Family & the New Year

Went up to Canada for Christmas and it was wonderful. First time in awhile we were able to spend the holidays with my parents & also my brother, sil and their kids. While it rained for Christmas there it meant snow up on the mountains, Mt Washington got over 1 1/2 meters of snow which was great. The kids & my niece and I went up there on Dec 26th at night to go tubing. It was awesome, we all had a great time and my son realized that when your mother, grandparents, uncle, aunt, & cousins tell you how cold it will be and to dress warmly that we are right because we have all been there and done that while you haven't. So let's just say after an hour his words were I'm cold, I don't want to anymore, & I need hot chocolate. The next day my sister, her husband and 2 of their daughters came. So I got to meet my new nephew in law and new great nephew. It was great and he did pass my daughter's test for guys without a problem. She really liked him which was great. While we didn't get to spend a lot of time together the little time we did was great.

The kids did some new things over the holidays as well. Both kids took the chance at the pool and went off the higher dive board. Ds actually dove off that board twice without an issue. They went ice skating for the first time which was interesting and they want to do it again. We went to a local Jr Hockey game and won a team's jersey and it only cost $2 which was great (except for the part of it not being washed and the kid was about 6'2" so it is huge!!

Well where has 2010 gone? I have no idea myself because parts of it seem like a blur. To be honest it seems like it should be around March maybe not December 31st. In looking back at this past year there has been a lot of changes in my life. Some where ones I was expecting and glad to have happen and others were not and not sure exactly how I feel they are. I do know that I did find a lot more patience, trust in God, realizing that I was on the right path and rediscovered my backbone that had been lost over the years.

Going back up to the Pacific Northwest helped make everything better, I didn't realize how much I missed the mountains, the greenery, the fresh air, the people who are polite & more calm, and the mountains. Enrolling in college full time & starting down a different path than I thought I would, something that interested me years ago. I actually am looking forward to going back to it which is strange considering I am going to be doing math (yuck).

I know that this year that is coming is going to have its ups & downs, it will be frustrating at times and great at others, there is going to be good times & bad times, my patience will be tried but I know I have it, I will need to keep my backbone, and I will have to keep my trust in God. That is something I know that I can do.

College part deux

Well today I went to new student class at the local community college to get registered for the Winter semester and it went pretty good. I spoke to an advisor and she is allowing me to go into English 101 instead of English 99 because I just missed it on the Accuplacer which was great. But on the down side there is a waiting list for it, I am #1 on the list so I should get into it I handed in my transcript from Coastline and found out I will have more credits than I thought which was even better. Handed in the paperwork to the Veteran's Affairs office and everything is going well there too. But to get the BAH I need to be in at least 3 classes and with the 2 classes I am in, I am 2 credits short of it, so hopefully I do get the English class because then I can stop worrying. The advisor suggested I only take the 3 classes because most of them are in the morning and that gives me the afternoon for homework before picking up the kids. Then maybe also sign up for an online class but make sure I can do the homework especially with Math 94. I already have 2 teenagers I know that have offered to help me out, plus 2 brother in laws that are good in math. Basics I can do, it is the word problems and the x factors I have problems with.

It did give me a little boost of confidence doing this and I know I will do well. i also realized that while Marketing was something I was interested in before it isn't something I can necessarily do, especially after talking to some people about it. So Criminal Justice is where I am heading, I have done things with security in the past and did enjoy them. It will give me the chance for various areas and that could be interesting as well.

So now I just sit and wait and wait and wait. To find out exactly what I will need to do to get the 3 classes. Keep your fingers crossed.

December

is now upon us and the lights are being put up, the Christmas trees being decorated, holiday baking beginning, gifts being bought and hidden away and travel plans being made for the special day of the year. We remember the goods times we had growing up, starting our own families and wonder sometimes it is possible to create them again. We follow traditions that have been in our families for generations which put a bigger smile on our faces. Adults are being children again and children's eyes are lighting up.

Sometimes though as you sit down and look around you wonder how commercial Christmas has become, we have forgotten the true reason for the season. The fact that we are celebrating a child that is born who will save us all if we listen to his words. That his birth created angels to sing, a bright star to sign and men to travel thousands of miles to see him. A child that put so much fear into a King that he ordered all boys under the age of 2 to be killed. This child would grow up and become a man that would lose his life for our sins to be forgiven.

We are forgetting that it is better to give than to receive, that the price of presents doesn't matter it is the thought that counts, that it is time to spend with family and friends, to remember, to love, to forgive, to celebrate, to give and to be grateful for what was given to us. Sometimes the later means that we do have to swallow our pride and allow it to happen.

So remember the reason for the season, give to others, and treat them as you would wish to be treated yourself. Keep a positive outlook, open the door for others, smile and say Merry Christmas as well as Thank You, pay for the coffee of the person behind you, pay their toll, give to the homeless, give to the children, give of your heart.

Thanksgiving what does it truly mean

In our world today it is a shame in many ways of what we have become. It is a constant rush to get everything done with in a certain amount of time, to have our children participate in all these activities, to have the latest technology, to keep on going until we are exhausted. The news isn't much better because often there will be stories on murder, attacks, rape, politicians getting into trouble, and it continues on.

This is to be the time of the year that we are to stop for a moment and spend time with our family & friends. But like in the end it is only a moment. We still rush to get all the dishes done in time, to get ready to go shopping on Black Friday, to get the Christmas cards done, the presents done and shipped, prepare for Christmas and New Years, etc....

We do need to actually stop and take the time not just a moment but longer. We need to enjoy the time we do have to spend with friends and family because we don't know how long they will be with us or we will be with them. We need to stop worrying about having all the dishes made and sit down to talk to them. We need to stop worrying about people getting the Christmas cards in time, instead write a letter after the New Year starts. We need to stop worrying about the presents for every Tom, Dick and Harriet because they don't often need them.

What we really need to do is be thankful for what we have instead. That our friends and family are trying to spend time with and appreciate it. That many friends have become part of our family. That we need to be grateful that we have a roof over our heads when many others don't. That we have food to put on the table several times a day when some only get one meal a day. That we have people to share it with and others don't right now. That our loved ones are protecting this country in many ways. We can also be thankful for God because he is the one that walks besides us as we are on our path, guides the right way and sometimes he is the one that carries us without us realizing it.

So we can take what we have and not only appreciate it but give it back as well. Just one act of kindness however small each day. Whether it is opening a door for someone coming out, paying a toll for the person behind you, buying their coffee, being polite to the waiter or waitress more than usual by calling them by their name, little things can make such a difference not only in our life but theirs as well. So this year be thankful and grateful and pay it forward.

What to do

is the question we often ask ourselves when put into a situation that we are not familiar with. Is there a answer or a solution that we are going to like or it is going to go against what do want, like, our beliefs or anything else that we are against. It could be small or it could be big or it could be in between. We have to sit down and really think about what we would do, what do we think is right. But is it truly right? is it truly the right way? Is someone going to get hurt in solving the problem besides ourselves? If it is just us being hurt how much more can we take? Or sometimes do we need to go against everything and instead put ourselves at the mercy of God and the way he wants our life to be, not the way we think we want it to be. That is the right way to go in every situation but often we forget that, forget that we are at God's mercy. We have to be patient, understanding, patient, calm, and wait. We might not like that we have to wait, we might not like that we have to be patient, and we might not like the situation taking so long to solve but patience and understanding is something we need to remember whether we like it or not. Patience is a word that has been repeated multiple times because it is an important part of our lives, that too is sometimes forgotten. In the end whether it is minutes, or a day, or a week, or a month or even longer we have to remember it will work out for the best whether we like it or not.

Final PCS

Was a nightmare but yet not. We have gone from mainland to Hawaii back to mainland back to Hawaii to mainland to Asia to mainland and finally mainland over the past 14 1/2 years and only on the move from Asia to the mainland did we have to make our first claim for things broken until this one. We are going to have to make another one, not just a little one but a large one which is a shame. A piece of glass for our dinning room table was broken and I mean a large chunk taken out of it. There is dents in the corner of a piece of furniture that can't be fixed. Pictures/drawings in frames had the glass shattered and it was 3 of them one of which I have had for over 22 years and moved even more that never had so much as a smudge on it. A one of a kind vase was broken. They lost a leg on the microwave (don't ask me how). Broke the handle on my crockpot. Finally they damaged not 1 or even 3 bookshelves, they damaged 5!!! What the heck were these guys doing? The guys that packed the stuff up weren't bad but the way the truck was loaded was what concerned me, the way he drove his truck for the pickup. They started to pack things without me seeing the boxes and them being marked down. We had more boxes than on the list. The attitude he had as well, I was concerned on things but I point blank told him that it is his decision on how I will be a nice woman who gives you snacks, drinks and is nice or a cold hearted bitch. Guess I was part of both but I should have been more of the later. I am not stupid, I am not nieve, this isn't our first move at all, so i know what you are doing. I am just making sure I don't have to make a claim but in the end I do.

I still haven't finished unpacking boxes and hate to imagine. It is a good thing that I have another month to make a claim because I might need it.

Where have I been?

Well I have been here but I haven't. We made it up to Kitsap County and I am glad, it was incredible to see the mountains, the trees, feel/smell the fresh air and just feel like I was home again. The weather was wonderful for the longest time but now fall has set in. The colors of the leaves, the sharpness in the morning is part of the reason I came back and brought the kids back to here. The other was to see friends who are part of our family, an important part of our family. We had a house set up but it didn't work so we are in an apartment for awhile. It is a nice place, close to everything and a friend lives in the same complex. The kids are enrolled in good schools with great teachers. our oldest is in the honors program and is getting tested for a gifted program as well which is awesome. We have had a chance to see the family, spent the long weekend with my parents and that was awesome. We watched 2 jr hockey games and the kids had a great time. We saw their new house and it was nice for them to have everything on one floor. They are now jetting off down under for a visit with mom's sisters as there is only 2 left and they aren't getting any younger. This will be the last big trip they make like that. My brother, sister in law and their 2 came down last weekend and it was great. The kids went to the corn maze, we played mini golf and just relaxed. We decided to spend Christmas up in Canada and hopefully will have snow while we are there. If not then we are goign to the Mt to have some fun.

This week has been very hard on me, things have happened that we never thought would but I have worked around it. I spent sometime really having to deal with myself, by myself and find that I am truly not alone but God is there by my side no matter what, He is by my side or carrying me if I need him too. I did something I would never thought I would do as well but in doing that found I was stronger than I thought and can do it if I need to. That there is things that are going to take a long time to deal with but it can make us stronger. It made us realize how lucky we are to have incredible friends who helped us. It definitely brings to mind the word Ohana, meaning family in Hawaiian. You might remember it from the Disney movie Lilo & Stitch, Ohana means family, and family means no one gets left behind. In true Hawaiian tradition our family is not our blood family but also our friends and they don't leave anyone behind.