Earth, Part 2

Here is my very first post of 2009, woot woot! Hopefully it will be the first of many happy blogs this year. Although I will admit that 2008 ranked higher than 2007 on my list of favorite years, it wasn't really what I had hoped for. I mean, not that great things didn't happen...I started my life as a college graduate and got my first real non-student job--I actually got more than one job. I moved across the country, and had many wonderful things happen that came from that experience...but there was a lot of hard stuff, too. 2008 was the year I didn't get to see my family as much as I wanted. I missed almost everything. I had to hear about important events like what is happening to my mom and brother and sister and our house through e-mail, facebook, blogs, and phone calls, knowing the entire time that there was nothing I could do. I not only went another full 12 months failing to get pregnant, but watched two sisters-in-law get pregnant within a month of each other with no problems, and am currently watching them enter their 4th and 5th months with perfection. I spent about half the year unemployed and watched David spend about that same amount of time unemployed as well, the worst of it hitting right around Christmas. Thankfully, he found a job the day after we got back to Utah and is actually there right now. It's not a dream job, by any means, but it's work, it's flexible hours, and he can work from home. Plus, it's night, and so it's a higher base pay ($2/hour than day rates) plus commissions. It's an inbound sales job, however, so commissions are higher because you're taking calls of people who already want to purchase the product, not calling people who aren't interested. This also means he can work while I sleep and I can work while he sleeps and we can still spend a good portion of our day together. This week he is training in SLC, but by next week he can stay home. I am grateful for this position because it will help us get out of debt fairly quickly. I think I am still going to get another job as well, just to add some extra padding to the bank account for a rainy day. I should hear something within a week or so.

As far as the trip to Ohio goes, it was awesome. It wasn't extensive in the gift department, but I really didn't look forward to anything except being with my family, especially my mom and my brothers and sisters. I wish I had been able to do more because I see so many things my family needs that I want to provide for them. I had big plans that kind of got squashed with David's last job...but I hope I did OK in the gift giving department, anyway. I certainly got some great gifts. My sister made me a scrapbook and it was so cool! There were pictures in there I hadn't seen in years and others I may have never seen at all. It was one of those gifts that meant more to me than anything she could have bought because of the time she put into it. I love stuff like that. It's the kind of stuff I can bring out and show my friends and save to show my kids because they'll be able to see pictures from when I was young. I also got a game from my Mom and Jon, Apples to Apples: Bible Edition, which I haven't played yet but I think it will be awesome. David and I collect board games and this was one we hadn't gotten yet, so we were way excited! Plus, being in Utah, it's nice to have some "Sunday appropriate" games for those friends who just are a little overboard on their ideas...Oh yes, and we got a date box from Andy and Heather full of movie snacks and a gift card to Blockbuster. I can't decide what I want to rent. We've thought about Hancock, is that any good? I think there are some other new releases coming out soon, maybe we should wait for those. Anyway, like I said before, the best gift I got was being able to spend time with my family, eating at Mike's Place, watching basketball games, playing Wii, doing holiday stuff, or just talking. My sibs are my best friends after David and I especially appreciated my time with them this year since I realized how little that time is now.

Then there's still all the drama with my dad. It blew up a little over the holidays but seemed fairly settled most of the time. I don't know...it was still kind of awkward being around him for the family functions though, at least at first. When he brings his girlfriend and her kids and her parents along, though...that just didn't help. I ended up being about to spend a fair amount of time with my dad without my siblings, also, though. David and I went to his house (we were invited and I thought it would be rude to decline...plus, I was kind of curious), and Grandpa and Grandma took us to visit him at work the next day. He also took us to the airport, with a stop at Mike's Place for lunch first. It gave us some time to talk about although the situation between him and my other siblings may not have improved much, I think my dad and I made some progress. I still have my issues and complaints, by all means, but I found as I just tried to enjoy his company and focus on the positive...love him because he's my father and not because he's an amazing example...I could do it. I was kind of surprised with myself but I found I could disagree with so many things about how he is and thinks and acts...and yet I could see a good person in him, the kind of person it's easy to love. I enjoyed spending that time with him, and it meant a lot to me. I learned an important lesson this holiday season; one that I don't know if I can truly explain, but that I can feel in my heart about unconditional love.

Pictures to come, but I'm feeling too lazy to go get the camera right now.