Thankful

The recession has hit my family hard, in so many ways. Most families in the world have not been able to escape this economic crisis, but recently it has been hitting harder than before. Loved ones being furloughed, laid off, asked to take pay cuts, etc. Not to mention that Adam and I can’t even refinance because we’re TOO upside down in our mortgage. It’s quite sad and really frustrating, that as responsible homeowners we can’t get a chance to refinance. The banks are just keeping all the money the government gave them and being greedy. Adam was hoping to find a higher paying job after getting his MBA, but the competition for these jobs is stiff and he can’t seem to get a break.

Anyway – this is supposed to be a positive post, so I’ll stop there with all the bad stuff. Even with all of the above (and there’s more) weighing down on myself and my entire family, I have so much to be thankful for. August has been a good month.

I was able to be with several of my loved ones for a family reunion on my Mom’s side a few weeks ago up in Camarillo. I met many of my cousin’s babies and enjoyed the sweet moments that family brings.

Adam with Hank's little boy Sam. Little Sam just loved looking at Adam! Precious!

Me with Heather's littly girl Alicey ang Leah's little girl Katya
All the girl cousins that were present that day
Me with Leah's little boy Oliver


The next weekend Adam and I celebrated his birthday by going to see Fiddler on the Roof starring the original Topol. It was amazing! We had such a great time and enjoyed a great evening. (We didn't take any pictures though)

That same weekend my mom continued setting her amazing example and graduated from BYU with her Bachelors in General Studies with an Emphasis in Family Life. Over the last 5 years my mom has committed hours upon hours of her time to finish a college degree she started when she was 17 years old, but put on hold when she got married and started a family. I am thankful for a mother who is as dedicated to family and education as she is. Congrats Mom! (we're still waiting on Rhett to send the pictures, hint hint;)

I am thankful for the Gift of the Holy Ghost and that the experience that I was able to have in feeling that comforting power. You see, a couple weeks ago was driving to work as I do every morning on the 405 South. It was about 6:30 am and I was down in Irvine with the cruise control set at 80 MPH in the fast lane, when all of the sudden, BAM, POP, POW, (no, Batman didn’t jump on my car) but rather my front drivers side tire blew. And man did it just shred before my eyes. I could see the tread of my tires flying off, but somehow I made it across 4 lanes of traffic and onto the great big shoulder without panicking or even really remembering how I got there. This was one of those moments when I know that I was being watched over. I was going so fast and the tire was just demolished. My car even hit the ground and scrapped for a while and did damage to the body of my car. While the situation wasn’t a favorable one, I was just so thankful as I sat there, surprisingly totally calm and just felt so thankful that nothing worse happened. It really felt as if someone else took over driving my car and got me safely onto the shoulder. This experience was one I’ll never forget, mostly I think because I remained so calm the whole time. I never got upset or cried, I just called AAA, then called Adam, waited for the guy to come put my tire on, then made it safely to work and went out and lunch and got 4 new tires put on my car. If you know me, I tend to panic and become very stressed in these situations, so this was most unusual. I am so thankful that I live a life where I am worthy to have this most sacred gift with me at all times. Yes, my car is damaged, and we had to spend $400 on new tires when we weren’t planning on it, but I am safe and it’s just a car and some money, but I still have my life, and I love living it each day to the fullest. (By the way, I can still see the tire skid marks on the section of the freeway where it happened, it kind of freaks me out, but it's a blessing to know I was kept safe through it all.)

There are so many blessing to be found amongst these trials and I am thankful for these experiences that make me stronger and help me draw closer to the Lord.