Oh, Henderson.

I've wanted to write a post about how life here in Henderson has been so far but haven't quite found the right time to do it.  Maybe it's because I'm horrendous at keeping a diary/journal and a blog is a very similar outlet.  Of course, I have to do a lot of self-editing since this is public!

Anyway, after Grady turned 1-year-old on the 4th of July (Independence Day!) we basically started loading up the truck and U-haul and then moved to our 3 bedroom apartment here in Henderson.  Our first day here didn't look so good: no AC.  It was completely shot.  Imagine loading in boxes from 105 degree weather but not having anywhere to cool off.  My poor Grady ended up running around in his diaper (which I don't normally do) but was still so hot.  The front office insisted that "it took 4-5 hours for the AC to cool down the apartment" which I thought was bologna.  I was no HVAC expert but there was definitely not any cool air being produced, nor did the actual unit make any noise.  Eventually, the entire unit was replaced with a new monster one.  A few weeks later our neighbors' was also changed out.  Looks like they had some maintenance to do!

Initially I was worried about the heat before moving out here.  Everyone I told that I was moving to the Las Vegas area said "oh man it is so hot!" and I started to tell myself this would be a problem.  Of course, if my AC didn't work like that first day, it would've been a problem.  But normally, I walk a few yards to my car, then a few feet into the store, back to the car, then back into the house.  All indoor places are pretty much blasting cold air 24/7 in the middle of 114 degree summers here.  So the heat doesn't bother me.  In fact, I love it.  I'm always sweaty, yes, but I feel less inclined to eat poorly, I find more creative things to do with Grady, and I can brag to others when the weather cools down everywhere else but stays pleasant where I am.  For example, right now it's been in the upper 70's and I leave the patio door open.  Grady wanders in and out, happily singing or talking to himself and I get to feel warm breezes blowing through the apartment.  It's been one of my favorite memories so far.

I have had a great time.  I have tried very hard to step out of my comfort zone.  Normally I wait for someone else to befriend me.  However this has been the best opportunity for me to reach out and make friends on my own terms without waiting around for some miracle.  I won't lie though, there have been several amazing people out here who have actually done that very thing.  The first week or so that I was here I was invited to go to the library for kids' story time and also to attend a playgroup.  I was extremely grateful for church at that moment and the connections and life-long friendships I would potentially make.

There is so much to do here.  I wasn't exactly a stay at home mom in Utah, so maybe I didn't realize that there were a bunch of activities around for Grady.  Anyway, here we go to the library quite frequently either for story time or for merely letting Grady run his tiny fingers over the spines of children's books.  There is even a corner just for little toddlers to play and get their wiggles out.  When we aren't at the library, we go to the Springs Preserve in Las Vegas.  When we first came here, we frequented the dinosaur exhibit there.  A couple animatronic dinosaurs were on display and there were also other fun prehistoric type activities for the kids.  They also have a Toddler Time event every Thursday there.  A rambunctious man reads a story and a theme is established for the day.  After the story is over, all the toddlers make a craft.

So when we aren't at the Springs Preserve, nor at the library we go to the park for playgroup.  The playgrounds here are amazing!  I've never seen so many slides and cool contraptions that even I want to play on.  I am actually quite jealous and sometimes insist that Grady goes down the slide so that I can also take a turn.  When we weren't at the park in the summer, Grady and I would swim a lot at the apartment complex's pool.  He loves floating around in his little floaty raft and splashing is definitely the number one activity for this kid.

As you can see I keep busy.  When Graydon is at school or studying, which is basically all the time every day, I make sure that I am occupied.  There is never anytime for me to feel lonely or sad for myself.  I sew dresses if I need something even more demanding to take up my time.  I read books for Book Club to pass the time.  I sell my old clothes online to help pay for eating out occasionally.  Maybe I will work out one of these days too.

Being here in Henderson is similar in some ways to Utah, but definitely different in a lot of other ways.  There is so much diversity and more opportunities to be exposed to other cultures and people.  I love it.  I love the chance to live in a swing state as well.  I have never seen a commercial on TV for a potential presidential candidate until I moved out here!  I didn't even know they existed!

So far, I would say the schooling aspect speaks for itself.  Graydon is busy, yes.  But I stay busy too and it isn't that hard.  It gets harder when I'm sick or Grady is teething, but people in my ward are so caring and quick to lend a hand.  I can't say that I know exactly what being a medical school student's wife is like, but so far I've been trying my best to make the most of it.  Who knows, maybe we would end up living here after all this is over?

Stubborn? Me? No way!

I can't believe that the last time I wrote a blog post was when Grady was 3 months old!  Time flies when you're having fun.

And boy, have we been having fun.  

My little Grady is such a fascinating boy.  Now that he is nearly 16 months old, I've started to identify some strong personality traits.  Some of them I selfishly compare to myself: "is he turning out like me?" and then there's "he definitely gets the stubbornness from me." 

But he's not stubborn like me.  I am far worse than anyone can possibly measure.  Grady is patient and gets frustrated when things don't pan out how he wants them to, but eventually he learns he can't have everything he wants.  Me, on the other hand, I complain and cry and don't want to change my ways until it's too late.

My stubbornness will be the end of me. I've learned this several times throughout my life.  Like that one time when I hung out with the wrong kind of friends as a kid.  I was warned and warned.  "it's going to end in heartbreak" I was told.  When the ties were broken, I was 13, alone and utterly confused about what person I was supposed to be.  

Then there's the time when I wouldn't give into that one demanding customer.  "This is the worst service I've ever received" he yelled.  "Well you can go somewhere else then, sir". I still don't regret that retort which adds to my dilemma.  But after that, I felt that my position at work was degraded a bit.  What kind of assistant manager responds to people like that?

Finally, there's that one moment when Graydon told me to be patient about starting a family.  All around me friends, coworkers, relatives and neighbors were having kids.  I was quickly turning 23.  Oh no, married for 2 years and no kids?  Then came 25.  I was still lagging.  I cried into my pillow and put myself down for not being like everyone else.  Shouldn't I have 2 kids by now?  The emotions were building up, the sound of someone else's happiness sent me into a whirlwind of despair.  I bought baby necessities...maybe pretending would yield a faster result.  

Eventually we got there and here I am, staring at a picture of my baby.  

I need to put an end to my stubbornness.  All it has ever done has gotten me into trouble.  Maybe I should be persistent instead?  Grady is a great example to me.  He has his moments when those molars are cutting through or he hasn't had enough sleep.  But overall, he is understanding when things are supposed to be a certain way.  He doesn't give up, but he goes with the flow.  He accepts the circumstances and moves on with a smile on his face.  I tell him "no, you can't play with that electrical outlet." He flinches, nearly tries to touch it again, but decides he'd have more fun playing with something else.  "Eat your dinner, Grady" gets me a shake of the head and then a gentle push of his plate, meaning he's done.  If that were me, I'd be screaming my head off "NO I DON'T WANT TO EAT" or "WHY CAN'T I PLAY WITH ELECTRICITY?"

I've come to the conclusion that I'd be much happier if I tried to see things from a different perspective, move on without dwelling too much on the past.  Seeing beyond the here and now has always been difficult for me.  Ever since my little Grady came into my life, I've noticed that it's been easier for me to lighten up a bit.  I think I will always be grateful for my little guy in more ways that I can count.  Who would've thought that Grady could teach me so much in so little time?