Merry Christmas to everyone!!
We skipped our letter last year, so
let's just sum it up by saying, it was not a great one!!
This year we moved in July to a house
with lower rent. I was contacted by a friend to do some data entry
for his company, and I must have impressed someone, because that
turned into a full time job for me!! It has been the hardest, but
most rewarding thing I have done outside of the home. I generally
work a 8-10 hour day, and come home and collapse!! I am not used to
this hard working all day schedule. I really need to get into a
better dinner routine, since we are not eating that great these
days...
I have new empathy for single working
parents. It is hard being a working mom. I think it would be a lot
more doable with a maid and personal chef!! Until we can afford
those, we will settle for training our kids. They are not loving the
added responsibilities they have, but will appreciate the knowledge
when they are older and have their own families.
We went to Utah right after we moved
into our house, and had a great time with the Gresko side of the
family. Nathan worked a lot of it, but was able to come up and spend
2 days with us. We were there for the 4th of July weekend,
and had a family reunion with all the in laws and cousins, minus Josh
Crowther, who was still on a mission in Korea. We came home and did
our best to unpack before getting into the school routine.
Colby is in 6th grade, and
is doing pretty well. He plays the piano, and surprises himself a lot
at how far he has come. He turned 12 in September and was ordained a
Deacon in our church. We are very proud of the awesome, and sensitive
young man he is growing into. Rebekah is in 5th grade, and
turned 10 this year. She is officially taller than Colby, and loves
to wear heels to rub it in! She is in orchestra, playing the violin;
and plays the piano as well. That is one busy girl we have!! Between
Achievement days, homework and instruments, she doesn't have much
time. Then comes our Caleb. He was baptized this July, as a member of
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. We are very proud of
him and the choice he made to join us as members of the church. He is
now 8, and in 3rd grade. What a character he is! He is
still tiny, but has grown a little in the last little bit. He is just
a funny, crazy, bouncy kid. He loves to show off and perform songs
for us while jumping around the room. He cracks us all up. Then last
but not least, comes Rachel. She turned 5 in June, and has always had
such a strong and distinctive personality. She is usually happy, and
has developed quite the sassy attitude since starting kindergarten.
She is always up for snuggling, and comes to sit by or on our laps
all the time. She is learning to read, and loves how the world is
opening up around her with words, and notices phonograms everywhere.
They are all growing up so fast!!
Nathan has had a hard time finding
steady work since the Post Office cut our contract last August. He
has had several jobs lasting from a few weeks, to several months.
Nothing has panned out like we hoped it would, and we have been
frustrated about what to do. After a lot of fasting and prayer, he
has decided to completely switch fields, and become a high school
science teacher. He is back in school for his Masters of Secondary
Education. He is working weekend nights from 10pm-10am at a computer
company monitoring their servers. He makes sure everything works
right, or fixes problems as they arise. He is doing well, and being
given full time hours at the start of the year. His program is
supposed to last 13 months, so hopefully, by the time our next letter
rolls around, he will be close to done!! It is hard work, but we are
so proud of him for all the sacrifices he is making for us!!
Then, there's me. I have had a hard
time this year. I spent the first few months of the year on the
couch, trying to let my compressed and painful discs in my back heal.
When that didn't do much, other than make me crazy, I sought out many
other kinds of help. I have tried chiropractors, myopractors,
acupuncturists, and doctors. Epidurals, trigger point injections,
numbing creams and medicated patches. None of them provided much
lasting relief. I have been pretty discouraged, but try to trust in
my faith in Heavenly Father, that in time, I will be free of pain and
able to be the mom and wife I want to be. I work at Rehab AZ, where I
get physical therapy and massage and other treatments to get me
through the day. The people I work with have saved me on more than
one occasion. I am very blessed to be where I am, and I count my
blessings every day for my family and friends who help me and my
family.
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