Back at it for the New Year

I just realized it's been almost 3 years since I posted anything. I think about it every once in a while, but the doing of it seems to slip by me. So...once again I'm going to do this thing. No playing catch up this time, though, we're only looking forward (or MOSTLY looking forward 😉). Most of you know what we've been up to anyway.

It's 2020!!! I'm a little shocked by that...and by the fact that we're not driving flying cars by now. Wasn't that supposed to happen??? LOL Seriously though, this is a big year for our family. Liz graduates from high school in June and will have her AA by the end of the year! Also, I'm turning 40...not for 11 months yet, but 😲.  Honestly, I don't know where the time goes. Alex is just a little taller than me now, and Garret will probably pass me up by the end of the school year. Keri is in 5th grade and the drama has already started. And, of course, she feels the need to step in and try to fix things between all her friends which just leads to tears.

After over two years of fighting, Ben finally got his disability rating from the VA. It has lifted a significant weight from our shoulders. We have been HUGELY blessed the last couple of years, but it's been pretty rough since Ben separated from the Air Force. Now that he's got a steady income we can start moving forward toward building our own home. It'll take a while, but we are on our way. Until then...we have a beautiful house to live in and are so very grateful to my parents for letting us stay here.

This is an old picture. We don't have nearly this much snow this year.

As I was sitting in church today, I was thinking about answered prayers. Sometimes the answer is not what we want or expect...and sometimes it takes a while to come, but our prayers are answered!  A number of people close to me have mentioned lately that they have been struggling with feelings of being alone. They feel like the Lord isn't there, or isn't listening. It hit me today that quite often as a parent we have to stand back and let our children figure things out on their own. We have to let them fall and get back up when they are learning to walk/ride a bike/play a sport. We have to let them make mistakes so that they can learn the lessons necessary to succeed later. It's hard and sometimes it hurts, but we do it because we know that it's what needs to be done. So...if God is our Heavenly Father (which I believe 100%) then it makes since that sometimes he has to stand back and let us figure things out on our own.

February...in March :)

Okay, so I'm a work in progress. LOL

February was an eventful month! On Friday the third, I packed all of my LuLaRoe into the Toyota and headed out for Houston for a party with my sister-in-law. Partway there my GPS suggested turning off the freeway onto some backroads to save a few minutes. I jumped at the chance to bypass some of the Houston traffic! It was a beautiful drive until my temperature light came on and steam started billowing from under the hood. Luckily I had just gotten to a little town, so I pulled over in a grocery store parking lot. After consulting with some helpful locals (including an older gentlemen from the auto parts store) it was decided that I should NOT drive any farther.

Thanks to an understanding supervisor and a very responsible teenage daughter, Ben was able to come rescue me. He showed up, we transferred everything into the Excursion, and we traveled the rest of the way to his brother's house in Houston. I was "on the road" for approximately 10 hours!!! I missed dinner with the in-laws, and my nephews' soccer games, but we got there.

The next morning was Kim's party and it was AWESOME! I met a bunch of great ladies, there was good food, and sales-wise it was my best ever. I was on such a high!! Then came the trailer rental...and gas...and food...and the mechanic. My radiator was cracked all the way down the underside. By the time everything was paid for, ALL the money from the party was gone. I was so disheartened. I had sacrificed time with my kids and driven all the way there for NOTHING!

In the midst of my pity party, though, I realized something. The radiator was going to crack anyway (looking back, there were warning signs) and if I hadn't had that party in Houston, we wouldn't have had the money to get the Toyota fixed right away. We would have had to wait until our tax return came. Also, I wouldn't have known how much I LOVE a great in-home party! (Seriously, hit me up! It's so much fun AND you can get free clothes!!)

The biggest thing to happen last month, though, was my baby girl turning eight and being baptized. On the same day! She was soo excited!! Ben, unfortunately, couldn't get the time off work, so his dad stepped in and performed the baptism. Being that Keri is their youngest grandchild, it was pretty special for him to be able to do that. Grandma Texas (Ben's mom) made her dress and it's beautiful.

After the baptism, we came home to change and grab the party supplies. We had her birthday party at a local park because how often can you do that with a February birthday. :) Everyone had a lot of fun. We ate Little Caesars pizza and cupcakes (triple chocolate fudge cake with homemade strawberry frosting, and strawberry cake with homemade chocolate fudge frosting). It was a glorious day!!! Of course, the only picture I managed to get at the park was of her presents. LOL

We also had New Beginnings (for the teenage girls at church) that weekend, and the Blue and Gold Banquet (Cub Scouts) the following Wednesday. I was wiped out by the time it was all done.

Goodbye 2016!

One of my goals this year is to be better about updating this blog. I know I've said that before, but I'm really going to try to post once a month. :)  I've got quite a few goals for 2017 because I am going to ROCK this year!

First I need to fill you in on the second half of 2016. I officially became a LuLaRoe consultant on June 22, one day before Ben and my 15th wedding anniversary. I was so excited! Let's get back to that though. FIFTEEN YEARS!!! I can't believe how quickly the time has gone by. I feel so blessed to be married to Ben; he truly is my best friend. There's so much more that I could say, but it's all jumbled up and mushy in my head.  Despite making big plans (or having big dreams anyway), we didn't do anything extraordinary to celebrate. We have had a lot more dates in the last year then we've had in the past, so it all works out. :D

Back to LuLaRoe...in the middle of July, just after receiving my inventory and launching my business, I was able to fly out to California (my first time there) for the annual convention. It was a weekend full of learning, inspiration, and fun with friends and fellow consultants. I loved it! This year I'm hoping to take Ben with me to share the fun.  Ben has been my biggest supporter in this whole adventure. I've been selling for almost 6 months now, and it's been such a blessing.  I have not had the instant success that I first envisioned, but I have made enough to pay some bills and buy school supplies. I'm also enjoying the feeling I get from helping others find clothing that they love. Just when I start doubting myself, I'll get a message from a customer telling me that the piece they bought is the most comfortable skirt/shirt/leggings ever.  Thank you so much to everyone who has supported me so far!!! I plan on making my business even more successful in the coming year.

Ben has decided that he will not be re-enlisting when his current contract is up, so we are in the process of figuring out what our next big adventure will be.  It's scary, but we're certain that the Lord will lead us where we need to go.

Lizzy started high school last fall. She's involved in the theater program, and worked tech and lights for their presentation of  "In the Heights". It was very well done! 

Alex is in middle school now, but keeps begging to be pulled out and home-schooled. Ben and I aren't convinced that it's the best thing for him.  We're doing everything we can to help him adjust.

Garret is doing really well at school. He's a smarty pants and a brutal boardgame player.

Keri is getting more and more personality all the time. She's excited to turn eight, and get baptized, in February.

So, that's us in a nutshell. Happy New Year!!!

New Adventures Pt. 2

My new opportunity is with a direct sales clothing company called LuLaRoe.  I was introduced to it through a friend at church.  She's been selling it for about a year and has had a lot of success, but that is not really why, or how, I got involved.  I first got interested because the clothes are so cute AND comfortable.  They also fit pretty much everyone, with women's sizes from XXS-3XL. The sizes are generous too.  They also have kids clothes sized 2T-14. Both the girls and I love it!

Leggings with an Irma tunic.

DotDotSmile Dress

Amelia dress (with hidden pockets)

After the initial interest in the clothes themselves, I started looking more at the company and was even more impressed.  I love the loving, giving culture of the company.  There is no competition between consultants because everyone has different stuff in their inventory. (At least, that's the idea. I have seen some consultants online that don't seem to share the vision of the company very well.)  Another thing that appealed to me was that the parties, called Pop-up Boutiques, are low-key. There's no sales pitch or catalog. You come, shop, hang out with your girlfriends, and take home what you buy.  Being that I've proven I'm no sales person in the past, this sounded pretty good.

Nicole dress

Enough facts about the business, let's talk about my story.  As I mentioned in the last post, I really want to be able to ease some of our financial stresses.  I've looked at (and tried) different at-home, party-based businesses and none of them really suited me.  LuLaRoe seems unique, though, and really caught my attention.  I started kicking around the idea of signing up, but hesitated to talk to Ben about it because there's a pretty big starting investment.  It just kept going around inside my head, so finally at the end of March/beginning of April, I mentioned it to him.  He jumped right on board and said that if I was serious about working it, we could use next year's tax return to get started.  I was thrilled!  As the next couple of days went by I kept feeling a sense of urgency.  The company is growing so fast that they made a waiting list (the Queue) so that they wouldn't end up with more consultants than they could supply inventory for.  I talked to Ben again, and we decided we should go ahead and get my name in the Queue. I wasn't sure how we were going to manage it, but it felt right. So, I prayed about it. A day or two later I got a "pre-approved" credit card offer from our bank and applied, not really believing they'd give me enough to make any difference.  Within minutes, I'd been approved for enough to cover all of my start-up costs!  So...on April 13 I sent in my paperwork.  I'm still waiting to be made official ("onboarded"), but I've used that time to finish my schooling (yes, past tense!!!) and work out a business plan for myself.  I should start selling in July and would love any support you all can give me, whether by buying something or by sending good thoughts and prayers my way.

New Adventures Pt. 1

For years I've been telling myself that I need to get some schooling done.  When Ben and I got married and moved to Houston, I was only 2 classes away from getting my Associates.  The plan was to finish my degree there once I met residency requirements.  Plans changed...babies came...we both wanted me to stay home. Then we became an Air Force family...we moved...another baby...another move...another baby...2 more moves.  You get the idea!

So, now the kids are all in school and we are (most likely) not going to be moving for a while.  I had to face the fact that MY education had been put on the back burner long enough.  The idea of going back to a traditional college environment didn't appeal to me though.  Luckily I found another option. In February I started an Administrative Assistant program through Penn Foster.  It's a career diploma program that is completely online and self-paced.  The idea was to try to get on with the school district as a school secretary so that my hours would allow me to be at home when the kids are (for the most part anyway).  When I told the kids I was starting school, Garret said "but I don't want you to work. I want you to be home with us."  The thing is, I want to be home with them too.  I also want to be able to be able to say "no" less often.  No to after school activities.  Not right now to requests for shoes, clothes, family outings.  I want more room in our budget for "extras".  Honestly, I also want something for me.  I LOVE being Mom! Sometimes, though, I miss just being Cindy. I don't know if that makes sense, or if it makes me sound selfish, but it's the truth. 

Okay, back from that tangent...I've been working on my program for 4 months and I should be done THIS FRIDAY! FRI-YAY!!! I will not, however, be applying for any Administrative Assistant jobs any time soon.  A couple months ago I found another opportunity that I am SO excited about!!!

To be continued...

Flip-flops in a Rainstorm

A couple of weeks ago I attended a women's conference at my church.  The theme was "Life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass, it's about learning to dance in the rain".  The thought of dancing in the rain makes me smile...it brings to mind images of childhood and fun.  The conference was great and my only disappointment was that I wasn't able to go to more of the mini-classes they offered.  I think that we probably all need a little help in learning how to stay positive in difficult, or negative, times. But I'll get back to that later.

Last Saturday, while on a campout with the boys, Ben had to replace a belt and the radiator in the Jeep on the beach!  It was definitely an unexpected expense.  Luckily, he had some very helpful men with him and we only had to pay for parts, not labor. (Although, I probably owe them all some cookies.)  He got the Jeep home, but there are still issues and it is parked in the garage for the time being. This means that he has to use the Toyota, which would not normally be an issue since I'm home all day.  Except it's been raining all week, Ben has physical therapy twice a week, we've been fighting a stomach bug off and on for almost two weeks, and Alex had to have lab work done (fasting, early morning lab work).  There has been a lot of driving back and forth! I'm frazzled and have found myself shutting down, not wanting to do anything once Ben and the kids are out the door.  This morning as I was running the kids into school late, I made a comment about wearing flip-flops in a rainstorm.  Then it struck me how well that sums up my current feelings about life. 

Ben didn't care for the thought when I shared it with him. He pointed out that our life isn't really THAT bad right now, and it's not. That's not quite what I meant.  What I meant is that I don't currently feel properly equipped to deal with my life (or what's happening IN my life, to be more accurate).  But, we equip ourselves.  I chose to wear those flip-flops when I knew that it was raining.  I have shoes, but it was faster and easier to just slip on the flip-flops.  We were running late.  I didn't want to get my tennis shoes wet. These are excuses; I had a choice to make and I made it.

So, back to the conference and the dancing in the rain.  It's currently raining on our house (literally and figuratively).  This is not a bad storm we're weathering...we've been through worse.  Others have been, or are going through, MUCH worse.  My thought is...How often do we simply grumble about the rain instead of equipping ourselves to face it?  There is no "storm" that can't be weathered by relying on our faith.  We have a Savior who has felt each and every one of our pains and heartaches. He knows what we're going through and He wants to help us!  By using the equipment we've been given, namely prayer and the scriptures, we can be comforted during the worst.

Catch-up Time

Look at that...once again it's been way too long since I've posted anything.  So I guess it's time to play catch-up again.

First day of  8th grade.

The kids have done really well in their new schools.  Lizzy did the school play last spring, The Seven Brides of Dracula.  It was cute and she had fun, but decided to do the technical side of theater this year.  She was inducted into the National Junior Honor Society last spring too.  This year she is taking Pre-AP English, an art class that she gets high school credit for, and is planning on taking a trip to Washington D.C. in June.   She is becoming such an amazing young woman.

Cast of The Seven Brides of Dracula.

First day of 5th grade.

Alex is doing better academically than he ever has (other than standardized testing, but I've got opinions about that).  We're working with a doctor and a therapist to help him learn to better manage his moods/emotions/actions.  He got a Pokémon club started at the school this year. We're so proud of him for planning and doing all the work needed to get it going. He also just joined the 4/5th grade choir.

First day of 3rd grade.

Garret is thriving. School seems to come fairly easy for him.  He's actually in the Gifted and Talented program. He's another reader, which I love.  This year he's read most of the Guardians of Ga'Hoole series. 

First day of 1st grade.

Keri is...beautiful, feisty, inquisitive, loving...pretty much the same little sassafras she's always been.  She seems to really like school and has lots of friends there (though she can't remember about half of their names).











I'm doing pretty well.  After 7 years of discomfort and nausea, I finally found a doctor who would remove my nasty gallbladder.  It's amazing the difference it's made!  I'm still working on the whole "housewife" thing. It's hard to stay on top of housework, though, when there are books to be read and yarn to be knitted. LOL  I recently finished my first commissioned work.  A friend paid me to knit a temple shawl for her.  It was exciting! She loved the finished product too, so that made it even better.

Ben has been busy at work, as always.  He's also VERY close to finishing his Associate's and has plans for his Bachelor's. Yay!

Overall, life just keeps on going. We bought our first house and have lots of plans for things we'd like to do, but haven't gotten to them yet (time and money are limited).  We adopted a dog named Eris.  She is a Belgian Malinois mix (what she's mixed with is up for debate) and quickly became a member of the family.  One of the kids favorite things that we've done is buy annual passes to Sea World.  We all LOVE it!!!  We took an unexpected trip to Washington to say goodbye to Gramma Marge.  It was not the circumstances I wanted, but it was wonderful to see everyone and Gramma is reunited with Grandpa now.  We also had the chance to visit with Ben's brother and his family in Utah on our way to and from Washington.  My sister and her kids came down here for a visit too.  I love family time!

The kids love their 4-legged sister.