ten thoughts on a wednesday |15|

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one.
ian passed the second round of the cfa exam! we found out soon after we got back from our trip to the states. we were on a sunset walk along the thames (moses was staying up late due to jet lag) when the congratulations email came in. we immediately started fist pumping, high fiving, cheering and shouting "YES!!!" i'm sure the people around us were a bit amused. what a relief! now there's just one more round to pass - ian will take level three next june. i'm really proud of him - not just because the exam is notoriously difficult but mostly because he has done such a stellar job balancing studying with his demanding career, his church responsibilities, being an out-of-this-world dad, fantastic husband and amazingly caring and thoughtful human.

two.
i have recently had a lot of dental work done (four cavities filled in three separate appointments). i have a really bad history with dentistry - i used to cry every single time i went to the dentist - it was some kind of pavlovian response after lots of not-so-fun times in that chair as a kid - but i actually enjoyed my most recent experiences. reclining in one place without any distractions (or any diapers or demands from a baby!) is actually pretty dreamy to me these days. i really like my dentist here in london (he is super gentle and i hardly feel any uncomfortableness) and i decided to use those hours with my mouth agape to meditate and ponder and relax. during my most recent appointment, i thought a lot about the imperfections of the human body and how i believe that life is supposed to be hard.

three.
i am, of course, sickened by the news that came out of charlottesville last week. i'm trying to wrap my head around the fact that "white supremacy" is a thing in america (and elsewhere). it's truly sad to see humans of the world so divisive. but i truly, truly believe that there is far more good than bad in this world, and that good will always win.

four.
both ian and i get soooo excited whenever we see a tiny baby when we are out and about together. to each other we whisper, "ohhh! looooook!" and it's obvious that both of our hearts are just melting. maybe we are a bit baby hungry?! 

five.
ian says he has just one little regret from our wedding - he wishes we had more cool photos in "cityscape" surroundings (totally random, i know). when we were in utah last month, i surprised him by booking a photographer. we put our wedding garb back on and had a blast running around the streets of downtown salt lake city.
our photographer sent us just a little "preview" of the images she shot and we are so excited to see the rest! here's a little peek. IMG_8881IMG_8879IMG_8884 IMG_8885IMG_8882
gosh, i love this boy and the life we share.
photos by meg bird photo.

six.
have i told you lately how much i adore london's flower-laden pubs in the summertime?? yes? well, i'm just going to keep on raving about them! this darling, tiny pub (on the left) is right across the street from ian's office and i just love it!
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seven.
today mo and i met some friends at richmond park, in southwest london. it is such a cool place. it totally feels like wilderness - there are even herds of deer roaming freely (they've been doing so since 1637!). i'm bummed i didn't snap any photos of the cuuuute gaggle of kids we had gathered this morning. moses was the littlest by far but i love that he has so many cute friends to look up to!
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eight.
our flight home from malta on sunday arrived at stansted just after midnight, which meant the trains were no longer running, which meant we had to take the bus into central london, which meant we didn't get to our flat until 3am - woof! but still, when i heard moses waking up at 6am i popped out of bed so fast because i was sooooo excited to see him. he has been especially affectionate - lost of hugs and kisses - since we returned from our trip. it's so so sweet!

nine.
as i've been writing this, moses has emptied two drawers, his basket of toys, and one kitchen cupboard. and the price i pay for a shower these days is an entire roll of toilet paper unrolled and toys allll over the bathroom. he is right on the cusp of waking, and i know the mess-making is only going to get better...! :)
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ten.
my parents have been writing books for nearly forty years now. they've always done so with a super sincere desire to help families by sharing what they've learned. in the past few years, as they've entered more of a "retirement" stage of life, they've become even less concerned about making money from book sales and have tried to figure out any way to share their books for little or no price. you can access over half of their books online via eyres' free books, and they just recently collaborated with their newer publisher to offer seven of their newest books for half off (if you click there and put in the code CHARITYFRIEND, you can see all seven books and decide if you want to purchase any of them at half price). next up is my mom's new book about grandmothering - super excited about that one (i think of any book my parents have written - together or separate - i've heard the most great reviews about my mom's a joyful mother of children, originally published in 1982).

happy wednesday! life is beautiful!

Comments

  1. Those cityscape pictures are breathtaking!

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  2. I love that you took more pictures! My only regret from my wedding is not having my husband in my "bridals." At the time, I wanted him to wait to see me in my dress until the wedding. I always wanted to take more but felt weird about it. Seeing your pictures makes me wish I would have!

    I'm also really excited to read some of these books from your parents.

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    Replies
    1. Hi,
      I've always been curious about "bridal" pix.

      Does it mean that the future husband would see the bride in her dress before the wedding? In the UK that's a big no no:)

      Also, why do some brides have bridals taken before the wedding? (By the way, I never knew before that that is what they're called)

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    2. hi julie - yes it means that the groom would see the bride before the wedding day. i was really opposed to this, so we didn't do "bridals."

      i think the idea is to get lots of great photos on a day that is muuuuch less busy than the wedding day.

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  3. I love the photos you and Ian took in the city! It's such a great idea to have more fun photos to add to your collection, especially in a city where you have so many precious memories.

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  4. Do you mind sharing the photographer you used in Salt Lake? I live in Salt Lake and I want family pictures taken in downtown Salt Lake including roof top photos like you had done. Thanks!

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    Replies
    1. of course! i can't believe i didn't put that in the post originally - adding it in with a link. her name is meg bird and she's really awesome.

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  5. That's great news about Ian passing the exam. Congrats to him:)

    The wedding pix are lovely. That was a brill idea.

    I've also had a fear of the dentist's. I've had it since I was a child.

    I'm having a couple of teeth out soon & am also having some fillings at the same time & am having sedation for them all as I'm so nervous.

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  6. Hi Charity! Just wondering why you didn't cab it home from the late flight? Would you still have gotten home at 3am?

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    1. a cab home would cost well over $150, so we opted for the bus and then a cab from where the bus dropped us off ($20) :)

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    2. To save three hours and allow you to be rested I would have thought $150 to be worth it? It's also safer than the bus. Cab driver needs to make a living too.

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    3. taking a cab would have saved us less than an hour. we didn't have our baby with us, and we are still young :) we can handle a tiny bit of sleep deprivation.

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  7. Is there Uber in London? It's a phenomenally useful service in the US.

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    Replies
    1. yes, we have uber! it's a little cheaper than cabs.

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  8. I think that is totally cool that you book a photographer and did cityscapes. I wish that had been a thing when my husband and I got married.

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  9. Hi Charity,I am wondering why you think that life is supposed to be hard?

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    Replies
    1. i believe that life is a test, and that its challenges are what make it purposeful. more of my thoughts on this are in this post: http://drippingwithpassion.blogspot.co.uk/2017/06/ten-thoughts-on-wednesday-mormonism.html

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