Wow! What a crazy 3 months it has been. Scot started a job in April working for the Department of Energy and he loves his new job. I finished up the year at TJ and am looking forward to taking part in a Curriculum workshop in July in which we will solidify our Theory and Music History curriculum--to make sure that the curriculum works best for the kids and provides them with a smooth transition from Theory I to Theory II, etc.
Josh finished up his final year in Pre-K and was absolutely adorable in his graduation ceremony. Timmy finished up 2nd grade and was excited to learn that his 2nd grade teacher will also be his 3rd grade teacher. Danny....well, he keeps us busy. He turned 2 the same day Tim turned 8 (May 26th) and he's a funny, sweet, adventurous little boy.
We had the pleasure of filing our 2012 taxes and found out that last year, we only brought in $33,000. For a family of 5, this is nearly impossible to live off of. At the time, I was scrambling wondering what we were doing wrong as a family and why we weren't able to pay our bills. When your mortgage is about $30,000 for the year, it's impossible to live off of $3,000. For the first time in my life, we were unable to pay the credit card balance off each month and racked up quite a bill. 2013 started with us unable to pay our mortgage, but we were approved for a loan modification (thank the Lord)!
Our time in need was a very eye opening experience. We received numerous notes, gift cards, love, and prayers from family and friends. A dear friend had groceries delivered to our house and others sent us gift cards to Walmart and Target--these were able to get us through difficult weeks and we were able to eat things other than pasta. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts!
Before our financial situation, I would have been the first to have been disgusted by someone having a SmartPhone while struggling to pay their bills. While dealing with our struggles, I found that the cancellation fee alone we wouldn't have been able to afford--not to mention the need for email and Internet so you search for a job and respond to job inquiries. The biggest lesson I learned was really not to judge others because you have no idea what they're going through.
While I wouldn't wish our situation on anyone, it was very humbling and eyeopening. It brought us closer as a family and I honestly think Scot's new job is much less stressful and better for him. He has Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday off and our summer is going to be AMAZING!
Special thanks again to our friends and family who are always there for us through thick and thin--and who put up with me even if I'm just plain nasty (because I'm super stressed out). We love you! xoxo
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