Life's one big roller coaster ride!

It's been a while since I've last posted. Ben and I have been going through somewhat of a difficult time. There have been a lot of decisions and struggles over the past few weeks. Ben decided to withdraw from all of his classes this semester and retake some classes in the fall. This was a very hard decision for him to make. I told him that I could not help him make this decision because I could not feel anything, I felt numb. I also felt that since I was not the one taking the classes that I did not really have a say into what he felt that was best for him. Ben did not do as well as he would have liked last semester, due to some distractions that he did not realize was taking up his precious time. He feels that he will have a better chance of getting into graduate school if he gets better grades. I fully support him in this decision and know that he will accomplish his goal. Ben is such a wonderful man and I look up to him for having the strength to overcome this obstacle that he is facing right now.

We are so blessed, however, since Wal-Mart had a full-time position open about the time Ben made the decision to withdraw. I know the Lord is watching out for us and that He is aware of our needs. Ben is now working full-time at Wal-Mart and will continue to do so until the end of this year. He would like to find another part-time job but does not think he will be able to find one due to the economy. We are planning on saving money so that when he goes back to school that he will be comfortable to not have to work and focus completely on his classes.

One downside to all this is that we got a letter from ISU on Thursday saying that we had to pay a certain amount back for a loan that Ben took out for this semester since he withdrew. Ben and I were both very upset and did not know how we would be able to come up with the money since we did not have that much in our hands. (A note...ISU told Ben he would not have to pay anything until he graduates...hmm...seems like that was not true...which is why we were not expecting this). Again, the Lord watched out for us and we got quite a sizeable tax return and will be using that. I was disappointed because I wanted to put it in savings and have it there for when we are done with school. However, I feel more blessed than disappointed today. I cannot tell you how hard this has been for both of us but how much we have grown and learned from this on-going experience.

Instead of graduating in May 2010, Ben will be graduating in December of 2010 if all goes as planned. Another blessing comes up with this fact. Some of you may know this but some of you might not. When Eastgate was sold to Walgreens, Walgreens offered a bonus to those who signed a contract saying that they would work for Walgreens for three years. If we did not keep the contract, we had to pay the bonus back with 8% interest. Ben wanted me to sign up, I did not feel good about it but I signed up for it anyway. I got the bonus minus taxes....which did not make me happy but money is just money. As it turns out...the contract ends in December 2010 so we will not have to worry about paying them back. I was worried since Ben was planning to graduate in May 2010 and I did not know how we would be able to pay Walgreens the amount we would have owed if I had to break the contract. So the Lord is truly watching over us! Although it is hard...I can't express how grateful I am for all this... this is not what we wanted but we have been so blessed!

I would like to pay a tribute to my dear husband Ben. He has done so much for me over the past two years and we have been through so much more than anyone would know. I have truly come to love Ben so much more. He has helped me change for the better and I only hope I can do the same for him. He truly makes me whole and I know that we were supposed to get married. I will have to admit that I've struggled with being married for the longest time because I never really knew how to be married. The Lord has known the feelings of our hearts and by all the things that we have gone through...we have become better people and I know that Ben has sacrificed so much for me. He is such a sweet and loving husband. Thank you Ben for interpreting for me in Sacrament Meeting and Sunday School so I can understand and learn about the gospel. Thank you Ben for all those little things you do....I truly do love you!

I know this is a little personal but I have had the strongest feeling that I needed to share this with Ben's family and mine. I love both of our families and I am so truly blessed to have all you people in my life. You all make my life so much sweeter and I couldn't have asked for more!!



This is Ben doing the one thing he loves.....golfing! I hope he can continue to golf and I love to just go walk with him!