When 2010 arrived, we were nervous about what the year ahead would look like. We became a statistic when I was laid off from my job due to downsizing four days before Christmas in 2009. In the 16 years of our marriage we had two incomes and built a life around the security two incomes had given to us. With unemployment benefits we still lost 50% of our income and somehow we managed and survived nine months of uncertainty. I was so proud of the sacrifices we both were willing to make to ensure we ended the year with the same financial safety net as we had before I lost my job. The boys enjoyed me being home once they got over the shock of not having as much disposable income and later had to adjust again when I went back to work. I was able to participate in their school activities more this year. They enjoyed having me home for all their needs and they weren’t the only one. Randy enjoyed having a full time homemaker but no one enjoyed it more than I did. I spent lots of time in leisure exploring new possibilities. I embraced domestic duties with enthusiasm. If I wasn’t concerned with the weak job market in our area I would have been able to enjoy it more. I had a constant nagging in my mind of what if, what if I didn’t find a job before my unemployment benefits ran out. As with a lot of things, it all worked itself out this fall when I joined the Malt-O-Meal Company. After seven years of working from home I made my way back into the workplace in a local office in town. I have enjoyed the work and the work place experience.
We attempted to sell our home so we could downsize but we had no luck. After seeking advice from a more experienced Realtor in our town we decided to pull the house off the market and reassess the market in a year to decide if selling would benefit us once home prices increase.
The boys had a light year for activities. I let Dane play tennis at the Pinnacle Country Club and I volunteered to be the parent coach for the Jr. Tennis Team. I also allowed Dane to join a talent agency. He has been on a few auditions for work which has helped us work through some of his shyness. He has maintained straight A’s and is in middle school now. We are so proud of his academic dedication. Dylan is a different story. He loathes school and falling into a compliant state of mind with school continues to be a struggle for him. He is in the third grade so his inappropriate behaviors stand out more so this year than in the past.
Since we weren’t spending money on a big vacation this year we bought Silver Dollar City season passes and used them as an excuse to get away for a day here and there this year. We took a couple days and spent some time in Tulsa with the kids. Once I had secured a job we went to Universal Studios for a few days. I believe I have spent more time in amusement parks this year than all my life combined. I get to pick our next family vacation.
I continued my charity and delivered baskets to Arkansas Children’s Hospital this year for the first time. I started a support group for parents raising ADHD children and began volunteering once a month at Seven Hills Homeless Shelter with my church. Although I can count on one hand how many times I made it to church this year but that's a different story for a different time. I made more time for my friends this year and spent several afternoons with them floating in one of our friends’ pool. We even went away together for a weekend this year.
A lot of things went wrong this year – things I haven’t written on my blog about but many things have gone right. I will cherish this year as the year I was able to be a stay at home mom for nine months. I will smile when I think of all the girlfriend time I had in the past year. I will feel good when I think back that in the face of what we once thought was devastation we persevered. I will forever be grateful for how my husband supported me every day of this difficult year keeping my spirits going on tough days. I will remember that this year, my small family, meant everything to me. At the end of the day we couldn’t rely on anyone but ourselves and all we cared about was that we had each other.
