Halfway Through My 31st Year

In some ways today was a big day in my life. September 16th marks the halfway point between my birthdays -- my half-birthday, if you prefer. This half-birthday more significant that others because of one of the categories in which I am placed within my church. When I turned 18 I became categorized as a Young Single Adult at church. At that time I was living in Louisiana where the closest YSAWard (congregation) was the student ward at LSU which was at least a 40 minute drive if traffic was good (which it rarely was in Baton Rouge). The ward I grew up in had a pretty good YSA group so I decided to stay in that ward at that time. Two years later I moved to Monroe with my little brother to attend ULM making the distance to a YSA ward even greater -- I'm not even sure where the closest on was! So, I continued attending a traditional, aka family, ward. It wasn't until I moved to Colorado in the Summer of 2007 that I started attending a YSA ward (ah, Crowfoot!). I loved it there. The people were friendly. I had many additional opportunities to serve in that ward. I made some great friends during my time there. But things changed, they split the ward, and I became on of the first members of a newly formed YSA branch (smaller congregation). I was excited about the possibilities this new branch had to offer, but over time it proved to be more of a disappointment for me. I once again moved on and for a while I attended a YSA ward in Boulder, CO, that was quite pleasant and rather enjoyable. In many ways I miss that last ward more that the branch for which I had such high hopes.

But, I digress...

Present day finds me a member of a YSA ward in Bountiful, UT, that is also within a YSA stake (larger group for church governance) consisting of about 12 YSA wards all together. This is my first time being in a YSA stake and going to stake meetings where all you see are Young Single Adults -- it's definitely a Utah thing! I have been in this ward for about 9 months already, but I only have 6 months left at most. Thus we are at the significance of today. In my church, if you are not married by the time you turn 31 and you have been attending a YSA ward (especially in Utah) you are "aged out" of that ward (aka kicked out) and sent to a traditional ward or, if available, given the option to attend a Mid Single Adult Ward. Some church leaders are more lax in enforcing this rule, but I know my time as a YSA is coming to an end either way.

The thing is, I go to the YSA ward every Sunday and realize how different I am from everyone else there. There are a few people close to my age, but they have lived in this area all their lives and know everyone in the ward and in some cases are related to half the ward. I don't see myself continuing in a YSA ward past 6 months from now. I guess the real question is how much longer I can stand to go to the YSA ward knowing I will soon age out.

One Explanation for not Blogging

The reason I didn't update this little blog of mine from April 2012 until just recently is that had several big changes in my life during that time. One of those changes involved leaving my job and moving in with my Grandma Jeane for several months. It was not an easy decision to leave that job with its good pay and benefits, but when I sent the notice to my boss to let her know I was leaving to help my grandma I felt a great sense of peace. I made arrangements to put most of my things in storage or donate things I no longer felt I could keep and made the move from Castle Pines to Broomfield. Because of things that had happened it was easier than you might think to leave the YSA branch (church congregation) of which I had been such a big part, including most of the people who I had called my friends. Some said they would come to Broomfield (less than an hour away) to visit me -- none did. The one time I went back to visit I saw how good it was for me to leave what had become a toxic environment in my life.

I moved in with Grandma in late July of last year, just before the start of the London Olympic. I helped her with everyday chores as much as she would let me. Though I had moved in to help her she was still very determined at 90 plus years old to do many things on her own. I was more than willing to do the everyday cleaning too, but she had a lady coming in once a week to clean the house and would therefore get upset with me when she found me cleaning. I was able to help her sort through some of her mother's old clothes and take them to Goodwill.

Mostly I kept Grandma company. I would take her to her physical therapy and doctor appointments. We would sit together and watch the Olympics or other programs she enjoyed. I suppose I could have updated this blog periodically while watching television, but if I was ever doing something on my phone or computer while the TV was on Grandma would ask what I was doing and want to know why I wasn't giving my complete attention to the television. She could kind of understand how I could divide my attention if I was working on one of my crochet projects since that was mostly my hands doing the work and not so much my brain, but computer and television at the same time was practically a no-no. I very quickly got tired of trying to explain my multitasking and just enjoyed my time with Grandma.

The hardest part about living with Grandma though was slowly watching her decline. Those who were not there everyday like I was or every few days like my Aunt Jane could not see this decline. When others would come for a short visit Grandma would hide her pain, discomfort, and forgetfulness pretending that everything was perfectly normal until they were gone. Because I was there I knew she was forgetting things like taking her medication properly or if the dog had already been fed (not that Megan ever minded being fed again). Grandma would often go back into her office to "clean off the desk" but would get so bogged down in all the junk mail that she would insist on reading that it rarely ever got better. Sometimes I would sneak things out to the garbage or recycling just so she wouldn't try to save what really should be thrown out!

Finally, it came time for me to admit that I had done all I could do for her. I'd managed to get my mom to see that Grandma really needed more professional help. I took Grandma to a nearby assisted living facility a couple of times just to get an idea of the setup and cost. Meanwhile, we'd discovered that her artificial hips (which were 25 plus years old) were failing and replacing them would mean a difficult surgery that she likely couldn't survive. Walking became more difficult and painful for her until the day before her 91st birthday she could not put weight on her leg and had to start using a wheelchair.

It was difficult to watch this slow deterioration, but I am very grateful for the time I got to spend with Grandma Jeane. The things I learned about her life while I was with her are things I will cherish all my life.

Katie and Grandma visiting last August before Ryan left for his new job in Seattle

Blowing out the candles for her 91st birthday

I'm so glad I'm named after my Grandma Jeane!

What Happened to the Rest of 2012: An Update in Pictures

If there is anyone out there who still follows this little blog of mine you may be interested in what has happened since I last wrote over a year ago. Here are a few highlights in pictures:

The Wedding of My Younger Brother (18 May 2012)

Me and my favorite guy!

The Happy Couple

The original Baron Seven

The Baron Seven plus additions

All the "siblings"

The whole wedding crew (Jensen and Baron Families)

Nothing comes between me and my canoli

The happy couple leaving the reception

A Family Reunion (Early September 2012)

The Wedding of My Older Brother (15 December 2012)

Ryan in his awesome, authentic kilt

The Happy Couple

The original Baron Seven

Everyone from the Baron Side

The whole wedding crew (Wientjes and Baron Families)

The Baron Seven plus additions

Me and My Favorite Guy again

The Ring Ceremony

Dancing the Night Away

This is only a little of what took place the rest of last year. I'd put more, but it has gotten to the point that if I am ever going to post another blog I better get these highlights out there or I will continue putting it off. Perhaps I can do another one soon on other things that happened. I have some other ideas that I want to write about and put out into the blog-o-sphere as well so keep an eye out for more to come.

Hard to Believe

It's hard to believe that it has already been over a month since my last blog post...

It's hard to believe how much has changed in my life in that time...

It's hard to believe how okay I am with all the changes that have happened...

It's hard to believe that I've been at my job for almost 6 months...

It's hard to believe how blessed I am to have this job at this time in my life...

It's hard to believe how much I enjoyed my Easter weekend over in Utah...

It's hard to believe that part of me didn't want to come back to Colorado...

It's hard to believe that a month from today my little brother will be married to an amazing woman...

It's hard to believe that this will be the first wedding in my immediate family in over a dozen years...

It's hard to believe how many truly amazing people I have in my life...

Fun with Counting Down

For the last several weeks I have been noticeably counting down on Facebook. I've been having a lot of fun with it to. I haven't really told anyone to what I've been counting down though some already knew and others figured it out. But there are those who have asked and asked and asked again why I was counting down. Every time I saw one of the comments asking about my count down I laughed to myself. So many people couldn't seem to put 2 and 2 together. Well, since it's almost the end of the count down and I don't think many people will read this before hand I will elaborate and explain.

On February 16 it was only one more month until my birthday. In addition to that I realized that since this year was a leap year that day was 29 days before my birthday instead of the usual 28 AND this year I am turning 29. So, why not start a count down: 29 days until my 29th birthday? This is what I posted: "To count down, or not to count down - that is the question... I think I shall count down (if you know to what then shhh, don't spoil it for everyone)...29 days...". What made it even better is that I no longer have my birthday visible on Facebook - it was a personal choice. I'd rather get 5 to 10 birthday wishes from people who actually remember than 100 from people who only saw it on a website. Like I said, it was a personal choice.

So, I continued to count down. Some figured it out. My new roommate, Heidi, took it as a personal mission to give me one card for every day leading up to my birthday. You should see my bookshelf display of cards! It's quite magnificent!!! Those who had no idea what I was counting down to were going crazy - 'twas hilarious!!!!! Several asked if they were out of the loop which I found funny because there was no loop to be in. Some thought I was counting down to St. Patrick's Day - that's one day later my friends; learn to count. ;^) Clues were left, though they were very subtle in nature. Mainly, the point of the count down was for me to have a fun way of keeping track and pique the curiosity of others. I think I did a pretty good job.

I'd explain more, but I'm getting to that point in the night where thinking clearly is becoming quite a bit more difficult. My bed is calling my name and I really want to go sleep with it. So, for all those that have been wondering, if you are reading this, you now have the answer. I have been counting down to my 29th birthday! Happy Birthday to me!!! :^D