Normal Everyday Life

What is that, exactly? Normal? I guess it's on a fluid scale depending on each person's experiences, life, and journey. That's not actually what I wanted to talk about so I'll leave that to the philosophers and move on.

I just wanted to give a basic Stark Family update since it's been a while. I know I love reading about my far away friends and their lives, so I hope our normal everyday experiences tickle your interest a bit.

Mike Update (written by Laurel)

Most days I wish there was a better answer for the question of "What have you been up to?" It's just the classic answer. "Work, school, family." I don't try to expand too much because some people are just asking to be polite or hope for some juicy new secret. A change of some kind.

Is change needed to make life interesting? Oh dear. I've asked another philosophical question. Why does that keep happening? Without diving in too deep I'll just say: yes. Change is awesome...but so is routine. There's something supremely sublime about daily routines and habits that keep us stable, but being challenged, stretched, pulled, and changed is the spice of life. Allowing ourselves to learn and grow as we discover new things is essential. Being stubbornly resolute in all things is...well, unhealthy. Having a solid foundation of beliefs or ideals IS very important, though, to allow for growth and changes in our branches.

Now I'm playing with vague metaphorical imagery. I beg your forgiveness. Onward!

Mike is working for Hitmen Pest Control (spoiler: they actually respect him as a human being!).

He's also doing a program through BYU-Idaho called Pathway. It's partially online and partially in the classroom (once a week meetings) with the goal of earning a Bachelor's Degree.

The thing is, though most of these Pathways degrees are available online, the one Mike is going for is only offered on campus. That's right folks, if Mike wants to complete his Bachelor's he must actually physically attend BYU-Idaho.

So that's the next big step for us.

The next frontier!

Laurel's Update

I'm still working full time for the East Bay SPCA. I develop training and behavior plans for our resident cats and dogs, teach volunteers safe handling and training techniques, evaluate the "if-y" animals to see if their "if-yness" is manageable and safe for the public and then develop training plans for them, I teach public classes, develop curriculum for new classes, update curriculum as we learn new things, and am the point of contact for the general public when they have training or behavior related questions.

Whew. And those are just my consistent job responsibilities. There are a ton more things I do each day that would just be tedious to list here for you.

So basically if you have an animal question not relating to health stuff, I'm your gal. Please remember: I am not a vet so don't ask me about why your dog is sneezing. Though it might be just a doggie cold. Or a foxtail up the nose.

They are evil!

Even though I enjoy my job, I ache to be home with Nova. Our future plans ensure that this will happen, but right now it's hard. Really excruciatingly hard. It's easier with an end in sight, though. I don't know exactly when that end will be, but I know I won't have to work full time forever.

Besides work, I hang out with my kid. I soak up every spare second I can get. It's hard to take time for myself because I feel selfish that I was gone all day at work and now want alone time? No. I should spend every second I can with Nova. Right?

Ah. Mother's guilt. It's one of those things that never goes away, does it? At least I don't have to feel bad about eating junk food anymore. Now I'm just ruining my own health. Such relief.

S'mores Oreos: One of life's greatest gifts.

I'm also participating in a certification called KPA (Karen Pryor Academy) for dog trainers. It's prestigious and hard work, but worth it. However, it's another thing taking away my Nova time. I will be done at the end of July and have the tools to create my own business some day.

I'm excited about the prospect of starting new in a new place (well, old/new since I lived in Rexburg once before). It won't be for a little while, but it's definite. We're going. It's just a matter of time.

Nova Update:

Guess what 21 month old is starting potty training?

It's ridiculous! She told us herself she was ready. I haven't done anything to encourage or try...she just told me one day by pointing to the toilet and pulling on her diaper that she wanted to go in the potty. Now, whereas she never cared before, she is supremely bothered by--erm-- #2 in her diaper. The next step is getting her to tell us before she goes in her diaper and to recognize that urge so she can tell us.

Without going into too much unnecessary detail, I'm floored that she's doing it all on her own. With a little prompting from us (seeing her look uncomfortable, asking if she needs to go potty), she is training herself and us by default. It's stunning.

This kid's intelligence is off the charts. I can't believe the things she can communicate to us with hardly any words. She's not a verbal child, not much, not like some 21 month olds, but she is very opinionated and knows exactly what she wants. We're working on sign language (which she loves) and understanding "If you do this, then you can have that" rather than throwing a tantrum if she doesn't get her way. She gets it for the most part. :)

Mom thinks she's teaching me, but I'm actually teaching her.

I truly enjoy spending time with her. Trust me, I'm not much of a kid person. I never liked babysitting and being around a bunch of kids all day sounded pretty terrible. However, this kid...my kid...is...(time for a barrage of pictures)

Fabulously Fantastically Funny...

Adorably Audacious and Adventurous...

Incredibly Inquisitive...

Extraordinarily Earnest and Exacting...

Outstandingly Original...

Brilliantly Bewildering...

Incredibly Intuitive...

Delightfully Dazzling

Need I go on? I would be happy to spend all my time with her and Mike at the zoo, or the children's museum, or the park, or in our living room watching a movie.

Alas, I cannot. Not yet. But soon...soon.

Future Plans:

Yes. We are moving to Idaho. When? Not completely certain, but I have ideas. How are we going to afford living there when Mike is going to school full time and I'm staying home with the kid? I don't know, but I have ideas. I believe it's the right move for us and with faith things will work out. At times I get a bit scared that we'll end up very stressed for money, but I always get this strong feeling that things will work out. It's hard for me not knowing everything immediately and not being able to plan fully ahead of time, but I need to trust that what we are doing is for the best. Mike needs that degree (in Electrical Engineering, minor in Music) and I need the ability to stay home with my family and work partially on the side training dogs and cats.

That's the dream, people. 

That's the dream.