2009...How Did We Get Here?

I think I just have to start out by saying it's been a hell of a year! It started withe the surprise that Uncle Bob was still with us in spite of his fight with brain cancer. Unfortunately, it also started with Grandpa John having to go through some pretty tough treatments for prostate cancer. Tyler needed to change schools for a semester to be a little closer to daily parental supervision. That was a tough call to make. I think it was worth it though. Kyle came to visit us in mid-February, and it didn't take long to figure out that he needed to come here to live with us. We've had our little trials, but we are so happy to have our whole family together for the first time. I became an Auntie to one of my own siblings' newborn children for the first time at the end of March. I could not have been happier. In April, it was time for my Mom to have her reconstructive surgery following her double mastectomy in 2007. She looks great now, but she went though a heck of a time after that operation. As we traveled through May and June, we went through the usual end of the school year stuff. There were band concerts, choir performances, and even an 8th grade graduation. How can I possibly have a child that is ready to head off to high school?!?! We got a couple weeks off, and then early morning chaos began. OK. OK. The truth is that water polo began. The girls had insanely early practices almost everyday, all summer. So much for a holiday. However, we learned a ton about the game, and were very impressed with Kayla's progress. July brought the beginning of birthday season at our house. Justin, Grandpa Joe and I all share 3 days in July. We especially enjoyed hosting the family birthday party. It is always fun to have a pool party with family, but this year we had all of my Colorado family, our San Bernardino family, and we had a separate party with our San Diego family. Justin and I were feeling mighty spoiled by the time the parties were through. 8^) August was a tough month. Everyone was back to school and work, but that included a major pay cut. In fact, due to our STUPID governator, our income dropped by about 25%. That put us in a pinch like we have never known. Not only were we paying $5 per gallon of gas, but now we had a ton less income. Kyle also left for Colorado Springs to get some help from my brother-in-law that is already in the Army. He has been trying to get in for over a year, and has had nothing but a fight. The move to greener pastures (right on post) seemed like a good idea. At the end of September, Uncle Bob lost his fight with cancer. It was a tough funeral, and even a tougher time to revisit my own losses. Fortunately I have a psychatrist that is wonderful, and could help me out. So, along came October (Harvest Festival/Halloween time). Fun Stuff!! Then November, with Kyle's retun and Thanksgiving. Kyle was able to come home for the Holidays, but he is frustrated. He's still here as of now, and the Army is pretty much out of reasons to keep him out. We are expecting THE CALL any day now. We'll see. The only downside was that we realized that the income cut was hitting us far worse than we thought it would. We went to Consumer Credit Counseling, and discovered that our best bet was to file Chapter 7 Bankruptcy. Totally humiliating!! After spending a couple weeks gathering paperwork and consulting with an attorney, we filed in early December. I still can hardly believe things came to this. That's OK though. We will be able to keep our house and vehicles, and the kids lives should not be affected much at all. It really was the best choice for our family. So, that pretty much brings us current. We hope and pray for a more positive year to come. May we all look to our futures with hope, and the assurance that each triumph and trial grows us and leaves us wiser and stronger.