Converse Christmas

Dexter's big Christmas present this year was a Converse gift card that allowed him to design his own pair of Converse shoes.  He picked double layered shoe and then got to choose the color/pattern of fabric for each side of the shoe (inside and outside), the tongues (both sides), plus the color of stitching, the color of the rubber on the bottom edge of the shoe, the color of the stripe on the back of the shoe, and the custom lettering on that stripe.  The biggest drawback to that gift was that he had to wait so long to actually get the shoes he designed.  Once they arrived, Dexter was completely engrossed in examining every bit of them, carefully lacing them, and trying them on.

Jobs Update

Since paying the bills is our main focus these days, here is an update on the jobs in our little family:
Dexter has been cast in "The Fantasticks," taking him out of the working world until his show is over in early March.  Dwayne continues to work via a temp agency.  He receives incoming calls at some sort of marketing firm and does what he can to get full time hours in.  Some weeks leave him low on hours when there aren't enough calls coming in.

I'm still working at Heritage...and likely will be for some time. The time frame for the annual musical our clients do has changed, so I am back in the middle of rehearsals, playbills, advertising, etc.  Auditions were held last week and "West Side Story" will be performed  April 15, 16, and 17.  I'm still keeping my eyes open for other jobs, but my boss has plenty for me to do for now.

Emerson has started teaching the Adaptive Physical Education course at Utah Valley University.  It is one night a week and going well so far.  He's a real natural at this!  He is also starting a new part time job as the teacher at a treatment center in Spanish Fork. It's a small treatment center and he is THE teacher.  The job is not so much about teaching classes as it is about tracking the students' progress with their independent study coursework and helping them with problem areas.  He is still searching for a full time job that will work, but listings for PE teacher jobs are pretty rare right now.

Etsy Shop

Our Etsy shop is up and going now.  I like this better than listing handmade items on ebay since you don't have to hope someone discovers them before the auction is over.  There are a lot of fun things out there on Etsy and I have to admit I've purchased a thing or two.  The other nice thing is being able to sell what we have as we finish things instead of trying to make enough to have a table or booth at a craft fair.  The link is here on the blog and I have it on my Facebook page as well.  Can't hurt to try to make a little extra money while we wait for our fortunes to change...

Broncos!

I'm sitting alone in my living room (for the first time in months) while Emerson and the boys are in Denver at the Broncos football game.  This was such an amazing gift from Gene and his family and I know how much the guys are enjoying it.  Unfortunately, the game didn't go our way.  I discovered that without the guys here to yell at the tv screen during big plays, I filled in nicely.  It kind of took me by surprise!  I'm going to post some pictures Emerson took with his cell phone. The first few are of their pitstop on the way to Denver.


Then there is a picture as they get ready for the game to start. 

He caught a lovely picture of our boys during the national anthem.  Gotta love the Broncos gloved hand over the heart for Dwayne and the jersey over the winter coat look for Dexter.  Glad to see Dex remembered to bring his glasses so he could see the game better.

Things did not end well for the Broncos and the loss today ended their season - no playoffs.  This was Emerson's "after" picture.  Exactly how I felt too!

Now I'm waiting for them to come home.  It's kind of eerie being here alone.  Reminds me of getting scared of every little noise when my parents left us home alone when I was a kid.  The alone time is kind of nice, though.  I got out my tatting to play with...but managed to mess it up quickly.  I painted my fingernails since nobody was here to complain about the smell.  The dogs proved to be a little too much for me to handle since getting them out to their pen to play is pretty difficult for me still.  Dexter can thank me for washing the dishes he was supposed to do before leaving.
Other than watching the Broncos game, I was able to skip watching football and have been watching "Platinum Weddings" and other fun shows.  Although I would never spend that kind of money on a wedding (I think ours cost about $1,000), I still dream of someday having a vow renewal and living it up a little. I was so nervous at ours that I barely remember the details of the day.  We talked once about doing something like that in Las Vegas, but we'll need to wait until we're on steadier financial footing.  Who knows?  Emerson and I are going to open an Etsy shop soon to sell his beadwork and my tatting or other crafts.  Watch for details soon.

Happy New Year!

I have to be honest....I really mean it when I say "happy new year" this time.  Last year saw the death of my dad, the disintegration of relationships with my sisters, turmoil with my children, the loss of Emerson's job, me totaling our truck and my foot, not getting my dream job, and a lot of tears.  There were some bright spots - getting to know Tina's parents better, being able to let go of my dad, , Dexter getting starring roles in his plays, strengthening my marriage, having my hubby take care of me, and not losing my job.
On Facebook today, I received a great message through an application called "Message from God." 

God wants you to know that today you have a cause for celebration. Today, you should celebrate what an unbelievable life you have had so far: the accomplishments, the many blessings, and, yes, even the hardships because they have served to make you stronger. Just as a gem cannot be polished without friction, nor can a life be perfected without trials. Take a time to acknowledge your life and to praise yourself.

I definitely feel tempered in the fires of adversity and hope that will strengthen me and keep me going in this new year.  I have confidence that Emerson will find a new job and that we will continue to find happiness together.  We will see Dexter in a starring role on stage once again and then graduating from high school.  Perhaps we will even see Dwayne figure out what he wants to do with himself.  Now that my brothers live closer, I hope to see them more.  Maybe my sisters will even let me back into their lives.  I will leave myself open to possibilities and hope for a great year in 2010.

Merry Christmas!!

Christmas traditions are really important to our little family.  Not surprisingly, current events have altered some of our usual traditions.  Decorating the Christmas tree has been my responsibility, but I wasn't really up to it this year.  Emerson stayed up long nights to get the tree up this time.  I usually enjoy running around with Emerson to shop for or make gifts.  I did most of my shopping online this year.  We always go to midnight mass at the Catholic church to celebrate Christ's birth as a family, but my foot hurt too much last night and we decided to stay home.  Despite these changes, I feel like we pulled together as a family to have a great Christmas.  Times were leaner and we had to be more thoughtful and careful about our gifts, but I think that made each and every gift even more appreciated.

Dwayne got the dressy wool coat he wanted.  Dexter got a gift card for Converse so he could design his own shoes. They each got a good winter coat and shoes and some other wonderful clothes. Dwayne was also thrilled to get a new pair of shoes to replace his favorites that got worn out.  Emerson was delighted to get the entire set of NCIS dvds (his favorite tv series).  The looks on their faces as they opened the gifts was wonderful!  All the worries I had about this year being a smaller Christmas were dispelled.  What they received was love and there was plenty of it.  The shoes Dwayne got were exactly the same kind he got from his Grandpa Loren a couple of years ago.  He wore them out in Chicago trying to sell security systems and didn't expect to get a replacement pair from Santa.  Dexter's missing copy of "Sweeney Todd" turned up as a present under the tree as well as the poster from his last play - nicely framed and including two photos that his dad took during the play.

As for me, I found love in my gifts as well.  Santa gave me an Alvin and the Chipmunks set of stuffed animals.  I know it sounds silly to most people, but I have a soft spot for the chipmunks.  I grew up dancing around my grandparents' living room to a Chipmunks album.  That was such a happy memory for me and it was fun to experience it again.  Emerson took the time to work with my dog, Shadow, to take a really nice picture of him and put it in a frame (not the picture here).  It was so sweet!! I've been trying for the longest time to get him to sit still so I could get a good picture of him and I never could do it.  The next surprise was the biggest.  Lately I've been thinking about rings.  When we got married, we couldn't afford rings, so I got married using my mom's wedding and engagement rings. Mom wanted Rick to be able to have the rings, so I returned them and Grandma Myers gave me her wedding rings (she was using her mother's rings).  Unfortunately, as I got chubbier, my fingers did too.  Those rings didn't fit anymore.  On our tenth anniversary, I got a storyteller band-type ring with a Navajo man and woman by the campfire.  It was wonderful!  But I continued to expand and that ring no longer fits.  I've been wearing a silver and turquoise ring Emerson's grandma gave me years ago, but I've been wanting something more romantic.  Emerson's gift to me today was a beatiful silver and diamond ring!  It's exactly the style I like and I can't wait to get it sized to fit my finger!

I've had some time to reflect today about family. We've had such a rough year - losing my dad, family struggles, Emerson's job loss, and my accident with resulting injury.  In every instance, Emerson's mom, brothers, sister, cousin, uncle, and their families have been the first to call and offer their support.  Dwayne posted information on Facebook about my accident and we were getting calls from Tapahes before I even made it to the hospital!  They have never wavered in their support and devotion and I can never thank them enough.   One of the things I admire most about the Tapahe family is how they value family.  Even when one person is mad at another, they still rush to each other's aid in times of  need.  I'm so glad I married into this family!  The phone calls from my brothers have also been nice.  Both moved to new homes this month and they are very busy, but I'm glad they have time to talk to their big sister.  I've also noticed how our Heavenly Father provides us with other members of our family.  I can count as my sisters two amazing women I work with, my dear visiting teaching companion, my powwow sister Angela, and my brothers' wonderful wives.  I don't know what I would do without them!  Of course, I still miss my mom, dad, and grandparents, but God has provided me with others who lift me up.  Emerson has done so much for me, especially with my injury, and I can't imagine life without him.  I'm so glad to have him by my side as well.

George Family Gift Exchange

Since nobody asked, I hadn't put together the list of who to send gifts to.  I'm listing the schedule below so you can see how it works and plan ahead:

Sender's family     Recipient family- 
                            2006     2007      2008        2009
Karen................. Rick      Kathy      Bill           Rick
Kathy................. Bill        Rick         Karen      Bill
Bill..................... Kathy    Karen       Rick        Kathy
Rick..................  Karen    Bill           Kathy      Karen

Almost Christmas Surprise

Here it is, the last weekend before Christmas.  Yesterday was my first day with my injured foot back in a shoe.  I was really looking foward to it, but it was somewhat anticlimactic since the only shoe I could squeeze my swollen foot into was my Crocs and they were still super tight.  My muscle strength and stamina need to be built back up again, so I still resort to a wheelchair for long bouts of walking and shopping.  Using a cane still helps me take some of the weight off my foot.  Dexter is now on his Christmas break and learning songs for his next big role as El Gallo in "The Fantasticks."  Performances will be around mid-February.  This will be Dexter's final high school theatrical production.  Dwayne is working through a temporary service and has a good chance of being hired on permanently.  The bad news is he will have to work on Christmas day.  Emerson is still job hunting, but he is also preparing his materials for the class he will be teaching at Utah Valley University beginning in January.  He has come very close on a couple of jobs and we're still waiting to hear on one more.

Emerson's brother, Gene, is heading out of town on vacation with his family for Christmas.  They came over last night to exchange presents.  They brought a gift basket with assorted items - cookies, kitchen items, cocoa mix, etc.  Also in the basket were orange cards for Emerson, Dwayne, and Dexter.  They contained tickets to the Jan. 3rd Denver Broncos football game!!!  The guys were so excited and it really revived the holiday spirit around here.  Once again, I just have to say how amazing the Tapahe family is and how they seem to know just how to lift each other up.  It looks like our Christmas gifts to the rest of the family will be mailed kind of late.  Better late than never?  We have yet to hear from my side of the family other than from Aunt Marti, so who knows what's happening over there.

Is Anybody Out There?

I've been trying to be good about posting updates so our families know what's going on with us, but I'm starting to wonder if we're out here in cyberspace alone...
Rick and Holly have posted some, but it seems like the rest of the family has disappeared.  Are you guys out there?  What's up? How are you doing?  Everything okay?  Blog, email, call, or something to let us know how you're doing....

Joy to the world, my pins are out!!!

The past few days my foot has been itching furiously in a very annoying and somewhat painful way.  I finally gave in and took off the bandages to see what was going on.  The top of my foot had broken out in hives and the incisions were weepy with clear liquid.  Emerson took me to the doctor and he told me I was having an allergic reaction to the betadine they used to clean my foot for surgery (only because it was left on my foot so long and never got washed off).  That led to an infection in the top layer of my skin.  He prescribed antibiotics and an antibiotic cream.  Since I was already there, he also pulled the pins out of my foot (be glad I am skipping a description of that and pictures).  A quick round of xrays showed sufficient healing and I now have permission to walk....very carefully and slowly.  I have to keep the big plastic boot on when walking for the next week, then I can remove the boot and switch to hard soled shoes for a few more weeks.  One more okie dokie from the doctor at that point will allow me to be deemed "fully healed."

The nonjoyous news of the day was finding out I didn't get my dream job at UVU.