2008

Looking back at the last eleven months, I find myself looking forward to 2009. I have been tested, rewarded, and tested again. I can hardly believe that I’m staring at 2009! Where has the time gone?

I’ve learned more about myself this year and hopefully I’ve been there for others during their struggles too. I know that I’m blessed and in everything there is good. Sometimes it’s hard to see at first, but there is always a lesson in it.

Last February I took the princess to the Ophthalmologist to learn if her daily headaches were caused by poor eyesight. The eye doctor insisted that we meet with a Neurologist who prescribed some anti-seizure medicine that made her feel awful. Her blood pressure dropped so low that she couldn’t get out of bed! I was at my wits end! I cried a lot and prayed to figure out where to turn for help. I ended up taking her to my Chiropractor because I know him and trust him. He told me that he couldn’t legally tell me to stop giving her the medicine…twice. Then he adjusted her neck and explained that her heavy school bag was pulling on her neck thus causing the headaches. I threw the meds out and four adjustments later she was headache free!

We had two major spring storms that brought several thousand dollars in damage to our home and car. The hail storm in April was amazing! I’ve never seen baseball size hail before in my life! I happened to be watching the station that I work for on TV that night. The Meteorologist, my friend was on-air giving my little town the ten minute warning to find shelter. I told my husband that I wanted to go to one of the many schools that have storm shelters. As soon as we made our way into the partially filled safe room, the hail hit. The shelter is made out of several layers of steel reinforced concrete walls and ceiling. The siren that was sounding right out the door could not be heard, but the hail hitting into the building was deafening! We waited out the storm for a few hours in the shelter and when we decided that it was safe to go home we waded through knee deep water that was rushing around our car in the parking lot. Our poor car had several hits on the windshield, a through and through hole in the hood, as well as many pock marks. Our house was one of many that needed a new roof, however not near as bad as some had with all of their windows blown out as well as water damage from the rain. The second storm was in June. I happened to be in Little Rock with a friend while the Princess was at dance camp. It was a wind storm that uprooted hundred year old trees and flung them into homes in my neighborhood. We were without power for a week after I returned home. As my daughter and I drove round looking at all the damage I couldn’t help but be grateful that I wasn’t in town the night that it happened. The root systems in almost all of the trees were as tall as my house. The trunks and branches fell on homes as old as the trees themselves. It was again serious for some families. Some of which haven’t been able to remove the trees from their homes yet. My home was spared. Thank Heaven! The items in my freezer were not as lucky…

In May my stepmom, Kim lost her mother. Myrna was an artist that lived in Craig, Colorado until the death of her husband a few years ago. That is when she moved to Herriman to live in a basement apartment in my dad and Kim’s home. It has been really hard on Kim and when I visited there in July she was heartbroken. I lost my mom thirteen years ago and I am still lost for words when someone looses a parent. I only know that I thank God for my faith that one day I will see her again.

Battle of the fleas was a two day disaster we had in August that will forever have an awful imprint in my memory! I don’t have animals, but there are several stray cats that have adopted our yard as their new home! I think that is how it all started. I’ve learned that some people, such as my self, are highly attractive to fleas. My hero called the exterminator who sprayed the house and yard. My car got a good layer of Seven Dust which killed the rest of them. With this new education, I plan to have the yard sprayed again next year for precaution!

My car is fifteen years old and has never had major trouble until this year. But again my hero saved the day and fixed it a few days later. This happened the same day that we were going to Tulsa for a show and his car’s windshield wipers stopped working on the way home.

I know that all of these obstacles could have been much worse than they were. I’m blessed with the lessons that came with each situation. For every predicament that we had, we also had joy around each turn. And we had each other. My mom told me once that sometimes the hard times are the best times. I truly believe that.