2012 started out being a good year. In the 2nd week of January, we drove to The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, with our then 1 year old, Deegan, for a 2nd opinion about his health and MRI's and other ridiculous test results.
He was cleared completely of everything,(with the exception of the club foot and cleft lip, which we already knew for sure and he has been treated and had his surgeries, and will continue too.)
I know I might drive people crazy with my Deegan miracle story but I feel the need to share it sometimes, just in case we can reach somebody new once in a while;) the neurology department was nothing but courteous, friendly, and answered every single question we had and sure enough, told us to believe our instincts because they were real.
I thought that at that point, we were in for the best year ever.
He has become quite the photographer with my new Smartphone!
It really wasn't all that bad, and I know there have been so many families that have had much worse struggles this year.
So, I kind of feel bad at any time I start to complain or feel sad about things, but hey, we all have to cry sometimes, right? Between our new (used but new to us), tractor trailer, (my husband is a self employed truck driver), needing tons and tons of repairs, and I am not talking nickel and diming us.
No way! This thing has literally cost us as much as our home. Of course our house didn't cost us a fortune. We kind of lucked out on that deal, however, we are endlessly repairing this house too!
But, our repair bills from this truck are very huge and we still have a balance since the truck always seems to be in the shop. It is right now as I am writing this post! But, see, we replaced the motor, which was a bit over $20k just by itself. So, we kept thinking, well, it's almost like new, what else could possibly go wrong?? No, we aren't made of money. Paying these repair bills off required payment arrangements with the shop, my husband working as often as the law allows, and me bartending every weekend and picking up as many hours as I can without having a babysitter. (My husband is my "babysitter" lol) Since my husband is self employed, yes, he gets paid more then a regular truck driver. Until you deduct the fuel, tolls, repairs, taxes, insurances, workers comp, and the list goes on.
The bottom line is not as pretty as some may think. But we keep waiting because one day, we will have a paid off truck, (like this one is), and it will run smoothly and have no major dilemmas. This truck decided to break every week for a couple months, and always BIG breaks. Then we get a break, then another HUGE problem, and on and on and on and on. Ok, so no big deal, right? This is something we can cope with. Of course! It just requires more coupons, staying home more often, and re structuring our budget. Easy peasy:)
Actually, now that I am thinking back in my "year in review", it doesn't seem so bad. Of course I don't want the extra bills again this year, or ever! But there is plenty I wouldn't mind repeating:)
Our oldest daughter, Bethany, was expecting ur first grandbaby in 2012, and I was so excited about being a grandma, I decided to go ahead and finally get a tattoo that I wanted for years and years! I am a big horror movie fan, I have always been a horror fan, movies, books, shows, you name it! I especially have always loved Pinhead from Hellraiser. I had 1 tattoo before this one, actually it is our wedding rings:) (and NO, we didn't copy Tommy Lee and Pamela Anderson! Matter of fact, they copied us! We had ours done 1st!!) My husband has bunches of tattoos, and luckily has a super fascinating tattoo guy he frequents. (when his allowance covers it!) I have been after this guy to do a tattoo of Pinhead for years and he finally said he would do it. I love the way this artist sees! It's fun just to watch him work.
Alright, maybe 2012 was kind of cool... Well, it got very cool when our first granddaughter, Lillian Ainsley was born on June 30th!! She is such a precious little princess and her smiles and beautiful eyes just light up the room when she comes to visit. I was to be in the delivery room with my daughter, lol, her boyfriend almost passed out, haha! But as I waited impatiently for the nurse to get done chit chatting with her friend on the phone, my daughter gave birth to this little angel, and I walked in a few minutes afterward. Lillian was already a smiley little thing and it was just a wonderful day all around!
About a month after Lillian was born, she was diagnosed with Downs Syndrome. This was a bit upsetting for our family, but we are so happy to have her! She is such a sweet little blessing!
I am so proud of Bethany and Lillian's dad for being calm, cool and collected about the whole thing. Of course nobody wishes this on anybody, but hey, this is life and I firmly believe that God will never hand you more then you can deal with. Lillian is growing perfectly and she is exceeding many milestones and her health is pretty good. She does have some holes in her heart but they are expected to heal as she grows.
Onto some of the bad news again.. Many of you know about my accident I had a few months ago, I totaled ,my 2003 Ford F150, the love of my life! and I broke many, many, many bones, some of which will always ache, but finally, after a few months, I am almost fully recovered.
I also had worse luck with my RSD, which decided to spread to other parts of my body. This is a constant struggle and there is no cure as of yet, so this is always something that affects our family in some very big ways. I am always trying to find a way to gather enough money for some alternative treatments and hopefully soon, this will happen. In the meantime, I will deal with it as best I can, well I shouldn't say I will, because my kids and my husband and the rest of my family are all very supportive of me during this whole process.
I also have been diagnosed with a few other things this year, including MS. Don't ask me about MS because I have no clue;) But I am hoping 2013 brings some good luck or answers or maybe effective treatments for all of it. ( I see my new rheumatologist in March) Other then these "main events", we had the typical bad luck as we always seem too. The constant dr appointments, extra bills that pop up just when you least expect them, and then of course, due to my accident and not being able to keep up with this blog, I lost many sponsors, authors, publishers, opportunities, a writing apprenticeship, and more. That has/had me in a slump for awhile, and I tried to explain to some, even offered proof, and apparently, it doesn't much matter. With some it did, but not with all. I am hoping to catch up in the next few days, which is a lot of work.
But I have to do what I can to regain some of the trust I had with people and brands and businesses and of course, the authors of the books that we love to read and review and share.
On a lighter note, Genevive started school this year, and attended her first dance:)
Aaron's grades have been awesome as usual. Although his stomach problems are still puzzling doctors and he still deals with acid reflux and missed school. My husband recently had to help find a home for his dad and has been dealing with his dad's bank, expenses, apartment, belongings, and visiting his dad. Unfortunately, there are some not so good things that will be following us into the new year, but I am also curious to see what else 2013 will bring!
Thanks for sharing! This has been a hard year for us also. I agree that God gives us what we can handle and the ability to handle what he gives us. I pray for a blessed year for you and your family!
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