2011 Recap

Here's the nerds with our 2011 recap. Overall this was a rough year for us, but we learned valuable lessons while total life altering changes were made. Perhaps to keep this organized (and I'm OCD about things) we'll go by month, okay?

January

We began this month optimistically, thinking that TJ's unemployment (he had been laid off  a week before Christmas from a job he had been at for five years) would be brief. This was also the month where we spent nearly every day in rehearsal for the musical we were in. Sadly backstage tensions with some cast mates led to an erosion on our friendships. The musical opened at the end of the month, and it was a success.

The boys at the California Science Center for Darren's Birthday

February

During February TJ was able to go on a few job interviews, but nothing panned out. We continued to perform in our musical and tried to figure out what to do about the financial situation. After talking with my dad who lives up in Washington, and works in the aerospace industry (TJ's industry as well), we began to plan a trip up to Washington to find jobs.

Nicole wigging out backstage before a performance

March

We made our way up to Washington, an eighteen hour drive in our SUV. The gas killed us, but overall we were fairly comfortable. This became the first major family trip we'd ever taken together. We stopped to view beautiful sights such as Shasta Lake and parts of the Oregon trail. We also took a detour to visit the visitor's center at Mount St. Helens. While in Everett, WA, we went job hunting, spent time on the lake in my dad's boat, and made our first trip to a comicon. At the Emerald City Comicon, we met James Marsters and Sean Patrick Flannery, and the boys got their pictures taken with the 501st legion, Vader's Fist. On our trip TJ was able to get a job interview, but sadly, it didn't pan out.

The boys waiting for a ride on Grandpa's boat

April

At this point we're entirely neglectful of our blog with TJ consumed with job hunting, as I devoted my time to Relay For Life and eighteen units worth of classes. We were plugging along, making do, repairing friendships, and then tragedy struck. Our dear friend Hop, had a heart attack and then a stroke. He was in a coma for a few days, and then on TJ's birthday, finally passed after another heart attack. It rocked our world, I'm sure we thought that it would eventually happen, after all, Hop was sixty-two and had habits that wears out one's body. However, it devastated us and we helped each other through our grief. It helped that we had a birthday trip to Cambria planned, it kept us busy and happy, but there was still a cloud hanging over our heads.

Our favorite place in the world, Cambria

May

May was all about Relay For Life activities, finishing up my college classes (made the President's List), and soldiering on. For a while, the group of friends, that had become a second family to us, had begun to fall apart. Hop's death brought us closer, though only for a short time. Between Relay responsibilities and life in general, fractures were beginning to appear in our friendships in this group, and we worried about how we would deal.

May the Fourth be with you!

June

This was quite a difficult month, TJ was able to secure some temporary work, which left the Relay team responsibilities on "Lucy's" and my shoulders. In the previous year, I had more or less ruled with an iron fist and that did not seem to go well, so I tried to be easy going while encouraging other team members to volunteer. Bad idea. Apparently easy going = walk all over me. With all of the sudden responsibility on our shoulders, Lucy's and my friendship took it's first major hit, and after she left the team, our friendship was in shambles. This was hard for both TJ and I, she was our closest friend, our confidant, like family. We ended up cancelling the rest of the fundraisers and kept trying to deal. Sadly, tragedy struck again. While on a trip up to Sacramento so I could take employment tests for state employment, we received news that two of our friends had been in a major car accident. We were walking around Old Sacramento after my test, and my phone started to go off, I almost didn't answer it, it was Lucy. I didn't know if I wanted to talk to her and yet I had a feeling I had to pick up the phone. She was in tears and told me about the accident. Ever the optimist, I made plans in my head to go visit the guys in the hospital soon, telling myself they would be okay. She said she would call if something else had happened, and I hoped I wouldn't hear from her the rest of the day. Not even an hour after that call, she called again. Before she even said the words, my heart sank, I just knew. "Jack's dead," she said, crying almost hysterically. He was only 30. He had been ripped from us, and we weren't ready to let go. June sucked.

The boys at the Wells Fargo museum in Old Sacramento

July

This month came at us like a runaway freight train. TJ's temporary work ended which prompted him to start sending his resume all the way up to Sacramento, and all the way down to San Diego. There was simply no work for us in our area. Relay, though stressful and time consuming, was a big success. We had a great time and our team ended up raising over $5,000! We were the number ten team out of over fifty teams! After the difficult past few months, we decided that we'd go camping for my birthday, so we could have peace and quiet and clear our heads. Just days before this trip, TJ received a call for a job interview down in Orange County, while we were down there we had lunch at Downtown Disney and joked about becoming annual passholders if we moved down there. TJ was hoping to hear something about the job after our camping trip during the weekend. We had a great time camping, fishing, hiking, and visiting with our camp neighbors. While on a fishing excursion at a different creek, TJ received a phone call. He got the job. While our minds had been on fishing and relaxing before, they suddenly changed to relocating, moving, apartments, the kids, and the like. On my actual birthday, we ended up down in Orange County, apartment hunting. Thankfully, we quickly found one, and moved just eleven days later. July was crazy.

TJ peacefully fishing

August

This month was mostly uneventful and was mostly about adjusting to a new place, lots of Disneyland trips, and job hunting for me. Seriously, that's about it. I could write about unpacking or frustration with finding legit job postings on Craigslist, but that's kind of boring don't you think?

All three kids at the Happiest Place on Earth (well for them it is)

September

The boys returned to school in September, where they flourished academically and excelled socially. In other words, they really love their new school! Speaking of school, September was when I had my ten year high school reunion. I was totally jazzed to go (and literally sick as well), and then when I showed up, I realized that I did not know anyone! Sure there were some awkward times that night (especially when some drunk jocks tried to dominate the evening), and the smoke alarm was set off by the fog machine, but overall it was fun! I made new friends that evening, and it will certainly be an evening I always remember!

Riley's poetry project, "One Sister For Sale!"

October

October seemed a mix of both good and bad. Good, I got a job, albeit a seasonal one, though it had potential to become permanent and full time. Bad, I mangled the SUV in the apartment parking lot, I fought the battle with yellow concrete poles and I lost. Good, we took part in so many Halloween and fall festivities, it was amazing. Bad, my community college royally screwed me over with financial aid and textbooks. Good, I was offered another job. Bad, my first job made me turn down the second one. My oldest son also turned nine, and now asks me if I feel old. Thanks son.

Trick or Treat!

November

This month we took a step forward and two steps back. It felt like we were finally making progress, and then I was sidelined with bronchitis. Okay so this meant a few days off of work without pay, we could deal with that, until on the second day I noticed my left knee was starting to hurt. This wasn't really unusual, for the past six months it would ache for a day and then go away. But the next day it didn't go away, it was worse. And the day after that I could hardly walk on it, so I went back to urgent care and was taken off of work for a week, until I could see my doctor (who was on vacation, great timing on my knee's part, right?) and get a proper diagnosis. After I was able to see my doctor, the slow process began, it took a week and a half to get crutches (therefor costing me even more work) and in November I was able to get an x-ray and see my orthopedic surgeon for the first time. Thanksgiving was bittersweet, sure we had plenty to be thankful for, but the constant disruptions were beginning to wear on us.

Family movie night

December

The final month of December would prove to be a strain. By this time I was relegated to the couch whenever I was at home, and at work I was on extremely light duty. This made things difficult, as I'm an extremely active person, and being forced to sit and do nothing, or hardly anything at all, is enormously frustrating for me. Poor TJ had taken on the many responsibilities that were previously mine, though amazingly enough, he's never resented me or made me feel like I'm a burden. He's a wonderful man, that is for sure. You figure with all this time I've had, I'd be better about blogging, but I don't know what to write about. Normally I like writing about the adventures in life, but I don't think there is much to be written about adventures from my couch. I finally received a diagnosis for my knee, but it took a MRI and one more visit to my orthopedic surgeon to get it. I have a severe tear in my meniscus, which is why I have severe pain and discomfort. This also explains why my knee would lock up or give out. I was also developing severe swelling in my left leg whenever I worked, so my doctor removed me from work until the surgery next month. My injury cost me my first job that I've had in a long time, but what can be done? I'll admit, the holidays have been rough for me, they are typically a time where I'm baking up a storm, decorating like crazy, volunteering, going to festivals and other fun activities with the family. This holiday season was spent mostly on my couch. December was depressing.

Rolling in style, like my new wheels?

I believe 2012 will be better, it has to be, I'll make sure it's better than 2011 was! To begin with, my surgery is on January 10th, so I'll be starting off the year with a repaired knee. Check back tomorrow for our annual "Reflections and Resolutions" post from both TJ and I. Yay, TJ's actually going to post something!