2018 was the Year of A Life Fulfilled for our family. And indeed it truly was. Kaitlyn enjoyed her first church retreat over a weekend. We went to Georgia over Spring Break and took in the beauty of that state. Craig celebrated his 1 year anniversary at his store and received many awards for excelling. I passed my vocal barrier exam at school. Preston and his team won a tournament in June and the following week won the championship for their division in Omaha, Nebraska. We took two wonderful trips during the summer time and especially enjoyed our downtime at Gulf Shores. Kaitlyn and Preston started at different schools, experiencing the newness of middle and high school. I started my first semester of practicum. Preston joined the Cross Country team at his school. Craig and I went to see Bruno Mars in concert for the first time...an experience we will never forget. And the four of us ended our classes and work with excellent grades and sales. It was a wonderful year, full of so many memories and new experiences.
However, it wasn't always good and it wasn't always easy. We had so many big financial expenses occur. School was most definitely a big struggle for us at times. Kaitlyn injured her shoulder which took her out of volleyball for good. Craig has had some big challenges at work and has put in lots of long hours. And we had to say goodbye to a very important part of the family, Craig's mom. When things were hard and challenging, we faced it head on. We prayed fervently each time for God to get us through everything and provide for our every need. He always did.
School. I think it's hard for Craig to have 3 of us in school at the same time. He has to manage our tears, our frustrations, our deadlines, and our mood swings. Ha! Because we know the kids can excel in school, we expect a lot from them. We really push them to better themselves as students and to become involved in school. For the first time, Preston is experiencing pre-AP classes and Kaitlyn has AP classes. When we keep pushing them and encouraging them to really focus on their schoolwork and give it their all, they do extremely well. We've seen Preston excel in classes he's always struggled with and he is really enjoying being a percussionist in the Symphonic band. We've seen Kaitlyn struggle through the beginnings of high school and finally settled in. She is taking pre-AP art and her skills are at a whole new level now. She has joined clubs at school and does lots of volunteer work. She has her mind set on the future and we are so excited for her. They both ended the six weeks with straight A's.
As for me, the fall semester was hard, extremely hard. I was finally able to take classes focused on the field of music therapy and not just music fundamentals. My music in therapy class was focused on hospice care, palliative care, and dementia care. My very first practicum was working with a group of dementia clients. But as I was learning all about this, I was experiencing it first hand in my personal life. It was as if everything I was reading about was coming true with my own family members. I cannot tell you how many times I had to fight back tears in class because it was all so very real and personal. I was given lots of grace from my professors and offered extensions on assignments, if needed. I was determined to stay focused and ended the semester with a 4.0. Only 3 semesters of coursework is left!!!
Work. Craig has done such an amazing job with the store he has been given. It is always amazing to remember the store before it had anything on the shelves, before it even had shelves, to see the successful, thriving store that it is. He takes such pride in his work and it shows. But because of that, he works constantly to try to make it look better, try to do better, and make sure business runs smoothly. Although he is the store manager, he still has a lot expected of him from his bosses. Craig always meets those expectations no matter how long of a day it might take. He comes home completely exhausted, but really does try to make the most of his time with the family.
Relationships. We kind of retreated into ourselves this past year. We didn't extend many social invitations and likewise, not many were extended to us. We've really come to realize what relationships are important to us. We've seen the continual support and unconditional love from certain people and know that God has kept them in our lives for a reason. And we've seen some relationships fade away. That's okay. God knows who we need around us. The four of us have become even closer because of it.
It's hard to pinpoint which event was our favorite because so many wonderful things happened. On rough days, I look around our beautiful home and see all that God has provided for us and that He continues to provide. The highs of the year certainly outweigh the lows of the year. I am thankful for all of it, good and bad. God is always good, God always provides, and we definitely live a life fulfilled.
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