If I'd only known . . .

The beginning of February 2008 brought huge changes for our family. Scott was laid off, and we jumped into financial survival mode. Fortunately his company offered a nice severance package (of which the government took a large chunk), and we were able to pay off some debt that we had accumulated and pad our bank account. We were also able to utilize the bulk of our flex spending account (the company's loss), and pay for Megan's braces, and begin Kimber's orthodontics. Life went on pretty much as usual with the exception of job hunting, and having Scott home full time. I quickly realized that he needed a project to keep both of us sane, and decided that we could afford to refinish the kitchen cabinets. They turned out awesome! Scott also spent his time helping me with the chauffeuring, house work, and other odds and ends. I was also released from the Relief Society presidency, and was made Kimber's primary teacher.

As summer approached and we were still unemployed we continued our efforts of fasting and prayer, and went on with our activities as planned (with some financial help from our parents).


My planned activity was a trip to New York City with my friend Trittica. We had the trip set and reserved before Scott lost his job, and fortunately we had free plane tickets, and a free place to stay. We rode the train, the subway, the ferry, the bus, but didn't brave a taxi. We visited the Statue of Liberty, Central Park, the financial district, Canal street, the Empire State building, Rockefeller Center, the temple, Broadway, and some fabulous restaurants. We went to the play Wicked and were dazzled, we went to the beach and froze, we went shopping and saw things that we couldn't afford, and things that we could. What an amazing trip! I couldn't have gone without an amazing and supportive husband, a true friend and sister who happens to live next door, and some birthday money from my in-laws.

Sean's planned activity was going with his friend Andy to Caldwell. He had a blast, but maybe not as much fun as the year before. He didn't come home with any COW's (crush of the week's). As soon as he returned from EFY all the boys went down to Colorado for a "guys weekend". They were able to spend some sun filled days fishing, hiking, playing games, and hanging with Grandpa Burnside and all of the other Burnside men and boys.

While the boys were gone, my mother came to visit along with Grandma Hutchens, Karen and Adelle, Chad's girls (Alyssa and Sam), and Amy with Andrew and Katie. It was great to have someone around to take my mind off of our other troubles.

July found us still unemployed, and trying not to lose hope. While Sean took an Algebra 2 course so he could advance a year in his Treasure Valley Math and Science Cohort, the girls and I played with friends, and Scott continued the hunt. He was finally offered a job around the middle of July with a local company called JST Manufacturing.

During the whole scary unemployment opportunity I was the job finder and Scott was the job applier. This seemed to work well as Scott would get discouraged looking for jobs, and I would be encouraged. I had been diligently looking on Monster, Career Builder, and other sales job sites but nothing had panned out. Scott had had a few interviews that had come close, and a couple that we were thankful he didn't get because they didn't offer enough. One day I thought to check Craigslist, and was surprised to find something that he was very qualified for, and fit very well with what he had done in the past. It was also a local company that was located very close to home. Scott applied, and was quickly interviewed, and hired. After being sufficiently humbled by past interviews, low salary offers, and no job - we were prepared to tighten our belts and accept the offer. It was a new lesson in budgeting (one that we are still learning), but we were grateful for gainful employment. Scott began his job by flying out to Semicon West in California. We thought he might miss it for the first time in years, but he was able to attend and see some familiar faces from past jobs. We were thankful that we didn't have to move, and that we would be able to continue enjoy Boise.

We finished off the summer with some fabulous camping trips to Sage Hen reservoir, and Cathrine Creek. We spent a lot of time at Eagle Island State park, and also managed a trip up to Montana where Sean worked for Grandpa at the car wash, and the girls and I played with Grandma.

September brought the return of early morning seminary for Sean, and schedule challenges for all of us. Sean began his first year of marching band, Megan started volleyball, Kimber joined a running group at school, and the twins had jazz, tap and ballet. Sean decided that he couldn't keep up with piano anymore, but Megan and Kimber are still playing. Scott and I spent every Wednesday night playing co-ed volleyball at the church, and we both began training for the Zeitgeist 1/2 marathon. Trittica and I walked and ran it finishing in just under 3 hours. Scott was much faster. In November we began playing on a city league team, and so far are holding steady at the top of our bracket. I also began to do a little subbing for the school district to earn some extra cash.

October flew by fast, but largely because I was rushing through another one of my college courses. I decided to get busy with my language usage class that I had signed up for the previous January. The course went well, and I was able to finish in just over a month with an "A". I was about to begin a required fiction writing course, but discovered I had taken a similar one at Ricks college. I was able to get that course accepted as a transfer and signed up for two new courses (I will begin them in January).

The kids hit the holiday seasons full force beginning with Halloween. Sean ended up playing for a football game, Megan went to a friend's birthday party and went trick or treating as a Jester, Kimber was a handsome Musketeer, Brooke was a cute witch, and Kendra was an adorable bat. Scott and I didn't make the effort this year.

November was all about friends and family. I enjoyed having two great friends visit me from Texas. Margaret Easthope, and Sandra Puente came for a girls weekend, and we played downtown in Boise, and then downtown in Salt Lake City. It was great just to visit and catch up. A couple of weeks later I was able to take my Grandma to Nauvoo for my youngest cousin's wedding. I met Grandma in St. Louis, and we drove to Hannibal, Missouri for the night. In the morning we headed to Nauvoo for the breakfast, followed by the sealing in the Nauvoo temple, and a dinner afterwards. Jason looked so happy, and it was great to see Aunt Phyllis and her family. Just after we got home from Nauvoo I quickly began preparing for Thanksgiving. We were lucky to have Scott's sisters Michelle and Kerstin with their families, and Scott's uncle Wayne here for Thanksgiving. Dinner was great, and we really enjoyed the company. I finally learned how to make great pie crusts, and can't wait to make (and eat) more pie at Christmas.

We jumped into December with a week of parties. I had our Enrichment night party, and then the ward Christmas party. I was put on the ward activities committee in March (Trittica is the committee chair), and we have had some fabulous parties through the year topping it off with the Christmas party. I was in charge of food and lets just say that things could have gone a little smoother. Fortunately everything worked out well and people seemed to have a great time. We even had a visit from Santa (Trittica's dad played a great Santa!). With that over I was finally able to get started on Christmas, and now we are rapidly approaching the close of another year.

I know that I have missed so many events, and I can't even tell you in this crazy year-in-review a fraction of the thoughts of my heart as I reflect on the blessings of the past year. We have been healthy, we have had the support of great friends, neighbors and family, and we have drawn closer to the Lord, and continue to rely on him, and we have been happy. Things have not been perfect, but our trials have been perfect for us.

I hope you look forward to 2009 with hope and the Savior in your hearts.

We love you!

Christmas Surprises

Kendra was so excited when Santa Clause brought her the only thing she'd asked for for Christmas - a tarantula. For months she has been begging us for a tarantula, and we said, "no way!", and that she would have to ask Santa Clause. Santa Clause came through for her, and she named her new little critter - Joy! Because it brings her joy she says. This is Kendra holding it for the first time. Jen and Sean also reluctantly took a turn, and things almost got ugly when the dog came to investigate what all the fuss was about. Sean was sitting on the floor with the spider on his hand, and just about jumped up screaming when Lucky ambled over and sniffed. He was worried that the spider was going to attack him. Sean swears it was the spider screaming, but we're not so sure. Needless to say, Kendra is the only one in the house who is thrilled to have a hand size spider crawling around.

Waiting Around

Saturday, as it is for many of you, is often filled with cleaning, sporting events, birthday parties, and extra little chores that you didn't make it to earlier in the week. Often as parents our time is not our own as we try to be supportive and chauffeur our children around to the events that will undoubtedly be moments in their lives that ultimately will be forgotten. However, they seem meaningful and worthwhile at the moment. For us this last Saturday began at 7:50 am when we were awaken by the phone ringing and the subsequent reminder that we should be at the church building by 8 am to clean. Quickly we roused the children offering half bowls of cereal to anyone who could be dressed and downstairs in 5 minutes. We arrived at the church by 8:05 and finished by 8:45 am. Arriving home, we had a big breakfast, did some cleaning, and then began the afternoon. Megan had a birthday party, and the twins had dress rehearsal for their Nutcracker ballet. We also had treats to finish and run around to neighbors and friends. To sum up, we left the house at 12:30, and didn't get back until 7 pm. Kimber and Sean opted to stay home, and here is the point of the story . . . I called home to let Sean know that we were finally coming home. When asked what he was doing, his rely was, "I'm waiting around for something to happen." I found that highly amusing, but in retrospect - highly disturbing. I began to wonder if that is the kind of example that I am setting for my children, if somehow I give the impression that I am "waiting around for something to happen", instead of making it happen myself. Am I somehow training my children that instead of picking up their things, taking charge of their homework, doing service for others, or just living their lives that they should wait around for someone to tell them what to do, or where to go, or that it's important to do things when you see that they need doing, and not just wait around for it to get done on their own. I'm not sure that I'm making sense, but I'd really like to work this week on helping my children to see that life should never be boring. There is always something to be done, something new to see, to learn, to appreciate, and if they are just sitting around waiting for something to happen then they are completely missing the boat.

2008 Christmas Band Concert - Megan

Megan just finished her winter band concert. She is a seventh grade floutest and looked very confident in her white shirt, red bow tie, and santa hat. It was only later we found out that in her haste to get to the concert she left her music home. In the video clips of her she is continually sneaking sideways glances. I thought she was just looking at her band director Mr. Davis. She was in fact trying to see her neighbors music. This actually worked well until she discovered that she was playing the wrong flute music. Some of the flutes play #1 and some play #2 music. Megan plays #1, but discovered that her friend was playing #2. It completely threw her off, but one flute among a whole band (seventh grade band) did not ruin the concert. The little girls love to see their big sister perform, and Sean is always glad to see his old band director. I also renew old acquaintances - Wayne Tangen, a high school friend, has kids that are the same age as mine that play in band. It was a fun, festive, Christmas time concert.

My eyes, my eyes!

This morning we woke to the neighbors knocking on the door with snowballs in their hands. Despite it being Sunday we went out and had a frolic in the first real snow of the year. Scott tried out our new garage sale find shovel, and the rest of us made snow angels, and pelted each other with snow. Sean was the only one who initially was left out of the fun. He was invited, but wouldn't leave his warm bed for the cold out doors. We got his attention by throwing snowballs at his window until he peaked through the slats of his blinds. Still he was not fully roused until Megan and Taylor (neighbor) took the snow to him. Sean was apparently laying in bed with his shirt off so Megan ran screaming from his room, but the snow at least got him up. By this time the neighbors on the other side of us had joined the fray, and while I prepared hot chocolate and breakfast Sean decided that he needed to traumatize his sisters by coming down the stairs without his shirt on. (Our level of modesty is very high - the little girls run around without much on, but they get grossed out when Sean is half naked). He thought he would be immune to snowballs because the girls would flee from his white flesh so he stepped out into the back yard shirtless and shoeless. Scott proceeded to lock the door. It was great fun watching Sean hopping back and forth on his frozen feet while being pelted with snow balls.

Unfortunately, the nudity incidents in our house didn't stop there. Later as we were quickly getting ready for church Scott went to shower. Our bathroom is set up so that the toilet area has a sliding door enabling privacy. As Scott is standing beside the shower waiting for it to heat up he hears a knocking coming from somewhere. He thinks it is the kids knocking from the girls bathroom which backs up to ours. He ignores it until he hears the knocking again. He calls out, "Hello?" and from the bathroom Kimber says, "can I come out." Scott said a resounding "No!", and grabbed a towel. Kimber says she didn't see anything, but it's never good for a child to be even that close to seeing a parent naked. I hope for her sake that she is not scared for life.

Anderson Family: Exponential Growth

Our expectations of the past year have been exceeded as well as our personal growth. Growth is not always an easy thing, and many times we only appreciate the growth in retrospect. Financial and medical set-backs, mechanical troubles, automobile difficulties, and personal stress challenged us this year, and made us evaluate much of the way we do things. After almost 18 years of marriage we are still trying to figure out how to successfully live on a budget, how to daily read our scriptures, and how to balance the schedules of 7 busy people. Fortunately, the Lord has blessed us with everything that we have needed to succeed this year, and we have managed to have a lot of fun in the process.

Our second full year in Boise, Idaho has been a blast. We love the place, the people, and the possibilities. Our town is really expanding and changing. It reminds us a little bit of our time in Pflugerville, but we are getting more shopping as well as more housing. (Jen loves the shopping, Scott’s not so sure.) We have enjoyed playing in the snow, rafting in the streams, camping in the mountains, racing together as a family, and building stronger friendships with our neighbors and ward members.

We look forward to the challenges of the next year, and can only have faith that the Lord will help us to recognize our trials for what they are, and to appreciate the journey that we are on.

Thank you all for being part of our lives, and making a difference.