Julyssa

I just had the most wonderful opportunity to visit my best friend Julyssa! I stayed with her and her family for five days in Arizona while my girls visited their Aunt Becky, Uncle Jason and cousins in Clovis. Poor Aaron was home alone catching up on a lot of work. I sure missed them, but the whole thing was great. It gave Grace and Eve a chance to bond with their cousins, me a chance to have fun with Julyssa and help her out (she just had her second baby and her husband Adam is studying for the bar exam.) Being away from my family also gave me a greater appreciation for them. I returned home feeling recharged and more mindful of my great role as wife and mother.

Julyssa and I had a blast. We talked, and talked, and talked! It was therapeutic. I also had fun playing with cute Nyomi (her 3 yr old) and of course holding her sweet newborn Dylan. It was such a good feeling to hold this new baby and stare into his knowing eyes. We also had the chance to do a little craft project and some shopping together...lots of shopping. One of the highlights of the trip was our photo shoot (although I complained about being the subject of Julyssa's photography!) Julyssa is an amazing photographer and in addition to her photo shoot of me, we spent some time taking pictures together (with the help of Adam.) It was fun because as we were posing for the shots we started getting really silly, and at one point we couldn't stop laughing. It was like a grown up version of us in high school!

I am so glad I went. I am very grateful to those who made it possible for me to have this little adventure.