a little change in plans...

I think this picture epitomizes the last few months for my sweet husband. He returned to school down in Provo, taking on 18 credit hours and six hours a day on a bus. He still works full time as a commercial broker with clients that expect 50 hours a weeks from him. He's elders quorum president in a ward that is bringing in new members like crazy and thus requires a LOT of support and time. And on top of that, he ran for a seat in our city council which has been requiring most of our evenings and weekends and every other spare minute in between. WE ARE EXHAUSTED.

On the upside, we've been learning and growing a lot during this time. We've realized the real VALUE of friendship. As David has been campaigning and facing tough opposition and accusations, etc, etc, we've relied heavily on one another and also our friends. Simple words of encouragement and support can change everything. I'm so grateful for everyone who has sacrificed their time and efforts to help further David's campaign to help our city. He was the high vote winner in the primaries and I feel confident that he could have won the seat this coming Tuesday.

On the downside, he was disqualified from the election last Wednesday. All candidates are required to turn in contribution reports outlining the details of any contributions to their campaign. Every report is given a grace period if you are late, except for the last one. And he was 40 minutes late. So he's now out of the race.

In the end, David made a mistake, but its amazing to think that out of FIVE people who are constantly helping out with these details, NOT ONE of us remembered. It was on all of our calendars, we're usually emailing, calling, and texting one another about these details, but not this time. Perhaps this blunder will present an opportunity down the road.

Once we dealt with all the feelings of frustration, embarrassment, and disappointment, we concluded that there's nothing we can do but move forward and find other ways to stay involved in our city. I know there will be positives that come from this.

We're grateful for the lessons we're gaining from these experiences, as tough as they are, and for our friends who are still standing by us.