1 week 3 days

*Note: this post was written a few weeks ago, but just barely being published.

1 week 3 days. That is how long i have until i move to Orem. Can i tell you how excited i am??? SO excited! i'm excited to be decades closer to all my friends, to move into my condo with talli, and to dive into Fall semester with everyone back at school, classes starting, football season taking off, and hopefully a new job. But this is definitely a bittersweet life transition for me.

This summer has been one of my favorites!!! (i think i say that every Summer). But really tho. (And i always follow up with that as well).

I moved home after two years of being on my own. I was STOKED to move home- last Winter was rough. But at first, being back in the house wasn't the treat I had hoped for. In fact, it wasn't a treat at all. It turned out to be quite difficult and I began to wonder if I had made a mistake. Mom and I had been at a distance for a while now, and when thrown under the same roof, things got tricky. She was very used to living completely independently and I was used to coming and going as I pleased. It was okay if one of us was grumpy occasionally, but we hit a spot where both of us began having our irritated moments at the same time- no bueno. There was some definite push and pull and grinding of each other's gears for the first two weeks, but it wasn't long before we snapped out of it and living at home became pure bliss...

Our mornings were filled with forever long speed walk work outs, catching up on gossip, having those deep convos and analyzing everyone and their dog, doing abs and arms to the phatty playlist, and eating protein bars or hard boiled eggs. Our afternoons consisted of running errands, luncheons with friends, yard work, visiting the grandparents and shopping. Our evenings: eating orange chicken, sitting on the kitchen floor, ncis, fatty paying us a visit with el fudge spewing out her much too-full cheeks, ncis, visiting with gordi, taking the grandparents their dinner, ncis, playing with the Dupaix's, mingling with neighbors, working out- again, or at least talking about working out again but ending up just watching ncis, making brownies with applesauce and letting ice cream melt on top, having ambien drug tests with ncis playing in the background- or even just going our separate ways for the night. But that was sometimes the best- going our separate ways i mean, because we always had our bedtime debriefs afterward. And those are the moments that mean the most. The ones where we come home, get our pj's on, sit on the king size bed, and then talk about everything that happened that night and let ourselves go on tangents or get carried away on one certain subject. These late night talks could last forever- unless mom has taken her ambi, in which case they are cut short by slurred words and, as mentioned above, drunk tests. (But this is usually a good thing because neither of us do well on little sleep). Ahhh these are the days.

There are a LOT of things i'm going to miss about Cottonwood Heights. Of course, everything mentioned above will be dearly missed (minus ncis) haha. I will miss my ward. My amazing, incredible ward. I will miss my calling in the nursery- oh how sweet the Lord was to give me such a perfect calling. I will miss my Dupaix family; my babies. When i was gone on the weekends, i'd come home and they'd be so grown up even tho i only left for three days! Time is so precious, and i have loved watching my little ones grow up. I'll miss Mindy. A lot. I'll miss going walking with her much too late and telling her all the latest drama in my life. I'll miss our chats and visits and just going over there whenever i please. I'll miss how much she appreciates me loving her kids and watching them whenever i can, even tho it always felt like I was the one benefiting.
I'll miss my bed. Ahhh my queen size bed! it is the most comfortable thing in the world- i am convinced. And i spent a Lot of time there. I'll miss my room. My messy, messy room haha. I did, in fact, redecorate it- and it looks spectacular, but i never could quite keep it clean. Maybe when i move out i can actually enjoy the new decor.
I'll miss my bathroom. So many good memories in there. Memories of getting ready... for my first day of 7th grade, for middle school pictures, with jord and mel, for my first date, for tuna's 16th birthday, then for her wedding, or for a night out with bryan, or most recently a weekend with the joneses or my 20th bday bbq. Where has the time gone?
I'll miss my garden that i planted last week. Well- that is if it's not dead by the time i get home today. I never did have a talent for yard work. But i will still miss it!
I'll miss parking in the garage... oh wait. That one never happened hahahah.
I'll miss not paying a single dime for my housing or food. I'll miss telling my mom, every day , that we have no food, and then calling her fatty as she eats her protein bar. I'll miss eating so many peanut m&m's on a daily basis to the point that i'm constantly sick to my stomach, but just can't stop because they are Right. There!
I'll miss my puppy. My fat, obese, challenged puppy. Oh how i love izzy and am going to miss her.
I'll miss my backyard, and sitting on the swing chair late at night, contemplating life in its entirety.
I'll miss the simplicity and pure joy that came to me this Summer. I'll miss stealing my mom's stuff and having her not notice (don't worry ma- it has all been returned). ...Maybe that's why she's starting to clone my wardrobe...
I'll miss diet coke. In all honesty- I don't care for it. But boy am i going to miss diet coke cans dancing in my dreams. Ah! So much I will miss!

But there is something, or someone rather, that i will be most sad to leave above all others- and that's my mom. If you couldn't tell already- we had one heck of a Summer together! We experienced a bounteous amount of sweat, blood, tears, laughter, drool (don't ask), snorts, and so much more together! This was the summer that i will always remember as the truly unifying season that solidified our eternal bond and brought us closer together than ever before. Yes, we show up in the same outfits, and instead of finishing each others sentences, we say the same things simultaneously. And when it's just us two, a mere glance will do the job of communicating a thought or action.
See for awhile, when i was an angry teenager (as most are), i wondered what terrible thing i did in the pre-mortal life to rob myself of a family consisting of mother/father brother/sister. But then my eyes were opened, and i realized that God blessed me with more than I could ever deserve when he gave me my mom- and i wouldn't trade that for the world! Is it hard having only one other immediate family member? Yeah it can be. All the frustrations in a home that a wife would take out on a husband, or sister to a brother, for us- it all gets channeled into one person. But along with that, all the focus and love and attention and care that would normally be spread amongst many family members is compiled into one person- and I can't think of any greater blessing than this! People that say their mom is their best friend have no clue what it's like to have your mom as your bff. Try having her be your everything. That is what my mom is to me. My mom is my caretaker, my nurse, dietitian, motivator, fan, big sis, advice giver, loving parent, wingman, shopping partner, disciplinarian, comforter, dinner friend, deep discussion buddy, personal trainer, fashion stylist, spiritual adviser, legal guardian, shoulder to cry on, ear to vent to, financial consultant, mentor, and so many other things! Oh how i will miss her. Times are changing and our lives are progressing, but I will never forget this Summer that we had together. I love her with all my heart and couldn't be more grateful that we are eternally tied.

Xoxo miss jer bree.