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Every Little Thing by April Jeppson

 

Going through some boxes in our basement, my husband came across an old newspaper. The paper was published when I graduated high school. All my classmates’ photos were on it. On the bottom, there were a few featured students. I was one of them.

“In the year 2015, I will be working for a company that I love. Happily married and living in a community that is overflowing with positive energy.”

This got me thinking about what I was doing back then. Did my prediction come true? Five years ago, I was a stay-at-home mom. Scrolling my Instagram to see what I was up to back then, I notice that on Jan. 5, 2015, I was in Cancun with Brian. I had earned a spot at Scentsy’s annual leadership retreat at an all-inclusive resort. I was talking with the CEO, enjoying some of the best food of my life and getting some much-needed sun.

Our last child was born at the end of 2013. We had recently completed our family of five and were working on trying to raise them right. So having the opportunity to take an epic vacation without children was such a blessing. The trip was a level of luxury I would have never purchased for myself and a great start to the year.

We moved to Albert Lea in 2011. At the time, we had two kids and only one car. It took a moment for me to find my people, but once I did, it was awesome. I’m a firm believer that life is what you make of it. I have intentionally surrounded myself (both virtually and in person) with people who are overflowing with positive energy. I weed my garden of influence the way my patient neighbor tends and weeds his tomatoes. It’s not by accident that I have such an amazing circle in this town.

2015 was filled with many sleepless nights, lots of laundry and lots of just trying to figure out how on earth you take care of three kids under the age of 6. I do not consider myself naturally maternal. I knew I wanted to be married, but having children was kind of a bonus. When I graduated high school, I was more concerned about my professional career than I was with rearing a family. When you find your person, sometimes things just click. I may not have always known I wanted children, but after I married Brian, I knew I wanted children with him.

Even at its worst, there was still no one I’d rather have by my side. If you have met Brian, you know how amazing he is. If you have met me, you know how lucky I am to have landed a guy as great as he is. Raising children is an adventure. I’m thankful daily that I have a partner who works so well with me. Oh, and he is funny. Being funny is more important than I would have realized.

2015 was filled with lots of adventure. Not only the trip to Mexico, but I had the opportunity to see OneRepublic perform in Las Vegas (still one of the best concerts I’ve ever been to). I learned how to make amazing food, and I mastered the art of preparing freezer meals. We even took the family out to Wyoming and experienced a little bit of what our ancestors did as we hand carted through the prairie grass. My high school prediction was more of a manifestation, and I’m happy to report that I manifested the heck out of it.

Albert Lean April Jeppson is a wife, mom, coach and encourager of dreams.