I'M BACK

In case you were wondering, and even if you weren't, I'm back. I ran away for a few days. Life got the better of me, but I have decided, now that I have taken my reprieve, that I can once again, check into my life. This is not to say that I might not decide to leave again, but never fear, my kids now have clean clothes, and I was even able to cook them dinner tonight. All is well.

HOPE

Tomorrow marks a historic day in American history. I believe that most of America and indeed the world, will be sitting by with baited breath. You either love him, or hate him, but this man has the fate of America and indeed the rest of the world, resting upon his shoulders. I don't envy him this position. So I will sit, with the rest of my family and friends, and watch this event unfold.

I am putting a lot of trust in his ability to correct some of the past wrongs, but I am not naive in knowing that although he is in a position of power, there is much at play in the background. I am only hoping for a brighter future, not only for myself, but for my children as well.

As most of you know, we have had a very rough 3 years. We have been warned by the prophets to be prepared, and we thought we were. Last year, sitting in a Sunday School class, the Bishop asked us, how many of us were out of debt. I was able to raise my hand, but that was short lived.

We now find ourselves, after nearly 20 years of marriage, without a permanent home, with all of our savings exhausted, and though Handsome works nearly 13 hours a day, barely able to survive. We moved into a home, hoping that we would be able to keep our family there for as long as we desired, but have now realized, we have bitten off more than we can chew. Don't think we didn't do our homework, but that was not good enough. Now we are wondering what the next step is going to be. Will we need to move out of an area that we are loving? We hope not, but with Handsome having some medical issues, we are finding our future very much up in the air.

I only tell you this, to help you realize that you are not alone. I have talked to numerous friends and family that are struggling just as we are. People that thought that they were doing the right thing. What is right anymore?

So, I will watch the inauguration, hoping. Hoping for the change that was promised, but wise enough to know that it won't happen overnight.

Am I Ready?

I am at a crossroads.

I didn't think I would ever even consider this at my age, which is just over 25, but the time has come. To let my gray actually show through? What to do, what to do....

Unlike my parents, who didn't even show up with gray hair until way after 60, I started finding those little buggers about 25, or shortly after I got married, could that have been the cause? Now a few years later, and many bottles of dye later, I am tired of 2 weeks after the new dye job, have my hair showing its true color. So the question is, do I continue dying it the awesome red that has been my color for quite a long time, go back to the white blonde of my early 20's or start embracing the next stage. NOT that I plan on doing it gracefully mind you, but I have decided if I try this, I will also be going short and sassy again. Help, what is your opinion?

The Year was 2008

Every year, I try to write a Christmas letter. Some years it comes after the New Year's and other years I decide to be on top of things and send it before Christmas. Last year (2007) was no exception. As soon as I put it in the mailbox, I had a thought, now that you have put down in words the kind of year we have had, everything is going to change. I was not disappointed. SO, with that being said, I made a conscious choice this year to NOT write a Christmas letter or a New Years letter, instead I figured I would let the last year slip into obscurity. I should have been a Catholic, because guilt got the better of me. I decided I would be very wrong, to not share the good the bad and the ugly.

Here goes, and know I won't feel bad if you walk away....

After the Christmas letter went into the mailbox, Jac proceeded to have another heart attack, so we spent the last part of December and first part of January thinking he might possibly have to have bypass surgery. We were very lucky, when they decided that the blockage he had might be better dealt with with just medication, only because of where the blockage was. So with new prescriptions in hand, employment terminated with the man that had taken us to Reno, he proceeded to look for another job. We were very lucky in that, he had several offers, but decided to take the one with BJ'S Restaurant. Our thinking was that it would keep us in Reno so that Michael could finish out her Senior Year of high school, but that is what we get for thinking. Instead, they liked him sooo much, that they decided to have him open up the Northwest region, hence the move to Washington. So, from the end of February until mid May, Jac lived in California, training, and the kids and I continued our life in Reno. It was an interesting time. I figured my job was damage control, well actually, I thought I was just to be a single parent, but it turned into damage control. You know, not letting your kids brain damage get completely out of control! My sweet, smart Michael took this time to enjoy a conversation with the police, and found herself hiding from the fire department on a certain occasion. Madison found that sliding down the stairs on sleeping bags late into the night was the ticket, Quinn enjoyed his time having sleepovers with a wild group of boys, and Alexa figured this was a good time to spend as much time as possible with the neighbors, in hopes that they would adopt her. And I just spent an awful lot of time running, getting up to 6 miles a day!

We enjoyed a cluster of earthquakes that rattled Reno and myself for several weeks. The blessing in all of that was it made us get prepared. We also learned to really enjoy the simple things in life and each other. We had a great time!

Jac returned to Reno with enough time to help finish the packing and for the movers to show up. It was wonderful having someone else do this for us this time!

Michael also got her drivers license during the move, had a minor accident and finished out her Junior year of high school. The kids were sad to leave friends, but not terribly sad to leave Reno. I feel that we definitely had left our mark, but I don't think Reno could have handled anymore of the Chandlers, pretty soon they would have come looking for the parents.

Now we have been in Seattle area for about 7 months. We have loved living here, we have loved the green, the hills, the water and the mountains. Jac has opened a new restaurant and has been dealing with the challenges that that has brought. Michael is trying to survive her Sr Year, but has made great friends again, and is excited to finish so she can go back to Utah for college. She was just informed that she could graduate right now, but since she is only 16, I am going to make her stay and take that golf class that she is looking so forward to!

Madison is in the 8th grade, and with that comes all of the challenges of being 13, the hormones, the boy issues and the reality that Mom truly intends to keep her cell phone for quite a while! She is still playing the violin, and is doing very well in school. Scholastically, this has been a great move for her!

Quinn is in 5th grade and is in his last year of elementary school. It makes me sad to know that as much as I have wanted them to grow up, they truly are doing that. I never thought I would say that I miss having little kids, but occasionally, I do. Quinn also started playing the clarinet this year, and really seems to enjoy it, although I think he has plans to switch instruments at the end of the school year, probably because he knows how much I enjoy listening to the squeaking!

Alexa is now 8. She is in the 2nd grade and loves school! She probably had the easiest time settling in and feels like she has always been here. She seems to brighten every room with her smile and laugh. She was baptised this year and was so excited to have her Grandfather and Uncle come from Colorado to baptise her. She also was thrilled to have Grandma and Grandpa T come from Oregon and her cousin and Aunt to show up from California. She loves being the center of attention.

As for me, I keep myself busy. I am a counselor in the YW's program over the 14 and 15 year olds. I love it! Although it is a busy calling, the girls in our ward have such sweet, strong spirits, and I am grateful every week to get to share in that. I have started running again, although, not quite 6 miles or 3, but slowly I will get back to that. I don't know how long we will get to be in this area, but I am so grateful for all of the blessings that my Heavenly Father has bestowed on me. I might get sarcastic at times and laugh or cry at the way things are going, but I know, that my family is still together, that we love each other, we know how to laugh and sing and be silly and that the challenges that we are now facing will also pass and the lessons we have learned when we come out on the other side will be invaluable.

With this being said, Have a Happy and Safe 2009. We are so grateful for all of your friendship and love.

We have gotten to experience record snowfall

The beautiful green trails
And INCREDIBLE amounts of silliness!

I'm Dancing Again

YEAH!

They finally did it! The kids made it to one whole day of school, without a delayed start or a snow day! Definitely a day for dancing...so why am I sitting at this computer? I better go get my feather boa!

What New Year's Resolutions?

Ok, by nature, I'm not a complainer. Today I just want to say....

ARE YOU KIDDING ME?

We are only 2 days into the New Year, and my resolution was to dance more....but so far, I'm having a hard time making that work....

Take today for an example, my goal is to get my house back in order. The Christmas decorations are down, I really was looking forward to just getting the 6' of dust cleaned off of everything, and get rid of my mold-ridden toilets. (It is very hard to be festive when you have to clean bathrooms all the time).

Instead, I get the call from Handsome that he needs me to pick up food for the restaurant, I won't bore you with why I, the lowly housewife is doing this, but suffice it to say, this is the 3rd trip in 4 days...I got one day off because after all, it was a Holiday.

Not a problem, but I think I will start the self -cleaning oven before I go, because even the oven could have fed a third world country.

The smell in the house became toxic, I made all 4 kids go for a ride with me, only to get them away from the big black box and the little white wii. (How can they learn to beat me in tennis, if they are not home practicing!), anyway, I digress.....

Off we go to the restaurant supply house. I'm told, get there around 12:15 because they will have your order for you..I figured, give them a few minutes, and arrived at 12:20. I walk in, and am told, "There Is no way your order will be ready until at least 1:00!"

Dilemma.....do I drive the kids someplace, or do we just wait...wanting to be environmentally conscious, I decide to wait. Of course, with kids, you don't wait in silence, so the stereo goes on. Now, knowing how prone to killing the battery my children are, I diligently, start the car every five or ten minutes.. 1:00 comes, I back my car into the bay for my pickup, go inside, get my invoice, then wait for another 10 minutes for them to pull it. NOT A PROBLEM......

The order arrives, and I start to have a panic attack!

I NEED A U-HAUL!

I can do this...

With some very clever maneuvering, tripling kids into seat belts, we are finally loaded.

Go to start the car, and nothing.....not anything. The car is dead. A very kind man came and jump started it for me, with my jumper cables, because, like most men, he didn't have any.

Go to the restaurant, ask one of the managers to get a dolly because I have tons of food, and he says that they don't have any that they would want to put food on! ARE YOU KIDDING ME? I have been here how many times? Do you need me to show you where they are kept?

Sorry, I got a little angry!

Finally, the food gets unloaded, our meal that Handsome had prepared for us is ready, and we jump in the car ready to go home, 3 hours later, and the car won't start again! HELP!

Luckily, Handsome was nearby, he could save the day, except that the battery in his car is smaller than most, (for racing, you know light weight batteries), it doesn't have enough juice to start my car....I wanted to cry, I didn't....finally, we got the car started. That is when SWEET Michael says, "oh yeah, we didn't leave the car running long enough..." (lessons learned from draining the battery on numerous occasions).

Finally, we drag our butts home, walk in the house.. ready to wipe out my beautifully cleaned oven, when I see.....

THE ERROR CODE

I can do this, I calmly walk over to the oven and begin pressing various buttons.....

NOTHING. The door won't unlock.

I go online to find a manual. There is nothing in the manual about error codes! I wait on hold for 10 minutes, only to be told, unplug it, if it doesn't clear it, it is broken and you need to call the repairman. I pull the oven out. I gasp at the mess underneath it, but look at the blessings, and say, not a problem....I can clean this too. I plug it back in, still the error code....I have pushed various buttons, wanted to kick it, but stopped myself because I don't want to completely annihilate it, so I think I will walk away and make a cup of tea.....

Just saying, this is only the 2nd day of January!

Out With the Old

Today we are seeing the final day of 2008. I am leaving it with some gratitude, some sadness and some hope for what is to come. This year has been an incredible time of change for our family, as was the 2 years before that. We have loved to have come into contact with some fabulous people from Nevada and now from Washington. We are not sad to see the struggles that we have faced financially and health wise pass with the year, but these have made us more understanding and I hope better people.

I never did accomplish the family Christmas Picture, nor was I diligent about my exercise after our move. I haven't found a job, but I have found peace. I have discovered that you can be sore after playing video games and I have discovered that I have missed dancing and having joy in my life.

So, 2009, here are my resolutions....to appreciate every singe day, even if it is laundry or cleaning the bathroom day, to DANCE more, to laugh more and oh yeah, to exercise more!

Have a happy and Safe NEW YEAR!

Catching Up

As so often happens in December, it feels like we are running so fast, that we hardly have time to document our days. Yesterday, I was talking to a friend, and she asked, "what is new?" Of course, my stock answer was, "nothing". Then I proceeded to tell her in bits and pieces about life in the Chanfandamly. That is when it hit me, so much is happening, I better document it so I can remember it!

Handsome and Son got to go to a Seahawks game, The Son was excited as his team, the Patriots won!

Thanks Jamie!

We had the Angel Breakfast for YW early on a Saturday morning. See how excited they were to be up?

The Fearless Leaders, we were equally excited to be up!

For my birthday, we made gingerbread houses in two teams

We thought they were finished.....we didn't know that Handsome would still be adding things the next day!

Notice the firecrackers surrounding their house, and the missile launcher in Gingerbread's hands!
The finished products!

I also want to give a shout out to our neighborhood Home Depot, who when asked, donated a Christmas Tree, the ornaments and a hug, for a family in our area, FOR FREE!

And last but not least, I have spent the last 2 days, watching, laughing and singing to my new Mama Mia DVD.

Well, back to the couch! Have a great rest of the week!

Birthday Wishes

A long time ago....

In a galaxy far away....

Or, about 25 years ago, (that is all I am copping to), I was born. It is funny how our expectations of our birthdays change with age. Don't get me wrong, I love birthdays, as long as they are not mine! What has happened this year on my birthday, is I have re-evalutated what I want. Don't get me wrong, I still want the body I had at 26, (Oh, I mean 24), and the hearing, and not having the gray hair that I faithfully cover every 6 weeks. But as far as things, I can't think of one thing that I am lacking. How fabulous is that?!! My needs are taken care of.

We are not having a big party, but instead, we are going to put together gingerbread houses as a family. What more is there? I ask you, to get to spend time with my kids before they all decide to grow up and leave home. So that is my birthday wish this year, to spend time with my family, without the customary screaming and fighting, and to enjoy this birthday, without a lot of fanfare.

It's December

Yeah, it is my favorite month of the year! Could it be because it is my birthday month? I think it probably started off as that, but the older I get, the more inclined I am to forget that day. Could it be the snow? Nope, definitely not! I am so grateful I live in a place that barely sees snow, or freezing cold days! Could it be because I am seeing so much red? (My favorite power color), or is it because it is time to finally try and get another amazing holiday picture of my kids? That is it! The power struggle with taking over 200 photos to try and find that one! To have the kids not making horrible faces at each other, or Quinn getting yelled at because he is goofing around, when we finally get a shot with everyone else looking good. Now that I am committed to the task, I must go forward with faith, that this will be the year when I finally get the shot in as small amount of time as possible. Wish me luck!

Christmas 2007

Christmas 2006

Christmas 2005

Thankful Thursday

Today I am thankful for the calm that come after everyone has left for school and work. I am thankful for the quiet, and not having kids screaming at me that they have NOTHING to wear or that SHE in my closet, stealing clothes again! I am thankful for no noise.....

HAPPY THANKSGIVING

Today is the day we have been told we should be most Thankful, but I am hoping everyone finds time to have gratitude every day!

So, with that in mind, my Thankful Thursday begins like this....

I am thankful that I don't have to cook, that I married a man that does.

I am thankful that my kids are old enough now to sleep in on the holidays.

I am thankful that we can be together as a family and thank our Heavenly Father for all that we do have.

I am thankful that we have a roof over our head, food for our stomachs, and good friends around us that remind us not to take ourselves too seriously.

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving everyone, and be grateful you are not a turkey!

YOU HAVE GOT TO LOVE THIS LITTLE BOY

Quinn makes me smile. He is forever and a day coming up with plans on how to earn money. There is always the video game that he must buy, the itunes card that he must find a way to earn, just because there is one song, Mom!

He feels like he has gotten a rotten deal. As the only boy with 4 sisters, he is surrounded by women. He hears about makeup, clothes and puberty, and just wishes that there was just a little more testosterone in the house. He doesn't feel like he is going to make it until his sisters marry and he has brothers in law.

Quinn had to spend Thursday and Friday nights, and most of the day Saturday, at various stake centers watching his sisters play volleyball. It is very exciting, unless there are no boys around to play with while the games are going on, in this case, it is the STUPIDEST THING EVER!
During a break on Saturday, I took Quinn with me to go pick up another sister from a sleepover. I figured it was good bonding time, you know, Mother and son.
As I am driving down the road, Quinn very seriously looks over at me and says, "You know Mom, my 11th birthday is coming up".
"Yes, Son", I replied.
"Well, I don't want you to be surprised when there is a knock on the door, and my invitation comes to attend Hogwarts. Oh, and by the way, I am taking the cat as my pet, he and I have already discussed it."
"Really?", I say, "and how do you know you will get this invitation?"
"Well, it is in the cards, haven't you noticed the magical, unexplained things that have been happening?"
"Well, maybe it is your sisters that are causing this magic", I replied.
"No Mom, you are all muggles, and it is time for me to leave and fulfill my destiny!"
Now who said life was dull?
You gotta' love this boy!

I LOVE MY LIFE

Recently, I found a friend that I hadn't seen, written or heard from in over 20 years. I met this great woman, while I was living in England, and we had some great times together. We along with a group of other Aussies, Kiwis, a few Londoners and me, the lone American, were always going, doing or causing havoc. We didn't care about how much money one had or what your background was. If you were single, living in London and knew one or more of this group, you were invited to join. It was a great time in my life. I was carefree, living illegally, was without responsibilty and enjoying all that life had to offer.

We all know that you can't live that way forever, although it is not because I haven't tried. As my good friend Dee and I have been communicating, a thought has popped across both of our minds. How would my life have been different had I stayed in England, as was my plan, instead of coming back to the States, or in Dee's case, how different might her life have been had she come back to England, as was her plan, instead of staying in New Zealand. We both know that we wouldn't have met our husbands, had the children we have had, nor the experiences we have had, but it makes you wonder.

I love the fact that I reconnected with Dee. That she first thing, dug around in some of her old pictures and didn't hesitate to post these on the internet for all to see! I am thankful today for the friends that come into our lives to remind us of who we are, who we have been, and who we are becoming. I love my life! I love the experiences that I have had, the funny ones, and the sad ones.
Now, I don't want anyone to come to me, and say, is that REALLY you? I too am posting these pictures as living proof, that I was once fun and carefree!

Dee, Me and our good friend Caroline, that passed away about 2 years after this was taken.

On the streets of London

Trying to find a taxi late at night. I assumed a little leg would work!

Thankful Thursday

Today I am doing a two-fold post. First I want to share with you the story of Monisha. As many of you know, when we moved to this area, we were blessed to meet the Adam's family. They were in the middle of a struggle for the life of their sweet little girl Mara, who finally succumbed to a deadly brain tumor called DIPG in September. Though this family has had huge struggles, their spirit and testimony have been a tribute to who they are and what they stand for. I feel very blessed to have been able to meet them.

Now they are sharing the story of Monisha, a girl that lives not far from us in Renton, who is suffering from this same type of brain tumor. Please read her and her families struggles, they are fighting the same fight. Also, in memory of Mara, the teacher that designed the Mara's Team shirts has designed a new shirt, In memory of Mara, to try and raise money for Monisha's family. Please if you can, do what you can.

I don't know why this means so much to me, other than my own brother died of a brain tumor. I don't know what type it was, and even though I was not born when he died, my Mother has often talked of the pain that she was feeling, watching Ricky pass away. I would like to hope that we can give as much as we can so that this family can know that they have done all that they could do to save their little girl.

Now to the Thankful Thursday part, I am thankful that we can blog and get the word out about struggles that people are going through, so that we can unite and help where we can. I am thankful for friends that support my random posts, and I am thankful that my children are healthy and well at this moment. What do you have to be thankful for?

I'M JOINING IN

I have decided to join Jen and Harlene, and start celebrating Thankful Thursdays.
As the rain has started to fall, the leaves have changed colors and then the calender decided it needed to move into November, I start thinking about Thanksgiving. First thoughts, who should we invite, how chaotic do we want this day to be, or who do we know that has nowhere to go. Then come the thoughts, why do we even celebrate this holiday where the TV is blaring with football, we eat too much and the kids are stir crazy because they can't call their friends to play.
The thought process goes even further, we have so many things to be grateful for.
So today, I am going to list a few things that I am supremely grateful for...
I am grateful I live in a country that despite our differences in religions, political parties and genders, we have the ability to let our voices be heard. That we are able to hold elections without fear of death. I am thankful that we have free agency. I am thankful for the differences of opinions and debates, so that we can hear all sides of an argument, and then make choices that feel right to us. I am thankful for prayer, that we have a Loving Heavenly Father that knows us and listens to us, even when nobody else seems to. I am thankful to wake up every morning and know that there is food in my home to eat, and that I have a roof over my head. And the thing I am most thankful for today, are no more political ads, at least for a few months!
Let's all try to have Thankful Thursdays, to think about what we have, and not what we don't have. To realize how blessed we all are.

AGAINST ALL ODDS

Today marks our 18th anniversary. 18 years of struggles, laughter, tears and joy. When Handsome and I got married oh so many years ago, we had no idea of the path that we would lead. We didn't think that we would have moved to 14 different homes, 4 different states, have 5 beautiful children, nor 2 fabulous grandsons! Would we have done things differently? There are some things I think we wished we could change, but the struggles we have had, have made us stronger.

So this is to you Handsome! Happy Anniversary!

Crossroads

I have been thinking quite a bit lately, about crossroads. Every day when I go to town, I have 2 possible ways to go. Both ways are about the same distance, both juncture at the same place, but it is still a choice I have to make at least once, if not several times a day. There once was a time when we first moved here, that I didn't realize I had options, so I was quite content to just continue going straight before I made my turn. Now I can make that turn about 1/2 mile earlier. The road is a little bit more winding, with beautiful scenery all the way down. The problem really comes when I make the decision to take the earlier turn, and then I run into road construction or school zones. If I chose to go straight, I might run into a couple of lights that would slow me down.

Why am I rambling about crossroads? Because our lives are a continual coming to a crossroads. Had I not decided to skip out on my company party to go dancing instead, I wouldn't have met Handsome. Had we not moved to Las Vegas when we did, I probably wouldn't have had Quinn. Had Handsome not decided to quit his job when he did, we probably wouldn't have found our way out of Utah. Sometimes, the decisions are small little things, should I stop and get that Jamba Juice that I am craving, or should I save my money and go back home and eat something a little bit healthier?

I guess the best part is we are all on a journey, it is how we handle those crossroads, the attitudes we have when we are travelling on the 1st road or the 2nd road that determines who we will become. We have to learn to accept the consequences of our actions, with humor and thankfulness for the lessons we have learned.

I Have Been Tagged- 7 Random Things

First and foremost, I would love to thank Rachel, who didn't see fit to just pass me by with her tag. So here goes, 7 random things about me...... I would love to say that everything is pretty well random, so being specific is quite a chore!

1. I can't stand to have the bed sheets untucked. Ok, take this a little further, not only untucked, but I have to have the bed made before I will even climb into it. This, in and of itself, really wouldn't be an issue, except that I am married to a man, that can't stand having the bed made, let alone all tucked in. It has caused some quite major disturbances in our almost 18 years of marriage! I have been known to climb out of bed in the middle of the night to make the bed again!

2. I have an incredibly hard time eating leftovers. It doesn't matter if the meal was the greatest that I have ever had, leftovers kind of make me a little sick inside.

3. I loved to have my knuckles rubbed. When I was younger, I used to sit in church and rub my Mother's knuckles, now I know why. It feels so good! So I will sit next to my children, and put my hand in theirs and let them rub away! Makes those Sunday meetings go by so quickly!

4. I only like to workout alone. I don't get motivated with a workout buddy, but have a great time by myself. My kids know to leave me alone for the 1 1/2 hours that it takes, don't talk to me, don't call me, just let me do my thing.

5. I'm a techno-geek. I love all of things technical. I am the one that sets up the computers, the Internet, figures out how to work computer programs, programs ipods, etc. If it is new, I feel like I need to own it.

6. I hate to be told I can't do something. It doesn't matter if it means hanging cabinets, running 5 miles, or jumping off something, I will find a way to do it. (I wonder where my kids get their stubbornness).

And finally, last but not least, number 7. I hate to be touched. I have my zone, and unless you have been invited in, it makes me crazy to have people randomly touch me. I have been to therapy over this, and nothing seems to work, just stay out of my zone!

And now you know a few more things that I am certain you really didn't care to learn about. So I am going to pass this on to a few people, and let them in on this adventure....here goes, how about Amparo, Allison, Daniel, Marnie and Dani.

Lost Sleep

Last night I was having trouble sleeping. I had had a late meeting, and didn't get home until 11:30, so I decided to catch up on some of my shows. Now apparently, I don't stay up terribly late anymore watching television, because if I did, I am certain that I would have paid attention to the enormous amount of commercials for the Hover-Round, You know, the power wheelchair/Mobile chair. I was so convinced that I needed one after watching them over and over, because, I can get one virtually free! How excited I was! Then, they had another brand advertised, same spiel, Medicare was going to pick up the cost! Hallelujah! It occurred to me, that if they were advertising so many of these late at night, that this was probably the audience they were gearing them to. The insomniac, drunken (who would probably love one!) or the aged. Well since I didn't fit in any of these categories, I decided instead to go to sleep.
Today as I was thinking about these magical creations, I got an email from a great friend of mine, who attached the following video. I now know that THIS is what I need to have instead. Enjoy!