This past year we remodeled both of our bathrooms, and the laundry room. Nathan did most of the work completely by himself, with yours truly assisting, in between work and kids and husbanding. He really is the best. He has been making quite a difference for tons of kids as a biology teacher at Snowflake High School for going on 5 years. We have lived in Snowflake for that long as well. We moved into our current house in June of 2016. It is small, but perfect for our family. We are very grateful to have it, and our family be so close because of it. Nathan also works security at sporting games for the school while I do ticket taking. We both work a ton, and do our best to do everything else.
In November of 2017, I fell at my desk at the high school where I work as the attendance clerk with Nathan. My darling Rachel accidentally pulled my chair out from under me when I went to sit down. Rather than fall to the floor, I tried to stop my fall by putting my arm on the desk. Bad idea! It wrenched my shoulder pretty bad. It took a few days for the pain to hit, it was my back at first. I have had two MRIs and several x-rays. All the radiologists that read them saw nothing wrong. I finally went to see an orthopedic surgeon, and he found damage. I am waiting for surgery, but it probably won't be until the summer so I have time to recover without worrying about work. I also have struggled with ovarian cysts that rupture and are painful. The last round may have been what caused a TIA, and I was taken to the hospital in an ambulance because the doctor thought I was having a stroke. I have had numbness in one side of my face, and my arm will go numb at random as well. It has been a very interesting time! I am having the ovary removed soon. To make things more fun, I fell at work again this week. I tripped over a pile of cans for our canned food drive, and flailed, stumbling forward several steps until I skinned my knee and wrenched my other shoulder and knee pretty good when I landed on the floor. It has been a trying week for me, and I have suffered to find peace and happiness amidst the never-ending pain. I will have two surgeries in the coming year. I am also in my second semester of college at NAU online, through the personalized learning program. It is self paced, and perfect for my chaotic life. Hopefully, in just a couple more semesters I will earn my Bachelors in Business Management with a Healthcare emphasis.
Colby is 17, and in his Junior year of high school. He has straight A's the last year and a half for the first time in his life. He is taking Physics, and Acadec, which have helped him to figure out a little more of what it is to grow up. He worked this summer at the Youth Conservation Corps. He did very well working full time and didn't have much of a break before school was back in session. He has been getting taller, finally, and he hit 6 feet tall. He did better than ever running cross country for the school, even though he didn't like it..he pushed through the pain and misery. He still loves legos and playing on the Xbox. I am proud of the man he is becoming.
Rebekah is 15, and a Sophomore in school. She started the season running cross country, but developed stress fractures from her shin splints. She took the rest of the season off in preparation for trying out for basketball. She didn't make the team after she put in hours of work and practice, but she did get a nasty black eye on Halloween night from a girl jumping for a shot and coming down with her elbow to Rebekah's eye. It took several weeks for the swelling and blackness to go away. She has straight A's as well, and is taking all honors classes. She plays the violin very well and sings with the school's honor choir. She is doing amazing and growing up to be an exceptional lady.
Caleb is 13, and tiny as ever. He is growing a little, but not quite 5 feet yet. He is in 8th grade, and doing well in school too. Junior High is tough though, so it's not quite straight A's. He writes stories and plays percussion with his school band. He is quirky and has the best sense of humor. He is such a fun and funny kid, he has us all laughing at inopportune moments. He loves to play legos and Xbox with Colby and his friends.
Rachel is 10, and in 5th grade. She struggled with school this year, as she is easily distracted by friends and other things. We are working with her teacher to get her grades up again. She is doing well, reading a ton, and loves to play with her friends. She does not appreciate all the movies we watch, and often falls asleep during them. We love to show our kids the movies we loved, and the new ones as well. Redbox is our constant friend!
As I said before, it has been difficult to be happy amidst all the uncertainty and pain. I know things will change this year, and it's been hard for me to wrap my head around, financially and in general. I am trying to have faith, and something that was said at church today resonated with me. When learning about the angel talking to Mary, and how she was told she would be the mother of the Son of God, she humbly said, "Behold the Handmaiden of the Lord, be it unto me according to thy will". She didn't rail and complain about the hardships she would have to endure. She knew there was a whole lot more going on than just her suffering and loss. So she bore it willingly and faithfully. I am trying to emulate her now. It is going to be difficult, but I know I am not alone in my trials. I was reminded of that fact today, and I am grateful for this time of year. I am grateful for life to slow down a little, and be off of work for a couple weeks. I am going to rest as much as possible, and gear up for whatever life brings my family and me. I hope everyone has a wonderful Christmas, and we can all feel the spirit of the baby who made all of this possible, and the Man we all want to live our lives to return to; Our Savior, Jesus Christ.
Posts
1 comment:
What a beautiful family!!! I loved reading your letter. Merry Christmas!!!!
Post a Comment