Make a Wish for Me...

After my previous few days that had not been my best, when I crawled out of bed on Tuesday I decided to make it a great day.  I had a lot of things planned, it was going to be busy.  Most of the things were going to be really good things, just one thing after another.  I knew that I wanted to go at it with a better attitude so the day would be good.

The morning was the usual, scriptures with the kids, pack lunches, run on the treadmill, make sure the kids all got their rides to school, more running on the treadmill, tidy the house a little, get Hilary dressed, go to my workout class at the church, shower, eat, finish the house chores.  

Then I decided to sit down and read some emails that our friends had sent us.  They were letters from their son that just left on his mission.  I have just loved this kid from the time he was a little six year old when we moved in.  Pretty sure he was six or around there.  I think he sent me five letters.  I thought that I would try and read one.  Once I got started I couldn't stop.  They were so sweet.  His testimony and love of the Savior just flowed off of the screen as I read his words.  It was inspiring to read them.  I was so grateful that our friends had shared them with me.  It was what I needed to get myself in the right frame of mind again.  They were so moving I was afraid as I went to my next few appointments that I wouldn't be able to hold myself together.  I felt that emotional after reading them. 

  

I had a 1:00 lunch appointment with one of my good friends.  The weather was so beautiful that I decided to take Hilary to the park for a half an hour before I was supposed to go pick her up.  One of my other friends that has a little boy Hilary's age met me.  We sat and watched those two little sillies go up and down the slide and play with the cat that had made her home the park for the day.  She and I have been doing this exact activity for almost half of our lives together.  We have known each other since before Halea was born.  We have literally taken all of our kids to parks together.  As I sat there I realized that this season of our lives is almost over.  Sooner than I hope, they will be in school, and then our lives will be different.  We laugh at ourselves because as we have aged, we pick parks that have no swings so that we don't have to sit and swing the kids the entire time we are at the park.  Then we can visit a little:)  Tricky, or Lazy I know, but at least we brought them to a park, right?

After the half hour was up we parted ways and I went to pick up my friend for lunch.   We arrived at one of our fun places that we love for lunch, The Blue Lemon.  As we were getting out of the car my friend said "I hope you don't mind but one of my friends is meeting us here".  I said, "Oh that's fine".  This was a little out of character, but i didn't really think anything of it, in fact I was a little intrigued to see who it was.  As we turned the corner inside the restaurant there stood HILARY WEEKS!!  If you have ever read my blog you will know that I am obsessed with Hilary Weeks' music.  I started laughing and I told her that I was going to try not to be "star struck", only it was way too late for that.  I was trying to gain my composure because I can only imagine that is so uncomfortable if you feel like someone worships you! (well, at least for most normal people).  Hilary then told me that she remembered meeting me before.  Which is true, but I mean she meets a million people.  I never would have thought that she would have any memory of meeting me.  I'm pretty forgettable in comparison to people that she probably gets to meet.  (I had met her on two different occasions when I had gone to visit patients that I had worked with at the hospital)  Anyway.  We started ordering our lunch and of course my Hilary started in with her quirky 3 year old demands.   I want a cookie, that specific cookie, I want a quesadilla, etc.  Luckily we all have kids and we all have a "baby" of the family, hopefully they all act like this, right?  We got our lunch and as we were walking to our table I saw a lady that was my old neighbor, that also lost a baby that I helped with, that also writes books, that I haven't seen forever!  What are the odds?  It really is like my Make A Wish Day.  I stopped and said hello as quickly as I could.  I felt kind of bad, but I couldn't explain to her that I was having lunch with the lady that I stalk!  We sat down and started to talk.  Hilary started asking about my family and so I told her the ages of our kids, including Trevin and Tatum.  I told her the ages they would have been, but that they had died.  She asked questions about them and I tried to tell her the "brief" story of our family.  She was kind to be interested.  Then we just talked and asked questions about each other.  I found out as we were sitting there that my friend and Hilary W. have daughters the same age, and so that is why my friend felt she could call and set up this love connection:)  The time went really fast and suddenly we all needed to go and do carpool and get back to man our ships.  I was not shocked to see how sincere and real she was in person.  I have heard her speak and so I knew that she had a "real" life.  I just couldn't get over that my friend had done this for me, and that Hilary W. would take time out of her life to make another persons day brighter, in a sort of dark time.  It was really touching.  I was so grateful that my Hilary had demanded that cookie.  She was soooo good the entire time, until the very end where she announced that she was FULL and it was time to go.  I tried to explain to Hilary that the blond lady was the Hilary Weeks that sings our Tatum songs.  She kept saying "What?"  

After we got in the car I felt like a little kid on Christmas morning.  I still can't get over it.  It is an awesome experience to meet someone that you admire from afar and find out that they really are as nice as you have built them up to be.  My quandary now is all of the things that I didn't ask her while we were together.  I so wanted to know about her creative process when she writes music, and I would have asked a lot more about her family and parenting and her love for the gospel, and the Savior.  

I keep telling Hilary that she met Hilary Weeks and she yells back, "No it was (my friends name)!"  She still denies that it ever happened.  Stinker.  Today I finally pulled up a picture of Hilary Weeks and showed it to her and asked her if she remembered having lunch with that blond lady.  I could see the wheels spinning in her head.  Hopefully she will remember.  

After I dropped my friend off there was no one to tell.  I called a few of my friends, no one answered.  I finally called Lance.  I wasn't sure he would be very excited, but to my surprise he was genuinely excited for me.  He said "did you tell her you have a girl crush on her?"  NO.  I did tell her that I have been composing a letter in my mind for about four months that i haven't written yet, but I am going to this week!  I asked her if I could have her email so I could send it to her and not have to slip it in her mailbox like a real life stalker.  She was nice and gave it to me.  I did get a hold of Halea and she thought it was cool, even though I have nearly turned her against Hilary Weeks music because it is always playing.  

Then as if that wasn't enough to fill my day, I needed to finish with the rest of the crazy day.  I went home and picked up some letters to bring to the post office.  We went to the post office, then picked kids up from school.  Dropped the kids off at home and I was off to a hospital visit.  A very sweet family that has a baby that is going to be born with a fatal chromosome disorder.  They were so sweet and the spirit was strong as we visited with them.  

Straight from there I went to the high school to watch the JV boys basketball game.  Our neighbors boy plays and it was their last game so I wanted to go and watch.  We have another neighbor that played before him, but I didn't make it to his in time.  I really like to watch the kids play, so this was another addition to my Make A Wish Day.  After the game was over I went and picked up my other neighbor to come and watch the Varsity game with me.  We were in Young Women's together and two of our Senior girls, it was their last game that they were cheering at.  They have cheered all of their High School years, so I knew they would be sad, and so we really wanted to be there to applaud their dedication.  Cheer takes A LOT of time.  (A little hint to you parents of girls, careful what you commit to!)

After I dropped my friend back to her house I had to run to the store and to get gas ( I had been on empty for awhile).  It was a really exhausting day.  I felt like I was gone a lot, which I do not like.  But, it was a day that I needed.  Even though it was tiring, I feel rejuvenated.  I have the best friends and people that I am surrounded by and able to rub shoulders with.  Good kids who can function without me if I need a little break.  I don't know how I am so lucky that my friends think of these crazy creative amazing things to do for me, but I am forever grateful.  These things have carried me through this past year.  I hope that someday I have the chance to pay it forward.  Thanks for my Make A Wish Day!

  

This was Hilary this morning at exercise class.  She was not quite into it today, after our busy yesterday.