Tuesday #4- Final-ly 4.0

Tuesday's-
Things that I need to do...and...Things I have accomplished.


Wow, there are so many things on my to do list I am not sure which one to pick.  I guess for this week my big to do surrounds the fact that I have gone back to school.  I have done this for a few different reasons:  we need another income to help with medical bills, we always said I would once the children were all in school so that I could have a degree should our family circumstances make it necessary for me to need one, and in my Patriarchal blessing it says "you are to pursue a proper education with all of the youthful zeal you can muster" (and my youthful zeal is depleting fast). I am studying Graphic and Web Design because I really enjoy the field, and it is something I can and will do from home so that my family hopefully doesn't suffer too much from my going to work.  Anyway, this is final week and I will be busily trying to keep up with all that I have going on related to that.  So that is my need to do, along with the fact that I won't be attending this term next summer semester as it proved to be too demanding with the children out of school.


Along these same lines is what I have accomplished...I have finally received and maintained a 4.0, including obtaining a 100% A in one of my 10 courses so far.  So I was on the Dean's List at DeVry Online University for the one semester I attended there, and the President's list for the previous semester at Herzing University Online!  It feels great to have accomplished and kept that to this point, and I only pray I can keep up the quality of work to this level.  It is interesting the increased pressure I place on myself now though, since I want so desperately to keep that 4.0 as I don't think I ever had a semester in high school that I got the full 4.0.  Not that my grades were necessarily bad, just not ideal.  So this feels really great, yet stressful!  It is intriguing to me how many of lives achievements are this bittersweet way.  Great to accomplish, but then either stressful or a puzzlement (on what is next) once you do.  Each time in life has its season and when that season comes to a close then changes must be made to be prepared for the next season.

Monday #4-Priesthood Changes

Monday's-
Moments I cherish...and...Moments that helped me grow (As I believe all challenges and trials in life help us to grow...even if we would rather not have faced them.)


So let's start this off with the moment I cherish, hopefully I am not repeating myself...and on this one I know I am not.  L.J. turned 12 this past week, and was ordained with the Aaronic Priesthood this past Sunday.  However, this wasn't an easy path for him and us...more on that later on.  But my cherished moment came the Sunday before as first he was given the go ahead from the Bishop to receive the priesthood, and then a moment so incredibly rare it is priceless came at the end of sacrament meeting.  We were singing "I Know that My Redeemer Lives" for the closing song and on the last verse L.J. joined in with me singing it.  Now you have to know that he has never sung a song in sacrament meeting that I have ever heard, and is "too old" to join in the singing in Primary anymore really.  That made this was a priceless treasure, especially given that he did it with conviction that told me he did indeed have a pure and cherished testimony of our Savior, even if he wasn't fully aware of it yet.  Naturally I started crying and commented to him how much I treasured it, which means he will probably won't ever do it again.  But I can live with that if I have to, I had that one priceless and cherished moment in time when he did, meaningfully.


It has been 3 years pretty much since I made consistent posts on here and so much has happened in that time, so incredibly much I can't fully catch you up on all of it here.  Both of my boys, L.J. and Neil, were diagnosed a little over 2 years ago with Asperger's Syndrome.  This is a neurological disorder that is part of the Autism Spectrum of disorders.  I have in the past year felt a great loss for the person I was able to be before this diagnosis, the person I read still in the previous Power of 52 posts.  This is largely due to the person I have to be in order to meet their needs as best I can.  It has been 3 years of growing up into a more confident, vocal, and knowledgeable advocate for my children.  Growth that I needed, I know, in order to become the person my Heavenly Father would have me be.  But it has been anything but easy growth, and continues to be quite a large challenge in my life, continually begging me to grow more and take on things outside my comfort zone.  I sense even larger change in the works as today we are having Courtney evaluated for Aspergers as well.  I know already that I will revisit the mourning period I had when the boys were diagnosed, I just hope that it will be made easier having gone through it before.  On top of this enormous change, we were surprised with a 5th child since I last consistently posted.  Marlana is such a blessing in our home and hearts and the Lord knew what he did in sending her here to help us in our journey.  I am very relieved to say that I know neither her or Analise have Aspergers or seemingly anything else and this brings me comfort for their futures...which will still have their share of challenges, but thank goodness they won't have this one.  It is amazing to me the number of transitions that we go through in life now that I know they are as big challenge  as they are for my children.  But just as with anything else we take them one step at a time and one moment at a time and so far we are making it.  I may be a more battle weary person that I used to be, but I am better for having fought the battles and persevered.

The Power of 52

It always seems that we get to this point in the year, and start reflecting on what we have done over the past year that we can share with friends and family in newsletters or cards. I always seem to think...what have I REALLY gotten accomplished this year? What was this past year REALLY worth? Did I make the most of it? And of course, what do I want to get accomplished next year? Well, a month or two back I was thinking of challenges I might be able to host this next year and at the same time thinking of my poor neglected blog that I really should get back to and I decided to combine the two.

I have watched on a friend's blog (Jaime) how she did 52 blessings this year, and LOVED this idea. However being the overachiever, and making projects overly big, person I am...I couldn't settle on that alone. So, thanks to knowing how to schedule posts...I have decided to post every day for the next year...this doesn't mean blog everyday as I am definately going to take advantage of scheduling posts!!

Also, I have been accused in the past of being to chipper and cheesy...sometimes a bit rightly so...and I do want my children to have a record of the REALITY of my life. So, I am going to do my posts as "Opposition in All Things" posts. So here is what I think my run down will be at this point:

Sunday's-
Things that bring me peace or calm...and...Things that drive me crazy!
Monday's-
Moments I cherish...and...Moments that helped me grow (As I believe all challenges and trials in life help us to grow...even if we would rather not have faced them.)
Tuesday's-
Things that I need to do...and...Things I have accomplished.
Wednesday's-
Things that make me laugh...and Things that make me cry (not necessarily a sad cry, happy cries count here too.)
Thursday's-
Things I dream of doing SOMEDAY...and...Things I have done or am doing now.
Friday's-
Things I love creating...and...things I can declutter (another New Year's Resolution).
Saturday's-
Ways I am finding Joy in the Journey...and...Things I am going to find Joy in if it does me in!

I am determined that next Christmas I will be able to give each of my children a little book titled, "The Power of 52" as there are 52 weeks in a year. This is also why I am starting this early and not waiting for the new year. If you want to follow along...probably on a smaller scale, as I do realize I am insane...I would love to see it!

If you want to know how to schedule a post on a blogger blog...
1. Go to your blog and click on Customize, then Posting, and make sure you are on the Create sub-category...or go to where you normally do to make a post.
2. Look at the Publish Post button...now raise your eyes about 3/4 inch to the arrow with Post Options next to it, and click.
3. Enter a date and time in the right-hand side of the box that appears.
4. Type up your post and click publish...it won't show up until when you have it scheduled for. If you want to check to make sure it is there...click on the sub-category of Edit Posts and it should appear as scheduled in the list.

Hope this helps you! Stay tuned for post #1!