At Equality Utah's A Queer New world allies dinner-thanks Troy Williams for the invite!
I wanted to capture a few things about this year that were personally important to me. And I'd like to say thank you for those who made them possible.
Warning! It's very long and littered with selfies. If that sort of stuff makes you uncomfortable trespass no further! You will be doomed to roll your eyes until they roll out of your head. If you'd rather read about my family's year you can scroll down or go here.
Lamoille Canyon at the foot of the Ruby Mountains in Nevada. For the first time in awhile, I wasn't pregnant this year, but I did breastfeed Iris up until she turned one. So a thank you to my body for sustaining life this year. Way to go breasts!
I'd like to thank leggings for becoming my ever-trusty domestic uniform. I am sorry for all those mothers before me who parented in housecoats or mom jeans. Although, I do own several pairs of most-beloved mom jeans but they are reserved for sexy date night. Go figure.
Thanks to Velour, for 9 years of really great music which has shaped this town. I am excited to celebrate 10 years with you this year!
Christopher and I were asked to be in a video for our friends at Issimo Productions called What I Wish I Had Known Before I Had a Baby. Little did we know it would go viral (1.7 million views), be featured on Huffington Post and be tweeted out by Ashton Kutcher. Oh yes, I said Ashton Kutcher kids.
I'd like to thank Kristine Haglund for publishing my essay To My Mormon Daughters in Dialogue making me feel like I had actually arrived as a Mormon writer for real.
Thanks to the on-call UVRMC nurse who helped me on the day Iris was born, while talking her I had a revelation that I wanted to be a speech writer. A year later I had the opportunity to write the State of the City speech for Mayor Curtis. Dreams come true!
Thanks to local illustrator Bryan Niven, my judgey face graced a LDS church publication called The Ensign. I was showing my unhappiness at the noisy kids sitting in the pew behind me for an article about empathy. In real life, we ARE the family who with the noisy kids in church. So it was natural for me to pull this face.
Thanks to Ever for teaching me to let go in so many ways, like what my children wear to school for instance.
Thanks to my smart, strong aunt Chriss (and cousin Lisa) who let me and my sister Page come and tap into all her wisdom and ask her all about her story before she passed away this year. She was a true progressive, a bona fide feminist and determined mother. We will miss her dearly.
Thanks to Mayor Curtis and Deputy Mayor Corey Norman, I was offered a really great job with Provo City this year as an community outreach adviser in the Curtis administration. It's a dream job--full of opportunities and personal growth. And my kids get to hang out with Christopher while I'm at the office. Best of all the worlds.
One of my first projects as a new city employee was to execute the first ever city-wide Happy Birthday, Provo celebration. It went off really well thanks to a helpful crew and friends who helped celebrate throughout the week. This is a pic of my boss on a birthday bus with my baby holding a birthday balloon! It's also my favorite picture of the whole year.
For my 38th birthday this year Slab pizza rolled out their new C. Jane Rocket Pear pizza (and salad) which is the most delicious thing you've had on a pizza crust ever. Bacon, walnuts, red onion, bleu cheese and fresh pears on a bed of arugula atop of a bacon and cheese crust. It now has a permanent home on Slab's menu. Also on my birthday Sodalicious offered a C. Jane drink-Coke with cinnamon and fresh lemon. It wasn't a permanent fixture on their menu because I'm sure I was the only person in town who liked it, but it made my day.
Thanks to my father in law Ernie who battled with cancer this year and showed us how to fight. We love Grandpa Kendrick and can't wait to see him running up and out of the canyon again this next year.
Thanks to the Culture Works team for sending Christopher to San Antonio (among other places this year) so that I could go with him and try the River Walk and all the amazing food I could possibly want. But most of all, for that quiet afternoon I spent underneath the huge trees by the Alamo. And the romance, of course. (And thanks to Page for babysitting!) First time to Texas y'all.
Thanks to Steve Vistaunet for making my dream come true by becoming one of his illustrations! But also for all the work we did together this year. He's such a great partner to have on creative projects.
Thanks to the expanded Rooftop crew for pulling off another huge season!
Thanks Justin Hackworth for the photo!
Thanks in particular to my sister Lucy for being a hard-working, slightly nervous, always excited Rooftop assistant. I couldn't have done it without her!
Thanks to my sisters in Mormon Feminism who invited us to MoFem Girls Camp this year. Despite the weather it was a banner experience for me and my girls.
Thanks to Sarah Wiley, my partner in so many things, for enduring this year with me. It wasn't easy.
Justin Hackworth
Thanks to Kaskade for helping us bring the biggest concert of Rooftop yet. 17,000 crowded into downtown Provo for a fantastic night. And of course thanks to those who came and those who made it happen.
Justin Hackworth
Thanks to Scott Wiley for being born into the right family so I could bum off his beach house year after year. I am sad this was our last year, but I think we made it count.
And thanks to Christopher for being secure enough to see me go to the beach while he stayed home to give a speech. It was a saucy reunion for sure. I love this man so much.
Thanks to Janna for being my therapist and friend. I wouldn't be nearly as mentally well if I didn't have her presence in my life. This year in particular she helped me conquer the beast of the body image problem.
Thanks to Carina for running for council. I think most of us consider her race a huge win. And I can't wait to see where she goes from here.
Thanks to the fabulous plus size instagram bloggers who inspired me to try new fashion this year. Like, say, pantsuits. And tuxedo dresses.
Thanks to Susan Kruegar-Barber who painted me as an angel this year. I didn't deserve it, but I bought the painting to remind me to be kind and compassionate.
Thanks to everyone who helped and contributed to the Merry Christmas, Provo cd this year. We raised $20,000 for United Way's Sub for Santa. It was a fun project to work on and I am really proud of the music.
Thanks to Erica at Shep Salon for encouraging me to cut my hair. I am a new woman. You can tell by the pose in the office bathroom right? (P.S. this was me trying to "sell" the new haircut to Christopher who greatly prefers my long hair...I was moderately-extremely nervous to tell him.)
Last of all, thanks to my family who continue to venture through this life with me. My absolutely greatest joy and what gets me out of bed every day is the idea that I get to have adventures and discoveries with my family. This year we've been to the salt flats, the desert, the mountains, dinosaur tracking, Idaho, and beyond. These people keep me happy and healthy and borderline insane, but what else is there?
Cheers to 2016!
Thanks Bullfrog Spas for your generosity this year. We love you like family! Seriously. We do.