusting to the new dynamic has brought new meaning to us which is both joyful and challenging.  Olivia is almost 9 months old, which is mind boggling to me.  This last year has been one of the fastest in my life.  I can believe she is closer to being a year old than she was being born.  Her little personality it developing more and more each day.  She is such a happy little girl.  It is rare for her to not be smiling and cheerful.  She is filled with determination and a strong will to discover this world around her, and she has already shown her fierce desire to be independent.  She is my little buddy...I really don't go much of anywhere without her, but she gives me so much purpose that I am grateful that we have one another.

We are adapting to living in the Midwest.  I am finding things to focus my energy on that helps me feel more involved and less lonely, and Matt is working so hard and doing well in school.  There are days he doesn't know if he will survive, but we just take it a day at a time, and we will get there together.  After all, we are finished at the end of Summer 2018....that doesn't even sound that far away, right?

CHANGE

Adjustment. Diversity. Transition.  Change....this seems to be the Larsen Family theme for 2015. Even thinking back to where Matt and I were and what was going on in our lives just 10 months ago, life hardly looks similar to what we are living now.  To give you an idea of what has changed:

1. January: I was 15 weeks pregnant with no idea if we would welcome a baby boy or baby girl into our lives in the upcoming June.  October: Our beautiful baby girl, Olivia Renee, just turned 16 weeks old yesterday. It would be an understatement to say that she has brought so much love and happiness to our home.  
2. January: We were living in our 2 bedroom, 1 bathroom, 750 sq ft. apartment in Millcreek Cove which had been our cozy little home for almost three years.  October: We are renting our first house (950 sq ft.) in Champaign, Illinois. Complete with a backyard, garage, 3 bedrooms, and 1.5  bathrooms.
3. January: I was approaching my 5 year mark working for the University of Utah Executive MBA Program, working full time, having wonderful opportunities travelling the world, and working 40-50 hour work weeks. October: I have my dream job that has given me the title of MOM.  I have been blessed to be able to stay at home with Olivia, and continue to work for the University of Utah, remotely, 10-15 hours a week.  My new job is 24/7, but it is what I have wanted my entire life.
4. January: Matt was starting his last semester of nursing school, anxious to graduate with his bachelor's degree, take the NCLEX, and finally be an Registered Nurse.  We were talking about whether the future would bring graduate school or working full-time for a nurse for a couple years to gain experience. October:  Matt took and passed the NCLEX in June, and at the end of August, he began his first semester of a three year, dual- doctorate program at the University of Illinois at Chicago - Urbana/Champaign Campus.  So the plan in three years will be for him to be a Certified Nurse Midwife and Nurse Practitioner of Women's Health. 
5. January: Matt was working at Hunstman Cancer Hospital as an Medical Assistant, working 8-16 hours a week, and busily completing his capstone clincals in Labor and Delivery at the University of Utah Hospital as a student nurse.  October:  Last week Matt started his first RN job at Presence Provina Hospital on one of the Cardiac floors.  He also has a second job interview tomorrow at Carle Hospital to see if he can get accepted to the New Nurse Residency Program that would start him in a med surge position.  Just keeping his options open in the job market.

So to say the Larsen Family is experiencing a bit of adjustment over the last several months would be an understatement!  Something else that is an adjustment to us is that we are here in Illinois (very flat, humid, cornfield covered Illinois) and all of our family and friends live back in Utah (mountainous, dry Utah).  I don't know how we would survive living thousands of miles apart without modern technology!  FaceTime and Skype has been a life saver allowing us to video call our loved ones and still be able to see and talk to each other.  For me, it was incredibly hard to move so far away after giving birth to Olivia (who was the first granddaughter on both sides, might I add...)  So tonight when I was FaceTiming my parents, and my Dad asked if I was going to start a "Mommy Blog" so I could post pictures of Olivia and share stories of our experiences out here I thought it might be a good new hobby for me. (Because suddenly I do have more time for hobbies....)

So, if this is a way I can be better at journal-keeping, recording some of the sweet memories we make as Olivia grows up, as we struggle through graduate school, and experience mid-western living, I am going to give it an honest try.  So to anyone interested (which will honestly, probably only be our parents...) stay tuned!