Well I fell off the blog cart for quite a while and I'm trying to get myself back on again (thanks for the little reminder prodding Lindsey). Lots and lots of things going on over the past few months that need to be remembered. But for now, I need to try to reestablish the habit of posting.
So, I'll start by saying that today was a family turning point. After living 1950 miles apart for almost 4 months our family will soon be reunited. Pops submitted his 2 weeks notice to Yakima Regional Medical and Cardiac Center today. He and Bear dog will begin heading down to Texas in a little over 2 weeks in his monster truck (as Alex calls it) hauling a 5x8 ft Uhaul trailer behind them bringing the last of our earthly possessions left in Yakima.
This decision has certainly not been an easy one. Pops still does not have a job in Texas. I feel very calm about this even though this decision creates much uncertainty in our lives. How long can we survive without any income, what kind of health insurance plan shall we buy, can I get a job as a stop gap until Pops is able to find a job, do I job search for management or clerical positions, in the medical, insurance, or financial services industry, am I fooling both of us by feeling certain that he will be able to find a job here once he's living here and able to search for a job locally, is he going to be able to find a temporary, fill-in or part-time position in the meantime, what will this do to our retirement plans. . .etc?
At this point our perfect vision of moving to Texas has taken a bit of a detour. It hasn't been the storybook happily ever after that we'd hoped for. The journey has been hard. . .in so many ways. . .for both of us! I know we are supposed to be here in Texas near our family, I know God's hand is in this, I have to have the faith that it will all work out for our good.
For the time being I think this should be our new family motto:
"Don't be gloomy. Do not dwell on unkind things. Stop seeking out the storms and enjoy more fully the sunlight. Even if you are not happy, put a smile on your face. 'Accentuate the positive.' Look a little deeper for the good. Go forward in life with a twinkle in your eye and a smile on your face, with great and strong purpose in your heart. Love life." -Gordon B. Hinckley
So for a little touch of sunlight from my day today here's a story that should make Ivan proud! Briana and Ivan are working very hard to raise the boys bilingually. Briana predominantly speaks to them in English and Ivan in Spanish. Ivan is very consistent with having the boys respond to him in Spanish. Alex was pretty resistant for a while. He would actually chastise his Mommy if she spoke to him in Spanish telling her, "No, YOU speak English Mommy!" Silly boy. The turning point came when they enrolled Alex in a bilingual preschool class. All of a sudden speaking Spanish with other preschoolers was cool and nothing to be shy about!
This morning Alex asked me, "Nana how do you say ____ ____ in Spanish?" I don't remember what the 2 words were, but fortunately I remembered how to say them in Spanish. I told him in Spanish and asked, "is that right?" "Yes Nana" Alex replied. A few moments later he asked, "Nana how do you say bread in Spanish?" Forgetting my brain I said, "I don't know, how DO you say bread in Spanish Alex?" "pan Nana". I realized that he is now taking me at face value...I've tried to encourage him by telling him on numerous occasions that he needs to learn Spanish so he can teach his Nana. I didn't realize it until later in the day, but today was my first Spanish language test by my 3 year old grandson. And I only scored a 66%! I will have to study harder for next time!
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