2011 and 2012

Well, it's another new year.  I am not sorry to see 2011 go away, but it wasn't a bad year, either.

In 2011 I started my second semester of school.  The 2010 fall semester was where I warmed my toes; in 2011 I jumped straight into the fire.  But I learned some good things, and survived my three semesters of 2011.  I have almost maintained a 4.0 grade average (that icky algebra class killed it with an A minus).  I still don't know if I'll pursue this all the way to an associate's degree; I am strictly taking it one semester at a time.

The craziness of going to school and being a mom, and just life in general, led me to go on strike in March of 2011.  My kids still don't always see a mess and clean it up, but they are much, much better at doing a job—and doing it well—when asked.  They are also learning to cook.  And, when I've had classes that kept me at school when they were getting home from school, I could always count on Jason to get everyone home, and count on all of them to straighten up the house and get dinner started before I got home.

Our work/financial situation in 2011 was a trial—but this is nothing too new.  (Soon after we bought our house in 2000 Bruce lost got laid off from his job, and we have truly struggled to make ends meet ever since.)  Last year Bruce worked part-time for Hartvigsen School—a school for special-needs children, usually severely physically or mentally handicapped kids.  Bruce loves working with people, and he does very well in teaching situations, but the pay . . . you know, school pay and part time . . .  

Bruce also worked part time for Office Depot.  In March a friend called him with the offer of a sales job that looked very promising; unfortunately, it would be seasonal work and out of state.  We considered it:  the job at Hartvigsen would end in about five weeks, and Office Depot had no intention of giving him more than about ten hours a week. We went with a prayer and a gut feeling and sent him away to Colorado Springs on April 10—Easter Sunday, and my birthday. Two weeks later he went to Indianapolis, Indiana.  After a miserable eight weeks of separation, little pay, and much more prayer, Bruce decided he should really come back home to pursue a masters degree in a field he loves.  To pay the bills, he immediately took another sales job, but it didn't really pan out either; we earned about $1200 for the entire summer. After searching for anything better, he finally got a job with Convergys (a call center) in September.  The company is kind of stupid, and the pay is too low (but we're kind of used to that), but he loves working with people on the phones and helping them. Best of all, Convergys will reimburse his school tuition—he is taking a few pre-requisites this year, and will be pursuing his master's degree in marriage therapy soon. Yay!

The kids were as amazingly awesome as ever!  In 2011 Jason got his driver's license—the freedom from having to run every. single. errand. all. by. myself  far outweighs the trauma of teaching a kid to drive.  Maybe it's like labor and delivery vs.actually holding your baby; the baby makes you kind of forget how awful it was. ;-)  (OK.  I actually refused to go driving with him for the first two months, and after that he wasn't bad at all.)  Lindsey started high school in 2011 and she is doing very well.  Jason perfoms in the school band and Jazz Band, and he and Lindsey were in the school musical (Jason with the orchestra, and Lindsey with the chorus).  Brandon was also in his school's musical; Ryan and Brandon both ran for student office last year.  Kaylie, Rachel and Jessica remain in the tops of their classes in reading, and are great students anyway.  Michael got a job at Convergys at the same time as Bruce did, and has helped us a lot.  He's been thinking of going on a mission.

my amazingly awesome family

Things can be hard for us sometimes—just like anyone—but, you know, it's not so bad; in fact, it's good.  Over all I am happy, I like what I do, I like my family and the things they do.  We all enjoy excellent health; we are glad to be together, and we are optimistic.

And now it's 2012, a new year.  The time we resolve to do so many great things and then never do them.  We may start out with a bang, but it's often very short-lived.  I'm no different from anyone else.  I can't help feeling, at this time . . . or thinking, anyway, of things I want to accomplish. But I also feel a little foolish and even a little discouraged about setting goals when I remember past years' resolutions that fell so quickly to the wayside.

However, in spite of all that, I do have goals for this new year.  I'm not going to make them public—this year they are all mine.  Just a few, but they are good ones (I'm not planning to become a Mistress of Evil this year, or anything like that).  But how to get motivated and remain motivated?  Sometimes this seems beyond my own power.  To figure that out, learn to tap into the strength to really change—this is what I want 2012 to be about.  I think that, perhaps, that is my real goal. 

And, yes, I am optimistic.

Happy New Year!