The Jazz season is over now and we really had a good time getting to go to so many games! We were really lucky that TJ’s work offered him so many free tickets, it made our date nights this past Winter so much fun. Can’t wait for the next season, although we don’t have cable anymore so I’m not sure how we’ll watch the games at home anymore. In one of the photos, you’ll see TJ standing in front of the mural he made that’s in the arena. He’s so talented!

 

We had our 7 year anniversary on May 22nd. We didn’t do much on that day to celebrate since we had just gone to Arizona, but we did go on a date that weekend to the Gateway for dinner. TJ sure is a catch!

On May 22nd, it was our six year anniversary. We spent the day by having the plague in our house, aka Hand Foot Mouth Disease. Eva was getting over it and TJ was in the middle of it. So, it was pretty terrible and a little disappointing to spend our anniversary like that. But we postponed it to the next weekend when everyone was feeling better. We walked around Temple Square, which honestly brought tears to my eyes as we walked around the same place we were married. To see our little kids with us, teach Eva the importance of the temple, hold TJ’s hand while pushing Finn in the stroller… it was the best day. We are so blessed. It’s been a great six years. Not always easy, no. But worth it, yes. I love you, dear TJ! Thanks for being such a kind, funny, supportive husband. One who will put up with my nagging, be a good sport when I ask you to do face swap on snapchat, and let me watch The Office every single day.

Six Year Anniversary-family of 4 in SLC

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Five Year Anniversary-we were about to move back to Utah

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Four Year Anniversary-Les Mis on Broadway!

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Third Year Anniversary-FIRST day in NYC, dinner at Grimaldi’s

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Two Year Anniversary-Spent apart, TJ was in NYC for his summer internship

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First Year Anniversary-just baby faces in Kiwanis Park, pregnant with Eva!

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Wedding!

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It is TJ’s birthday today! We celebrated with an ice cream cake and time at the pool with family on Saturday and then last night got to have a date to see Jurassic World together! TJ is such a hard worker, incredibly talented artist, easy going guy who puts up with his overly sensitive pregnant wife, and fun dad! Thanks for being you, TJ!

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T.J. has been working so hard this year. He’s in a new team at work and it’s required more hours at the office. Last night he got home after I went to bed (1:30 AM ah!) and left this morning before I woke up. I felt flashbacks of our first years of marriage when that boy used to work on design projects all night long, day after day. I honestly don’t know how he did it. I envy his work ethic and am grateful he works hard to support us. Thanks, T, and please treat yourself to a Dr. Pepper today 🙂

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Have I talked about my love of the financial district to you all before? T.J. says it’s “too shiny” whatever the heck that means. Well, I think it’s perfect. I’d love to live down there. A two bedroom down there is about $7000/mo. though, so until the CEO of Johnson & Johnson hands the company over to T.J., we’ll just have to settle for visiting that area. Fortunately, it’s just a hop away from where we live and so we do visit that part of Manhattan quite often. I had heard about the new Brookfield food court from a couple of friends, so we decided to go there on our date last weekend. I got a burger and T.J. got sushi. We sat and watched the sailboats on the Hudson as we ate… perfect. Next time you visit NYC, go to Brookfield!

Afterwards we went and saw the new movie 100 Foot Journey. It’s about an Indian restaurant that sets up shop in a little French town. It was clean, beautifully shot, funny, and charming. One of my favorites for sure. Go and support the movie! It’ll make you want Indian food, though… I had to make curry for dinner that weekend! Delicious.

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We swapped babysitting for Valentine’s Day weekend, so T.J. and I got to have a date in the city together! It was so romantic to walk the streets of NYC on Valentine’s Day… even the Empire State Building was lit up with bright pink lights.

We got a quick bite at a tex-mex restaurant near T.J.’s work. It was absolutely delicious and we got there before the rush so we didn’t have to wait at all. Then we took the train up to 42nd St, walked through Bryant Park, Times Square, and saw Monuments Men at a movie theater up there. It had once been an Opera Theater, so the lobby is really neat!

It was such a great Valentine’s Day. Much better than last, when we were with a recovering RSV/Croup one-year-old. We love you all! Hope you had a great V-day!

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Last weekend, I did a little babysitting swap with my friend so T.J. and I could go out on a date and then she and her husband could have a night out as well. It worked out really well and so hopefully we can keep it up in the future! Free babysitting and a night out? The best.

The funny thing about NYC is that sometimes I get this mentality of Go Big or Go Home. I feel like when we have outings with Eva we really have to take advantage of the city and all it has to offer or we might as well just be back at home. But there’s SO much to do and so many places to eat that oftentimes I get overwhelmed! I want to try new things and restaurants, but spending money on a place I’m unsure about it always tricky. We also are on a budget, so even though we would love to go see a show every date night, it’s unrealistic for us right now.

So, after stressing out about where to eat and trying to find something awesome to do in the city, we decided to just keep it simple and go to my favorite taco place at Chelsea Market (to be fair, I haven’t tried too many other taco places in the city, but this one is really delicious!). After dinner, we walked around the market, got some treats, star-searched (last time we were there, Blake Lively was in front of me in line), and rummaged through a little sample store where T.J. let me buy a new button-up.

In the end, it was just good to go out and be a couple again. Being a mom is amazing but sometimes I forget I’m first and foremost a wife. It was nice to be with my hubby for some uninterrupted time!

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A week ago I got a message from a friend who had just found out her husband got an internship out of town, meaning they are going to have to spend the whole summer apart since she can’t go with him. She asked for tips, mostly just for motivation, to know that she can do it.

It made me reflect back on this past year. I can’t believe that in May, it will be a whole year since T.J. left for his New York internship. That alone, should make you realize how quickly the experience  can go. I remember last April I was in Kentucky when we found out he got the internship at J&J and would be leaving in just a couple of weeks for FOUR months. We decided it just didn’t make sense for Eva and me to join him in New York for a number of reasons. I felt overwhelmed and depressed. I couldn’t even enjoy the remaining weeks we had together because I was too upset about his leaving.

But the inevitable happened. T.J. left and started his job, our schedules didn’t mesh well and I immediately realized that I was very much alone for the next third of the year.

So, I guess that’s why I wanted to write this post. I want to write to everyone out there who may be in the same situation, who is so upset about having to spend the summer away from their spouse.

It doesn’t have to be a drag! You’ll miss your spouse and at times it will be hard, but you can still have fun and use that time to your advantage. Here are some of my tips:

 

  • If possible, find a friend or family member to move in with you so you’re not home alone all the time. My best friend who I roomed with for several years moved into our basement for three of the months. It was like a slumber party every day. BTOML. We watched lots of episodes of The Mentalist, went to the pool often, made piña coladas, and felt like we were college girls again. I’ll never forget the night when I returned from dropping T.J. off at the airport. I was a wreck. But there on my table was a card, chocolate, and beautiful flowers. Amazing.

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  • Travel. The summer went incredibly fast for me because I got to visit T.J. in NY, went home for 6 weeks, and went to St. George  a couple times. Traveling splits up your summer and gives you something fun to look forward to.

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  • Visit your spouse. The absolute BEST moment of 2012 was when I surprised T.J. in DC. although we were together just for a weekend, it was so incredible.

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  • Have a goal that you want to accomplish while they’re gone. Mine was to lose a certain amount of weight. But it could be to read a certain amount of books, or to write a blog post everyday. Just have a goal that you can track and work on every single day. It will be a good distraction for you and something for you to do other than mope.

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  • Stay busy. Try to get out everyday. The more you stay in, the harder it will be. Summer is probably the best season for you to be away from your spouse (if there can be a best time?) because it’s warm outside! Go on hikes and drives through the mountains, go to the pool, invite some friends over, hang out with your family, exercise, watch an obscene amount of The Office. I found a couple of girls who were in similar situations and we hung out all the time.

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  • Stay connected with your spouse. T.J. isn’t a huge phone talker, but we still tried to talk once a day even if was just for a moment to check in. We also tried to pray together over the phone when possible. The days we did that were notably easier.

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  • Treat Yo’ Self. On the days you’re having a hard time, treat yourself to a little something. Get an icecream cone or pick up some pretzel M&Ms (you’ll notice I like to treat myself with food… but it could be anything, obviously). Treat Yo’ Self is the best motto I’ve ever made in my life. 

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  • This one is a tip my mom has engrained into my head since I was a kid. When you start feeling sorry for yourself, remember the many people who have it a lot worse than you. For example, I thought about the families who have a parent in the army and are away in dangerous situations for months or years. I could go on and on with examples of horrible scenarios, but the point is, life is probably not that awful. So, find someone to serve and get out of your rut!

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When T.J. returned, I realized I had learned to be content alone. The whole experience actually was good for me because when T.J. has long days and nights on campus now, I’m fine by myself and don’t get upset (as much) anymore.

Anyway, I hope the experience is as positive for you as it was for our family. We kept saying last summer that it was a sacrifice that we had to make and hopefully, will never have to make again. You can do it!