Steph @ no particular milestone

Since I've been doing updates on everybody else recently, I thought it might be a good time to post one on myself! I don't usually ever talk about my own interests and growth on the blog, since I'm usually behind the scenes and just generally update on our family activities and such. :)

Right now I am 28 years and 8 months old, which is a rather un-exciting age. 28 has been good to me so far, but 29 is coming up really fast, and it feels weird to have gone through this decade so quickly. The years 10-19 seemed to take a lot longer than 20-29...

Just really loving my glasses! I'm becoming increasingly more blind in my old age.

For the past two years I have been a full-time student at BYUI, and it's been amazing! (But also a ton of work and really stressful.) Since reaching our goal this past month of becoming debt free, we re-evaluated the pros and cons of me being in school right now, and decided together that this is a good time to take that leap of faith and settle into me being a full-time mom. :) It's always been the goal, but when Kate and Edwin were babies I had a full-time job and Jon couldn't find consistent work. Once we moved out here to Idaho, things started falling into place, and once Jon had a couple semesters of adjunct teaching we were able to see that he can support us, and I need to trust that it's working! So as of this Spring semester I have officially withdrawn my enrollment from the school. I know we aren't 100% in the place we'd like to be yet (we still look forward to having one full-time job someday, maybe even with benefits!) but the point is that we have what we need. It's tight, but we are in a great ward, in a community that we never expected to love like we do, and we're planning for the most awesome family Summer that we've ever had, plus exciting adventures for next year. Things are good, and even though it took a few years longer than we originally planned, I don't want to miss this time while the kids are little and really need me at home the most.

Blacknose sheep from Aunt Michelle :D

mini-Jamba's with my pals!

I die!! <3 td="">

While being on break this past week, and facing my full-time mommyhood square in the face, I've had a lot of time to think more about myself and my likes, dislikes, interests, and goals. I'm working toward being more physically fit, and healthy overall, and I'm also embracing my bakerella side. I've made some sort of cake, cookie, or dessert almost every other day in the past two weeks!

SO MUCH YUM.

So here are just some things about me that I've thrown together:
-Oatmeal Raisin cookies are my all time favorite!
-I have a love affair with Panda Express. Which is about as legit Chinese as Taco Bell is legit Mexican, but I love them both. My favorite plate: orange chicken and honey walnut shrimp with fried rice on the side. In fact, Panda Express was the first thing I asked for after Edwin was born. Thanks to some amazing friends for delivering on that wish while I was in the hospital. <3 p="">-My favorite meal to go out to eat for is breakfast. I especially love egg scrambles or omelets with goat cheese. :) That, and large fancy muffins.
-I could pretty much live off of Mexican food for the rest of my life. Too bad most of it is covered in cheese :(
-One of my favorite things to window shop or browse for are accessories. I know I'm 10 years old, but I seriously love Claire's. The problem is that I swoon over costume jewelry, but then I never talk myself into actually wearing it. I find myself becoming ever increasingly conservative in my earrings and necklaces. I wear studs and posts of simple pearls or single stones most of the time. Although I love the look of rings on every finger, if I ever try to wear more than two rings at a time, I feel like my hands are drowning. ;)
-Current jewelry goals: getting a really good birthstone ring.
-I hate the word "Wanderlust". I deal with it, but honestly it's right up there with "moist".
-At church we are occasionally given positions to serve in, like as Sunday School teachers, or in leadership roles. Right now I am the first counselor in the Relief Society presidency, which is the organization for all adult women in our ward area (a ward is a group of families who all live in a close regional boundary area, and meet together as a congregation on Sundays). My job is to coordinate our Sunday meetings, so I take care of the lesson schedule, hold teacher training, and make sure the music is lined up each week. The BEST part of this calling is being able to serve the sisters in our ward and get to know them better. We have weekly presidency meetings, plan monthly activities, visit our sisters, and provide for their needs. The ward becomes your extended family. I only do a small part of this, and it is a huge group effort, but it's been one of the best callings I've ever had. :)
-I like to take selfies, but hardly ever post them. Also, I don't understand duck lips...
-I realized about a year ago that I have the makeup bag of a 7th grader, and I set out on a quest to learn what to actually wear and how to wear it. :) I started interviewing my friends via text message to find out what they use and why. I want to makeup like an adult with brushes and stuff! I began a journey of makeup confessions and experiments... only to find that I really didn't have the time or money to do so. haha! It's still a work in progress ;) But I feel like I'm on the right track to looking more like an almost 30-something and less like a high school freshman.

-I am also on a mission to find a fantastic red everyday lipstick. Recommendations would be appreciated.
-About 11 years ago I was an avid musician. I would play for hours every day. I always told myself that I wouldn't be that person who stopped and let music become something that "I used to do". I still have my flute, but I haven't touched it in months. When I do occasionally practice, the kids just cry at me and say it's too loud... haha! I still imagine that someday I will join a community orchestra or something. :)
-Dark chocolate is the only kind worth eating.
-I LOVE camping! It's always been my favorite kind of vacation.
-I've never been to Hawaii, but I would really really like to go someday. Maybe just one pampering resort vacation would be fun ;)
-My favorite book genre is memoir, and my favorite book series are Harry Potter and the Chronicles of Narnia. My favorite author is Roald Dahl, and I especially love his autobiographies. The book that made the biggest impact on me growing up was The Giver. I've read it so many times! -- no, I have not seen the movie. C.S. Lewis is also amazing, and I'd love to read everything he's ever penned. The list of books I would LIKE to read is unfortunately much longer than the list of books I have read. I used to read constantly, but now I think that the last time I read a book all the way through was about a year ago... and it was for school. Still I like to spend hours wandering bookstores, and have a hard time leaving without at least a few to add to our bookshelves :)
-While I love being a mom, it's also the hardest thing ever. And hard in ways that I never expected. Mostly it's just hard to never get a break. Or be able to pee alone. It's like every time I enter the bathroom the kids decide to sit on each other or break something. I have so much respect for moms.
-One thing that I really love, but would like to be TONS better at, is photography. It's a fun medium of art, but I would really like to actually take a class someday. That's always been a far off goal.
-If there is bread in the house, I WILL eat it without reservation. I cannot take a loaf of homemade bread out of the oven and not cut off a hot slice to eat with butter and honey. It is impossible to resist.
-One of the best traditions that Jon and I started over the years has been collecting mugs. We don't own any regular glasses, but every time I open the cupboard it makes me smile to see where we have been. Every mug holds a memory. :) The goal was to have these hanging on the wall to save cupboard space. Someday we will do that.
-I think spa style bathrooms are amazingly gorgeous. I'm a sucker for the white towels and natural light with candles and plants mixed in. I've been trying to get our family bathroom to move in this direction for years. This is my someday bathroom.

If you want to see other stuff I'm up to on a daily basis, or things that I like, follow my Instagram here or my Pinterest here. I'm REALLY into food. I would also really really like to make a Spring grapevine wreath for our door. So that's a current goal.

Thanks for reading my ramblings. :) More life adventures up ahead!