So here's what been keeping me from typing:
- 3.0 GPA last term (BOO!)
- Had to pay out-of-pocket to continue school Spring Term (BOO!)
- Financial aid for next year declined (for now)
- Kitchen flooded (Tears!)
- Failed to complete volunteer calendar (Oops!)
If I were a baseball batter, I would have struck out already. Fortunately, Heavenly Father doesn't operate on the balls & strikes system. And THANK GOODNESS for that!
I was unhappy with my final GPA, but grateful I didn't fail a class when I know I was struggling with one. We had the money to cover the cost of classes for Spring Term. There's a way to get my financial aid reinstated because it just requires an explanation. And I was ok with all that until the kitchen flooded. That sent me over the edge. I cleaned out the coolers, emptied the freezer and left the house in tears. I made it (late) to my semi-annual hair appointment, (Thank you JET!) and cried some more. Then I set up my medical insurance and came home to my kitchen being packed up and demolished to dry out the sub floor. While in the midst of dealing with the kitchen, I failed to complete the volunteer calendar for Oleesia's class. (Sorry Bridget!) Can you blame me though?
So I began Spring Term with my kitchen, office, and dining room all torn up and each time I had to deal with the clean-up business, I sang "Count Your Blessings" in my head. Over and over and over again. It helped me deal with the tears so I didn't keep crying.
And since I've written this post in two sittings, a few things have been worked out and a few new developments have occurred.
Well I can't recover a 3.0GPA, but I was refunded the out-of-pocket money because there was some weird glitch in my financial aid for Spring Term. PHEW!! All the money has been returned to its rightful place.
After a couple hitches, we received the insurance check to cover the repairs of my kitchen and garage. I'm hiding the money so we don't spend it all, because we would do just that if given the change. The budget really needs to tighten up! AND FAST!
I had a sit down with my academic counselor and I'm going to have to write a really good letter to the financial aid department to explain why I need to continue my financial aid so I can complete my degree. We have a plan of action. Now I just need to implement it and pray for things to go my way.
The kitchen is in the process of being repaired. My mom, Liz, has repaired the kitchen and dining room walls and laid the concrete board so we (and by we, I mean Craig) can tile. We decided that while the kitchen is completely gutted that now is the time to refinish the cabinets. While the process shouldn't take super long, it's taking longer than we would like because Craig is still working 50+ hours a week and is working on the house in the evenings. He has sprayed the primer and is now putting on the first coat of paint. Hopefully, we'll be able to put a few things back in the kitchen this weekend (Fingers crossed!)
Lastly, I have to complete the class volunteer schedule. I've been so worried and busy being a mom with no kitchen, a student with a ton of homework, the Relief Society secretary and a wife that the parent volunteer part fell off the plate. Fortunately, my teacher is AWESOME! I've explained and I'm told not to worry, BUT I'm going to complete that schedule by Friday so I can feel accomplished somewhere.
OK so really things have been A LOT hectic around here and as I mentioned earlier, I sang "Count Your Blessings" in my head to keep me from crying. My patriarchal blessing mentions patience a time or two or 15 so I think this is definitely a test and, I'll be honest, I'm glad for it. Tests = growth. I believe my bishop said that last night during our chapel session. I don't mind the load and it's given me a chance to really think about my blessings. So "Count your blessings; Name them one by one"
Craig-my dear, sweet, hard-working husband. He works so hard all day to provide for our family so we have a home to live in, cars to drive, gas & insurance for those cars, food on the table, TV to watch, phones to use, and this computer I'm typing on. Then after he puts in a hard day's work earning a paycheck, he comes home to work on the house. At first, it was the slow remodeling downstairs, but now it's the more desperate work on the kitchen. And speaking of kitchens...
Liz-my loving, patient, retired mom. When she heard me tearfully explaining all the damage, she remained calm and offered her time and energy to assist us in getting our kitchen back together. If it weren't for her, Craig would still be getting the mud on the walls sanded. This is just one of the many, many things she has done over my nearly 39 years, (Yes I revealed my age!) not least of all is giving me life in the first place.
Christopher-my eldest son. I wish he really understood just how incredibly proud of him I am. I don't know if he reads this, but I sure hope so. He's a blessing. Just by being my son, he has taught me so much. While our relationship can be strained, he's put up with all my growth too. We had a lot of growing pains together.
Lynneah-Chris' girlfriend. She keeps Chris working hard and she takes care of their household. She's going to school and is supportive of my son. I'm pretty grateful Chris has a smart girlfriend and she's a sweetheart to boot.
Garett-my eldest no-longer-step-son. Looking back at the time when he lived with me, I regret stuff, but I'm grateful for him being willing to put up with me and still saying, "I love you" nowadays. Garett was there through some of the growing up with Chris and Garett helped me be a better step-mom to the boys I have now. I love all my kids, whether I'm no longer married to their dad or not. They are still my kids and my heart is invested.
Blake-my eldest step-son. He's such a funny kid, ahem, I mean adult. He's going to graduate high school this year and he's taught me to be patient and work the "Mom magic" in another way. Five or six years ago, he liked to test my limits and he learned quickly that I didn't like the tests. He's such a great man and Craig is so proud to have his lacrosse coaches come up to him and compliment Blake. He's great with younger kids and loves lacrosse so much. He's even willing to share his love and imbue that into them as well. What a great sharer!
Carter-my youngest step-son. Well, Carter's just funny. He's in that awkward teenage place right now, but he's maturing so much. I'm proud of the young man he's becoming. He used to grudgingly put up with hugs from my daughters, but now his affection is genuine and he understands how much they love him. I'm pretty sure it's reciprocated.
Oleesia-my eldest daughter. She's my moody, broody kid and I see a lot of me in her. I try so hard to teach her the good things. She wants an academic scholarship to college! Her grades and schoolwork are so important to her. Yet she still thinks of others. Last week, the girls didn't have school, but I still had class. My mom was working on the house and stayed with them while I was gone. Olee prearranged to have Mom help her clean the house for me. I came home from class with my laundry folded (groan), my bedding dried and put back on my bed and my entire house vacuumed. Thank you Olee for being so thoughtful. It was nice to have that burden lifted even if I don't like other people folding my laundry.
Shaenin-my baby. She is the sparkle in my life. She wakes up happy. She smiles. She hugs. She kisses. She dances. She laughs. There's not a thing she does that doesn't make me smile. (Well, except argue with Olee, but isn't that what siblings are for?) The way she dresses makes me laugh and shake my head, but it works for her and that's what counts. She brings the sun on a crappy day.
And the rest of my blessings: my ward family, the Relief Society Presidency, my lovely friends: Lisa, Becky, Julie, Trina, Ali, Joy, Karma and the list goes on, Bishop Stott, Patriarch Monson, my old dog: Enli, my home, my bed, my brain, my education, my intelligence, my wardrobe, my endowments, the Elders, the Sisters, the returned missionaries, the Holy Ghost, my Heavenly Father, and my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
This is not an all-inclusive list... Thank goodness!
What are your blessings? Take a couple minutes to count them.
And since I've written this post in two sittings, a few things have been worked out and a few new developments have occurred.
Well I can't recover a 3.0GPA, but I was refunded the out-of-pocket money because there was some weird glitch in my financial aid for Spring Term. PHEW!! All the money has been returned to its rightful place.
After a couple hitches, we received the insurance check to cover the repairs of my kitchen and garage. I'm hiding the money so we don't spend it all, because we would do just that if given the change. The budget really needs to tighten up! AND FAST!
I had a sit down with my academic counselor and I'm going to have to write a really good letter to the financial aid department to explain why I need to continue my financial aid so I can complete my degree. We have a plan of action. Now I just need to implement it and pray for things to go my way.
The kitchen is in the process of being repaired. My mom, Liz, has repaired the kitchen and dining room walls and laid the concrete board so we (and by we, I mean Craig) can tile. We decided that while the kitchen is completely gutted that now is the time to refinish the cabinets. While the process shouldn't take super long, it's taking longer than we would like because Craig is still working 50+ hours a week and is working on the house in the evenings. He has sprayed the primer and is now putting on the first coat of paint. Hopefully, we'll be able to put a few things back in the kitchen this weekend (Fingers crossed!)
Lastly, I have to complete the class volunteer schedule. I've been so worried and busy being a mom with no kitchen, a student with a ton of homework, the Relief Society secretary and a wife that the parent volunteer part fell off the plate. Fortunately, my teacher is AWESOME! I've explained and I'm told not to worry, BUT I'm going to complete that schedule by Friday so I can feel accomplished somewhere.
OK so really things have been A LOT hectic around here and as I mentioned earlier, I sang "Count Your Blessings" in my head to keep me from crying. My patriarchal blessing mentions patience a time or two or 15 so I think this is definitely a test and, I'll be honest, I'm glad for it. Tests = growth. I believe my bishop said that last night during our chapel session. I don't mind the load and it's given me a chance to really think about my blessings. So "Count your blessings; Name them one by one"
Craig-my dear, sweet, hard-working husband. He works so hard all day to provide for our family so we have a home to live in, cars to drive, gas & insurance for those cars, food on the table, TV to watch, phones to use, and this computer I'm typing on. Then after he puts in a hard day's work earning a paycheck, he comes home to work on the house. At first, it was the slow remodeling downstairs, but now it's the more desperate work on the kitchen. And speaking of kitchens...
Liz-my loving, patient, retired mom. When she heard me tearfully explaining all the damage, she remained calm and offered her time and energy to assist us in getting our kitchen back together. If it weren't for her, Craig would still be getting the mud on the walls sanded. This is just one of the many, many things she has done over my nearly 39 years, (Yes I revealed my age!) not least of all is giving me life in the first place.
Christopher-my eldest son. I wish he really understood just how incredibly proud of him I am. I don't know if he reads this, but I sure hope so. He's a blessing. Just by being my son, he has taught me so much. While our relationship can be strained, he's put up with all my growth too. We had a lot of growing pains together.
Lynneah-Chris' girlfriend. She keeps Chris working hard and she takes care of their household. She's going to school and is supportive of my son. I'm pretty grateful Chris has a smart girlfriend and she's a sweetheart to boot.
Garett-my eldest no-longer-step-son. Looking back at the time when he lived with me, I regret stuff, but I'm grateful for him being willing to put up with me and still saying, "I love you" nowadays. Garett was there through some of the growing up with Chris and Garett helped me be a better step-mom to the boys I have now. I love all my kids, whether I'm no longer married to their dad or not. They are still my kids and my heart is invested.
Blake-my eldest step-son. He's such a funny kid, ahem, I mean adult. He's going to graduate high school this year and he's taught me to be patient and work the "Mom magic" in another way. Five or six years ago, he liked to test my limits and he learned quickly that I didn't like the tests. He's such a great man and Craig is so proud to have his lacrosse coaches come up to him and compliment Blake. He's great with younger kids and loves lacrosse so much. He's even willing to share his love and imbue that into them as well. What a great sharer!
Carter-my youngest step-son. Well, Carter's just funny. He's in that awkward teenage place right now, but he's maturing so much. I'm proud of the young man he's becoming. He used to grudgingly put up with hugs from my daughters, but now his affection is genuine and he understands how much they love him. I'm pretty sure it's reciprocated.
Oleesia-my eldest daughter. She's my moody, broody kid and I see a lot of me in her. I try so hard to teach her the good things. She wants an academic scholarship to college! Her grades and schoolwork are so important to her. Yet she still thinks of others. Last week, the girls didn't have school, but I still had class. My mom was working on the house and stayed with them while I was gone. Olee prearranged to have Mom help her clean the house for me. I came home from class with my laundry folded (groan), my bedding dried and put back on my bed and my entire house vacuumed. Thank you Olee for being so thoughtful. It was nice to have that burden lifted even if I don't like other people folding my laundry.
Shaenin-my baby. She is the sparkle in my life. She wakes up happy. She smiles. She hugs. She kisses. She dances. She laughs. There's not a thing she does that doesn't make me smile. (Well, except argue with Olee, but isn't that what siblings are for?) The way she dresses makes me laugh and shake my head, but it works for her and that's what counts. She brings the sun on a crappy day.
And the rest of my blessings: my ward family, the Relief Society Presidency, my lovely friends: Lisa, Becky, Julie, Trina, Ali, Joy, Karma and the list goes on, Bishop Stott, Patriarch Monson, my old dog: Enli, my home, my bed, my brain, my education, my intelligence, my wardrobe, my endowments, the Elders, the Sisters, the returned missionaries, the Holy Ghost, my Heavenly Father, and my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
This is not an all-inclusive list... Thank goodness!
What are your blessings? Take a couple minutes to count them.
