I've heard
this song on the radio a few times recently and it has caused me reflect on the houses and the places that have built and guided me. I realized that it isn't just one house or one place that makes us who we are. Every new place we go teaches us new lessons and prompts us to grow.
HomeMy Family moved into this house when I was 7 years old, about 6 months after my brother Marc was born. I remember the house we lived in before this one, but most of my memories from growing up occurred here. This is where I played with my american girl doll under the dining room table with Rebecca. (We were under the dining room table because we were refugees in World War II.) This is the driveway where I learned to play pepper (bump, set, spike) with my Dad. This is where I had the coolest luau-themed sweet 16 party ever. This is where I got in trouble when I did something bad and where most of my friends and I hung out the majority of weekends because my Mom kept our freezer stocked with about 3 gallons of ice cream at all times. It is the house that still has "Return with Honor" painted above the front door because even when my parents were preparing to rent while they served their mission, my friends (non-LDS, male friends) told my Mom she couldn't paint over it because it was what my family stood for.
San Diego, CASan Diego is my hometown. I took the picture above in December of 2005 after I learned that my parents would be leaving on a mission the following summer. I knew I wouldn't be in San Diego as much over the next few years and wanted to take some pictures to remind myself of home. Even though I haven't called San Diego home for roughly 6 years now, I still look at this picture a lot. I went to this spot on the beach just to be by myself, think, and write in my journal. San Diego is also the place I was sealed for time and all eternity to my sweet husband. The San Diego temple will always be special to me not only as my hometown temple, but the one where Russ and I started our family.
Provo, UT
BYU was my home for 3 1/2 years and it will always be one of my favorite places. It is where I learned to be independent and self-reliant. It is where I developed friendships that will last me a lifetime. It is where my testimony of the Gospel of Jesus Christ was solidified and where I made crucial decisions about what I wanted to be when I grew up, serving a mission, and who to marry. It is also the place where I had more fun than I'm sure I will ever have again.
Barcelona, SpainBarcelona was my family's home for 3 years. Though I never stayed for longer than 2 months at a time, I ended up visiting 6 times and spent my summers and Christmas' there. It is amazing how quickly Barcelona became "home" and how profoundly it has affected my life. Barcelona is where my family unified itself in a cause like never before. It is where I received my endowment (technically that was Madrid) in the temple of the Lord. It is where my family met Russel for the first time and where we where engaged. Barcelona is where I learned about sacrifice.
Washington, D.C.This has been my home for the last 3 years. I moved here in June of 2007 for an internship and minus a four-month stint back at BYU, I have been here ever since. This is the place that really threw me out of my comfort zone. I came alone to a new city and had to find my way. This is where I learned I could do things I thought I couldn't do. This is where I met a man and fell in love. It is where I learned to be a wife and where I have created a home with my husband. It is where I will become a mother.
I don't know what other places may be in store for me, but I am grateful for the four "homes" I have had so far. They have molded and built me into what I have become and what I will be.
We had a jam-packed Fourth this year. We started off with a pancake breakfast and parade Saturday morning at our church, followed by a Nationals game later that afternoon. What better way to celebrate the Fourth than a baseball game, right?!
On Sunday we went out to Daingerfield Island, a little place just across the Potomac River from the Washington Monument and the Capitol Building, to watch the fireworks with my sister-in-law Tiffany. It was nice to watch the official D.C. fireworks without all the crowds of actually being on the Mall. (Though that is really fun to be on the Mall; one of those things that you should do at least once in a lifetime.)
You saw that right - Star Wars in Concert. It's not that I have anything against Star Wars, I've just never been a fan beyond seeing the original movies and I think the first of the newer ones. Just not really my thing. But I saw an ad for this live concert with all the Star Wars music at the Verizon Center and immediately knew Russ would love it. He grew up watching Star Wars almost every Sunday afternoon after church with his brother and sister, and thinks John Williams is the greatest composer of all time. Suffice it to say, we went and I loved it!
Pioneer Day is a Utah-state holiday, celebrated on July 24th, commemorating the entrance of the Mormon Pioneers into the Salt Lake Valley in 1847. This year our stake had a big picnic out in Hume, VA to not only celebrate Pioneer Day, but also to welcome in the youth and leaders who were just finishing up a reenactment pioneer trek. We cheered them in and had a great day remembering the sacrifices the early saints made for us.
Last but not least, I am only a few short days away from the 3rd trimester! Baby girl is due in just less than 3 months!
Home
San Diego, CA
Provo, UT
Barcelona, Spain
Washington, D.C.
In the spirit of celebrating fathers and daughters, here is a picture of my Dad and me on Father's Day 1992. (Those t-shirts are handmade Daddy-o-saurus and Lauren-o-saurus t-shirts courtesy of my Mom. I love them.)
Upon hearing the exciting news, I made a date with my friend Nora to go to the mall and buy my daughters' first little outfit. (It turned into 2 outfits, but oh well.) Also, the outfits are a little big and she most likely won't be able to wear them until next summer, but there aren't exactly a lot of late fall/early winter clothes for sale right now. I love the little floral dress and the feminine white top. I know white isn't the most practical color for a baby, but I think it's so sweet.
And here is a shot of me at 19 weeks. I have grown significantly in the last three weeks and I'm guessing that will be the standard pace from here on out.
I married this wonderful man
in the beautiful San Diego Temple
and walked into my very own happily ever after.
What a wonderful 2 years it has been.
6 weeks
16 weeks