Merry Christmas!

   Hello everyone! I pretty much knew I wouldn't write again until the end of my semester because I knew that it would be a busy one. I'll try to catch up what we missed but update on what's going on now.

   In my last post I mentioned that Glen went to Colorado. I would have gone too except that my lovely Sister was on the "anytime now" schedule for having her lovely baby. Of course I posted my last post on July 2nd, and we got a text in the wee morning hours saying "thunder cats are go! we're already at the hospital." I don't think either of Glen or I have gotten up and moving that fast like...ever. But after a very long day for Mommy and Daddy Caelan joined a pretty awesome and Crazy family weighing in at 10 lbs 9 oz and 22 1/4 inches long.  We were lucky enough to be able to be at the hospital and give him snuggles, and hugs to Mom and Dad just about an hour or 2 after he was born.

   He's five months old now, and so big and doing all sorts of wonderfully adorable things and growing far too fast.

   I started my semester in the end of August and it had me running from the get go. It was my first semester in the actual education program and it was my first time in a classroom. What an amazing experience it was! I got to observe and learn a lot of things that I would love to take to my classroom and I got to teach my first lesson. That totally fueled the "this is why I want to be a teacher..." fire. The work took a lot of time and there was a ton of reading. But as of this last Friday, I finished the semester and am loving it! I really wanted to end it with a bang grade wise. It won't be as bang-ish as I wanted, but there was definitely more of a sizzle-bang, and that's not half bad.

   Glen's big news is that he has this t-shirt business that he has been trying to get momentum with for a while and in the past few months he has done so well! Especially the military moms shirts; it's so cool to see something he has worked so hard on take off and do so well. Plus it makes me excited to see him so happy and excited. His website has shirts and a bunch of other stuff. My favorites are the cancer shirts and the monarch butterfly tank top. Here's the link if you want to check it out! https://squareup.com/market/shirtsjustforyou. So you should check it out! That's the big news Glen wants to share.

   This Thanksgiving we were lucky enough to be able to have my brother, his wife, and children come to Texas so we can have a whole Sykes family Thanksgiving. They were here for ten whole days and we loved every single second of it. Glen and I got to have the kiddos to ourselves several times. He loved that they got to get to know him better and he loved getting to know them. They have such hilarious personalities; we even started writing down "Lucy-isms" because they were just too good not to write down. Justin is so funny and very sweet, which is how he's always been but it's nice to see he's still a sweet kid as he gets older. Can't say I'm surprised given their parents. Some of the big highlights were going ice skating and seeing Santa at the big mall here in Dallas and getting the kiddos their own cowboy/girl boots. Let me tell ya having a 4 year old girl choose her cowboy boots from a big selection of colorful and some sparkly ones, not easy. We also got family pictures taken for the first time since like 2007 or 2008. Here are some of the pictures from the trip (I did put most of them on facebook too, but it's a good looking bunch so I brag (: ). Sorry they're spaced funky, I am technologically deficient.

Some Thanksgiving day shenanigans.

Mom's birthday at Babe's, fun in the park, and watching the Christmas parade.

Meeting Santa and Caelan's first lemon.

Meeting Santa and ice skating.

Ice skating

Some of the family photos.

   Now that I have blown up the blog post with our pictures, I will wrap it up! Glen and I leave the 21st to go to Colorado for Christmas. We are very excited to get to see both whole sides of the family so close together. I get to meet Rueger for the first time too, I just wish it didn't take so long. We love all or family and friends and we wish we could see everyone more frequently. We hope you all have a fantastic Christmas and a wonderful New Year!

   Last Thanksgiving we went with Brett, Corrine, and Britney to see the Forgotten Carols. If you have the chance to go (I realize it's late in the season), please do. I had not felt the spirit so strongly in a long time. Now when it's Christmas time (and sometimes not during Christmas time) I listen to the soundtrack just to feel that again. I put a couple videos of my favorite clips. It was not easy, because I love them all, but here are a couple that I'll use to close my post. Enjoy your holidays!

 

 

Catching Up

   I cannot believe that I haven't posted since February; I didn't think I stunk that bad. Apparently I do, so let me catch up a little from where I left off.
   Glen is still at Advanced Online and he still loves it, which is great! All I've wanted for him was to be in a work environment that he enjoyed and felt like he could grow and thrive in. That's where he is and it makes me incredibly happy.
   I took the THEA test and I got all the scores I needed to to get rolling in the education program, which I am so completely excited about. I feel like I've been fighting through this degree forever and knowing that there are only two years left is like a light at the end of the tunnel. With that said, I get to dive into the program next month. I am glad to finally get rolling on classes that really pertain to what I want to do.
   As some of you saw, we had some "fun" challenges in the past few months. One of them being that our only car died. That was a bit of a hassle but it turned out well and we got the car we have now that we like and we know it's reliable. If you want to know the full story, you can go to my personal blog because it's kind of long to repeat but it was definitely a good experience for us. If you want to read that you can do so here. My school semester ended and for the first time in my college career I ended the semester with straight A's which I was really excited about because the majority of my classes were ones that I really struggled with and i definitely worked for my grade. I have been out of work and off of school since early May and I know that I need the breather time because the next two years are going to be long and full of hard work, but I still get stir crazy. Luckily, I have a very sweet husband who works very hard to make sure I know that he doesn't think I am being lazy because he knows that is what I am worried about.
   This summer has really been spent and will continue to be spent working really hard. We've been working on the website called Task Rabbit where we pick up smaller side jobs. I haven't had the best of luck in the nature of people I worked for but Glen has done so well and he works so hard. I feel bad sometimes because he comes home from work then works really hard from home until we go to  bed. But I am also really glad that this last weekend he had a chance to have a little mini-vacation and go to Colorado and see all of his family. He got to meet Ruegar, our newest nephew and play with our nieces. I was planning on going but our family is expecting another nephew, which we are so stoked about! My sister Megan and her husband Gavin are expecting their first child, Caelan. Tomorrow he will be a week late and we have been anxiously awaiting his arrival. So I had to stay home and be on call; something I have been referring to as being on central baby time. But we know that if he doesn't come on his own, he will be evicted in a week from today.
   I think because this summer has been very work focused, I really look forward to times that I know we're going to play and have fun. Days like Friday or around our anniversary in August are ones I really look forward to because I get Glen to myself and we get to have some fun.
   So that's been our summer so far. We hope all our friends and family are safe, happy, and healthy. We love you all! Have a wonderful summer!
   I found the following quote and really like it because we have seen it. Things have been tough but somehow we have been making it and I know how that is. We are definitely blessed.

Here's to a good start!

   Hello again! It seems like I just posted and the new year was starting. I cannot believe it is February already! So crazy!
   Things are going well for us. Glen was a temp at this company called Advanced Online and they offered him a permanent position, which we are very excited about! He really enjoys his job, which is nice to see. It challenges him and keeps him busy which he enjoys.
   I started school again and it has kept me moving. In  little over two weeks (yikes...) I will be taking the THEA test which is the placement test that I need to get into UTA's education program. Then after that I will start in the fall and be done in two years. I know it's not really that long but it feels like a lifetime away. I was finding that with school, I could only work a few hours a week and only working a few hours a week barely covers the gas needed to get me there. So...I put my two week's notice in at Things Remembered last week. My last day will be next Wednesday. Scary for me because I get super stir crazy when I don't feel like I am contributing. But Glen says focusing on school is contributing, so I try to remind myself of that. I enjoyed working with people (most of the time (: ) but I can't say that I am sad to leave the retail world, because that would be a lie. I like the idea of getting weekends to have time with my family.
   Other than work and school we did some fun stuff this month. My birthday was on the 18th and my hubby spoiled me like he does so well. We had a little "stay-cation" which was nice. We also went shopping, had some dinner, and he got me a delicious cold stone cake. It took me forever to finish it but it was tasty. Then we celebrated with my family the following Monday. Overall good good birthday.
   Glen's mom, Corrine came to visit as well. She got to witness the crazy schedule we're always talking about (sorry about that!) and we got to have some fun too. She took us out to dinner for my birthday at Texas Roadhouse (yummmm) and we went with my parents to the Fort Worth Stock Show which was fun as well.
   We're keeping busy but still trying to have some fun too! It's been kinda cold here in the south and we are not enjoying that. But I refuse to admit to the need for an actual coat. I just plain refuse. :)
   We're enjoying trying to change some not so great habits, like we planned to do this year and I think it's going pretty well. To be honest, Glen is doing better than me but it's not a contest, right? :).

A Year Full of Lessons

   To give fair warning to those who may be reading this just giving a quick heads up. This is more of my thoughts and reflections of this last year and I write them because it helps me organize my thoughts and have something to look back on. I post it on here because I am a firm believer in finding random things at the time when you need it most and maybe someday someone will come across this when they need it and it can help them. These are mostly my thoughts; Glen shares many of them but this particular post will be mostly from my point of view and my words. It may seem dramatic but every word is true so if you don't want to read it, I won't be offended. 

   I am someone who does a lot of reflection around the coming of a new year about the year that has just passed. I do this because I feel it's how we learn, how we remember lessons learned, and it allows those lessons to sink in. This last year was unlike one I have ever experienced. For those of you who don't know me very well, I am an incredibly independent person that doesn't share many specifics about herself, her life, and especially her struggles. I always joke with Glen that if I were ever on undercover boss we would never get anything because I wouldn't share anything I'd just walk away. I keep my emotions and my feelings very close to myself so only close family really knows the struggles that I (and we) faced this last year. This last year was one of the hardest that I have ever experienced and that I hope I ever have to experience. While I am a firm believer in the idea that everything happens for a reason, sometimes that's hard to remember when something so life altering and scary is staring you in the face. When I am faced with challenges meant to teach me something I know I will usually only see its benefit once it is over because in the midst of it I do my best to keep my head down, keep plugging along, and don't let the universe know you're so much as breaking a sweat. As I was reflecting on lessons learned this last year I have found that in the most recent challenges as in challenges past I was reminded that even though something hurts and you feel alone, you are not really alone at all. There is always someone who loves you watching over you and helping you along your way. I didn't realize this was one of the lessons learned until over Thanksgiving we went to see Michael McLean's "Forgotten Carols." At the end of his performance he sang a song that I loved and had forgotten about that hit me right in the heart.

   Those who know me well know that music is a huge communicator to me. When I am upset I listen to music and it's an outlet, when I need encouragement often times the perfect song will come at the perfect time and be a breath of fresh air, and when I need strength I listen to a song that can give me that. My junior high and high school years were rough. Again...not something that many people know. I can mark the beginning of that struggle with when my Grandma Friday passed away. She was (and still is) such a voice of reason and understanding to me that when she passed away I felt like something in my life and in my heart was definitely missing. Right after she passed away I would listen to this song multiple times a day so I could have the strength to face each day. As I got to high school and things got harder and I faced more things that I didn't understand I stopped listening to it. I was angry and I didn't feel like there was anyone looking out for me; I felt abandoned. It was that song that after almost ten years of being forgotten Michael McLean began to play on his piano. And I cried a lot. Partially because it's a beautiful song, partially because it reminded me of the pain I had felt before, and partially because my realization about this year hit me in that moment. Those nights that I just sat awake in my bed and spoke to God begging for an understanding, for relief, for strength, for anything that could get me through, I would suddenly feel calm enough to go to sleep. Or in those moments that I was so overwhelmed and emotional that I barely felt I could breathe I would have the ability to laugh all of a sudden and it let in just enough light to get me through. All those moments were my Heavenly Father telling me that I was not forgotten. That all of these things that were breaking my heart and my will would soon be to my benefit if I could just hang on.

   Everyone sees God differently. The way I see my Heavenly Father is just as that...a father. I imagine that he is a lot like my father here on earth. He knows my heart, he is willing to comfort me in my sadness, and help lift me in my weakness. When I began on the journey I did a year ago I remember having a conversation with my dad where he asked me what I wanted to do and after I told him he said "okay...this is probably going to hurt and you're probably going to cry and I hate that. But that feeling in your gut that it's right is what you have to hold on to. You do what you know is right and we will follow you and back you up. We take our cues from you." That song I believe was Heavenly Father reminding me to go with my gut. That He knew it would hurt but that it would be for my own good if I could just hold on.

   From this year of hurt and heartache I learned more than I ever thought I could. I see my life differently. I see each day differently. I know that there are so many cases like mine where it did not turn out favorably and I count my blessings that in my case, one in a million, it did. I look back and I can identify moments where I believe some of the loved ones that have gone already that I miss so dearly were watching me steadfastly. Where they were sitting next to me without me knowing, and maybe holding my hand and saying some prayers for me. I really believe that. I count my blessings every time I wake up and look at my husband. Every time we laugh together and talk about our future together I feel overwhelming gratitude for my life. I feel overwhelming appreciation for the Atonement because I learned that it was not just for our sins but for every trial and difficulty we face in this life. I feel appreciation for my family because they have been the most amazing support system and I certainly could not have done it without them. I am grateful for my husband and who he is. The strength and the faith that he had to tap into is amazing and how different he and I both stand at the end of this year is mind blowing. I love him differently than I did a year ago. I certainly don't know all (or a fraction) of what there is to know about marriage. But looking back to what I knew the day we got married and what I know now I feel so much more enlightened. I had no clue what was coming at us that day. All I knew is that I loved this man and I would do what had to be done to keep him for eternity. I tapped into that thought and emotion a lot. And I am grateful I did.

   This is getting lengthy so I will wrap up. Looking back at the direction my life has gone and where I could have taken it has been interesting. I can point to several instances where if I had chosen another way I would not be where I am today. I don't know where I would be if I had chosen that direction, but I know I wouldn't be here and here is where I want to be. My resolutions for this next year are definitely there but the main couple I have are these:

1. Make 2014 utterly and completely different from 2013. Forget the hurt, forget the anger, always remember the lessons. Remember the blessings. Remember how I got to where I am and never take it for granted but move forward.

2. Love more. Love my husband better, love myself more, love my family, love my life, love where I am while I am there because it's time that won't come back so I better make it count.

   I am glad 2013 is done because it was so hard. But I am forever grateful for all the things I learned. The strengths I have developed, the experiences and attitudes I gained are irreplaceable and I don't think could have come another way. I am ready for 2014 so I can learn just as much and come out on the other end feeling like a better person because after all that's what life is about, right?

"Nobody gets to live life backward.

Look ahead, that is where your future lies."

Happy New Year Everyone.