January: Started the year in Utah with Lily, taking care of my mom. I spent three weeks with her, and it was very special. Of course, it was a little hard to see her so weak and in so much pain, but I will be forever grateful for the time we spent together, and the time she spent with Lily. As for Lily, she had a fantastic time playing outside and thoroughly enjoyed her first experience with snow.
February: Adam turned 30 in February! He wasn't too upset about it. I kept trying to tease him, and I didn't get anywhere. I think he feels like he has more credibility as a therapist now that he is out of his 20s.
March: Lily thoroughly enjoyed playing outside in the not-as-cold weather. We attended story time at the library and played on the basketball court a lot. She became very attached to our BYU basketball.
April: We received a call from my grandma that we needed to come to Salt Lake City to say goodbye to my mom. It was a painful and tearful visit. She passed away on the 13th, but peacefully. It was a special experience, and I know she is happy. I stayed in Utah for two weeks to plan the funeral, sort through her things, and be there for my dad.
May: I was recruited to be the music director for the stake musical, Promised Valley. I spent many nights practicing demanding music and trying to figure out how to teach it to the cast. Adam also began his therapy practice. It took a long time to get the supervisor, paperwork, office space, advertising, and state requirements finished, but he finally began meeting with clients as a Marriage and Family Therapist!
July: Visited Adam's family in California for a week. We hiked, went to the beach, visited the Monterey Bay Aquarium, cooked, and had fun with Adam's family. Lily and her cousin Amelia played outside in the inflatable pool with their Nana, and loved every minute. We also finally had our play performances, which were very fun and memorable.
August: We found ourselves in California once again. Adam's brother Travis returned from his LDS mission to Brazil! We were able to visit and spend some time with him. We also found out that we were expecting our second Clark baby! I spent the rest of the month sick and exhausted on the couch.
September: We finally got out into the beautiful Oregon wilderness and went for a quick one-night camping trip. Lily had fun throwing rocks into the river and listening to owls hoot in the middle of the night. Lily and I also took a trip to Idaho and Utah to visit my family. First we went to see my grandma, which was a lot of fun. My sister also came to stay with us there. Then we traveled down to Utah to see my dad and meet his fiancee, Elizabeth. We had a great time.
October: We returned to Utah, driving this time, for my dad's wedding. It was beautiful and fun to see family. Lily wants to get married in the temple like Grandpa and Elizabeth.
November: Lily turned 2! I also turned 28, but that didn't feel as significant somehow. I spent a lot of November working from home for my former employer, and Adam spent it working on his dissertation and grading papers for the online class he was teaching. Lily enjoyed attending a swim class, usually with mom and sometimes with dad. She learned how to blow bubbles, kick, jump off the wall, and lots of other fun water skills. We also found out that baby #2 is a BOY! Lily is very excited to meet her baby brother.
December: We are looking forward to visiting Adam's family again in California and celebrating the holidays with the people we love. We hope you have a merry Christmas too!
What a year!
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