Well, this year since I didn't get around to sending out Christmas Cards, I am writing our family reflections of 2010 here....
January –
Well, January was the month that we decided where we were going to live for the next few years. Will had interviewed at different chains, and decided to accept the offer from CVS. Well, he started out as the Staff Pharmacist there, and now is the Pharmacy Manager. What a great blessing in our lives, and proof that when you include the Savior in your family decisions, that He will never lead you astray. Proof that our Heavenly Father looks out for us, blesses us, and loves us deeply.
February-
February found us visiting with family. My parents came down to Omaha, NE. to visit us, and also to participate in Sabrina’s Baptism. We started a family tradition where Will baptizes the children, and Grandpa (my father) confirms them. What a great way to start our journey in this wonderful church. Two generations watching out for my little one’s eternal happiness. Another great blessing from the Lord, and how family is so very important to us.
March-
March was just bitter cold with three weeks of -7 and below temps. Made us grateful that we had warmer weather to look forward to in May. I also started to pack up our home in Nebraska in anticipation of our move to Yuma.
April –
April found us needing to rely on the Lord for comfort when Vanessa needed to have eye surgery to correct some over achieving eye muscles. She was such a trooper, and did so well. She survived the surgery, and her peepers are still as beautiful as ever. We also continued to pray and ask for help as Will was starting to complete his clinical rotations, and I was at home trying to pack, and then also taking on some extra shifts at work so that we would have enough money to move, and be settled in Arizona in a couple months. April was sort of a whirlwind.
May –
Oh how we will never forget May. April showers really did bring May flowers. Will graduated with his class, and we were very fortunate to be supported and visited by two sets of loving parents. We gave numerous thanks on numerous occasions to our Heavenly Father for allowing us to make it through school, and to make it through school as a family, and stronger than ever. (We saw a few families torn apart from the rigors of the Pharmacy Program) We spent a few memorable days with Will’s parents, and my parents. How blessed we truly were as I looked around us during the Hooding Ceremony the night before graduation where I saw our loved ones there to cheer on my best friend. How happy it made me to see him accomplish his goals. Heavenly Father truly played a large part in our lives in May.
June –
June found us tired after many nights of driving and traveling to our new home 1500 miles away from where we had been for the last 4 years of our lives. We truly miss our friends, and loved ones that were so close, but we have been able to visit my parents a few times, and it has been great. It was also fun to be in a place with palm trees and sunshine after so long with snow and ice. It felt like we were on vacation, and not in our new home. I still can’t believe this is home, and that we aren’t on some long extended vacation. How different our climate is. How amazing it is that our Heavenly Father made all of this and each climate and area is beautiful all on its own.
July –
July was a stressful month. Will had graduated from Pharmacy school, but he still hadn’t quite finished his journey. July found us fasting and praying extra on a weekly basis as we prepared for Will to take his National Board exams. He studied just as hard as he did when he was in school, and I reverted back to taking the kids away for long periods of time to allow Will the peace and quiet he needed to study. It was a tough few weeks, and made me realize just how much we did without daddy during school. It made me realize just how precious he is to our family, and how much we rely on him for strength and leadership. However, in the end Will passed both his boards with room to spare. How we immediately thanked our Heavenly Father for his help, and the relief we felt after all was said and done. Will also had to go to California and be there for a few days during the orientation and welcoming of all CVS Pharmacists in the region. We missed daddy a lot, but had lots of fun at home swimming in our pool to keep cool.
August-
August was a month of exciting news as we found out that the kids could attend the best school there is here in Yuma. They had been on the waiting list since January and finally got accepted into Desert View Academy. And I will tell you now, I am so thankful they got into this wonderful school. Not only do they get to dress up for Halloween, and they get to celebrate Christmas, but they get to talk about God, and talk about religion openly without any repercussions. I still get frosted when I think back to Sabrina getting in trouble for singing Jesus wants me for a Sunbeam when she was scared and in school in Nebraska. August was also the month that we thought we were going to melt. Even spending almost all day in the swimming pool trying to cool down, we still had to find a good air-conditioned place to hide. There a quite a few large and fun play places here. Even through the heat I was still so grateful to be able to be a Stay-At-Home mom for the first time, and truly be there to enjoy my kids. We spent lots of time playing in the pool together, walking the dogs, and finding our treasure….the Green Castle…a monstrously huge play castle for kids outside. I also got to travel and take the kids back to Utah to see my brother married in the temple to a great gal. It was nice to be in the temple, and be able to truly be surrounded by love and family and be able to thank my Heavenly Father for everything he has blessed us with. The kids got to play with their amazing cousins, and also got to renew their relationships with their aunts and uncles. It had been a long time, but once everyone saw each other it was like it had only been a few days. We got to ride the Razors with grandma and grandpa, and also got to ride in the ski boat for the first time too. It was fun to be able to share in making memories with family.
September –
Well September was sort of a quiet month…thank goodness. I was whirling about almost every month this year. It was nice to settle down and get into a rhythm. Isaac lost his first tooth and was so excited when the tooth fairy came. I on the other hand couldn’t stop crying and thanking my Heavenly Father on a daily basis for all the many blessings I had. I had a family who loves me, children who are such great kids, and a husband who loves us so much that he spent 8 long years sacrificing for us. How grateful I was to be able to go to the stores and be able to purchase much needed items, and not worry about if we will make it that month. It is such a nice feeling to know that your hard work is paying off …literally. I also am grateful for medical technology. September was the month that I had a PICC line put in, and received daily infusions of Iron. Gratefully I have been able to loose over 200lbs, but one of the drawbacks of that surgery was that they removed too much small intestine, so I am unable to absorb enough iron from my diet, and the pills were making me violently ill. As a result of not getting enough iron, I was always run down, and tired. Basically I was equivalent to a car running on fumes, and not finding gas to fill the tank. However after 3 months of infusions, I was able to have the PICC line removed, and feel much better, and am able to do things I haven't done in a couple years. (This loss of iron didn't happen overnight, it slowly happened over the last two years.) I am so grateful for people in the medical field who help to advance our vast knowledge of medicine. It made me realize just how complicated our bodies really are, and just how amazing our Heavenly Father is to create such a complex being.
October –
October was a family first, and boy was it AWESOME!!! We finally took our first family vacation after 9 years of marriage, and three kids. Part of the blessings we received with this job at CVS was the bonus Will got for committing to a two year agreement. We took our family to DISNEYLAND. We spent 4 days and 3 nights at Disneyland. We stayed in a hotel that was a little less than ½ a mile from the park entrance, and so every morning we would walk to the park, and every night we would walk home. The kids thought it was the greatest thing, and I found myself acting and feeling just like a little kid again. All the memories of my family when I was little going to Disney land crept back, and filled me with joy as I remembered my experiences, and seeing my children experience the same joy. How blessed we were to be able to make such fun family memories so soon out of school.
November –
November finally cooled down, and we enjoyed some 90 degree days, instead of the usual 120+ degree days. The pool was still being used, but not as much since it is not a heated pool, and the cooler temps cooled off the pool to a more chilling temp. Too bad it couldn’t do that in the middle of the heat. Oh well. We bought our new Mini Van this month, and found out all that we were missing. Not that we need all the bells and whistles that this new Van offers us, but they are very convenient and fun. Will and the kids call it our Bat mobile…as there are some cool gadgets and things. The automatic doors at the push of a button, and the windows in the back that roll down, and the capability to put the seats into the floor, which came in handy this month too as we bought a new Sofa and Love seat from a couple who was selling it, and we fit it completely in our van with kids and all. We thanked our Heavenly Father even more so as Will was promoted to Pharmacy Manager. He has stepped into that role, and has already received many customer compliments that have gone all the way up the ladder, and made the District Manager happy and satisfied that he had made the correct choice in placing Will as the Pharmacy Manager. How blessed we are as a family that Will is so smart, and so capable. It is wonderful to finally be able to attend Church as a complete family again…now that he makes the schedule ;-).
December –
December has been fun. We are outside a lot of the days playing, and finding fun places to go in our new home town. We have been to prisons, and ghost towns, and so many other fun places. However December is the last month of the year, and as I look back, I see the hand of the Lord in our lives every month, and every day of this last year. We have so much to be thankful for. We have been through so much this year, and we couldn’t have done it without all of you, and most of all our Heavenly Father. May we always remember to include Him in everything we do, and give thanks when thanks are due. I know for me, and our family that we have truly been blessed this year, and look forward to another year full of excitement, and blessings. Well, I say excitement, BUT not too much excitement. I want a year of being able to save some money, and start building our food storage again, and being able to settle down into a nice relaxing routine. We have many things to look forward to, and a great family to look forward to it with.
May all of you reading thins know that we love and appreciate all of you, and appreciate the role each of you have played in our lives this year. Please know that if any of you are in the neighborhood, PLEASE STOP BY and have some fun with us.
