Trials/Blessings

Are trials supposed to turn into blessings? How can you turn a trial into a blessing? From learning from it. Gaining knowledge, patience, ? what exactly?

From my limited knowledge trials come in all shapes and sizes. Whether it be physical, financial, spiritual, emotional, trials come. Some come to us from our Heavenly Father and others our inflicted upon is by our selves through our own actions and thoughts.

Our trial: 2005 Trailblazer

This vehicle was pushed upon us by a dealer. We were young (dumb) and didn't think it through. They qualified us for more than we could afford. We had almost a $500 payment each month, along with rent and two children and other bills.

Then after a year of owning this vehicle things started going wrong. Things kept breaking and we'd fix it and another thing would break. We kept putting money into the vehicle so it would run. Thus forcing us to miss payments. We couldn't call it a lemon because it was always something new breaking.

Things just kept us from paying the car payment...things like Daniel losing his job...twice...being unemployed stops all cash flow and you don't know how to live. Thank heavens for family and the church.

Since we weren't making payments the finance company kept calling and calling and yelling and harassing and making our lives quite unpleasant. Finally they put in an order to repossess the vehicle, we were able to sell some things and borrow money to pay them so we could have this vehicle that would barely run.

This kept happening and finally they said if we did not pay them $4,000 they would repossess the vehicle. Where are we supposed to find that kind of money. Daniels only had his job for a little over 6 months and I am working part time.

Where do we turn?

We turned to prayer. We fell on our knees and asked Heavenly Father what we should do. Our credit was shot. We had no money. And the vehicle would barely run. We needed a vehicle to get Daniel to work and me and the kids to school. What should we do? Should we ask the church and family for money? Or should we just let them take the Trail Blazer? What should we do?

After we ended our prayer we sat in thought for a moment to feel inspiration on what course we should take. When the doorbell rang.

Who could it be? No one ever comes to visit us other than the kids friends and the kids were already outside playing. So they wouldn't ring the bell. We go down and open the door to none other than the re-po man.

At first we were shocked. Because we had just gotten off the phone with the finance company and they said they hadn't put the re-po order in YET. (LIARS!) According to the re-po man he had the order for a full 5 days. And that finance company's tell him to not ring the bell and to just take the car. So that they can weasel out another payment.

We cleaned out the car, with questions from the children and I've never felt so down on myself. How could we let this happen. But then I realized...our prayers were answered. We didn't know what to do, who to turn to and we needed Heavenly Father to tell us what to do. And he did. He answered our prayer. Even though we felt horrible, we had no car, we knew things would work themselves out and that we would be okay. I felt at peace as the nice re-po man took our trailblazer away.

What did we learn:
1-don't buy from a dealership
2-wait, it doesn't have to be done that day (no matter how the salesman pushes)
3-look at other options (you always have options)
4-make sure you can afford it-not that the dealer says you can afford it.
5-blessings come in many forms

I'm grateful for this trial, because it was at every turn, but we learned from it. And I personally gained a stronger testimony, that Heavenly Father does hear and answer prayers, even in ways we don't expect.

Anyway sorry for this downer of a post, but I was impressed to share this interesting spiritual blessing/trial.

Until the next post...

Cancer

My aunt Jes was diagnosed earlier this year with Breast Cancer. She has a rare kind that chemo won't work, I guess it goes through the blood or something like that. Anyway she had to have a mastectomy. Well her partner put together a team to race at the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure. Lindsay and Karen ran in it while Mom and Dad cheered, we weren't able to make it because of Madison's soccer game but we made it at the end to eat and celebrate! Cancer really forms a person, makes them stronger in time. Emotionally and spiritually that is. I'm impressed with Jes and how she has taken this situation. It was a good day. Until the next post...

STITCHES!

It all started on the Saturday evening of April 24th. We had a fun day and were winding down the days festivities of yard work, cleaning the garage, and playing outside. When I decided since it's Saturday I'll throw McKinley in the tub while the other two pick up their toys and put them away, then they can have a bath and then dinner and off to bed by 8:30! Fabulous!

So I send Daniel to the Jr. High to the recycle dumpsters, since our paper recycling box is overflowing.

I barely get McKinley's naked body in the tub, when Madison comes in and tells me Carter is hurt. Now those of you who know Carter, this is an every 20 minute phrase...mom, me hurt myself....dad, me hurt myself.....and you get the picture. So I tell Madison, he's fine, just tell him to jump up and brush it off.

She replies with...No mom, he's really hurt.

Madison! he'll be fine, I'm giving McKinley a bath, he'll be okay.

No mom, he's bleeding.....and that's when I hear the wailing!

He comes around the corner into the bathroom and he is spurting blood from his face! I'm serious..it was SPURTING! Those of you who know me, this is the time that I pass out and come to thinking it was all a dream. No, I was BRAVE! I grab a towel and shove it on to his face...(Daniel later chastises me for grabbing a huge bath towel, but hey I wasn't thinking..."let me get a washcloth, that will be easier to transport" at least I wasn't on the floor!) I hand Madison my cell phone and tell her to call dad. I pick Carter up and try calming him down, but that's a no go. So I take him down the stairs and set him on the porch and tell him to watch for Daddy. Meanwhile Madison is telling Daniel to come home and I'm screaming at her to tell him to come home NOW! And yes McKinley is alone in the tub. I race back upstairs grab another towel, dry her off, grab some jammies and am shoving her little body into them as fast as possible when Daniels screeches to a halt in the front of the house.

He tells the kids to load into the car. He grabs a washcloth and exchanges our extra long bath towel for it. I throw McKinley in her seat and strap her. Madison is being so brave and is talking to Carter. And we head to the hospital with Carter going pale in my arms. On the way Daniel asks if I called my mom?....what you think I thought of that, no I am freaking out! I'm not thinking ahead of what we are going to do with the two girls! Sheesh, I'm barely standing myself!

Needless to say my knight in shining armor came to the rescue and whisked us off to the hospital, called my mom, and handled the blood, so I didn't have to. My Hero!

Daniel drops me and Carter off at the door for Davis Hospital...(BIG mistake...never go there!)and goes to park the car while we get checked in. As soon as we have shut the door Madison bursts into tears. She is so worried about Carter! And she held out her brave face until we weren't there, how sweet is that?!

My mom meets us at the emergency room. And her and my sisters talk to Carter and then take the two girls home. I'm so thankful for them and being there so they weren't traumatised anymore than they already were. (Poor Madison!)

We wait and wait and wait, and finally they call us back. When the doctor finally comes in most of the bleeding (spurting) has stopped and we are watching TV. The rest I don't know about, it's just what Daniel has told me because I knew he would have to have stitches and I knew I couldn't handle it, so I left and stood out in the hallway...not a fabulous choice since I could hear him screaming and crying, but at least I didn't have to watch it.

So while I'm in the hallway, the doctor gives him a shot to numb it and it's also to make it stop bleeding. Well it did just the opposite, it made it start bleeding again! Daniel is having to lay on top of him so that the doctor could make tiny stitches so it wouldn't leave a train track scar on his face. The nurse is trying to blot away the blood, which has begun spurting again. Finally, it seemed like an eternity, I'm allowed back into the room. However they had not cleaned up so there was a TON of bloody gauze's strewn allover. And there sits Carter sobbing in his daddy's arms. I'm feeling slightly queasy, since we hadn't eaten, and from all the blood and trauma.

Yes we are finally leaving the hospital at 11:30pm! What a night. Yet to only have it continue into today!

As we were being discharged we asked if we needed to clean it or what care needed to be taken to prevent infection. The doctor said none, lacerations and sutures on the face rarely get infected because our face is clean.

Have you ever met a 3 year old with a clean face!?!?

So today I was concerned after I got home from work because his stitches were oozing blood. So I called our pediatrician, and he said they shouldn't be oozing blood and to go back to the emergency room to have it taken care of.

So my sisters come and get the girls again, and I call Daniel and let him know what's going on, and my mother accompanies me to the hospital with Carter.

Carter is terrified! Sobbing that he doesn't want to go to the doctor's again. We get into a room, and this time we have a different doctor, but the same nurse. The nurse was wonderful, he apologized and was so sorry that we were back in again. The doctor comes and looks at it, and says it looks fine and sutures tend to ooze a little since you basically stab little holes in your skin from stitching them up. Then he puts his finger in Carter's mouth and presses against his stitches. Then he squeezes with his other hand on the outside of Carter's mouth right along his stitches. And then he pushes and squeezes at the same time and pops out the infection like a zit! This huge amount of pus springs from his face, Carter is screaming, I barely make it to a chair before all the color drains from my face and I collapse. My mom is holding Carters hands and the nurse is helping hold Carter's head still as the Doctor continues to push and squeeze until all the infection is out. He then gives us a prescription for an antibiotic, and tells us to come on Saturday to remove the stitches instead of Friday. Since there was infection he should keep the stitches a day longer.

This was a horrible experience to say the least. We had the home teaches come over to give Carter a blessing Sunday night and Carter went into a fit, crying that he didn't want the doctor to touch him. I feel so bad for my little guy.

It came to a total of nine stitches.

How did he do this, you ask? Well from what Madison and he has told us (remember that neither parent saw what happened) He was running toward the house and tripped and slammed his face into the cement steps leading in to the house.

So here's the pics....

We tease that he looks like the Joker

He is not happy that I am taking pictures, but it's a first and probably not the last.

My brave little guy!

So that was our exciting weekend, which I never want to repeat, ever! He's a trooper, and has had moments (very few...so far) that he thinks it's cool to have stitches. Maybe in a few days it will be cool.

Until the next post.....we'll try to stay safe :)

A week with my Sisters

So if you read the previous post you'll know that my parents went to Texas for 5 days for Rodney's basic training graduation. Well while they were gone, we kind of watched the girls, yes Lindsay and Karen are old enough to take care of themselves, but we invite them down for dinner once in a while so they won't starve or poison themselves on the food they cook. We invite them for activities like we went to Temple Square and Lindsay came along....so we watched out for them not babysat them.

Anyway Saturday it was snowing and Lindsay of course was freaking out! She kept calling and wanting help shoveling the snow, we kept telling her to wait until it stops snowing! Anyway there was a break in the storm so we headed up to help shovel snow. We helped because my parents have a really big driveway and the 4-wheeler wasn't hooked up to the snow plow to make it easy so we had to shovel by hand. Well we finished shoveling and Lindsay went downstairs to put her boots away and came up crying, or screaming obscenities, I can't remember. Anyway the basement had flooded!

I proceed to call my mother in Texas, they said they were cold because the wind was blowing...I had no sympathy for her because we were in a snowstorm and they were at Sea World. We started bailing water, Daniel talked to my dad, and we ended up shutting off the water....this meant that Lindsay and Karen were moving in with us until my parents got home Sunday evening if they weren't delayed by the storms.

So Lindsay and Karen came down and we had a sleep over the kids thought that was so fun! Sunday morning was not so fun: 4 adults showering, 3 children bathing, and all dressed, pressed and ready for church by 11. Our home teachers were able to meet my sisters, since they came over after church. For those of you who have been to my house, it's really not big enough for that many people. My parents came in Sunday evening, to no water at their house. So there was take out for dinner and work, work, work to no avail. They were no closer to figuring out the problem of the pipes. Monday goes by still no water. Tuesday, goes by still no water. My parents have alternated going to my grandmothers house and my house for showers. Karen and Lindsay have taken up residence at my house. Wednesday dad calls the city because he's dug a hole to the pipes out by the barn, because he thinks it's clogged or frozen out there (at first they thought it was the pump) The city says yes that pipe is the sewer pipe...nope they were wrong it was the Weber Basin Water Line. So that had to be fixed. Finally dad gave in and called Roto Rooter since it's been 5 days with no water. They come out and find that the pipe is frozen and that the pipe is only 18 inches deep. The reason why it froze is because the two girls didn't use enough hot water. Now dad is out there in his hole trying to thaw out frozen pipes. They went and bought charcoal briquettes (do you know how hard those are to find in the winter?) and lit them and had them burning all day to help un-freeze the pipes. Dad would turn the water heater up to scalding and haul buckets of hot water out to pour over the pipes. They would shoot hot water up the pipes to help melt the ice. Finally a week without water. The pipes finally thawed and the Julander house had water! Rejoice, rejoice! Hallelujah! It was quite a week. Nerves were tested...and what a week before Christmas....Yikes! Glad to have that trying week over with. Here's some crazy pics of life with my sisters.

It's not very pretty when Karen gets a hold of the camera!

Turning her nose up at my dinner!....that's it! No Soup For You!
Oh Lindsay!

McKinley eating cars

Oh..cute! the love of an aunt....it's just sweet

Carter chillin'

Madison taking pictures

oh goodness..what can you say

A week with my sisters...I feel the same!

Slacking

OK so we're total losers for not keeping up on our blog. Even the last post said we were catching up and then have I posted anything since?....NO well tomorrow we are leaving to go to Swiss Days...LuV it! and then after we spend the day in Midway we will head up to the cabin for the l...o...n...g weekend! I am SO ready for a weekend away....we've had interviews and school and appointments. I had my Birthday and turned 28 and my family had a Oktoberfest themed party not specifically for my birthday it just happened to be on my birthday, which was fun and had a great time with friends and family. On other things we did I went to the dentist, I have no cavities...Yeah! Madison went to the dentist and had 3 cavities :( I went and had my eyes checked today and ordered sassy new glasses :) Carter went to the dentist and has 10 cavities :( so now without a job we need to pay to have him sedated and pay for 10 fillings 2 of which will need caps....will somebody please plant me a money/stable job tree.

Anyway I've been on the mad hunt to find cardinal tulle so I can make a cute little cheer outfit for McKinley for Austins football games. Every Friday we go and support #28....the kids even have their own little cheer for him....

28, 28 gooooooo Tate!

Anyway I'm not posting too much I've got to go get me, Daniel and the kids packed for the cabin and things ready to go because next week we come back Monday night and then Wednesday afternoon we are going to Yellowstone until Saturday for a little vacation with my family (We were going to go to Disneyland, but due to some unfortunate events that will only be postponed until March hopefully) However this is a vacation without Daniel he will stay and be job hunting and has more interviews. Also it's a last little vacation with my family since my brother leaves for basic in October and we don't know when we'll all be together again.

Anyway stay tuned until the next post (and there will be plenty of picture!)