"Doors" open and closed

Last night was the end of another chapter in my life. For the past 8 years (I think 8) I have been the coordinator of the RCIA program at Our Lady of Las Vegas Parish. This program was my baby. I poured my entire soul into it and to have to leave it behind to move forward in my life is one of the hardest things I've ever had to do. I know that the Lord has a plan for me and I hope that it will be to share my knowledge with a new group of people and with a new parish. I have met so many wonderful people running this program and have even gained some wonderful friendships because of it. I am greatful for all I have learned from these people and I hope that they will always remember me. So, as the OLLV RCIA door closes I will go on the hunt for the next door that is open for me, wherever that  may be.

The Future is clear

Wow, time has flown since my last post. It's hard to believe all that has happened. I am happy to say now that our future is no longer in limbo and we have a place to live. Our new home and destination will be Azusa, CA in a very cute 3 BR home with big front and back yards. AND we may be able to get the kids in the school district we want AND we get to take our pets with us. I had my last yard sale today in hopes to sell all my stuff, but, alas, I ended up filling my entire van and dropping it off at Savers. I am really looking forward to this weekend when I get to take some of our belongings to the house and I anxiously await the BIG MOVE DAY on June 4th when EVERYTHING will go to the new house. I have to say, all the little details that are involved in a move really suck, but very, very soon it will all be over and I will be able to relax again as a family of 5 in the beautiful weather of California.

There are some things I will really miss about Vegas. I will miss leaving things I don't want on my curb and having someone take them away. I will miss the donation drop off trucks parked in convienent locations for donations. I will miss all the Quick Care facilities that are available 24/7 in Vegas and aren't in California. (Having kids, this is a big issue in the middle of the night on Weekends...those parents out there can concur I'm sure.) I will miss the 24/7 convieniences of some businesses that aren't 24/7 in Cali.

OF COURSE I will miss my family. They are all here and I no longer will be. I will miss all my wonderful friends. I will miss my job at the Church and running the RCIA program. Speaking of which, Wednesday is my last night :( The Pot Luck may be more difficult than I expect. I will miss the schools that the kids are in now, but look forward to new adventures with new schools and teachers for them. It IS hard to leave something that has been my life for 39 years.

What am I  looking forward to? Being a Family again is #1 on my list. Living in my own place instead of sharing a building like an Apartment with 200 other people. All the things you can DO in California...Zoos, museums, theme parks, the beach, the mountains....THE WEATHER! (I will NOT miss 115 degrees at all!!) I like that we have a big outdoor area for the kids to enjoy. They are looking forward to all the adventures they will have in that yard. The parks will be nice too. I'm also very greatful that we are moving near family again. Since Stephen was job hunting in places all across the country and even in other countries, it will be nice to live near a support system again. This way we get DATE NIGHT!

Anyway, I can now count on my two hands how many weekends are left before the official move and the light at the end of the tunnel is getting brighter and brighter. Wish us luck on our move and keep us in your thoughts. We will miss all of you here in Vegas and look forward to visits! God Bless Everyone!!!

So much to do So little time

As I sit here and ponder my future and look at everything I have to do before the end of the school year I realize that a month has already flown by and I've done virtually nothing to prepare. I've packed a few small boxes and had a yard sale to get rid of a few things, but I still have to get rid of so much more. I've got some projects to wrap up and I don't feel like doing any of it. I have had some time to spend with my friends and family before I leave, but there just doesn't seem to be enough time in the day to make me feel satisfied in what little time I've spent with them. How do I create more time? Haven't figured that out yet. And the parts that boggle my mind are the transition periods. Like silly stuff...my car registration is up in April, I think, well, I'll still be here, but I will only be here for 2 months so, do I register my car here or do I take it to California so I don't have to register it twice. Alexander needs to get refills on his meds once a month but the new insurance only covers Dr.'s in California and not in NV so how do I get the refills without having to pay full price? Hmmm, mind boggling to me. Stephen's solution is just to move sooner, but that would mean gypping my kids out of the end of their school year and shortening their time with their best friends. So, all in all, it's hard to make everyone happy. And, once again, there is still so much to do and so little time to do it all!

Feeding the Masses

Tonight was the first night where dinner was completely MY responsibility. Ugh! Did I ever mention I hate to cook? Well, I think it was somewhat successful. I made Stir Fry chicken and Rice with Salad. The boys asked for seconds, so that made me happy. I guess it was somewhat successful if they aked for more of my horrible cooking. But then again, it must not have been that horrible if they ate it. I hope being in charge makes me a better cook buy summer, but I'm definitely going to be a happy person to hand the duty of cooking back to Stephen. It'll be a long road to haul, but I think I can make it work. Keeping my fingers crossed anyway!!!

It's been a rough couple days. My Aunt lost someone very close to her and she's just been a wreck. I'm very happy to have been able to be there for her and stay with her last night so she didn't have to be alone. I'm really very worried about her and I hope that myself and my family can help her through this difficult time. I love her so much and I hope she can weather this storm. I ask all of you who read this to keep her in your prayers. She asks that we pray that God gives her the strength to move on. Thank you all for keeping her and us in your prayers.

The Future is Clear

Well, our future has now been laid out for us. Stephen got a job in Downtown LA. Yes, CA! We will be moving in the 2012 year. We are so excited that he finally got a job. I can't explain how difficult it is to live your life in limbo and not be sure if you'll be able to afford to pay your utilities, your grocery bills...unless you've lived it yourself. It really taught us a lesson in generosity, love, hope, and the fragility of your impending future. You just never know what is going to happen to you from day to day. As the saying goes..."Man plans, God laughs!" Because of our situation, I have to say, we realized that we have so very many people who care about us and our well being. We were well taken care of financially and some wonderful saints in our Parish made sure that our Christmas was taken care of. We will never forget the generosity of these wonderful people. Another lesson we have learned was that we can live without things we didn't think we could before, and that we can use our future earnings to support a family in need as has been done for us. Once we get back on our feet, that is exactly what we are going to do. We are grateful for everyone who helped us and we are humbled by the lesson we've learned through this whole ordeal. So, if there is anything you can learn from my post today...take care of those in need. Be a good Samaritan and your life will be blessed in more ways than you can ever imagine.

So, it's been a while since I've posted a blog. But with recent events in entertainment news these days I just couldn't resist. So, really, why is it that Celebs think it's cool to get married and divorced to as many people as they can. I mean really? First there's the Kardashian. 72 days of marriage and she just couldn't handle it. She had to file for divorce. Which brings me to the fact that she just has too much damn money. You might ask, "what does that have to do with being married for 72 days?" Well, I'll tell you. She wanted this gigantic princess wedding so she could gain lots of press, have this gigantic party and she spent a butt load of money on it! Hello?!!! She could have given ME or someone else in my similar type of situation some of the money she spent on that elaborate wedding so that we could dig ourselves out of debt and be able to have some cash to live on (since my hubby's unemployed) and it wouldn't have even made a dent in her bank account. Wasteful, I tell you, wasteful. Then there's Ashton and Demi. They shouldn't have gotten married anyway. Too much of an age difference and, let's face it, was kinda weird that they got married in the first place. But, hey, who am I to judge.

I would just like to know/find a famous couple that's been married for Eons that can set a good example for the married people of the world. I have been happily married for 16 years now and I wouldn't change a day of it. I just wish the rest of the world would live by that example and not follow the "trend" of the rich and famous, who, by the way, don't live in reality anyway. Or maybe I should be annoyed at the people who try to emulate the rich and famous and "do as they do" so to say. Is this really a monkey see monkey do kinda world? It's all really annoying and frustrating at the same time. Wake up People! The rich and famous, if setting a good example is what their goal is, should actually set a good example. Don't get married if you have any inkling that it won't work out. Don't get married to just show off how much money you have. And maybe we should be looking to you, those who have a butt load of money to spend, to dig us out of this crappy economy! Give to the poor, people, GIVE TO THE POOR!

(on a side note, my husband thinks I'm being petty with this post. Well, I don't care and that's part of why we have a good marriage. It doesn't matter if we agree or not. I'm also annoyed. Really annoyed. Annoyed that we think lavish things like this are cool and annoyed that the economy is still in the toilet and is affecting us.)