It’s all in how you manage it…

Yes, I am talking about stress. For those of you who haven’t heard, my hubby has lost his job just before Thanksgiving.

We have heard that they hired two people to replace him however. He has received many phone calls from the guys he worked with just to tell him he is missed.

The bad part is the timing, right before the holidays. He did receive his last two paychecks and severance pay but it still leaves us in a bad spot before the holidays. We just learned that he will not even be getting unemployment. Chuck feels that there are two guys that didn’t like him there and that they didn’t treat him fairly and this has a lot to do with it however, it still means we are struggling financially until he gets another job.

Thank you to all of those who made sure our children had a wonderful Christmas! We received a 7 lb. ham from our neighbors and Christmas gifts from family and friends too.

Chuck has been applying for jobs everywhere but it may mean that our family will have to move yet again too. That is a tough thing for all of us. We really do like living here in Glendive. It’s too bad things are turning out this way but I am trying to have an open mind and remember that maybe this is a part of God’s plan for us and that everything happens for a reason. It’s just really tough right now with no money to pay the bills and rent and everything. I will just keep saying my prayers and trust in the Lord. After all, what else can I do except help keep our spirits up and try to keep a smile on my face when I can. It’s just not always so easy.

Christmas Programs and Concerts

There are three kindergarten classes at Jefferson Elementary School. The Christmas program was held in the gymnasium on December 18th. It was so much fun seeing all the kids singing their hearts out and looking so nice. Sydney kept waving at us throughout the whole program. The Ranger-Review took pictures that day. Sydney is in the front row toward the middle. If you can’t tell which one is her, look for glasses, long hair and a white shirt.

Eric’s concert was held that night at the high school too. Very entertaining. There are so many talented students in the choir.

Santa Claus

On December 20th, Santa Claus visited the Depot at BNSF. We took the kids to see him. Charlie requested lots of Legos and Sydney requested a Tic Tac Toe game. They each came home with chocolate filled candy canes. Charlie thought maybe he was too old to sit on Santa’s lap until he got there. I was pleasantly surprised when they both climbed up on his lap for pictures.

Charlie’s Christmas Program

Charlie’s elementary school Christmas program was on Thursday night.

Chuck was trying to teach Charlie how to blow a bubble (before the program)...

I love watching the kids sing. Charlie always tries so hard to snap his fingers. He’s great at tapping his toes too. It’s very entertaining, every year.

Sydney’s Christmas program will be next Thursday afternoon and Eric has a Christmas concert Thursday night so we have two more to attend.

The 2008 Capital Christmas Tree

…made a stop in Glendive on it’s way to the Capital from Montana’s Bitterroot National Forest. The Tree that was picked is a Subalpine Fir. The total height of the tree was 100 ft tall and it grew at 5500 ft in elevation in the Sapphire Mountains of Western Montana. The Tree was cut down to 73 feet and the remainder of the trunk was cut into “cookies” which will be branded with the Capitol Christmas Tree logo and presented to the Tree Team and sponsors. Glendive planned a community celebration (including local entertainment, free chili feed and an address from Mayor Jerry Jimison) in honor of this unique event.  We couldn’t let this opportunity pass by so we took the kids (and the camera) with us. The Tree was still in the truck with a window to view it and so we could only get pictures through the window. We were also given the chance to sign the side of the truck so we took advantage of that too. We all had a great time!

For more information on the route of the Tree on it’s way to the Capital Mall and to see pictures of the events along the route and more, visit the official website at http://www.capitolchristmastree2008.org/. The following link is a map of the Tree route: capital_tree_national_route.

Below are some of the pictures Eric took of the Tree and our signatures on the side of the truck.

ET (Eric's initials)

Chuck's name

Amy's Name (top left side of Otto's Crane and Rigging)

Charlie and Sydney's names

How much chocolate did YOU eat???

I haven’t felt like writing much lately but it doesn’t mean things haven’t been busy which is always the case when you have 3 children at home. Eric had a choir concert on October 21st. Even Chuck can attend when its a Tuesday night. Sydney has decided to take some time off from dance as she is too tired after school and though we are disappointed, Chuck and I knew it was the right thing to do. The latest thing is Halloween. Here are some pictures of the kids, Nila and I from last night.

Sydney, Eric and Charlie

Sydney, Charlie and Nila

Me!

Sydney was all tuckered out...

So, tell the truth now, how much chocolate and candy did you eat? At our house, Sydney doesn’t like chocolate so she leaves that part for Mom and Dad. We didn’t give out chocolate this year though. We gave out gummy savers and twizzlers instead. Being on a weight loss challenge though, this is definitely a challenge for me since I love chocolate and there is a lot of chocolate in our house right now. I have already given in to 3 small pieces of chocolate but in my defense, I lost 2 lbs last week and have another week to work it off but I need to give away as much of this candy as possible as fast as I can!! I thought about the freezer but that’s not good enough. I need to get it out of the house. I have worked hard to lose what weight I have already lost and I am not giving up now!!!