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Remembering 2008

2008 was a year of big changes in my life.

The year was only a few days old when Ryan Bell committed suicide, and the cascading consequences of that incident affected me directly. Because Wes took several days off of work to help with the funeral arrangements, his boss complained about him and to him, which led to a heated disagreement between them, which in turn led to Wes quitting his job. With little or no income, he could not help me with my living expenses, which eventually led to my having to sell my house. I will write more about that in a minute.

One of the things that having a discretionary income brought to my life at the beginning of 2008 was private drawing lessons with the teacher who taught my drawing class during the fall of 2007. I enjoyed my drawing classes and lessons more than I ever imagined I could, and I proved to myself that my talent was exceptional. The pictures I drew at that time still give me great joy and satisfaction. I was telling a friend recently that I haven’t drawn for some months now because I had to give up my art lessons when Wes stopped helping me financially. He was quick to point out the inconsistency of my reasoning. He said I didn’t need art lessons in order to draw. I only needed a pencil and some paper – or some chalk and a sidewalk, or some charcoal and a wall. When he made that statement, it was as though I woke up, and I could immediately see the truth of it. How many times do I blind and limit myself when the resources I need are right there inside of me?

Allison had been working hard and pushing to a crescendo that came in March, when we all found out that she would be coming back to Utah for her residency, and would be working at the Utah Valley Hospital. Her crowning achievement came in May, when she graduated from Touro University Medical School. The whole family, except Wesley, traveled to Nevada to see the grand “pomp and circumstance” as she accepted her diploma. In Allison’s words, it was the most important thing she had ever done up to that point in her life. We were all overjoyed for her and extremely proud of her. I feel personally blessed to have her living so close to our family again now.

At the end of May, I was laid off from my job, after working there for over seven years. It wasn’t too much of a shock, because I knew my company had not been doing well for quite a long time. I had already been preparing to put my house up for sale, but losing my job made the decision final. My house went on the market at the beginning of June.

Geoffrey was a great co-worker to have at home during the months that I was showing the house. Before long, we had a routine worked out so that we could have the house looking perfect and ready for any showing within a few minutes, if that were necessary. We also had a lot of fun every time we had to leave the house for showings. Sometimes we would go to see a movie or to get some lunch or dinner, but most of the time we would just drive to one of several parks in the area and listen to Harry Potter books on tape. Geoffrey was such a good sport about it all. He was in charge of cooking a couple of hot pockets before we left and “wafting” the smell throughout the house. It was great fun to watch him do it.

Thanks to Allison, I had tickets to the Shakespearean festival in June and was able to travel to Cedar City with Chelsee, Geoffrey, Allison and Steve to see “The Taming of the Shrew” and “Two Gentlemen of Verona.” Wesley and Elisabeth had come down from Alaska for their vacation and they attended those plays with us, plus some others on their own. We all had a great time, especially since it was at this time that Wesley proposed to Elisabeth and we got it all in pictures. I felt honored to be there to see how happy it made Wesley to give Elisabeth her engagement ring. It doesn’t get any better than that.

Then, thanks to Wesley, Wes and I were able to fly to Alaska in July to attend Wesley’s and Elisabeth’s wedding. We enjoyed the few days before the wedding, seeing the sights in Kodiak and sampling the best seafood I have ever tasted. It was a beautiful wedding and I again felt blessed and honored to be there to see it. For more details about the marriage ceremony and the reception, see my earlier blog entry.

In August, I started a new job at the University Hospital. Sonja gave me a tip about a job that was opening in the unit where she worked – Same Day Surgery – and I applied right away. I was getting discouraged about my job hunt. I had applied for at least one job every day while I was out of work, but had only gone on one other interview up to that point. Most places didn’t even acknowledge that I had sent in an application. The job at the hospital has been perfect for me, and I have enjoyed working there. Some days are pretty stressful, but there are so many things about my job that I like, that I hope to stay there for many more years.

Also in August, Kjersti and Jay gave me a new, little granddaughter. Our sweet little Reagan was born on August 27th at 3:14 pm. She weighed 6 lbs. 13 oz. and was 20.5 inches long. Kjersti was great and made the whole thing look easy. Allison drove up from Provo and got to deliver the baby. Our precious Reagan is a beautiful member of the family, and has a smile that can melt your heart.

On Labor Day, I got an offer on the house. My brother, Ross, had loaned me money to put on a new roof, and that seemed to have made all the difference. Wesley had arrived a few days earlier to stay with me while Elisabeth was doing her basic training for the Coast Guard, and he proved to be invaluable in helping me get everything done that was necessary to turn the offer on the house into a sale. I am so grateful to him and to everyone in my family who first helped me get the house ready to show, who then helped me get the house ready for the sale, who then helped me find my sweet little condo and who then helped me with the move. It was a huge project and would have been too big for me to do alone. I am especially happy that I was able to get the deal closed before the huge economic downturn was in full swing. I know I would have lost my house if I were still having to pay almost $1400 per month for it. I love my new place.

I was very proud of the hard work, determination, perseverance and leadership that Elisabeth showed during her basic training for the Coast Guard. She would have finished first in her unit, if she had not been forced to have her wisdom teeth removed right before her graduation. As it was, she still was honored by her leaders and got the unique opportunity to have her father award her graduation certificate.

I voted for Barach Obama and was so happy to see him win the election. I know he will be a great president. He embodies the change I want for America. I am living in an historic time about which others in times past could only dream.

I had a wonderful Thanksgiving and Christmas, even though they were both quite different from years past. Allison has been very kind to welcome us all into her home for these holidays and for many of our other family celebrations. The one thing that hasn’t changed through all the emotional and physical upheavals of this past year is the love that we have for each other in our family. The love I feel from all of you is precious to me.