Annual Christmas letters are a thing of the past, but if I were doing one this year, the title of this post really does sum it up. It was the best of times and it was definitely one of the worst of times. I don't think I've ever been so excited to have a year behind me. I'm sure I've felt like this in other years but like childbirth, I have probably forgotten those seemingly hard years.
The Best of Times
*Kiersten got engaged and married. Erik was able to come to her sealing.
*Erik finally turned in mission papers, got his call to Orlando Florida, and left in September.
*High school graduation for Erik.
*He and Kiersten received their endowments. That was a glorious day to have two of my kids in the temple with me.
*A sister got sealed in the temple to her husband.
*A brother surprised us all in the sealing room of the temple. None of us knew he was coming.
*Alex got baptized by his older brother Nate and confirmed by his even older brother Erik. And somehow I didn't even manage a post about it. That tells you what kind of year it was. Our ward had just switch to a new bishopric and the new bishop was unaware that we had a baptism. To pass the time while we waited for him to come, we took photos.
*Missionary calls home on Christmas Day at the same time!!
*A missionary stand up of Erik to help us fill the void.
He watched Pride and Prejudice with Ash and really loved it.
He also made an appearance during the final countdown for New Years.
*Our last big hurrah with the whole fam was a day at Lagoon.
The Worst of Times
*Schoolwork and homework and assignments and projects and reflections and lesson plans. I LOVE to learn but I like it to be on my schedule. Being thrust into school was a hard adjustment.
*I also don't like interviews. They stress me out.
*Wedding planning is another worst for me. I simply did not have the time to put into like I needed to. I made sure I got the essentials taken care of.f
*The death of Grandma Leary. She was such a fixture in our home for many years and will be greatly missed.
*Watching Erik walk away from us at the MTC was incredibly hard.
*Lice for Ash after coming home from Beehive Camp. THAT was a miserable experience.
*Decluttering a classroom took me weeks. But I can honestly say it has made this year so much better knowing things have been thrown away, given away, and I don't have to deal with it.
*Inheriting a garage full of teaching stuff from a retired teacher. There was so much that I simply threw away or gave away.
Both
*I would probably classify starting a teaching career as both the best and worst. It has been such a fun, good experience, but I don't like taking most of my weekends to lesson plan and prepare the next week. It makes the week go more smoothly but I really miss having my own time.
This past year also brought a myriad of changes in regards to church stuff. I've been on this out-of-control speeding train that careens at times toward a steep precipice. But then I'm snatched calmly back to continue on this journey that hopefully will be slowly coming to an end.
2019?? What have you got in store for me this year.
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