Love this.

I found this on my friend's Facebook page and loved it. 

Every day I do become more and more like my mother and I couldn't be prouder. 

Have you met my mom? She's a rock star. Everyone loves her. 

Speaking of motherhood - get this. 

My office sends around an e-mail each time an attorney is joining or leaving the firm. When someone leaves, their last day and reason for leaving are included in the e-mail. Usually an attorney leaves to pursue another position at a firm or start their own business or take a position for the government. Bottom line is there are lots of changes and lots of reasons for leaving.  

But, last week a unique departure notification was sent around the office about a female attorney. It stated:

"[Attorney's name here] will be leaving the office this Friday. She will be staying at home with her family."

Wait. Did I read that correctly? I quickly jumped to our biography section to read more about this attorney. She graduated from Georgetown with her undergrad and received her law degree in California. She worked at our firm for about 5 years. I'm always amazed at women who decide to give their full time and attention to raising children. {Like my mom!!} I wanted to tell this attorney that I admired her for leaving her full time law  position to be with her family. I immediately drafted an e-mail to send her and then had an internal debate if it was crossing the line of getting to involved with someone's personal life who I didn't even know. After a little while I decided just to send her a friendly "well wishes" e-mail in her next position as a full time mother! I let her know how grateful I was for my mom and the fun memories I have of her being at home to teach me valuable life lessons. My new friend quickly wrote back and thanked me for the e-mail. She said it was very much appreciated and that she was very excited to be able to stay at home with her girls. 

I know that there are family circumstances where women have to work. I know that their are mothers that would do anything to be at home with their kids. I'm not making any judgments  Honestly, I hope that our future kids have great teachers that inspire them to love learning while they're at school. When I read the e-mail from my new friend, I just felt extra grateful for my dad who worked hard so my mom could be at home. I love my parents so much. And good news! They'll be out here next weekend for a visit. 

xo xo xo xo 

Chicago, Chicago!

Remember when I mentioned I might be going to Chicago for work?

Turns out I spent last week there for training and I just love that city so much.

I was able to stay at Wendy's place (THANKS, Wendy!) and we had fun taking the train downtown every morning. There is so much energy in Chicago. I love it. Even though I was only there for three days, I managed to get so much done! My training was over at 4:00 p.m. each day so I packed the evenings with family and friends.

Here's a breakdown of the trip:

Wednesday

- Giordanos Pizza with Wendy.

- Homemade ice cream party with my church friends.

Thursday

- Quick visit with my cousins. 

- Dinner with my old co-workers.

Friday

- Grabbed dinner at the airport and flew back to D.C.

During the trip, I thought about all the fun times I had in Chicago. Trust me, there were multiple, multiple, multiple times that doubted I was supposed to be there. I prayed lots wondering if I made a mistake just up and moving to Chicago.

In the end, Chicago was a perfect city for me to move to after coming home from my mission. I saw so many miracles of working in the Single's Branch and my faith was strengthened more than ever.

My job during that time was a perfect fit and I loved the people I worked with. Thankfully my job was super flexible and I was able to take time off for all the family events happening in Colorado, Utah and Kansas. Also, since I lived close to the airport, I could easily jump on a plane and travel the world.

I'm sure there will be other times in my life when I wonder and pray how life is going to work out.

And then somehow, someway, it just does.

Perfectly.

Every time.

Thanks, Chicago, for teaching me more than you'll ever know. I promise to visit again sometime soon. I mean, definitely in the summertime when the weather is nice. ;)

P.S. Did you know Aaron had mono? He's a lot better now.

P.S.S. Did you know Aaron and I celebrated our anniversary on 9-17-2012?

(The anniversary when Aaron first sent me an e-mail.

What would I be doing right now if he never wrote me?!)