Update

Happy New Year! Since my last post, not much has happened and yet so much at the same time. On the job note, Lu will be going back to Sprint next week in their retail division. This has been a hard thing for me to swallow, and I'll tell you why -- 2-1/2 years ago, Lu decided to leave Sprint after 4 years of working there because they made it clear to him that he was not going to be promoted out of his sales rep position because he was "too valuable where he was." That was really discouraging, so when a manager position came up at AT&T he jumped on it. We knew we had done the right thing and made the right move. Then a year later, he was laid off and moved over to Qwest. Again, right thing/right move. Then a year later, laid off again. Darn corporate downsizing!! Anyhoo, we are right back to where we left off at Sprint, albeit one rung lower on the ladder since he is only going to be a rep and not a lead. So for a while I was a little upset that we worked so hard to get away from Sprint and into a company that would provide opportunities for advancement only to end up back at Sprint!! But I've been praying a lot and at this point I know that this is exactly where Lu needs (and wants) to be. It's a significant drop in pay, but he'll be happy and that's what is most important right now since the last couple of years have been pretty miserable. We are just really grateful that the opportunity came up - it was really random and definitely meant to be! (side story - we went to Costco for a hot dog and ran into a girl Lu used to work with at the Orem Sprint store. she is now the manager in Orem, and asked what Lu was up to. Lu told her about the job situation, she said "wow, crazy timing, we are hiring in January, if you want the job it's yours. random for 2 reasons - #1 she lives in Orem and was only in American Fork because she was picking up her son's friend, and #2 both of our families had a hankering for a hot dog on the same night at the same time!!)

Ok, so that takes care of the job update. Christmas was great, the kids had a ball. Our camera is broken however, so we don't have any pictures until we get together with other family members and see if they got some of the kids. It was a really simple Christmas, but we got some amazing gifts nonetheless. We got patio sets, dishes, movie gift cards, an awesome cookbook for me, tools for Lu, and the kids of course got spoiled beyond necessity. It was fun to eat and play and rest over the long weekend.

I am really excited for the new year. It's a new opportunity to make myself a better person, mom, wife, sister, daughter, and friend. It's a chance to learn new things, master old things, find discipline, joy, hope, laughter, and strengthen my testimony. I can eat better, exercise better, love better, sleep better. Speak nicer, look nicer, be nicer. Be more productive, be more organized, be more helpful. Focus on the bright side, focus on the Savior, focus on learning new things every day. The last year was challenging, and no doubt 2010 will bring new challenges. But I'm optimistic about what the future will bring, and look forward to putting as much time between me and 2009 as possible!! Good luck to you all in your resolutions! Bye for now!