Words for the Wingmen

Dear Family and Posterity,

We’ve moved again. I went to D.C. I quit my job. I started law school. AnneMarie passed her Pilates certification.  She got called into the Relief Society presidency. We have a new brother-in-law. Nora got a haircut and wants to walk.

Now for the long version:

Right in the middle of August I said adios to Canopy, but not before one of my good friends, Mason, and my brother Hunter started working there. It brings me joy to help them find a job, and Canopy’s been a blessing to our family the last year and a half. And, also, before I left I took one last company trip to D.C. for a conference, setting some new company sales records on the way, eating, perhaps, too much shellfish. I checked in with Hunter last week and I think he’s enjoying it more than he thought he would. Mason’s wife Maddie described his new job as a dream job in a social media post. My last day, Mike put up a PowerPoint presentation on all the company TVs with pictures of my time at Canopy (mostly holding gift cards). I’ll miss the crew, but, in reality, so glad to be done with work and very happy to be in school.

Right after I quit, we moved into our new home here at 2043 Stadium lane. So far, just about a month in, it’s been wonderful. Plus, I am eternally grateful for the crew that helped us do this move in record time: Phillip Gebler and Hunter, the Pace gang, Parker and Claire came down from SLC (unreal friendship demonstrated) I love having a back yard. I love not being in an apartment complex. I love having our own driveway. I love the design and layout, and most of most of most of all—I love the real carpet. And we have a laundry room (heart eyes)!

AnneMarie’s sister Jessica got married to a guy (but not just any guy) named Trevor. Now he’s my brother-in-law-from-another-mother-in-law. Basically, that means we bond over frolfing outings in the park and other dude things. So glad to have him in the party, I mean, family.

I love law school. There are hard days and less hard days, but I enjoy reading the cases and my classmates are great. No, I do not know what I want to do yet, but I checked out two books on international law careers from the library to start that search, have lunch tomorrow with a former UN lawyer, and enrolled in a lecture series that brings in lawyers from all walks of life. Check back in December. I bike to and from school every day. The way there is downhill, eight minutes of pure speed. The ride back home is, conversely, all uphill and I arrive back home, a puddle. Thank goodness for carpet to lay on. Also, they have lunch almost every day, which is ridiculous. The other days I pack my own lunch, sometimes just to find out they’re bringing lunch in and I didn’t know it.

AnneMarie passed her mat Pilates certification and is excited to begin teaching some classes soon. So far, she plans to teach to a select few, golden-ticket kind-of-lucky people in the studio behind our house (forgot to mention that perk). If you’ve always wanted to do Pilates but don’t live in the area, maybe I can convince her to Facetime you in from your preferred workout area…

 She’s also três-busy with her new duties as 2nd counselor in our Relief Society. The bishop, our new next-door neighbor, wasted no time in capitalizing on her many talents and kind/loving/accepting soul, and the chapel is now graced with her presence as well as lots of cute signs for upcoming activities that she helps arrange. All the elderly ladies in our ward (of which there are many) also know Nora’s name and come up to say hi by the hordes. She is well-loved and making an impact after only a handful of weeks.

Nora got a haircut. I think it’s because she’s secretly doing a piece for Baby Vogue, but she won’t say, or if she did I didn’t catch it. The only other hint is that she spends all day walking on her tippy-toes, pushing her high chair or one of the barstools around the kitchen as her walker. Practicing for the catwalk I’m guessing? Also, as you may have seen from AnneMarie’s video, she likes to sing. She sings while tapping on the piano. She sings along with me every night when I sing her a lullaby.

 We love you, we miss you. Come visit and we’ll throw you a bbq,



Tanner, AnneMarie, Edna Mode