January we rang in the New Year, unfortunately by ourselves. Our friends were up in SLC celebrating with their family, seeing a concert at the Tabernacle. We spent the night with our girls, and went to bed right after midnight. We're boring, I know!!! Ian was laid off the end of December and the next couple months would be tight for us. The middle of January we had one of our friends move in with us. It's been nice having him live with us, especially when it was difficult for me to get upstairs to take care of the girls. Our friend also had her baby in January, and it was nice to see them in the hospital.
February Ian started a new job, working for a company that he worked for last year. He works for a call center in Draper, working Data Entry, taking phone calls from representatives who install security alarms in homes. He loves working there, and was sad when the season ended last year. Thankfully he got on pre-season this year, so he is able to build up time and expertise and stay on after the season ends in October. I'm ready to have him working somewhere that he loves and somewhere where there's room to grow, and this company has both. February also brought us closer to the end of the pregnancy. I had my baby shower, I had my weekly doctor's visits, and began the fun phase of Braxton Hicks contractions.
March 3rd was a Sunday that I will never forget. Ian and I went to church, I managed to get through all 3 hours, even though I wasn't feeling well. I felt hot, dizzy and was ready to be home and relaxed. We got home at 12:15, had lunch, put the girls down for a nap, and went upstairs to watch tv. At 2:30 I felt a small gush of fluid. I text my doula, she came over at 3:30, and began working with me to get my contractions going. We went on a walk with the girls (it was a nice day outside), and when they became regular, we dropped the girls off with the babysitter and headed for the hospital. We got there at 6:30pm, got me hooked up to an iv (since I was somehow dehydrated), and the contractions began coming even more regular. They were still small, so easy to breathe through, and they sent me walking the halls for 1 hour to see if I would progress faster. I was admitted at midnight while my husband was sleeping and my doula was at home sleeping (since my contractions weren't strong enough to do anything), and I tried to get some sleep. At 3:00 the doctor came in and asked if he could start me on pitocin and break my water. We decided to break my water first, and see if that would help. After 1 hour, I was dilated to a 4cm, but not fast enough for the doctor (since I had been there for 10 hours already with not much progress). They began me on pitocin, and those next 6 hours would be the worst of my life. I began having regular contractions, which became stronger as the pitocin dose was made stronger every 30 min. I climbed into the tub to try to calm me down, but that didn't work and the water quickly became cold. At 9:30 (after 5.5 hours of pitocin), I was at a 5.5 cm. dilation, and I quickly went to a 7, then 20 min. later I was at an 8, then 10 min. later while feeling like I needed to push, I went to the bathroom. When I realized that he was coming. my doula whisked me off the toilet as fast as she could, drug me to the bed (since my legs hurt so bad I couldn't walk), and the nurse checked me. I was at 10cm and ready to push. They whisked a couple nurses in to help me deliver, since the doctor on call was in the room next door delivering. They realized that Connor was not going to wait, and they began getting things set up. I was in so much pain, after reaching level 18 on pitocin (the highest dosage they can give you), and could not sit still. I couldn't listen to anybody and was trying to push him out on my own. The doctor told me to push, and I pushed once and his head was out. 1 more push and his shoulders were out. I felt so much better, and realized I still wasn't done, as there were other things the doctor needed to do to me. Connor was born at 10:43 am, Monday, March 4, 2013. He weighed 6 lbs. 4 oz, and only being 17" long. He came out crying and breathing just fine. The nursery nurses were there taking care of him, and things were looking good. Ian and I were busy crying, relieved that he was here! They took him away to the nursery to clean him up, but let me see him first. He was beautiful!!
March 4th he spent in the nursery, and after him being there for 4 hours, we went to check on him. We found out that he was having to breathe a lot harder than normal, and he wouldn't be in our room. They said it would be 48 hours, then he could come home. That would be Wed., that's fine, I could wait. I was being discharged from the hospital on Tuesday, and could wait 1 more day. Then things became worse, when I found out he would be on oxygen, an iv, and that he possibly had pneumonia. That was later confirmed on Tues. morning.
March 5th I was discharged and came home to rest. I made sure to see Connor a couple times that morning before I left and held him. He was so out of it, almost lethargic, and it was sad seeing him like that. As I was leaving the nursery, the pediatrician called with more devastating news. He would need more care than they could provide, and they needed to transfer him to a NICU capable hospital. I authorized one of the two hospitals, which wasn't very far from where we lived, and we went home heartbroken. We also found out that his pneumonia had spread, his heart wasn't pumping fluids to the other side of the heart, and we were worried we were going to lose him. Tues night was very hard for us. I sent Ian and Matthew to go give him a blessing on Tues. night once he was settled into the new hospital. Little did we know that blessing would open up a world of improvements.
March 6th he woke up, was breathing better, his levels of oxygen were coming down as for what he required to breathe with, and he was eating better through the feeding tube they had put in. I called so many times that day for updates, and it was nice to always hear good things from the nurses. I'll start posting status updates from facebook as there are too many updates on him for me to remember when they happened. "YAY!!!! He's now only on 30% oxygen, instead of the 40% that he was on yesterday. He has shown more interest in wanting his pacifier, he slept through the night, and they're thinking they should be able to feed him today just fine through the feeding tube." "Another Connor update: (I hope none of you are sick of his updates) He has kept his formula down that they fed him at noon. He finally had a messy diaper (after not having one since he was born), his oxygen has gone down to 22% and 3 liters (down from 40% and 5 liters), and he's doing better sleeping." "Went to go see Connor tonight. He had a little bit of jaundice, but it will probably go away by tomorrow. While we were there, he kept taking the oxygen tube out of his nose. I think he's ready to be breathing on his own. The respiratory therapist said he can go off oxygen when he gets to 2L (he's at 3L now). We were able to hold him and take his mask off his eyes, that protects his eyes when under the jaundice light. He opened his eyes!!! It melted my heart. I posted a couple pics of him from tonight. I want to thank my amazing cousin, Sharon Crown, who offered to take time out of her night to drive me, take pics, and sit with me while I held him. You're the best!!! Thanks to her daughter Tamara Johnson, who watched Em so your mom could be with me. Thanks!!!!"
March 7th: "Connor was pulled off feeding tube and nasal oxygen today. We're going to see him tonight and we're excited to be able to feed him a bottle and hold him with nothing in the way. Thanks so much for your positive thoughts and prayers. We love you all!!!!".
March 8th: "Connor is off all wires. His jaundice is gone, he's drinking a full bottle of formula (and then some), so his IV is out. We get to dress him today and hold him with nothing attached. This was news I loved hearing this morning. Tuesday can't come fast enough....." I will try to post pictures when I can, possibly tomorrow. Stay tuned...
Friday, March 8, 2013
1 year in a nutshell
I'm going to try to start blogging again, since I realize that it's been over a year. My roommate keeps bugging me about blogging, saying that my facebook statuses are too long. So, since I just had Connor, we'll try to see if I can keep the blog up.
In April of last year, we celebrated 6 years together. We went to dinner and exchanged presents. It was nice to be out. We also went shopping to get new bedding and a new blender, and I was thankful for a cousin willing to watch our girls so we could do that.
In May, McKenna turned 3 and she was finally potty trained. She was in underwear during the day and pull-ups for nap time and night time. We had a fun party for her, where we had Ian's parents who came from CA to celebrate, and my cousin over for the party. We also got a chance to see my friend Kennie whom I served with in So. CA in 2007 for Achievement Days. Her oldest son was being sealed to his wife in the Jordan River temple, and she invited Ian and I. We were able to reconnect with her son, and offered the invite that if they wanted to hang out, we were cool. Little did we know, we would end up inseparable from them and would begin hanging out weekly, sometimes more than once a week. They have become real close friends/almost family for us. Ian's parents stayed for 2 weeks, and it was good having them here to see the girls, tour the zoo in SLC, and just spend time being lazy. Ian's mom was in the hospital for a short visit while here, but was better when she got out. They went back to CA the 2nd week in May (after celebrating Mother's Day with us), and 2 weeks later we got the devastating news.
It was 3:30 am, my phone began ringing. I woke up, saw it was Ian's mom calling, hung up and sent her a text asking what was up. The phone rang again, and it was Ian's mom calling again. I answered and my heart sank. Ian's dad was on the other end crying, telling me that mom had just passed away. He said that she woke up with the cats jumping on the bed, laid back down, and began gasping for air. He tried to help her, performed CPR while dialing 911, but he lost her. She had passed away on May 31, 2012 at the young age of 64. My heart sank, and I was left to the task of waking Ian up while still being on the phone. I woke him up and told him, and he began screaming this bloody murder. His worst fear of his whole life had just come true, and he was heart broken. I finished on the phone, knowing that Ian's dad's bishop was there and his dad's parents were on their way down from Dutch Flatt. I went and woke the girls up and told them that Grandma had just passed away, and she was in heaven now. Hunter, at 5 years old, was able to comprehend, and began crying. I sat there holding her, then woke McKenna up, who didn't understand. We went downstairs and sat there and cried for the next 3 hours. That whole day was horrible for Ian, as he sat there staring at pictures of his mom, who had just been ripped away from him. He cried a lot, was quiet a lot, and began withdrawing from everything that day. That next week while we waited to go to CA for the funeral was a long week for him. Thankfully he was unemployed at the time, so he was able to grieve and heal in his own time, and we were able to spend 4 days in CA taking care of Ian's dad and making sure he'd be okay before we left to come back to UT. To this day, every month that passes with 31 days, the 31st is always a hard day for him.
In June was Ian's mom's funeral. It was a good visit and gave us the chance to visit with family that we hadn't seen since we moved to UT in Jan. In July Ian started his new job and we spent 4th of July at a rodeo and enjoying time with the Tritsch's. Bro. Tritsch teaches Gospel Principles, which we were attending in the ward, and Sis. Tritsch was the 1st one to say hi to me in RS. Their kids are older and living on their own, and they loved taking our girls in. We grew pretty close to them pretty fast, and it was nice having friends in the ward again.
August, Ian and I both celebrated our birthdays (small celebrations). We also found out we were expecting a baby, due April 1, 2013.
September and October were small months, with nothing really going on. We celebrated Halloween by taking the girls out trick or treating and going through trial after trial with deciding whether we were moving. In November, we found out we were staying in the ward, Ian was laid off, then he started a new job. It was a very crazy month, but we also got the best news ever. We found out we were expecting a boy....
December brought Christmas and we had the joy of being able to host Ian's dad, Ian's brother, and his brother's boyfriend. It was a very nice visit, despite the nasty snowy roads. We also had the chance to go down to Springville on Christmas Eve to see Ian's aunt and uncle (his mom's brother and sister in law, and their grown kids with their spouses). It was a very nice visit, even if it was only a couple days, and a good way to spend the holidays.
In April of last year, we celebrated 6 years together. We went to dinner and exchanged presents. It was nice to be out. We also went shopping to get new bedding and a new blender, and I was thankful for a cousin willing to watch our girls so we could do that.
In May, McKenna turned 3 and she was finally potty trained. She was in underwear during the day and pull-ups for nap time and night time. We had a fun party for her, where we had Ian's parents who came from CA to celebrate, and my cousin over for the party. We also got a chance to see my friend Kennie whom I served with in So. CA in 2007 for Achievement Days. Her oldest son was being sealed to his wife in the Jordan River temple, and she invited Ian and I. We were able to reconnect with her son, and offered the invite that if they wanted to hang out, we were cool. Little did we know, we would end up inseparable from them and would begin hanging out weekly, sometimes more than once a week. They have become real close friends/almost family for us. Ian's parents stayed for 2 weeks, and it was good having them here to see the girls, tour the zoo in SLC, and just spend time being lazy. Ian's mom was in the hospital for a short visit while here, but was better when she got out. They went back to CA the 2nd week in May (after celebrating Mother's Day with us), and 2 weeks later we got the devastating news.
It was 3:30 am, my phone began ringing. I woke up, saw it was Ian's mom calling, hung up and sent her a text asking what was up. The phone rang again, and it was Ian's mom calling again. I answered and my heart sank. Ian's dad was on the other end crying, telling me that mom had just passed away. He said that she woke up with the cats jumping on the bed, laid back down, and began gasping for air. He tried to help her, performed CPR while dialing 911, but he lost her. She had passed away on May 31, 2012 at the young age of 64. My heart sank, and I was left to the task of waking Ian up while still being on the phone. I woke him up and told him, and he began screaming this bloody murder. His worst fear of his whole life had just come true, and he was heart broken. I finished on the phone, knowing that Ian's dad's bishop was there and his dad's parents were on their way down from Dutch Flatt. I went and woke the girls up and told them that Grandma had just passed away, and she was in heaven now. Hunter, at 5 years old, was able to comprehend, and began crying. I sat there holding her, then woke McKenna up, who didn't understand. We went downstairs and sat there and cried for the next 3 hours. That whole day was horrible for Ian, as he sat there staring at pictures of his mom, who had just been ripped away from him. He cried a lot, was quiet a lot, and began withdrawing from everything that day. That next week while we waited to go to CA for the funeral was a long week for him. Thankfully he was unemployed at the time, so he was able to grieve and heal in his own time, and we were able to spend 4 days in CA taking care of Ian's dad and making sure he'd be okay before we left to come back to UT. To this day, every month that passes with 31 days, the 31st is always a hard day for him.
In June was Ian's mom's funeral. It was a good visit and gave us the chance to visit with family that we hadn't seen since we moved to UT in Jan. In July Ian started his new job and we spent 4th of July at a rodeo and enjoying time with the Tritsch's. Bro. Tritsch teaches Gospel Principles, which we were attending in the ward, and Sis. Tritsch was the 1st one to say hi to me in RS. Their kids are older and living on their own, and they loved taking our girls in. We grew pretty close to them pretty fast, and it was nice having friends in the ward again.
August, Ian and I both celebrated our birthdays (small celebrations). We also found out we were expecting a baby, due April 1, 2013.
September and October were small months, with nothing really going on. We celebrated Halloween by taking the girls out trick or treating and going through trial after trial with deciding whether we were moving. In November, we found out we were staying in the ward, Ian was laid off, then he started a new job. It was a very crazy month, but we also got the best news ever. We found out we were expecting a boy....
December brought Christmas and we had the joy of being able to host Ian's dad, Ian's brother, and his brother's boyfriend. It was a very nice visit, despite the nasty snowy roads. We also had the chance to go down to Springville on Christmas Eve to see Ian's aunt and uncle (his mom's brother and sister in law, and their grown kids with their spouses). It was a very nice visit, even if it was only a couple days, and a good way to spend the holidays.
Tuesday, February 28, 2012
New Year, New Lives
I just realized I haven't blogged in over 7 months. Wow... Let me do a quick update, then tell you all about my new found love.
Ian and I finished up our lives in CA the end of December (2011). I went from Deseret Industries to Toys R Us (30 miles one way to 2 miles one way). Since Ian didn't always work the same schedule as me, my in-laws would take me. I know they were glad when I was closer to home, so I could either walk or it wasn't so much on the gas if they had to come and get me.
We started out the new year moving. We got to UT Jan. 4th and moved into our new place Jan. 5th. We live in a 3 bed, 2.5 bath townhouse on the end unit (only share 1 wall), and it's a non-smoking, non pets facility, so I love it. We're right across the street from Jordan Landing, a strip mall which has 2 gas stations, plenty of clothing stores, restaurants, a Sam's Club, Wal-Mart, Target, Sears Grand (Sears and K-Mart mixed), Best Buy, etc. We never have to go far to get anything, or to just get away.
2 weeks after moving in, Ian applied for a company called Intermountain Health Care (IHC). It's one of the largest medical companies here in UT, and he works at one of their main hospitals, fixing computers, updating software, etc. He loves what he does but it's only an internship, so he's done the end of March. It's been nice having the paychecks coming in and being triple what he made in a month at Famous Footwear in CA, working the same hours. He's gone from 7:40-5 (8-4:30 job with 30 min lunch) and he's home on the weekends. I love having a reliable schedule, where I'm not waiting to make doctor's appointments because I'm not sure what his schedule for the next week will be. I'm hoping it continues so we can continue this lifestyle of eating healthy, continuing our stockpile, and not living paycheck to paycheck. We're finally able to pay off debt we haven't touched since we opened it. I don't wake up depressed in the morning, I wake up wanting to clean, do school with the girls, play with them in their toy room, exercise, keep up with laundry and cooking, etc. I love how I feel now that we're here and we're stable.
Hunter turned 5 in February and we had a nice party for her. We celebrated small the night of her birthday, then threw her a party that Sat. where my cousin Sharon made a cake for her (she has the pictures on her camera, sorry), we had presents, and the adults could get together and talk while the kids played.
We've also been able to host get togethers. We've had 2 of Ian's cousins over on his mom's side with their spouses/boyfriends, had my cousin and her husband over and a new friend I made through an adoption group I go to out here.
That's what's up with us in a nutshell. As soon as I get our pictures back that we had taken from my cousin, then I will post them on here.
My newfound love.... I started couponing back in April 2011, and I LOVE it. I wasn't able to acquire much since I didn't have a lot of room, but I made sure to stay with it. Things were tight financially when we first got here, but now that we have storage space and money, I plan to add to my stockpile. I will also be starting a couponing blog here shortly, and will post the link on here so you can follow my deals and how to do them yourself if you want to start.
Blogger is not wanting to upload my pictures, so I will add them later.
Ian and I finished up our lives in CA the end of December (2011). I went from Deseret Industries to Toys R Us (30 miles one way to 2 miles one way). Since Ian didn't always work the same schedule as me, my in-laws would take me. I know they were glad when I was closer to home, so I could either walk or it wasn't so much on the gas if they had to come and get me.
We started out the new year moving. We got to UT Jan. 4th and moved into our new place Jan. 5th. We live in a 3 bed, 2.5 bath townhouse on the end unit (only share 1 wall), and it's a non-smoking, non pets facility, so I love it. We're right across the street from Jordan Landing, a strip mall which has 2 gas stations, plenty of clothing stores, restaurants, a Sam's Club, Wal-Mart, Target, Sears Grand (Sears and K-Mart mixed), Best Buy, etc. We never have to go far to get anything, or to just get away.
2 weeks after moving in, Ian applied for a company called Intermountain Health Care (IHC). It's one of the largest medical companies here in UT, and he works at one of their main hospitals, fixing computers, updating software, etc. He loves what he does but it's only an internship, so he's done the end of March. It's been nice having the paychecks coming in and being triple what he made in a month at Famous Footwear in CA, working the same hours. He's gone from 7:40-5 (8-4:30 job with 30 min lunch) and he's home on the weekends. I love having a reliable schedule, where I'm not waiting to make doctor's appointments because I'm not sure what his schedule for the next week will be. I'm hoping it continues so we can continue this lifestyle of eating healthy, continuing our stockpile, and not living paycheck to paycheck. We're finally able to pay off debt we haven't touched since we opened it. I don't wake up depressed in the morning, I wake up wanting to clean, do school with the girls, play with them in their toy room, exercise, keep up with laundry and cooking, etc. I love how I feel now that we're here and we're stable.
Hunter turned 5 in February and we had a nice party for her. We celebrated small the night of her birthday, then threw her a party that Sat. where my cousin Sharon made a cake for her (she has the pictures on her camera, sorry), we had presents, and the adults could get together and talk while the kids played.
We've also been able to host get togethers. We've had 2 of Ian's cousins over on his mom's side with their spouses/boyfriends, had my cousin and her husband over and a new friend I made through an adoption group I go to out here.
That's what's up with us in a nutshell. As soon as I get our pictures back that we had taken from my cousin, then I will post them on here.
My newfound love.... I started couponing back in April 2011, and I LOVE it. I wasn't able to acquire much since I didn't have a lot of room, but I made sure to stay with it. Things were tight financially when we first got here, but now that we have storage space and money, I plan to add to my stockpile. I will also be starting a couponing blog here shortly, and will post the link on here so you can follow my deals and how to do them yourself if you want to start.
Blogger is not wanting to upload my pictures, so I will add them later.
Sunday, July 17, 2011
FINALLY!!!!!!!!
Finally, I got a job working for Deseret Industries. I started on June 17 (been there a month now) and I'm glad to finally have some steady income coming in. I work 7-3:30 Mon-Thurs and 8-4:30 on Sat. I get rides on Mon and Tues., so it just leaves Ian and my in-laws to take/pick me up Wed., Thurs and Sat. I LOVE staying busy and I LOVE the opportunity that it provides for me to get to know other people. I thought when I started that it was only members of the church that worked there, that you had to be referred from your bishop. I have since learned that there are people who walk in from off the streets and apply, and they come from all walks of life. I work with people who are active, inactive, druggies, homeless, smokers, drinkers, preparing to go on a mission, or the parents that are trying to provide a second income for their kids.
I work in Clothing Production, which means I sort through all the bins of clothing that come through on a daily basis. I'm on my feet for 8 hours, and looking through dirty clothes (seriously, some people don't look through their bags before they give them to us), to gently used clothes, to clothes with tags still on them. We have a criteria of what we can put through (nothing with stains, holes, gang indication, sex indication or drug indication), and it makes me proud to know that we are only putting out the BEST of quality. Even if something is clean but it's faded or is starting to ball (another term for when the cotton is washed so much that little "balls" form on the shirt), we still put it in a bin to be sent to UT. Then it is either sent to food banks to help the homeless or third world countries.
I'm excited to finally have steady income coming in, and to be making as much as Ian. This will help us to put money away (which we haven't started yet) for the move, and to feel more comfortable financially. Yes we went through some rocky times, but I appreciate the love of you (my friends) and my family, to support me through the times of unemployment, and to help to give me the faith to stay strong. I love you all and miss you tons.
Hopefully I'll be able to post pics soon of our staycation that we took in July. We didn't make it to UT since money was tight and I had just started working. The girls are growing up fast and I need to learn to cherish my time with them better. Until next time......
I work in Clothing Production, which means I sort through all the bins of clothing that come through on a daily basis. I'm on my feet for 8 hours, and looking through dirty clothes (seriously, some people don't look through their bags before they give them to us), to gently used clothes, to clothes with tags still on them. We have a criteria of what we can put through (nothing with stains, holes, gang indication, sex indication or drug indication), and it makes me proud to know that we are only putting out the BEST of quality. Even if something is clean but it's faded or is starting to ball (another term for when the cotton is washed so much that little "balls" form on the shirt), we still put it in a bin to be sent to UT. Then it is either sent to food banks to help the homeless or third world countries.
I'm excited to finally have steady income coming in, and to be making as much as Ian. This will help us to put money away (which we haven't started yet) for the move, and to feel more comfortable financially. Yes we went through some rocky times, but I appreciate the love of you (my friends) and my family, to support me through the times of unemployment, and to help to give me the faith to stay strong. I love you all and miss you tons.
Hopefully I'll be able to post pics soon of our staycation that we took in July. We didn't make it to UT since money was tight and I had just started working. The girls are growing up fast and I need to learn to cherish my time with them better. Until next time......
Tuesday, May 24, 2011
Where is the faith?
It's almost June now, and still no job. We've paid tithing twice now, both of which times it bounced in our bank account. I am going through some personal trials with the church right now, and I am frustrated with how things are going. Money is flying out the window (despite not having to pay rent), and we are running out of options. Despite living with the in-laws, we still don't have daycare available (county won't pay for daycare if we live with the providers). I'm applying everywhere and nothing is coming up. It's hard to stay strong when you're praying, reading your scriptures diligently (as to not having read them before), and going to church alone (because Ian is now working 3-4 Sunday's a month, missing all of church).
On top of all of this, we also have a trip to UT coming up in July. I have a family reunion on my side and we're going to research housing expenses and availability of income. Our other option is IA which we'll research in November. Our savings account is draining (due to having to dip into it every 2 weeks just to get by because Ian's income is less than our bills all together), and i'm running out of faith. We can't afford for Ian to be off for a week of unpaid vacation with no money coming in, and then pay for gas to go to UT for a week. We can't move in 7 months with no money in savings account.
The most frustrating thing, is that we're not even paying all our bills. We pay cell phone (so we can keep in touch with friends and family, because we don't have a home phone), storage (that's where all our stuff is), 5 credit card bills (one of them we pay, because it went to the attorney, the other 4 are in collections), gas for our van, car insurance, and we also pay Ian's mom and dad for the difference in utilities (normally about $30/mo). We still have 3 more credit card bills that we don't pay (no money), and we have a student loan (from me in 2003), and a car loan from the Honda (I totaled it in 2009 so I stopped paying it). I'm sick of living like this every day. I wake up trying not to be depressed but have no idea how my day will go.
I've tried to do Pampered Chef, and was going strong until January, and then I hit a dead end and haven't had a show since then. I don't know that many people that want to host a show. They're either too shy or their place is too small, or they're worried about who would come and who wouldn't, etc. So many excuses and I don't push it. I figured it would be a money maker, since more people are cooking at home. I guess if you have a good network of people then you can succeed.
Well, off to take the kids to the park. I guess I'll finish my thoughts later.
On top of all of this, we also have a trip to UT coming up in July. I have a family reunion on my side and we're going to research housing expenses and availability of income. Our other option is IA which we'll research in November. Our savings account is draining (due to having to dip into it every 2 weeks just to get by because Ian's income is less than our bills all together), and i'm running out of faith. We can't afford for Ian to be off for a week of unpaid vacation with no money coming in, and then pay for gas to go to UT for a week. We can't move in 7 months with no money in savings account.
The most frustrating thing, is that we're not even paying all our bills. We pay cell phone (so we can keep in touch with friends and family, because we don't have a home phone), storage (that's where all our stuff is), 5 credit card bills (one of them we pay, because it went to the attorney, the other 4 are in collections), gas for our van, car insurance, and we also pay Ian's mom and dad for the difference in utilities (normally about $30/mo). We still have 3 more credit card bills that we don't pay (no money), and we have a student loan (from me in 2003), and a car loan from the Honda (I totaled it in 2009 so I stopped paying it). I'm sick of living like this every day. I wake up trying not to be depressed but have no idea how my day will go.
I've tried to do Pampered Chef, and was going strong until January, and then I hit a dead end and haven't had a show since then. I don't know that many people that want to host a show. They're either too shy or their place is too small, or they're worried about who would come and who wouldn't, etc. So many excuses and I don't push it. I figured it would be a money maker, since more people are cooking at home. I guess if you have a good network of people then you can succeed.
Well, off to take the kids to the park. I guess I'll finish my thoughts later.
Thursday, March 10, 2011
On the Home Stretch
Yep, we're on the home stretch to move from CA to IA. We still have 10 more months, which may seem like a long time, but in all reality it flies by a lot faster than you think. We're in March now, and then there's April. April brings our anniversary (6th), General Conference (2nd and 3rd this year), and a swap meet where i'm putting up a table for Pampered Chef (22nd). April also brings the mother in law's birthday (26th), the in-law's anniversary (22nd), Easter (24th), and a family celebration at Ian's grandparent's house (23rd). Then we have May, which brings the end of Ian's semester at school, the father in law's birthday (5th), McKenna's birthday (6th), Mother's Day (2nd Sunday of month) and the warmer weather for parks and swimming.
June brings Father's Day (3rd Sunday), my dad's birthday (29th), more warmer weather, and having Ian off school for the semester. July brings my sister's and my BEST FRIEND'S birthday (love you Lacey) on the 2nd, a fun food holiday (4th), and this year it brings a Family Reunion in UTAH. Yay for us being able to travel and see family, most of whom we haven't seen in 10 years since the last big family reunion in AZ. August brings my birthday (2nd), Ian's birthday (24th), my brother's birthday (11th), more warmer weather and the start to Ian's last semester of school EVER!!!!!
September brings cooler weather as it heads into winter. October brings another round of General Conference, Halloween, and more cooler weather. November brings Thanksgiving and Black Friday. December brings Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and New Years Eve. It's also the last month that we're in CA so it will be the busiest. Ian will graduate with his AA in December and we'll be finalizing paperwork on where we'll be living and making sure everything is lined up.
So you see, even though it's still 10 months away, it'll fly by faster than we know. Hang on for the ride of your lives.... Stay tuned for happier updates from me as I figure out who I am and what I want in life, and how to take things a day at a time.
June brings Father's Day (3rd Sunday), my dad's birthday (29th), more warmer weather, and having Ian off school for the semester. July brings my sister's and my BEST FRIEND'S birthday (love you Lacey) on the 2nd, a fun food holiday (4th), and this year it brings a Family Reunion in UTAH. Yay for us being able to travel and see family, most of whom we haven't seen in 10 years since the last big family reunion in AZ. August brings my birthday (2nd), Ian's birthday (24th), my brother's birthday (11th), more warmer weather and the start to Ian's last semester of school EVER!!!!!
September brings cooler weather as it heads into winter. October brings another round of General Conference, Halloween, and more cooler weather. November brings Thanksgiving and Black Friday. December brings Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and New Years Eve. It's also the last month that we're in CA so it will be the busiest. Ian will graduate with his AA in December and we'll be finalizing paperwork on where we'll be living and making sure everything is lined up.
So you see, even though it's still 10 months away, it'll fly by faster than we know. Hang on for the ride of your lives.... Stay tuned for happier updates from me as I figure out who I am and what I want in life, and how to take things a day at a time.
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
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