DC (contid.)

So I originally had planned to just wait til the end of the Summer to post the second half of DC... but so much has happened that it is expedient I break it into more parts than 2!

So here we go... hold on tight!

"Home Sweet Home"

At the beginning of June, I had to fly home for my dear mum's 3rd time wedding! (...it was a charm)
It was fun being home to see my loves...

{Izzy}

{Devyn Claire}

{Macy Moo and Gunner Wade}

{Aruba- my beautiful car that i kissed many many times}

{Jeffy Dearest}

I also got lots of news when I got home!

My house was all cleaned out and about ready to be sold...
{mom and i shared a bed... it was joyous... NOT}



&& my longtime bff Tuna had her adorbs baby boy!!

And then... it happened... on June the 9th (6/9 hahaha) my lovely mother was married for a third and FINAL time haha!





...and afterwards i had some fun, met a boy named Hayes, and headed back to the east coast for more good times like these... :

"DC round 2"

{midnight ihop runs}

{twinner piercings as mom}

{Virginia thunder storms}

{Hair dying}

{tanning time}

{bff anklets for bestany, minders, and me}

{love.}

{clubbing}

{nanny nightclubbers}

{east coast partyin'}

{white house tours w/ my Smith family... West wing baby!}


{& late night skype chats with my open-relationship (lol), man, Hayes}

****************



...and this is where my story takes a DRASTIC turn...

one night in June...

one split second...

and my path was significantly altered.


"Rolling with the Punches/Transition"




...and that was that. With my car totaled, i had one night to figure out what I was going to do. I had no transportation- which makes life quite impossible in DC. So i packed up my bags and showed up on the doorstep of the family that i work for:


"My Williams Familia"

{The Williams}

And, as an incredible answer to a very tearful prayer, they took me in.

(by this point i am getting very good at showing up on peoples doorsteps with my bags in hand and praying that God will inspire them to let me in) haha

And so I was there for a week. I got to know the family better (they are fantastic!!!!) and I learned how to work better with Collin and his developmental disabilities. And then we left to CALIFORNIA that friday!!! Their family was having a big reunion type thing, so they decided to bring their nanny (me) along to live in SF for half a month!


"Operation: Pseudo-Mom in San Fran"

...and oh how incredible it has been. So the deal is that I am on the clock 24 hours a day. The good part: bonding time, fun trip, & the income. the less-than-good part: well. i'm on the clock 24 hours a day haha. And i didn't think it would be much different than nannying from 8am-9pm... but oh it is. I have completely taken on the role of temporary MOTHER! ...the most difficult role that i've ever played... it's a whole new lifestyle- one that i am NOT ready for haha. Part of it is instinct, but the other 90% is learning by trial and error. It is amazing how a child can entirely alter your lifestyle. Here are a few examples:
*I never go Anywhere without an extra pull-up and wipes. My purse serves dually as a diaper bag.
*When I get dressed in the morning, I pick something that can be drooled/spilled on and then hope it looks good.
*I have officially turned my getting ready routine into a comedy act in order to entertain him during that hour.
*I go to sleep at 9pm so i can wake up with him around 6am.
*Everything in sight is a hazard (to the owner), so I hide all valuables and electronics.
*When dishing up my own plate, I make sure to grab things that he likes and are easily cut into smaller pieces.
*I have his morning/night routines, habits, clothing, favorite songs, medicine amounts, and bedtime stories all memorized.
*My joy is no longer found in parties and bff's, it's eskimo kisses, sign time, and tickle fights.
*I've traded in my katy perry and ray lamontagne for 'i'm a little teapot'.
*My body is less for looks and more for a child's comfort.
*I tweet and fbook more about him than i do about myself.
*At any point in the day I could tell you how many hours til bedtime off the top of my head... but who's counting ;)

***

It is truly amazing what affects Collin has had on me and how attached i've become. I didn't even realize I was attached until they gave me a night off and I felt guilty leaving him. My thoughts the entire night consisted of 'oh collin would love this' or 'i'd have to keep collin away from that' haha. Motherhood is a mindset... I really missed him, and it's funny how i trust him with very few people. (i'm hesitant to even let grandma watch him). I also get defensive as if he was my own. Which, most people think that he does, in fact, belong to me. The blonde hair and blue eyes lead people to believe i'm 'mom'.
It's crazy because I feel like I GET moms a whole lot more than i did before... although i still have a long ways to go. But for instance: i've gained like 10 lbs. Finding time to exercise and cook healthy instead of just eating tons of mac&cheese/fruit snacks... tricky. It is also exhausting to get more than one person ready for the day, especially if one of you is tired and not wanting to. For some fights you just have to throw your hands in the air and let people judge your snot-nosed kid cuz you don't have the energy or desire to do anything about it. The other thing i could never understand is how parents could spank their children... and tho i am still against it and wouldn't do it, i TOTALLY get it hahaha. So with that being said, i will never again judge a frumpy mom or a dirty child... parenting is HaRd! Espesh since i was removed from a college (selfish) mindset and thrown to a 6 year old with disabilities. But I do feel like i'm getting the hang of it to some extent :)

So here is a look at my life with Collin up to this point, including our fabulous times in San Fran!!:






I have fallen in love.... with San Francisco, with Collin, and with the entire Williams/Baxter clan. We have had so much fun in SF doing things like touring downtown, driving across the bay and golden gate bridges as well as Lombard street, seeing China town and the Japanese tea gardens, spending a night at the Giants/Padres game, beach after beach after glorious i-never-want-to-leave-this-place beach, yummy Sushi, enjoying fresh picked berries while poolside, smelling amazing California warm rain, visiting the breathtaking Oakland temple to watch the sunset, and many other fun adventures!

Times are good, but I can't believe how quickly Summer is flying by! I'm not ready for my journey to end...

So the plan is... 3 more weeks in Virginia (with my home teacher driving me to Vienna for the weekends to be with my besties), then I move with the Williams family to Las Vegas (military fam), and then stay there for a bit and head back to Utah for school to start in Fall.

Wow has this Summer-in-a-suitcase been eventful!! And when it's all over, I will write my 'lessons learned' post... because I still believe that is the most important part. I am just so grateful for the many places and people the Lord has led me to. It amazes me how far I've come since I first stepped foot on the east coast, and I have Him to thank. This truly was my time to get away and get to know myself and my God better, because my love for both of them has grown immensely. I could never be grateful enough for this opportunity.

xoxo miss jer bree