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.