Hello again,
As this blog reaches you I hope it find you happy and healthy. I know that I never get on to blog but I have received a laptop for Christmas so my new year resolution is to write one a week! I just hope I remember.
Whew, I don't know about ya'll but this year for my family has been crazy, exciting, and wonderful with a few bouts of disappointment, doubt, worry, and fear. I'm going to catch everyone up on the happenings of our family for the year.
December 2009: The first week of December our family went on vacation to Disney World and came home with no job for my dad and low spirits despite the wonderful vacation. We had to pinch the penny and save where ever we could which meant no Christmas, or so we thought.
We exchanged gift to one another on Christmas Eve because we figured we could just get up and head on to our grandparents the next day. When we woke up Christmas morning I will admit that there was a part of me who didn't want to get out of bed at 8 (which is very late for most Christmas mornings), but I did anyway with some extreme urging from my parents. We opened our stockings to find some candy, tooth brushes, gum, and a small note in each one. The notes said something along the lines of "He give us our needs but sometimes He gives us our wants. Go look in the school room." We went to the room and much to our surprise there were very nice gifts for all of us! God doesn't always give us our wants but for the Worlund kids that Christmas He provided!
January: January came with new hopes for the coming year as Dad started his own consulting business. From day one he had work, no matter how little it may have been it was still work. Mom and Dad still tried to give us all that they could and find a way to make ends meet, but we knew that it was just too hard to have everything so we (or at least me) lowered our standards and did the best we could to get along. God always provides!
February: Dad got a prospective full time job offer in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. The ball was rolling and the company was so interested in Dad. We, I guess you could say jumped the gun, and were getting all kinds of plans ready. Mom and Dad swore us to secrecy, but-being so depressed by the thought of leaving all my friends, family and new boyfriend-I let the secret slip some. We still trudged on and the thought of starting somewhere new livened our spirits (well some of us). God gives us joy in the mist of pain and fear!
March: For some reason the ball stopped rolling on the North Carolina deal, but we were still very hopeful. I eventually came around to the idea of moving and was even slightly excited about it probably because the boyfriend dumped me and I wanted to run away from the whole deal of that broken heart. At that that time the company was merging with another company and said they would get back to us. We waited and waited and waited, and finally came to realization that the company was not going to get back to Dad, for now. Which in the long run was good for me because God had somethings to talk to me about said relationship. We were back to square one and slightly confused but God has a reason for everything!
April: Dad was still working his on/off job of consulting and Mom was working her job as Children's minister at Church, which the pay check helped us through those last hard times. We kids were helping where we could and letting some things go such as, football and cheer leading. God was still good and was directing the steps of my Dad on to a most wonderful path!
May: May was a very exciting month for my family. Dad got a job in Antioch, Tennessee working for the church of some very good friends of our family, the Kaufman's. Dad went on Sunday and came home on Friday of every week in May. We went up sometimes when the weather was good and we didn't have anything going on. Zeb got a job at Five Guys Burgers and Fries in Jones Vally. I spent my first birthday with my Dad not at home. The end of the month I started rehearsals for The Sound Of Music where I was a nun in the chorus. The rehearsals took up most of my summer nights and I soon found out that I didn't enjoy missing parties and my dad because of them. I longed for the show to be over with so that I could just enjoy my summer.
June: My dad was still working in Antioch and now that school was over so we went up to Tennessee more often. The Kaufmann's-where Dad was living during the week- moved to a smaller house and Dad couldn't stay with them anymore so a couple in the church where Dad was working offered to let him stay with them. The Cook's were such a blessing and the sweetest people!
I got my first cell phone at my 15th birthday party that month. The week after that Abbi and I went to Summit summer camp on Lookout Mountain at Covenant College. We went with Life's Journey church since our own youth group had no plans to attend a camp.
Later that month Zeb had high hopes to try out for American Idol in Nashville. As most of you know Zeb drives a 1966 Plymoth Valiant that works when it wants. The Wednesday night before Zeb was to try out on Saturday night, we were headed to church and made a pit stop on the way to eat because the car was over heating. We came out of the store and Zeb opened the hood, removed the radiator cap and and the fluid in the radiator exploded all over his hands and face. After many tears, and shouts, and pain we called my dad and he took Zeb to the ER. We sat in the Crestwood Medical center ER for 3 hours that night. I'm not sure who was more upset about not going to Nashville, Zeb or me when I found out that they lowered the auditioning age to 15! But God is so good that He protects our every move!
July: July was much the same except that Dad came home at the end of the month. He fell in love with the people at the church and they equally loved him. The offered Dad a job but since Zeb is going to college next year and the money wasn't enough to sustain us Dad decided no to take the job. I continued hating the Sound Of Music and it ended the last week in July.
God sustains us no matter what!
August: The show finally ended and Zoe turned 11. We spent the month preparing for Zeb's senior year and for school. Zeb looked into colleges and decided that Union University in Jackson, Tennessee. The price tag, I think, got him slightly motivated to dive into his studies. We started school, I'm in the 10th grade, Abbi in the 9th, and Zoe in the 6th. God leads our footsteps down the right path!
September: September Abbi and I, with our biology class at school, went to Dauphin Island. Zeb went on his senior trip to Washington D.C. and Dad went to work a temporary job with his old company Nektar which makes pharmaceuticals. Our boat was floating with the extra income as opposed to sinking slow. With the extra income Dad and Mom decided to gift us kids with something we had been longing for since Zoe was 8, a dog. The week Zeb got back we got our precious baby boy, Charlie. At first we picked another dog, a tiny 3 pound Morkie. We found out 3 short days after we got Charlie 1 that he had a congenital liver disease. We called the breeder and without any hesitation the nice couple gave us Charlie 1's brother, Charlie 2. Dad has fondly named him bro-cha-cho (brother of Charlie). The name has caught on and now Charlie answers to Charlie, bro-cha-cho, Baby boy, boo boo, punkin, and many more. One name that he absolutely will not respond to; Chuck. Zeb tried to make it work but we couldn't seem to call him that. Zeb turned 17 at the end of the month. God gives us the desires of our hearts if we honor Him.
October: In the beginning of October we threw Zeb his first ever surprise party. We were successful in our planning, much to my mother's surprise I'm sure. Dad had a birthday. We were waiting to see if Nektar would offer Dad the full time position they had proposed as an option. Nothing happened right away so we just waited. God makes us wait for a reason.
November: Zeb, Mom, Dad, and Abbi went to Union University to check it out. They all feel in love with the campus but Dad still had sticker shock. When opportunity came at Nektar for Dad to have a full time job, he was reluctant because of his longing to move to Nashville to do ministry, he took it. He figured that even if Zeb didn't go to Union, he was going to go to some college a long with us 3 girls. My parents defiantly want to go into the ministry, but it might be after their 4 children graduate college. After the cost of Union I have been determined not to go to a college with expensive tuition, so I have decided a public college will suit my taste. God does what is best for us!
December: Mom and the girls went to Daytona, FL the first week in December a long with Mom's parents and her brother. We had a good time until the weather took a cold turn and then we were just ready t get home. Our days were filled with Christmas concerts, exams, Christmas shopping, baking, and pretty much just Christmas! Abbi turned 14 and Mom had her birthday too. Can I say that this Christmas was very much not like the one before. We were blessed with many presents and as a special treat, we had our first ever white Christmas! We are looking forward to the New Year.
We found out early this morning that Zeb's ACT grade is not high enough for him to get a scholarship at Union and since my parent's can not pay for it by themselves it look as if for now, Union is not for Zeb. He did get a Presidential Scholarship to UAH. At the first of the year he surrendered his heart to full time ministry and thought that music was his area. He still wants to do that but has decided, since he can only play guitar, he is going to major in microbiology.
I'm looking forward to a package that is supposed to becoming in the mail in January because it will have an application for a semester interning as a US Senate page. The thought of this opportunity puts butterflies in my belly yet excitement in my mind and heart! I am continuing to promote my photography business Fly Away Photography. I'm still in love with taking pictures a my heart and head are tied between what want to do with my life.
Abbi is still loving photography as well and is furthering her knowledge with her new camera that Mom and Dad got her for Christmas. I'm not really sure what she would like to do being that she isn't as vocal as the rest of us.
Zoe is being her cute self and indulges our dog more then some might think she should. Zoe is most defiantly Charlie's favorite and we can get him to do most anything for Zoe! Zoe has decided that she would like to be a medical missionary when she grows up.
That has been our year! We bless you and your families during this holiday season and hope your year has been as happy as our! God bless and Happy New Year!
Love,
Alex and the rest of the Worlund Clan!
