Ben's Interview at Utah

A few weeks ago Ben interviewed at the University of Utah to start their MBA program in the fall. He applied to both BYU and Utah, and although he didn't get into BYU, we were excited when we heard that Utah wanted to interview him. They were willing to pay for his plane ticket and hotel to go down, so he left early Friday morning to spend the day in interviews and classes.

He was in need of a new suit so we bought one. He looked really sharp.

The interview went well and now we wait until about mid-February when they said they'd get back to us. Although we have no other schools on the back burner, we aren't twiddling our thumbs. We have a plan B and C that are in the running and no matter what, I know that the Lord will take care of our family.

Besides, look at that handsome guy in the suit. Could you say no to that?

GMAT complete!

In August Ben decided to go back to school, and that gave him only a few months to study for the GMAT. Two, to be exact. When he looked at the average amount that others study for the test, he found it to be six months to a year and many people take it three or four times. But with deadlines looming, Ben didn't really have a choice. He decided he could take it twice, and then as a I mentioned in an earlier post, he spent every spare moment studying.

He took it the first time at the beginning of October. His score was 560 out of 800. Not fantastic, but considering that test taking isn't Ben's strong point, we felt it was a good starting point. Then at the beginning of November he took it again and got a 610. We were thrilled. This is the smile on his face when he came home from the test that day:

As a matter of interest, I have to mention the breakdown of Ben's score. The test is broken into four sections- math, verbal, data analysis and an essay. On the math and data analysis he scored in the 25th percentile, but on the verbal he got in the 95th percentile and on the essay... he got a perfect score. Seriously. I was so proud of him. It's evident what Ben's strengths are, isn't it? He's a whiz with words and communication, but math is his Achilles heel. All the better reason to go back to school, right?

Now onto applications. We've done a ton of research, thinking and praying and we've decided to apply to BYU and the University of Utah. We feel like it's time to go home and reconnect with family for a bit. We'll likely leave Utah after school, since we have an adventure bug that has to be fed, but if all goes as planned we'd love to have that time with our families again. Stay tuned!

Fall in Oregon

Fall is a stunning time of year in Oregon. Actually I'm pretty sure that I say that about every season here. Oregon is just beautiful year round, okay?

 Foot shot on a morning that I happened to take the kids out for a run (I only run about four times a year so it seemed a picture worthy moment).

Playing in the leaves

Playing with our neighbor Maddie

Making leaf angels

General Conference was a great time and I tried to make it fun for the kids. With each apostle's talk Nayeli could open a grab bag with a toy or craft in it. It was a hit.

Family selfies! Since Ben is spending nearly all his free time studying for the GMAT, most of our recent pictures don't include him. It's nice to have these of our whole family having fun. 

We took a nice day to go to the Portland Zoo. The kids had a great time.

Nayeli has also had a recent obsession with ballet. It's so fun. She wears her tutu all the time- I can hardly get it off her to wash it.

Such concentration

Spinning

We harvested the seeds from our sunflower! We weren't able to roast them, but we've saved them to give to some neighbors and plant next year.

As the weather gets colder, we spend more days at the library. Story time is once a week and we love it.

Sundays are our day for walks. We've been playing hide-and-seek in the park lately.

Father and Son

One Saturday I had a Relief Society activity so Ben took the kids and went hiking with a picnic lunch. He took this picture while they were eating. They are the cutest.

Teddy has never met a puddle that he didn't like

Ballet in the park

Ben had a business trip around the state of Oregon at the end of the month. His company was filming a promotional video and he went to shoot photography. Last minute, he was asked to be an actor in a survivalist scene and ended up cutting himself with a machete. Poor guy- he hates to see his own blood. Luckily his boss was there to drive him to the ER.

He cut into the joint capsule of his pointer finger so it's been a rough road of healing.

He sent me these pictures from the ER. Eight stitches later he was fixed up, although he still can't make a closed fist and will have to follow up with a hand surgeon.

Dad brought home hats! We always love having Dad come home from a business trip.

A Time of Decisions

Last November a head hunter contacted Ben about a job in Colorado. He likes his job here, but there is little upward mobility and he has known for awhile that he would eventually need to find something else. So he applied for the job, and although it didn't work out, it started him on a job search that continued until this summer.

After applying for about a dozen jobs with no interviews or leads, we began to reassess. What he was doing wasn't working, so how could we alter our path? We knew a few things for sure:
1) Ben can't work in his current job forever.
2) We are quickly outgrowing our little apartment. We would love to be in a house with more space and a yard where our kids can run around.
3) We can't afford a house in the Portland area with Ben's current salary. The housing market is very expensive here and with the high cost of property taxes as well, we would be better served moving somewhere else.

With these realizations in mind, we began to pray. We prayed hard. What path did we need to take? Where should we go? We had seriously thought less than a year before about Ben doing an MBA but when we prayed about it we felt the answer was "no". Was it time to think about it again? Was "no" still the Lord's answer?

Living without direction in a midst of uncertainty was difficult. But I felt peace and a constant push to be patient, especially with Ben. Although we make decisions as a family, he needed to figure out for himself what professional path would make him happy and he would find fulfilling.

Then one day in August he came home from work telling me that he'd talked to his brother Landon about his job hunt. Landon has an MBA and has had great success with what he learned in his program. His suggestion was that Ben go back to school. It got the gears turning and got I saw Ben seriously considering going back to school for the first time in awhile.

So after praying, soul searching, and evaluating we have decided to have Ben apply to go back to school and get an MBA beginning in the fall of 2016. We both feel really good about this decision, even though we aren't sure exactly where it will take us. Ben is taking the GMAT next week and has been furiously studying since he decided to apply- he studies every weekday from 5-7am, goes to work, comes home to eat dinner and play with the kids until bedtime, then studies until we go to bed. On Saturdays he does a four-hour practice test in the morning, then spends the rest of the afternoon reviewing what the problems he missed.  Needless to say, I feel like a bit of a GMAT widow right now, but I am okay with sacrificing time away from him now if it means taking the right path.

We'll be applying to BYU and the University of Utah as well as another school such as the University of Texas- Austin or Notre Dame. We would love to go back to Utah for a few years to be together with family, but we also understand the value in picking the right school depending on where Ben gets in.

Where will this all take us? We aren't sure, but it is such a relief to have a plan and such fun to wonder where we'll end up. No matter what, we're a family and we'll stick together through it all. Here's to another adventure!

Ben's 28th Birthday

On July 8th Ben turned 28! He's getting so old! ;) It was kind of a crazy day because my sister Laura was in town with her family, but I tried to make it as special as I could and we did some celebrating after Laura left.

I started the day by sending Ben a text. Unfortunately auto correct got a hold of it and it turned into this:

Oh how I laughed at his response! Then later, after lunch, he texted, "Lisa never showed :(". Ha ha! He keeps me laughing and I love it.

When he got home from work we had a few presents for him. Nayeli had helped me wrap them in the afternoon.

Unwrapping gifts. Teddy in motion, like always.

That night my friend Dennine had offered to watch the kids, so we went out to eat at McMenamin's, a restaurant that is famous here in the Portland area. We ate on the patio, then enjoyed music by a live band. It was an old-man band that was not so talented, but it took Ben back to the days when he used to listen to his dad play in a band and he loved it. So we stayed for a long time and chatted. Date night is good for the soul, you know?

 Birthday date. I love this man.

We celebrated as the week went on by taking Ben balloons and a Jamba Juice to his work at lunch time, then cooking his favorite dish (sweet and sour chicken) for Sunday night dinner. Our wonderful neighbors Pops and Anita also wanted to get in on the celebration, so Pops offered to make Ben a homemade ice cream cake. We went over there Sunday night to enjoy it.

 Ben and Pops. Pops loves to bake and brings us cookies every Monday. He is wonderful.

Overall it wasn't a very well celebrated birthday for Ben, but he didn't mind. It always at a crazy time of year so we just try to make it as special as possible. As it is, I love Ben and am so happy he's mine! Happy birthday to the best man I could have asked for!

Get to Know Your Kin

A rare post by Ben:

I’m pretty certain that most people can’t name their grandparents’ brothers and sisters.  Chances are, they probably never met those distant relatives and it's unlikely they've ever spent much time together.  I don’t think that’s anyone’s fault.  Time passes.  Life marches on.  Families get spread out.  But for me it’s different.  I have vibrant memories of my grandmother’s brother and sister on the Phillips side.  And I have meaningful, current relationships with this great aunt and uncle. 

These wonderful, distant relatives have always been waiting in the wings of my life to cheer me on and watch me grow up.

And so, this post is about those folks.  I'm grateful for their love and encouragement over these many years. This is my small attempt to combine a couple pictures and thoughts to honor these family members who have played a role in my personal history. 

Late 80s.  Ben and Cork

Late 80s Florida Uncle Cork, Aunt Pauline, Landon, Ben, Patrick, Erik

I’ve always adored my great Uncle Cork and his wife Pauline. (I realize "Cork" is a strange name.  His real name is Cordon.  I'll have to ask him one day how that evolved into Cork.)  Maybe it’s because they gave me an Atlanta Braves baseball hat for my 8^th birthday.  Or maybe it’s because they sent us delicious toffee every year for Christmas.  Who knows.  Cork and Pauline have always been the relatives that lived so far away in Georgia that it was a big deal anytime they came to town, yet they weren’t around often enough to hear the same jokes every week.  They were the ideal distant aunt and uncle.

4th of July in the early 90s Back: Cork, Pauline, Alex, Tammy,
Esther, Jeff, Erik, Front:  Landon, Ben, Ruthie, Sam,
Grandma Great (Ruth), Jane

Cork and Me

My Aunt Esther (Cork's sister) is a spitfire.  She’ll tell you what’s on your mind and she doesn’t know the meaning of sugarcoating.  She’s a riot.  She always sent my brothers and me a book for Christmas and we’d always celebrate her birthday with a barbecue in Salt Lake on the 24^th of July.  When my grandmother, Ruthie (Esther’s sister), passed away when I was 11, Esther stepped up and filled in as a grandmotherly figure on that side of the family.  She came to graduations and mission farewells and homecomings and weddings and a few family trips.   For as long as I can remember, we have made our yearly pilgrimage with Esther to Temple Square and the Lion House Restaurant during Christmas. Those are sweet memories.

2011 Athena, Ben, Jane, Esther, Chelsea.  Our yearly Temple Square and Lion House Pilgrimage. 

Over the past four years I’ve traveled to Atlanta to attend a trade show for work.  I’ve made it a habit to sneak away from the busy show for a couple hours to visit Cork and Pauline.  As a bonus, Aunt Esther has consistently scheduled her yearly trip to visit Cork and Pauline at the same time. 

2013 Geogia.  Cork, Pauline, Esther, Me

In 2013, I spent a couple extra days in Geogia with Cork, Pauline and Esther and asked them questions about family history.  It was a fantastic time and I left knowing more about the Phillips family than I ever could have imagined.

The next year, it was just Cork, Pauline and me for dinner and more family history.  Poor Cork and Paulie-- they must cringe every time I sit them down to extract and record their family history stories. 

2014 Georgia. Pauline, Cork, Me (pardon the selfie)

And this year, Cork, Pauline, Patrick (their son), Esther and me all had an excellent dinner together.  

2015 Georgia.  Cork, Pauline, Patrick, Esther, Ben

Why does this matter?  Because family is important.  These people are my kin.  They have stories about my deceased grandparents and information about where I came from.  They have stories about my mother and how my grandparents raised her.  They have family stories of sorrows, goodness, sacrifice, perseverance and love that are priceless.  As I listen to them reminisce and as I ask questions, I gain a more rounded understanding of myself.  I grow to love the grandparents, great grandparents and great great grandparents that made sacrifices so that I can enjoy the life I have now.  Their past informs my present.  I am the sum of my personal life experiences, but I am also the sum of my ancestors’ decisions and experiences.  My yearly gathering with my great aunts and uncles is usually short and sweet, but it’s a tangible and vivid experience of “turning the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers.”  These are experiences I treasure.

Girl's Weekend and Ben Conquers Mount St. Helens

In April I flew to Boise to spent a weekend with all the women in my family. We wanted to get together, and a girl's weekend in Sun Valley seemed like a great idea. Initially I was going to drive, but 20 total hours in the car with my kids felt too overwhelming, so I ended up buying plane tickets. Two hours in the plane was sooooo much better than a long car ride.

We flew to Boise on Wednesday where Malinda picked us up from the airport, then I stayed up late to chat with her and Mark. I love visiting their home- they are so fun to talk to and their kids are so helpful with my kids. Plus they always have delicious food- Malinda keeps all sorts of goodies at their house.

The flight went well- I had a ton of toys and treats and games and... you name it. We boarded outside old-fashioned style so I had to get a picture.

Nayeli buckled in her own seat with her "doggie"

 The whole flight Teddy was trying to climb over Nayeli to look out the window. It goes without saying that she wasn't smiling this big every time he did it.

Like I mentioned, we stayed the first night at Mark's and then Thursday Malinda and I went to lunch together at Kneader's. Oh how I miss Kneader's in Oregon. Then Emily arrived (she drove from Hermiston) and we all piled into Malinda's suburban to drive to Sun Valley.

Out to dinner Thursday night

We all met at our condo late Thursday afternoon and then went to dinner. That night we stayed up late and sat talking and laughing on the couch. It was so much fun- I remember thinking, "All the effort to get here was worth it, even if just for this moment." 

Friday and Saturday were spent relaxing, shopping, visiting yard sales, and eating out. One morning I came down to find Nayeli and my mom like this:

 Another moment that I thought, "This makes all the effort of getting here worth it".

I was the only one who brought kids on the weekend, so my kids were spoiled with attention and loved it. My sister Julia even did Teddy's hair one day.

 Mohawk Teddy

 Eating out on Saturday

My kids needed naps in the afternoon so everyone went to a movie on Saturday while my kids and I rested. When they woke we went out on a walk. It is a beautiful area of Idaho.

 Nayeli insisted on holding Teddy's hand

Sorting all the stuff that was purchased at the yard sales. My sisters and mom LOVE to shop thrift, and they got a lot of great deals. As for myself, I love to shop but I only bought a few shirts and a stroller. I had to reign myself in since I had to take everything back with me on the airplane.

 The kids enjoying a yard sale find

We headed back to Boise Sunday morning and then I flew home that night, so it was a quick trip. While I was gone Ben had his own adventures. On Saturday he hiked Mount St. Helens (yes, THAT St. Helens) with his missionary trainer Jason Newman. Newman now lives with his family about an hour from us in Washington and it's been fun to get to know him and his wife Krista.

The summit! That's Mt. Adams in the background, the one that Ben hiked twice last summer.

The crater that the 1980 eruption left on the side of the mountain. That's Spirit Lake at the bottom.

It was a 10 mile hike that took about 10 hours total. Ben has loved living in an area with so many amazing mountains- it feeds a part of soul that nothing else quite can. I love that he's such an adventurer and am happy he has that outlet.