The year's update

OK so my last post said April 2009, wow that was a long time ago. So much has changed life is not what it use to be, but there are no complaints and I am excited for the future. Thinking back since then, some special things to me are, Kendall is now 17 months old, she is a Montroy and I can't imagine life without her. Claire was baptized last year, she was breathtaking in her dress that I made her. What a great experience that was for everyone. She was baptized 3 times, because for the first time ever Damon was nervous and it got the best of him. She also picked up piano, and loves it soo much. Kaylee is getting ready for first grade, she took jazz dance this last year and is sooo good! She has the best strut. She is strong and confident, and I love her to death. Corinne is 3 and not potty trained! Driving me crazy, but I am trying to be patient for her schedule. Her hair is finally growing a little, she is a firecracker and holds her own with her big sisters. No one gets in her way. Damon is still moving forward with Vision Electric, he works hard, I hope it gets easier for him some day. He loves his Ice Hockey league and to teach his girls to play softball. Last summer he was both Claire and Kaylee's head coach. This summer he is just doing Claire. It is a favorite past time for all of them to play ball together. I love it. As for me, well I discovered boutique fabrics and patterns and got addicted. A whole new world of fun and creativity at my fingertips, but all for a price. So I have enjoyed a few of the patterns and fabric but not all. I am trying to take pictures of the things I make, to keep better track. Maybe someday I will get a photo library up here. Last fall I was feeling like I needed to move on in life and was looking for something else to do besides Sycamore Hills Apartments (it has been 10 years). While discussing this with my wise sister Chrissy, she said "why not go back to school" I had never thought that would be an option and I had never thought about it. Within one week I was enrolled and started classes online. My science courses for the Dental Hygiene program had expired three years prior so I had to start all over. I took accelerated courses for Anatomy and Physiology I and Chemistry 109. It turned our whole life upside down as I struggled to get back into the school frame of mind and think about something else besides poopy diapers and car pool. Every spare moment into the late hours of the night I was reading studying and stressing over school. Damon took over all evening and weekend duties at home and I made it through the semester getting a B in each class. That was OK, but I was discouraged. The Spring semester I took A&P II online and microbiology on campus. That added a whole new level of difficulty trying to shuffle the kids around so that I could be gone every Tues. and Thursday from 10-3pm. I have the most supporting family ever. My mom and sister Chrissy took on the challenge with smiles and words of encouragement as they pushed me out the door everyday to catch the light rail. I don't know how I would have made it without the help of those two amazing women. I love them sooo much. It was crazy, but I LOVED being back in the classroom and soaked up every minute. I was much less stressed and learned how to be more efficient with my studying and came out with A's in both classes. I was so excited! I had applied to the Dental Hygiene program and was denied because I didn't have all my pre-requisites done by Jan. although you can get in as long as they are done by that May. I was so discouraged, but I registered for A&P I again for this coming fall so I can get my B up to an A and have the best chance possible to get into the program. You need almost all A's to get in, so that is what I plan to do, and will apply again in Jan 2011. In the midst of all this school my great parents decided they needed to serve a mission. So while they are gone we could live in their house and pay for my school, while we rent our house out. They are amazing people who want to serve the lord full time more than anything. My dad has given up his lifetime of work to a management company and they are leaving everything behind to go. They got their mission call to serve in the Little Rock Arkansas Mission as CES missionaries and will be serving 18 months, reporting September 6th to the MTC. We are all so proud of them and excited for their great new adventure. I remember when I was leaving on my mission, my dad would come watch me pack and say he wished he could jump in my suitcase and come with. He loved his mission and wished he could go again. And now as I watch them prepare to go, memories of my own mission frequently flood my mind and I wish they could pack me up and I could go with them. A mission is an experience of a lifetime, I loved mine with all my heart, and I am so happy they have made it, and are going to have those amazing experiences together. So this summer we have all been packing and cleaning and de-junking as we attempt to combine two households into one. The big move is in less than two weeks and we will have renters in our home. You never know what life has in store for you. So many twists and turns, jumping forward, and stepping back. I love my life, I love the Lord, and I love the amazing wonderful people who are my family. I am so blessed.