Flat Tire!

This is a blog I wrote several weeks ago but forgot to post it:

So, yesterday I planned to stay inside to do homework, housework, and chill. Did that happen? Of course not. Why? Because the boys went out to wash, clean, and vacuum the car, which was parked in the garage, only to come running back inside to inform me that one of the tires was flat; not just flat, but FLAT.Remember when I talked about not letting minuscule situations get in the way of the bigger picture? Out the window that thought flew as I fretted and raged as to how to solve this 'humongous' dilemma. After all, this was a problem of grand magnitude! ..... so what if I am exaggerating .... it WAS frustrating. There is no spare tire, didn't realize I'd let my AAA expire, the neighbors are gone, can't get a hold of my home teachers, and none of my older boys can help. Hmm.

Well, the twins finally found a neighbor who let us borrow an air compressor. We were able to hobble over to Discount Tire, and the HUGE problem was solved without having to spend a dime.  :-)

I feel better now and then humbled. The flat tire happened on the weekend instead as I'm traveling back and forth to school and 'work'. It happened when the twins were home so they could help me. It didn't cost an arm and a leg to fix and was installed with a brand new tire. I mean, really, why did it seem so frantically frustrating to begin with .... like I said, don't sweat the small stuff! :-)

Writing Slacker

Here I go, being a writing slacker again. Oh well. I will do what I can, when I can. Who says I have to be perfect. :-)

My last semester is halfway over and I'm presently studying for my midterms. Wow, a bachelor's degree in December. My goal finally coming to fruition. I feel very blessed. I will soon move into the master's program.

On Tuesday I go to the Mayo Clinic to have my right leg worked on. The big embarrassing varicose vein will be demolished, as well as some smaller spider veins that could cause problems. My school insurance helps out a lot.

I had a nice experience with my supervisor this week. She shared with me that she likes my counseling style and things we could make a great team. She wishes my masters internship could be with her (but it can't). She said she also likes my personality. We are exactly the same age and I am thankful my first experience with counseling was with her. She's very good at what she does and always has a positive attitude. It's very refreshing. I will miss her.

The Path

Life; I love it. There is so much to it. The path I take is up to me. I envision, as I look back on my path, that what I worry about now will seem like a droplet of rain in the grand scheme of this path. There is so much to do. As I intern at NCADD I am reminded each day that life is too short to get hung up on the little situations that seem to deter our progress along life's road. God is in charge and always will be. Trust. Faith. Hope. Love. I've been very blessed in my life and so why do I worry and fret over minuscule issues? I guess I am human and I am learning and trying and am in constant progress ... I hope.

Richard and Jena, Baby #1

Yay! I finally get to tell everyone that Richard and Jena are expecting baby #1, due mid-March 2014!!
The first picture of my 12th grandchild! :-)

  

Every time one of our babies was born it seemed like such a joyous miracle. Every time we found out we were expecting another baby, I was elated. I loved feeling the first flutters around 3 1/2 months. Even now I look back on my pregnancies with a peaceful, sweet feeling even with all the discomforts that came along with pregnancy. Each child is such a blessing to our family.

Talking to Trees and the Adorable Twins

A couple of times someone close to me has suggested that I should talk to a tree ... now don't get me wrong, I dearly love this person and highly respect him, but, "talk to a tree!?" I tried to be open-minded about it, but whenever I envision myself sharing my problems and thoughts with a tree, it just doesn't feel quite right (no offense to the trees! I love tress.). But then I got to thinking about journaling ... is this kind of like talking to a tree? I mean, after all, here I am sharing my thoughts on cyberspace paper, so I guess it's not so different.

The reason this subject even comes up is because I have a tendency to keep thoughts and feelings inside. After Erick's death I did this. I was shocked at how much anger I felt after he died. It hit me like a brick wall. Where the heck did it come from, and why, I wondered? I was able to function (maybe), and thought I was doing what was best for my children; you know, look and act strong; try to put their needs first. We were all thrown into a bit of a tailspin. His death was so unexpected. We found out two weeks before his death that he had leukemia. Before then we thought he was healthy and that we would grow old together. Boy were we in for a surprise. I will talk more about this sometime, but not right now. 

At the time of Erick's death, our youngest were these adorable, little 2 year old twins, Hansan and Dallan. They do not remember their daddy at all. Now they are 15 years old. My daughter-in-law, Xiaojun, took some beautiful pictures of the boys within the past week, so here they are now:

Love of Crazy, Busy Life

We have a crazy, busy life, and there is so much to write about, so where do I begin when I am so far behind? That's my problem. I think I have to write every little detail in order to share the stories correctly, and before you know it, there's a million stories that seem to pile atop each other. I then feel overwhelmed and continue putting it off, only to realize that large spaces of time have slipped into a pool of drowning thoughts that are locked inside my fading memories. *sigh* I will try to do better (as I say every time I write), but really, I will...... try. :-)

My 11 grandchildren have continued to grow even if it seems like time stands still due to my missing blogs. It is wonderful when my own children have their own children running around. Seems like yesterday that we had little ones running throughout the house. Now it's my beautiful grandchildren who come over and run throughout the house. Sometimes I get caught up in the enormity of it all; I mean, really, can you imagine 11 screaming little ones running throughout the house? Yep, that's the reality of it on some visits. But it's my crazy life and I wouldn't want it any other way. We get it figured out and it works for us one way or another.

 (Pictures of my grandchildren: August 31, 2013) 

Family Report

Wow, it's 2012 and been too long since I updated our blog. I'm not a good blogger, that's for sure. So much has happened over the past couple of years.

I am a student at Arizona State University. I am working towards getting a degree in social work. Although I'm a senior, I am behind in math and it is what's keeping me from finishing up at this point. I passed Algebra I, but now stuck in the next class up. I certainly don't have my children's brains. Thankfully they take after Erick in math, and not me!

The twins and I are living in Gilbert, Arizona. Hansan and Dallan are now 14 years old, and in the 8th grade. They are heavily into basketball and getting good grades in school. They love scouts and close to getting their Eagle.

Taylor is on his Brazil Santa Maria mission and will be home at the end of June. Time flies. He's happy and loves the people and country where he serves.

Timothy moved from home to Orem, Utah in January 2011. He has recently signed a contract to work in Wisconsin for 6 months selling home alarm systems.

Michael is a junior at BYU majoring in Russian.

Richard and Jena live in Avondale. Jena graduated from PA school this past summer. Richard took the mcap and is all ready to attend medical school. He is applying around the country right now.

Tommy's family did a 5 month study in China during the summer and they flew back into the States in time to spend Christmas with us. They are back in Maryland while Tommy is in law school at American University in Washington D.C.

Emrie and Luke live only 2.7 miles away from me. Luke's pool care business is going good and he stays on top of of keeping my pool clean.

Nathan and Cindy don't live too far away either. Nathan has decided to head towards medical school as well and is in the process of taking some needed classes even though he already has a couple of other business degrees.

My grandchildren, all 11 of them, are beautiful. Ashlynn is my oldest grandchild and she turned 8 and was baptized this summer.