Holidays Hollister Way!!!

So there are a few cool things about living in a little town. Everyone is friendly and a lot of people know each other and are happy to know you. They also do things together and everyone comes to support each other. The town had their holiday parade, where you have floats and bands and all sorts of things. Our church had a float that had the nativity scene, with all the normal things, Mary, Joseph, baby Jesus, Wise men, shepherds and this year they even had llamas. Well since its a small town lots of people are involved or get asked to be involved. Well this year Ben got asked and to my surprise said " yes " to being one of the Wise men. The parade didn't last too long and it ended with Santa and Mrs. Claus. Our float was the only one with the real meaning of Christmas and that was cool. We also have a tree lighting ceremony and bazzares ( like the olden days where there are crafts and quilts, candies, plants etc) and even a Christmas talent night with mostly singing but some dancing! It has been great fun. I have to say its made me smile a lot more. I have been watching all the sappy Christmas shows on the  Hallmark channel cause I LOVE THEM and it's kinda reminded me of one of them. It feels like everyone is happier and smiling a little more.It feels like Christmas even though it's 60 degrees outside and the grass is green and there are still flowers blooming! We did find a tree farm where we were able to go and cut down a " California Christmas tree". Its different than the others over the years but its still cool. The house is all decorated and the feeling of Peace on Earth is here. Wish it was world wide. We are doing a walk through Bethlehem for our Ward Christmas party and I have been helping with those that will be the actors and it should be great. I love Christmas too because my Dad loved it. He was like a little kid with excitement and it was hard not to be just as excited as he was. He loved decorating the tree, and buy lots of candy so we could eat til our stomachs hurt. He just loved Christmas! I think that is one of the reasons I love it so much too.  This year we are starting a new set of traditions in Hollister, Ca, and so far it's a keeper! Here are a few pictures of our " Wise Guy" ( I mean Man! )

Thankful Heart

As Thanksgiving was getting closer and I realized that it would just be the 5 of us here in California for dinner, my heart started to ache. It was saddened that this Thanksgiving was going to be very different than any of the Thanksgivings we had had in a long time. I started (as I do when I get weepy) to think of all the many blessings that I have and it started to make me feel somewhat better. Here is where my mind went and you can come along if you like: I am so grateful for the Gospel of Jesus Christ! With it all the other blessings I have fall into place and make all the sense in the world. I am so grateful for my family! They are everything to me! As a young mother many years ago I felt over whelmed with all that a mother had to do and never getting to half of it. I now appreciate all that I can do now that I wasn't able to do then. ( there is a time for all things) I am grateful for my daughters/ in law daughters for their great examples of being and preparing to be great moms. I love their patience,love,patience, energy, patience, diligence in doing good things and more endless patience! They are great teachers to my precious grandchildren and I know they are going to be a great new generation. There are many gifts we are given but I love the one my daughters are giving and that is the gift of being great moms. I love my sons/ sons in laws for their devotion to their wives. They give so much to make sure their families are taken care of. I am so grateful for their hard work and devotion that they give freely, another gift that I am so grateful for!Of course it is all the little ones that make me smile the most!!! (sorry but its true). I have 13 amazing grandkids(Evelyn Rose is due in Feb) that would make any nana smile, and I do every time I think of them. I love the noise they make cause its what life is all about. They are busy talking, playing, screaming, crying but its all life and it's great! I love my kids all of them. They all bring a different element into our family and without one of them it isn't complete! I love them all for who they are and who they are becoming! They never cease to amaze me!!! I love family! I love my husband!! I love the hard work he does everyday and in serving those of our ward. He works long days and still has time to serve for more after his work day is done. He has always been that way and even though at times I am sure he would rather stay at home he does it cause thats just who he is and after 34 years he keeps getting better and better. I am thankful for my Mom! I am grateful for the time I got to really know her after all these years! I am so grateful that she moved up to Utah 8 months before I moved to California. She helped me  so much while Ben was in California. We went shopping at second hand stores, hung pictures, found bargains and just had a great time. I love her very much and am so glad for the time we had! I am thankful for my brothers and sisters. All of them have their trials and struggles and I love that they are there for me when I need them and I love them very much. I love Ben's parents and siblings too! They are all apart of what makes us a family and makes us feel whole. I am grateful for health, safety, security, and for being in a country that allows us freedom. I am grateful for trials, what doesn't kill us( which at times seems better) makes us stronger. I know at times I feel sad but when I get done with my pity party I realize that I have SO much compared to so many others. I am grateful this time of year that we pay attention to those things that are precious to us. We have been given so much and have so much to give back! I am thankful for all that I have been given !!

Not Again!!!!!

I knew at some point this topic would enter my blog just cause it has become a part of my life, not that I want it or that I really even accept it but that it is forced into my life. Having an alcoholic son is  NOT FUN! I know there are plenty that go through this and I have so much to learn and to understand but it is SO HARD! I don't know how to deal with it and I flounder around trying to get my bearings to deal with the " episodes". They are getting pretty routine now. I can tell when they are going to happen and  I do all that I can to make sure that they don't and they do anyway! How frustrating is that? I miss the son that this one has taken the place of! I still love him but there are times when I get really angry and there isn't much love in my heart. Then I feel shame and sadness that I have NO control of the situation and that ALL the talking I could possibly do will not change this situation at all. It has to come from within him and that is something only he can do. I think I have a long way to go before the thought of being a celestial parent even comes into view. I know that this will pass just like all the other times and I pray this will be the last but know it won't and I cry a million tears and then the peace will come when this passes and the waiting will begin for the next one. It's hard to see what it does to him and how out of control he is and how in control the alcohol is and how it will be until he decides he has had enough. The stress that it causes our family will pass and we will survive but will he or will the alcohol win and get him forever. It's not my choice for him because he has so much ahead of him and has so much to offer but for now its not what I want its what he has given into. Makes me angry, sad and helpless and all I can really do is pray that he will make it through another one. This is not fun and I have so much more to learn.

New Job!

So since I have been in California I have been busy with life, which includes kids, adam, home and church and whatever else I can find. I have been able to get used to the area and the kids are doing well and Adam is fine for now so I figured it was time to find a part time job to help pay for the electric bills and anything else if there was any left over. I had looked when we first got here and even applied online at Target since its just walking distance to my house. Not one word or phone call. I was sorta glad cause I needed to work but didn't really want to work. I had fun making bread, rolls, cookies and other fun treats, my house was clean and I had time to read my scriptures and life was good except that electric bill was just growing bigger and bigger. I hadn't checked on craigslist for a while so after adam had been on there looking I decided to look( this was friday!) I saw a job listing for a part time seamstress, for about 3 hrs a day and $10 an hr! I thought this would be a great fit and I could still have time to do my volunteer work at the hospital and be home for the kids and not too long away from adam! I quickly sent off and email saying a bunch of excited stuff and not really too much about my experience, so I hurriedly sent off a second email, which looking back probably looked really a little crazy. I wasn't sure what the job would be like but I was super excited and wanted it really bad. Well Sat morning I looked in my email to see if I had gotten a response and sure enough I did and I was asked where I lived and I hurried and sent off the email and within a few minutes the phone rang! I knew the number was a local one and figured it could be for the job!! I hurried and answered it and made an appt to meet on monday or tuesday! Well I meet Annette on Tuesday and started Thursday, not even a week from the day I first saw the listing and the rest is history! I love my job, the place where I work and Annette. She is a very creative person and very friendly and nice!!!( like most of the people here). I sew covers for castz and bootz and I also sew slingz! ( the z is a trade mark and her last name has a few in it too).Its
fun and comfortable and the drive to her house in the country is great! Her house is on a hill and its just so relaxing to drive there. I have to say its the perfect job for me and I know it was an answer to prayer! I even told her that. Well thats my new news and I am very grateful for all that I have for it isn't from me but from Heavenly Father, who is so aware of all!!!
Here is the website of what I do at www.castcoverz.com

New Adventure!

So since moving to Hollister in July, I have been wanting to work at the hospital that I live behind. Its a little hospital and well I just thought it would be a great idea to work there. I have no experience so that didn't happen. I did, however, notice when I had to go to the hospital for some blood work for my new patient work up, that they have volunteers that help out there! I thought great I should check into that and put that idea in my back pocket and went on with life. I do love this little town and I have been trying to find somethings to fill my days that are useful and of worth. I was at the high school watching Cassie's volleyball game when this petite white haired cute woman sat down next to me. She was very pleasant and had lived in Hollister for over 40 years. We chatted for a little while and she knew about the food pantry and volunteered there. Wow that was a place that Adam and I needed to volunteer at. I was so happy about that. We chatted about where she lived and where I lived and we live a stones throw away from each other. She then told me that she volunteers at the hospital and that they could use some help there!!!! Ding ding ding!!! I was at this point Way excited and couldn't hardly hold in my excitement. We exchanged numbers and figured I would call her in a day or too. Didn't want to seem TOO excited. Well the next day she called me and the ball started rolling really fast from there. I had to get shots and tests and so on but now I am officially a Hazel Hawkins Hospital volunteer. I will be an escort to those that come in and need to be taken to other areas of the hospital. When  I met with the head of volunteers she also mentioned that the hospital gift shop was short help as well and you guessed it I will work there too!!! I have to say the people there have treated me like a long lost friend and I am really excited to start this week with my training. I know dreams come true and that we are watched over. My new friend Dotty was there watching the volleyball game, cause years ago she used to substitute teach there and a friend of hers was watching a grand daughter in the game before Cassie's, but she was there so she could tell me that I was needed and the rest is history. I am way excited to start my new adventure as a hospital volunteer at Hazel Hawkins Hospital in Hollister Ca!!! Here are a couple of beautiful pictures of me in my new outfit!!! LOL!

It is what it is!

So today, after 3 months of huge electric bills, I have come to accept the fact that we will have huge electric bills. It's not something that I was willing to give up on but it is what it is. I have to say that I wish it was different. I knew before we moved to California that it was going to be expensive and yet I knew we were suppose to come here as well so you have to deal with it all. The weather is amazing and the area is beautiful so it is a tradeoff. I wish I didn't have to pay it but I do so I will look at my beautiful surroundings and think of what it costs! It is worth it but also its worth being where you know you are suppose to be. As I talked to the Lady at the PG&E ( pacific gas and electric), I was amazed at how nice she was and how she understood that it was expensive and she was even a single mom. She put me on a payment arrangement so I could hopefully get caught up. She was so nice that it also reminded me of really how nice people are here. I am grateful for all the blessings that have come since the move. It isn't all easy and void of stress but there are the blessings that I am able to see each day. I love what I see each day!!! It makes me smile and So there you have it. Electricity costs all your money!! Well most of it and its worth it!

Texas Time!!!

Being a mom, nana and a wife is a gift, one to be treasured!! I have to say that it is the best part of life for it is what I live for. My kids and husband are everything to me! I worry, pray, fuss, worry, pray... you get the message. There isn't a waking moment that they are not on my mind. Oh how I wish I had endless money so I could go anytime I am needed. This time I was lucky that my husband had a free ticket, that he works hard to get, that I could use to fly to Texas to help Ben, Ang and the kids get settled into their new home. It's always a challenge when you move to a new place. There is the unpacking, the organizing, familiarizing and the list goes on. We were able to get a lot done in the 12 days that I was there. Lucky that the kids had a couple of days off of school for the fair and a teacher day so when we were ready for the older ones to go to school, it was time. They were nervous but things worked out the best that they could. There are ALOT of brown haired kids in their school! They came home with smiles which made the rest of us breathe a sigh of relief. It's scarey but they did it and will be fine. It's also a great blessing to have the church in our lives. It gives us an anchor that we can use to stabblize us while we figure out what is going on. I am impressed with the love that the people in their ward showed them. I feel so blessed and comforted to know that they are in good hands as I leave Texas to go back to California. I will miss the smiles of all the kids, but mostly Ryan's smile cause it melts my heart. Anabelle is so sweet and so intense that she can't help herself! She is a cutie and became a quick friend. Tally is the clown of the family and we hear of her Pre K class as well, no big surprise there! Sammy is the quiet one who makes sure everyone is happy! She isn't loud like Tally or Anabelle but she will make sure things are going like they should. Alaura is at the age where things are more serious and she isn't sure how she fits in. She likes playing with Ben but only for a while and then she tries to play with the girls but they can be so silly. She will figure her place out. Little Ben is a great big brother and specially to Ryan. He is glad to have a new friend named Jared, just like his dad when we lived in Texas.  I really can't think of a better way to spend time than with family. I love hearing their prayers and how they play and the things that excite them. I love the chatter they make and the laughs. It will be quiet at my house and while I won't mind it for a while, I will still hear them in my mind. I am grateful I was able to go to Texas, happy to know they are in good hands and in a great home. Family is what it's all about, nothing matters more except the Gospel and hey that's what it's about too!!!!