I have such good intentions. I want this blog to be a reliable record for our family with all the ups and downs and funny and not-so-funny stories. But finding the time to write and knowing how to put everything into words has kept me from updating. It's so much easier to throw Ricky's happy-go-lucky missionary posts on here and call it good. I know he's not having an easy time. In fact, you probably couldn't tell too much from his emails, but his last transfer was pretty isolating. He spent a lot of time in his apartment and didn't feel like the work or his language skills were progressing much. I think he is doing much better now, but there are new challenges every day.
And the rest of us here in the states are experiencing challenges too. Along with those challenges come a myriad of surprising blessings--some of which could not exist without the challenges. I don't yet know how to write about it all, and I'm not sure if the blog is the right place, but maybe a good start is with some pictures and a summary of the easy-to-write-about events.
So, last I updated, I had a birthday. I'm 44! I don't feel 44. Honestly, I don't even know what that's supposed to feel like. I'm experiencing fatigue, but my mood is much, much better, which is good because I'm not the only member of my family experiencing mental health challenges. I'm working with my doctor on decreasing the frequency of my migraines. I'm finding purpose and fulfillment in daily mundane activities and find joy and humor in all kinds of situations.
We enjoyed a visit from Rick's parents at the end of September through the beginning of October. The kids enjoyed making treats and pillowcases with Grandma and showing their skateboarding and guitar skills off to Grandpa. We took pictures of beautiful fall leaves and breathtaking sunsets. Rick's parents are just plain good people who have raised a wonderful family. They are a joy to have around.
A few days after Rick's parents left, my childhood best friend, Karitza, came to minister to our family. She brought her mom and her cousin, Miranda and they cooked almost a hundred freezer meals for our family. They also helped me clean out the refrigerators, organize the cabinets, and unpack almost all of the picture boxes. They pampered our whole family with love.
Next came Halloween. We carved our giant pumpkins, dressed up, and enjoyed MORE beautiful fall leaves.
Oh, and since my friends helped me unpack pictures and I happened to be hosting a Relief Society activity at my house, I put pictures up on the wall. Yay me!
What else? We decorated for Christmas and had a bunch of people over for Thanksgiving--both of which I have no pictures. Also, Rick took the youngest two to a BYU football game in Virginia and we raked MORE leaves!
We had our first big snowfall, which canceled after-school activities, but did not delay school the next day.
We are looking forward to Emily's Christmas break visit.
That's about it. That's me talking about all the things without really talking about all the things. If you know, you know. I wish you could all just know, but I'll figure out how to update everybody somehow.
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