We are the Workmans!!: His Story...

Ok, Angie. Since you insist on hearing all about life from the perspective of the Frank, I will divulge a few of my secrets.

There has really been a lot that has transpired in the past couple of months. I'll say this, in terms of all that has happened, I haven't felt so many highs and lows since my mission. To sum it up, we found ourselves in a situation where we were being strongly persuaded to move by some of the people in our neighborhood. Unfortunately, though, I seem to have developed some stubbornness issues and I had no desire to leave my neighborhood. So, when our dear friends, the Cleggs, offered us their apartment, we couldn't refuse. The week of moving, however proved to be one of the most eventful weeks we have ever lived through. It started with a tragedy, however.

One of our closest friends to our family unexpectedly slipped beyond the veil. When he left, it left a void that, for some reason, I still somewhat struggle with trying to fill. I suppose the most difficult thing for me to realize was just how much I had really tried to be like him without even realizing it. What deepened my loss was learning just how much he had looked up to me and deeply admired me. The funeral services were probably the most beautiful, and yet the most surreal services I had attended to date. For one thing, though I wasn't a member of the immediate family, they treated me as though I was. Also, I gotta say this: it's one thing to be in the presence of someone you've lost and still feel close with that person, but when his or her presence is so close that you swear you can see him sitting in the stands out of the corner of your eye, it just leaves you really wondering just how thin that veil really is. I could have sworn I heard him laughing and even crying a bit at some of the things that were said about him. It's amazing how a singular experience like that can leave you feeling such a strange sense of unity and brotherhood to the amazing man I called Benjy. I'll miss my dear friend and older brother. I hope I can be the honorary uncle he would wish me to be for his beautiful, beautiful daughters. I love you Brooke and Bailey.

So, upon returning to Logan, we made some plans for a very busy upcoming week. You see, we had planned on moving first, then having the baby, but our little Chili-Bean kinda decided he had plans of his own and he decided to come earlier than anticipated. So I found myself quite blessed indeed when my friends, neighbors, and my amazing sister and niece came to help me get moved. Though Angie couldn't be there to help, it was so nice to leave the work-in-progress that was our home and visit her and our Chili-Bean in the Hospital. It was also nice to have them return to the new house when we got unpacked. There was a bit of a strange feeling, though, to be moving into the home we had always dubbed as the Clegg's place. It is hard to know that they are gone now, but I find solace in knowing that they are chasing broader horizons and bigger dreams now.

So let me talk a bit about my Chili-Bean. JD officially dubbed the nickname, Chili-Bean, because he has this funny tendency to go extremely red when he cries. The hospital refers to this type of crying as purple crying, which I worry about, but then again, it can be pretty funny at times. He just goes extremely red... plus he farts a ton. So he is now the Chili-Bean. Part of me acknowledges the fact that he may be a bit colicky at times, but then again, I guess he is my son after all. :) Another perk is that our Lady-Bug just adores him. I have been so impressed with her gentleness. My sweet Olivia just loves getting attention. It helps me realize just how careful I have to be when it comes to responding to everything she does, whether it's dropping a whole toilet paper roll in the toilet, eating chap-stick, or playing with her mother's breastpumping parts by placing them on herself. It was so funny! She is incredibly observant. I love watching her learn! She can be such a character at times. It is so crazy to realize she's going to be 2 in less than a month now. Man, how the time is flying!

Over Labor Day weekend, I decided to leave Angie and the Chili-Bean and take our Lady-Bug on a new adventure. What I thought was going to be a nice trip to be with a few family members turned out to be nothing short of a delightful reunion with some old and new faces of the Workman Family. Altogether, I'd estimate that there were at least 50 people there at one point. See, our Labor-Day trips date back to as early as when I was 13 or so. Every year, around Labor Day, we'd get together with my aunt and uncle from Colorado and we'd go camping. For a season, we'd alternate between going to Colorado and having them come into Utah to camp. By the time I left on my mission, we'd easily hit attendance numbers in the 20s, but this time around, I have never seen so many people that came to enjoy each others' company. The one person who stole all the limelight and attention from everyone else was none other than Olivia herself. I must say she had a blast just running around, getting dirty, and four-wheeling. She had a blast. She just simply gave me no opportunity to really keep her clean. She loved playing in the campers, the trailers, and even with all the dogs. She was all about having fun and it left me feeling so relieved that I didn't have to baby her so much. I really enjoyed telling and hearing stories around the campfire and reminiscing on old times with old friends... no pun intended.

Work has been quite interesting indeed. Though I don't particularly find myself fancying what I am doing, I will say that it has become a bit easier to transition from service into strictly sales than I thought it would be. I'm posting good numbers, which makes my boss look good, which makes his boss look good, and so on and so forth. My life is a very simple one, really... and that is certainly a different twist on things than I thought it would be. I can't help but feel, though, that something big is coming. I feel as though I am on the threshold of something huge that we have been prepared for. I look forward to the challenges and the dangers that lie in the great unknown. My family is my everything and, despite their antics, I certainly couldn't live without my children.

Well, there you have it, Angie. There's a brief sum of some of my perspectives of this crazy adventure you and I call eternity. Ain't it a fine life?!