Randomness 2014

Laura, styling Cutri style

New year 2014-2015

Franny LOVES nursery

Easiest Nursery baby.

Mateo's 9th B-Day

Mateos 9th B-Day

Laura's 13th B-Day

2014 Nevada

Franny's 1st Birthday Cake

Summer 2015 Bedroom Painting

2014 Girls did this to t heir wall. Awesome!

2014 Driving back home from Vegas

13 years!

Claudia's 5th grade Wax Museum. JOAN OF ARC

Adorable reader.

Sisters

Chilling with Alex

In Delta, UT

Cub Scouts

Mateo's Bobcat

Little walker

Bean Museum

New TV

We built more counter and storage space for the kitchen

She is ONE!

Daisy Bailey

Uncle Grant's funeral

Laura's 6th grade Graduation

With cousin Q Lybbert

Fruit Selling 2014

Who da'  Boss?

The story of BYU LAW Another long post.

BYU LAW SCHOOL

So here we are. Zeb has finished two years of Law School. He is graduating a semester early so he only has to do an externship now during spring and then he will take 3-4 classes in the fall and... Viola! He is a lawyer. It's that easy. Ha ha! It's been a bit harder than it sounds. During Jan and Feb of 2016 he will take a bar prep course. At the end of February he takes the bar and by end of March he knows if he passed.

Law School has been way harder than I anticipated. It has been hard for Zeb for many reasons. He is the oldest male in the class so he feels a little inadequate around all those young bucks with endless available hours for studying. He on the other hand is taking heavy loads of classes to be able to finish in 2.5 years and has 6 children to provide for and be with. Not to mention he has been a counselor in the elders quorum presidency of our ward. He has been busy busy busy. Everyone is graded on the curve so he has not placed as high as he wanted but hey he still did amazing and has gotten really good grades.

I wouldn't feel bad for him if he enjoyed it but every semester gets worse and worse for him. He doesn't seem to be able to find an area of law that makes him feel like he would be happy practicing. He knows he needs to get a real job soon so he is dreading the future. We have lately been wondering why we came here. Why did we spend these three years first in limbo, then working so hard and spending our savings to then have Zeb go get a job that he abhors? We don't get it.

As for me, I don't do well in limbo. At least a no job kind of limbo. I have gained like 30 pounds since I had Franny and feel very discouraged because of the uncertainty of Zeb not only finding a job but, finding a job he likes. I get so excited when he expresses interest in an area of law only to be disappointed soon after, when he decides its not for him. The past two months have been especially difficult.  I just want him to be happy. We need to find the right job for him. I have recently developed a very despondent attitude toward the whole thing. I have been feeling like Zeb and I are not as united as we usually are. Perhaps it is because we are at the end of our rope, with no other options left. He is discouraged.  I am discouraged.

The other night we were talking and he mentioned the Foreign Service. I immediately pulled out my phone and once again (we have done this before) read the descriptions of all the cones or areas you can apply for the FS. Usually when we do this he gets disgusted with the idea and decides he likes teaching better or in the case of when we were about to leave Hawaii, the prospects of owning your own business, which was our "plan" seemed a lot more interesting to him that re joining the FS. Also the chances of being able to get hired are so slim that its discouraging. So we always dismiss it. But this night was different.

As I mentioned in a previous post, after we got back from Hawaii, he was unemployed for a few months and ended up taking both the LSAT and FSOT at the same time. He passed both but did not pass the second portion of the FSOT which put the idea of rejoining the FS to rest. The Lord pulled us in the direction of LAW School so here we are. Or maybe it was prayers. I, thinking that the Foreign Service was something that he would not seriously consider again, prayed very hard for him to get into Law School. I believe the Lord gives you what you want if it is good. And Law School is good. Lot's of good things have come of it.

The question is, what now. Well, he is going to do an extership with a Family Law friend of ours. This is a kind of Law that he has not closely looked into so it would be the last shot at him finding an area of law that he likes.  We have been talking about going back to the Foreign Service. Believe it or not, that night, something happened. We talked about going back and its as if the Lord planted a seed of desire and excitement in his heart. He says that he realizes that leaving might have been a mistake. I tell him it might have not because we have learned a lot from not having a stable job security. We have learned to include the Lord in all of our decisions. We have learned to deal with rejection. Zeb especially. He is coming out of this experience with very thick skin. A lot more humble. Only I can say that of course. ;-) If we would have stayed in the FS before, he would have always felt like he should be teaching. Teaching is the job lifestyle he enjoyed the most. Great hours and he gets to read research write, translate etc.... But it is very clear that the Lord does not want him to teach. So  where does he want him then? Law? FS? ... If you ask me, my answer is loud and clear. FOREIGN SERVICE!

I believe we could have stayed in the FS and have a happy life. but sometimes when things come to easily, we don't appreciate them. It is extremely hard to get into the FS but Zeb got in, no problem and super fast. (once again, my hubby the genius) Once we were there the grass looked greener in America. LOL.

We have now decided that we definitely regret quitting the FS and so, Zeb has signed up to take the FSOT June 8th. Making this decision has made me soooooooo happy. I think we belong overseas. Of course it might be nice to settle in Provo and raise our kids here but both Zeb and I have always had a hard time with the thought of staying in one spot longer than 3 years.  He is going to finish his internship with his friend and really try to enjoy it. The applying process for the FS can be long so he might need to practice law for a bit. He still needs to find something he likes. He will then finish his classes in the fall take the bar in February and who knows whats next.

Here are the reasons why I think this is right for us: Of course, if the Lord has something else and he does not want us in the FS I will have to deal with the disappointment then and trust in Him but right now, this feels so right and I feel like I have life again. And the best part of it is that Zeb feels like it is the right thing as well. He is excited but a bit more sober about the whole thing because he is the one who need to pass all the tests. That would be nerve racking. I love him so much. I believe he is capable of doing Anything! He does not think so because of all the rejection he has experienced but, I say it's all happened because he was trying to get a teaching job all along and I know FOR SURE the Lord does not want him there. It is very clear to me. So here are some reasons why I think Foreign Service is where we should be:

• We have done it before, know what we are getting ourselves into and still are dying of excitement to do it again.
• We are united in this desire. Usually when we both want something really bad, the Lord gives it to us. I pray the Lord agrees with us. ;-)
• We are done having kids so although hauling 6 kids around the globe will be tricky at least we wont have to deal with med-vacs etc... No big deal if we get a tale end surprise tho. 
• The job itself fits Zeb best! He can do consular work and while building his required portfolio he can do his research, translations or whatever scholarly work he is interested in. He just realized the other night that he didn't take advantage of that before. This alone will give him job satisfaction. He had no idea before. 
• Our kids will see the world. We will too. 
• We are willing to serve and are excited to see the church and serve in the church as much as we can in every country we serve. This is one of the most exciting things for me.
•  I picture Zeb happier at doing this job and having this kind of lifestyle than being a Lawyer trying to make ends meet doing law research for the rest of his life. There is a lot more movement in the FS not only do you move every few years, but the every day work will be more active. That fits him best.
• I was worried for a minute about my mom being left sad because we will be far away but I then realized she is retiring next year and has been worried about being bored and getting depressed. Problem solved. Come see us wherever we are, whenever you want, for as long as you want!!!
• It's just so much funner and more exciting! Can't wait to get back in! 

Adios 4 now.

Frances Olive Weeks "Franny" June 24,2013

SO there she is! She is almost two now. I cant believe it. From sweet to spunky overnight. This little bundle has made all of us whole!!! 

She was born in a Birthing Center in Provo. Heather Shelly was my midwife. We decided to have the baby in a birthing center and not in the hospital because of money. It costs $14,000 to have a baby in the hospital. If you pay up front: $8,000. Heather charged us around $2,000. She let Zeb pay off must of the bill with labor.  So the baby's birth was practically free. It was a hard decision to make because I was 39 years old and not in great shape. This also was my third v-bac and I had toxemia before. So there were lot's of risks but after much prayer we decided to go ahead and have the baby all natural. It was a wonderful experience. She came super duper fast. Too fast for the midwifes team to arrive in time. She ended up calling her sister who lived a block away from the Birthing Center to help her with the birth. I wanted to have a water birth but she came so fast that the pool was not quite full. I birthed her standing up and then sat in the water. Oh well. It was wonderful nonetheless. Painful but wonderful. We will never forget this great blessing of health and this most needed time in our life. 

Add caption

Playing Catch Up LONGEST POST EVER!

So, hello there. I guess you can tell that we have moved around quite a bit. With Facebook it is easier to keep in contact with people so I quit blogging. What a mistake! I wasn't much of a blogger to begin with but I'll try to do a bit better since I can count this as journal writing right?
My kids are growing so fast and I have been a failure in the documenting memories department.

After a couple year extensions at BYU-I Zeb applied to a permanent position and almost got it. He was their #1 candidate some say but for some reason unknown to us he was not chosen. They ended up giving the position to a nice Hawaiian girl with a Masters Degree. Interesting.
While applying to BYU-I a three year position opened up at BYU-Hawaii. He applied as back up. It turned out that although he did not get the job in Idaho, he did get the Job in Hawaii. Nice consolation prize right?  It was only a three year position and we were told by some to NOT expect to get a permanent position but others in the administration told us the opposite. So, we hoped.

After a little over a year he was told by his chair that there will be an opening for the next year but that he will NOT get it so to consider not applying. When he told me that I  had the strongest feeling of 'WHAAAAT in the world are we doing here?'

Laie was one of my favorite places we have lived. Zeb had a different experience. He was very sick all the time. He got plantar fascistic while running up Laie Falls and couldn't run after that. He then got Bells Palsy. It is my theory that although he enjoyed Hawaii itself and all the friends we were making the job situation and how expensive everything was became such a stress for him that his body exploded.
So after the Chair said he "MIGHT NOT" get the permanent position. I could see the writing on the wall. The same thing happened at BYU and BYU-I. He applies almost makes it, and then of course, does not. Except this was different. We were not making enough money, we were far from home and couldn't afford to get back and.... as much as we loved it... it wasn't home. So we decided to leave. We were there a year and a half.

Perhaps the child that was most affected by this move was Laura. She LOVED Hawaii!!! She made so many friends and now, 3 yeas later, still keeps in contact with them. I think she will go back some day. Perhaps for a semester during college.

So after very, very, very intense (did I mention VERY) intense fasting and praying to figure out if it was right to quit with no prospects ahead it immediately became known to us what we should do. Move back to Provo, into my moms basement and regroup. We called her up and she was suuuuuuuper excited. She has been quite lonely in her big empty house in Provo.

Zeb finished the semester at BYU-H and in the mean time contacted BYU to see if they had any part time options for him. One of the professors told him that they might have a class for him to teach but that he should consider applying for a tenure track position which was opening at that precise time. Excited but confused, we applied. He of course as usual was invited as one of the finalists.

When we decided to leave Hawaii we had decided that teaching was not something that was going to work for Zeb. So we were thinking we would start a business or something like that. When they invited him to apply at BYU we decided that he would do his best and if he did not get it it was a sign that the Lord does NOT want him in teaching. And as you can expect.... The whole thing was a disaster. He worked hard to prepare for all the things they require but toward the end of the process he got a sick feeling like he did not belong. He did not. He knew it, they knew it. What's up with that?

So now we are at my moms basement with 5 kids and OH I forgot to mention. We brought a little Polynesian souvenir. A cute little baby made in Hawaii. Not born yet, but coming. We moved from Hawaii in December I had a baby girl in June. Little Franny. Our Sweet little girl. She is almost two now and spunkier that fiery bee. I will post more on her later.

Zeb applied for jobs everywhere and nothing worked. It was ridiculous. We thought of opening up a Subway, Bread, store, Gardening business, building brick ovens, starting a sprinkler business and nothing got passed the planning and experimenting stages. In Idaho when we were uncertain of him getting the job I mentioned Law School to him. He thought it was a good idea, looked into it but then got an offer from BYU-H so we put Law School out of our minds.  Now, we were back on square one. Zeb did not like the idea of Law School at all. He even asked me not to mention it to him again. Ever again. So I didn't. After a couple of months of not having a job he himself started to consider Law school. It wasn't a serious desire but the desire grew with time.

End of April he went to speak with an old professor of his at BYU about an editing position that was advertised. This professor, teaches at the Law school as well as in other departments. Dr. Welch told Zeb to not apply for the position because they were looking for someone with different qualifications. Big surprise.
Zeb asked him what he thought about someone like him making it in to BYU Law School. Dr. Welch asked his GPA and immediately took him over and introduced him to the dean of admissions. He took the LSAT got a good score (my husband the genius) and got into BYU-Law School super easy.

Around the same time he took the LSAT he Took the Foreign Service Written exam as well. We considered trying to get back in the Foreign Service. Zeb often expresses regret for having left that opportunity. He feels he may have made a mistake leaving. But we are torn because of how much we have learned these past few years. We have had wonderful things happen and at the same time the lack of money and job security has been one of the hardest things we have gone through. (We are very blessed. I would not ask for anyone else's burdens). He took The Foreign Service Exam and of course passed. They have now added an extra step to the hiring process. A Personal Narrative Essay portion. He did not expect that part. He did not pass so we went with Law School. We were excited.

So BYU-Law has been a really wonderful experience for our kids. We live with my mom in her basement. Our kids have gotten to spend time with her every day. They know her well and will never forget her. What an incredible blessing. Another blessing is that my mom, who was all alone in this big house has gotten company for 3 years. Going on 4! The kids LOVE the school here. Rock Canyon Elementary and Centennial Middle School Have been wonderful schools. The kids are great good kids and our children have build friendships with many good kids from good faithful families. These friendships will last forever as well.
We have had so many adventures these past few years I cant even describe what a rich life we have had. I will post on our baby girls birth and Law School next.  Adios 4 now.

Personalize your own free slideshow design

Create your own slideshow

Turkey Trot

Every year during the month of November Laie Elementary holds a big race. Weeks before the  race children in each class race each other. Three kids (3boys,3girls) from each class gets chosen to represent their classroom. On Turkey Trot day those kids run against the other chosen candidates from the whole grade. Mateo was the fastest in his class. On Turkey Trot day, had he known where the finish line was he probably would have taken first place but he took second out of the whole grade! WOhOOOO  way to go Teo! You rock! He brought home a pumpkin pie for Thanksgiving Dinner.  We are sooooo proud of him!