I helped with a display at the library for the first time. And lucky me, I got to find books in my favorite color. 💚

Handsome Sam before going to a fancy bar mitzvah. The celebration that night was at one of Boston's fanciest hotels.

 In the order they were taken:

 This is a beautiful analogy (and true story) from the New Testament that is applicable to life and to what the Savior can do for us in the midst of challenges and difficulties.

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They don't want to acknowledge how wrong they've been about so many things with Covid.

 Here are some marginally better selfies that I took in April that are a slight improvement over the silly prop ones in my last post!

 After over two years of legal battles and negotiations (and years longer than that for when he emotionally left me), I finally got divorced on March 27th. It's not "officially official" and legalized until the 90-day waiting period is done, which will be June 25th, but for all intents and purposes, it's done. What a relief! 😌 I was so worried that this would go to trial, or take several more months of negotiating, which would have been absolutely ridiculous, not to mention soul-sucking (and bank account-sucking; you don't even want to know what this cost us financially 😬). I did what I had to do to bring it to a close, made some concessions in order to accomplish the greater good for me and the kids and our well-being, and I have no regrets. The feeling of liberation since then has been wonderful, and a huge load has been lifted from my shoulders.

About a month after the divorce was granted, I got together with four of my best friends to celebrate. I had thought about doing some kind of open house type of party to thank my many friends and family who have been so supportive of me during this difficult time, but I found that I wasn't in a celebratory mood and didn't want to do anything big. Divorce at its root is a tragedy, especially when you've been married in the temple and thought you'd be together forever, and especially when children are involved. But I have chosen to see it as a springboard to better things, particularly since I didn't choose it, he did. I'm doing well on my own and am excited for my future, and that is something to celebrate.

We got together for a potluck dinner and talked for hours. Very low-key and relaxed, just like I wanted. I wish I'd taken more pictures, particularly of my friends (Sara, Sharalyn, Meredith, and Shelly) and us using the funny props that Sharalyn had bought, which we didn't use at all! (I attempted some selfies with the props the next day and it did not go well, as you will see. 😂) I'm so thankful for my friends and for all of their support and encouragement. They've been a true blessing to me in my time of need, and I love them dearly.
And I'm so thankful to finally be divorced! I'll be officially single in about four more weeks, for the first time in 23 years. 

Last month I was doubly blessed when it came to the home(s) front: We received and accepted a very good offer on the house only five days after listing it, and on that same day, I was chosen for a rental that I applied for that I didn't think I had a good chance of getting given the amount of interest in it--but less than an hour after submitting my application, the owner contacted me and said it was mine.

 All in one day, my housing situation--which had been giving me a considerable amount of stress--worked out, with my house selling quickly for above asking price and other generous things, and finding a good new home to move into. I'm a full believer that miracles do happen and that things can turn out well, especially when you've been praying and working hard for them. What happened with my housing situation is proof of that to me. There's no way that this was mere luck or a random fortunate coincidence. I know that I'm being watched out over because I can feel it. As I live right and do my best and keep my focus on the things that matter most (one of which is home and family), I know that my steps are being guided by God, my Savior, and unseen angels.

The house officially went on the market on April 19th. The pictures for the listing turned out well, and these are some of my favorites. 

Fun fact: The grass color was photoshopped because when the outdoor pictures were taken last summer, there was a drought and the grass was parched and brown!

This picture makes me never want to leave! 😍😍😍 The backyard has been such a lovely, peaceful oasis. 

I sold some things on Facebook Marketplace, like this old coffee table from Target...

 The biggest room--not in terms of size but in terms of contents--that I needed to clean out and stage for selling the house was the fourth bedroom, or as I've called it since 2010 in my Iowa house and in this one, the "project room." This room is a wonderful catch-all space for things like ongoing projects (mostly scrapbooks and mementos for me and the boys), projects I'd like to do (but have been sitting undone for years), books, binders, articles and magazines, pictures, and my owl collection. Also in this room is one of my most special pieces of furniture--the glider chair and ottoman that I've used since becoming a mother over 18 years ago--and a dresser I've had since the age of 13. So it's a special place where I'm surrounded by things I love, and I wasn't looking forward to dismantling it and depersonalizing it--so much depersonalization--but it had to be done, so I took a few hours one day and did it. I made sure to take pictures first so that I'll always have visual memories of this special room.

One of my favorite pieces of furniture ever--quite possibly my most favorite piece of furniture ever--is this big grand beautiful "Beauty and the Beast" bookcase that we bought over ten years ago when we lived in Iowa. It's a gorgeous piece with its elegant crown moldings, solid mahogany wood, ladder and rail, and recessed lighting. The bottom doors open up and contain more shelving storage, so in addition to being an elegant beauty (and kind of a beast as far as size goes--get it? 😉), this bookcase holds a lot and is extremely functional.   

 Last month I had to get the house ready to put on the market, which entailed cleaning things out and doing the dreaded staging (i.e., making it look like generic people/robots live here). My bookshelves were literally one of the biggest things that I needed to tackle with this task. In the office are four big floor-to-ceiling built-in shelves that were full of books. One of the reasons the office is my favorite room in the house is because of this wall of shelves. It's my very own version of the Beauty and the Beast library! 

My unstaged shelves in all their natural glory

This is the room that I'm going to miss the most when we move in six weeks (!!!). Besides my bedroom (since it's where I sleep), the office is the place in the house where I spend the most time, mostly on the computer doing editing work, e-mail, blogging, and so many other computer-related tasks. It's a cheerful, happy place no matter what I'm doing. I love it and I'm going to miss it so much! 

Bright and sunny, especially in the afternoon

 It was our last Easter in the house and possibly John's last Easter at home with us, since next year he'll probably still be at college on Easter, and for the two years after that he'll be on his mission, and then back to college again after that. Sunrise, sunset. 😭

I love traditions and the boys still enjoy them, so we had Easter baskets and an egg hunt in the house on Sunday morning, and we made Resurrection rolls (and bacon!) for breakfast before going to church.

John's basket was mostly candy (since he's eating normally again now that wrestling is done) and money (which he's in desperate need of).

 Exactly one month ago today, on April 9th, our sweet cat Bentwood passed away. It happened on Easter Sunday, a significant and comforting day for life and death and the ultimate victory of life over death. 

In addition to it happening on Easter, another tender mercy was that Bentwood's passing happened in the way that I prayed for it to happen--peacefully and naturally at home. He went on his own and I didn't have to make the hard choice of putting him down (I've still never had to do that with any of my pets). And although he must have felt uncomfortable, he didn't seem to be in much pain, either. 

I found out a month earlier that he had lymphoma, and the vet thought he only had a few weeks to maybe a few months to live, so I knew it was coming. I'm so thankful that I knew in advance so that I could spend extra time with him and be extra gentle and loving and attentive. Bentwood deserved all of the best. He was in our family for 18 years and has always been the sweetest cat. We got him when John was only a year old and when we still had my dog from high school. He's been with us for all of our pets: Christy, Brody, Yogi, Boo Boo, and Violet. His loss has made our home feel different, a little emptier and quieter, like something is missing (because it is).  

I miss his meow and his easygoing, affectionate personality and his limping walk and his soft silky fur and the sound of his "paw steps" walking across the floor. I miss our weekly brushing session and I miss startling him awake (because I'm a tease like that) and I miss picking him up and holding him and cuddling with him. I'll miss him until I see him again, and I fully believe that I will see him again and that we'll be together forever. He's in a good place with all of the above-mentioned pets (except for Violet of course since she's still earthbound). I like to imagine him running around outside in perpetually perfect weather, playing with his friends and eating and sleeping to his heart's content. I know that I'll be with him again someday.

This was a few days before he died. He had gotten very thin and frail.

 April started out with, as usual, General Conference. It's a wonderful way to start a new month and welcome in the new spring season each year with spiritual rest, renewal, rejuvenation, and motivation. 

It was our last Conference in this house, so I made sure to take pictures. Which I would have done anyway, but I was extra mindful of it. 😄

I liked how the two books I was reading happened to have red, white, and black covers that coordinated well together. Very satisfying. 😁

I know without a doubt that this is true because I've personally experienced it time and time again.

 My anxiety ran high for a while in March because of the two big bank collapses. I was afraid the whole banking system was going to crash in the weeks following, and I'm so grateful that it hasn't. I think that could still be coming, but for now, I'll hope for the best and prepare for the worst, which is my general philosophy when it comes to emergency preparation and planning.

I love that Woody Harrelson did this--and on SNL of all places! 😆 

Good for him for standing up for what a lot of people believe. That's the Haymitch I know and love from The Hunger Games!

 

 John brought home a Dairy Queen Blizzard cup that said "Selfie-Worthy" and I thought, I can use that for my selfies posts! 😆 #inspirationfromacup 🤷

 I started and ended March at the temple on the first and last days of the month, and I was there another two times in the middle. Two of the times were for my shifts as a temple worker, one was for a ward temple night, and the last one, on the last day of the month, was for my own visit there for a much-needed respite from a turbulent week/month/year/several years (I had finally gotten divorced earlier that week). Truly, the temple punctuates my life in all of the best ways amidst both the lulls and the storms of life. 

There was snow on the ground on March 1st.

Here's Sam READING A BOOK instead of being on screens! 

 John's final wrestling banquet of high school was last month. {Do they do banquets for sports in college? I don't know because I wasn't a college athlete! I guess I'll find out through John.} Anyway, on to the banquet!

There was a cool photo cake.