Yesterday was Mother's Day and Ryan gave me a Hot Wheels ice cream truck. I hugged him tightly for being so thoughtful and then felt like I wanted cry.
After Ryan and I got married, I moved into the apartment Ry already lived in here in PC. We lovingly dubbed the apartment complex Little Mexico because of the feeling that we were truly living in a different country there. Loud music, people ringing bells to sell things, the bread man in his van with the loudspeaker on top, and the ice cream truck showing up at all hours of the day and night. We laughed about all of this stuff a lot, but there were also times, usually when it was past 10 at night, that I felt like screaming and throwing things at the ice cream truck or at the person who decided to crank his car stereo full blast because he thought everyone in the complex needed a good night lullaby. When I was pregnant with Tyler I got especially irritated and there were a couple nights I made Ryan go outside and ask the ice cream man to turn off his music. I have vivid memories of my pregnancy and Tyler's first year in that apartment. It was hilarious and frustrating and special all at the same time. For the past 9 months or so we have lived in a different, much quieter place that is only seconds away from that first apartment, but seems a world away. We joke about missing the ice cream man and all the mariachi music, and actually feeling at home when we went to visit family in Mexico for Christmas.
This has been our home for close to three years, since we got married. This is the married life that I know. I don't know what it's like to be married and be in a big ward. I only know what it's like to be married and feel like I'm still serving a mission in a small branch where everyone speaks a different language. All I know is what it's like to have sacrament meeting in the old Park City seminary building, and what it's like to feel so happy when more people show up than can fit in the room. All I know is what it feels like to be absolutely needed in every way and how fulfilling that is. All I know is how wonderful it is to be able to attend baptisms sometimes more than once a week even here in Utah. All I know is how much I love the people I have met here and how much I will miss them.
We're moving at the end of the month, and I've been crying every day since the day last week that we really felt it was the right thing for us to do. We'll only be an hour away, but life will be so different than it was here. This time has been challenging in so many ways, but so wonderful and fulfilling in many others. I'm so grateful for the time we spent here and for all that I've learned because of it. I know that there will be other "ice cream trucks" and many more good memories and experiences to come. But I'm sad that our new baby won't share in this special time we had here.
I hope all of you wonderful women had a great Mother's Day full of whatever may be meaningful to each of you!!
