Our new year...2010!!

A new decade has begun...Just last night as we were getting ready to count down, Steve realizes this and says " I graduated from high school 10 years ago...I am old."

Of course, he forgot that I graduated 13 years ago, so that would make me WAY old, but whatever.


We talked about how our lives are going to be very different this year...It sort of overwhelmed me. I like to pretend I am one of those people who loves change and a challenge, but the truth is, I like stability. I like remaining in our home. Any time something new approaches me, I eventually learn to handle it and can deal. But in reality, it takes me a LONG time to adjust to a new role.

When I came home from my mission, it took me over a year to swing back into things, to get happy and get involved. I was so depressed from the role change. When I got married, I was in shock with the role of wife. I lived life in a haze, and when I became a mother for the first time, I let that control everything, thus forgetting about other important responsibilities...


I am hoping I am learning from my mistakes and can approach new adventures in a better way. I also think it important to recognize that things can be difficult and not expect yourself to be perfect and changed overnight. I need to face my challenges head on and approach them better than ever before.

Here is what we have to look forward to:
1. A brand new baby sometime in Jan. or Feb ( note, I am not one of those girls who wants the baby to come early, I HATE that, but we already know I AM NOT ALLOWED TO GO FULL TERM BEING DIABETIC---I WISH I COULD GO FULL TERM (and it bugs me when people want their baby to come so early--I know I don't understand, but you don't understand my perspective either).

2. My brother Jake will be getting married in March. I love his fiance, and am so excited for him, and to have a little reunion with my family in St. George in March. Could be interesting driving there with a new born.

3. Next week Steve will be enrolled in a class at the U. This may not seem like a big thing, but it is for us. It is for his work, and also for his U of U application. It looks good all around. The big thing is that it is costing us a fortune, and it might end up being a wast ( and obviously something we can't afford). Because of this class, we can't do other things we really needed the money for. Oh well.

4. My brother Seth gets home from his mission in May. I am so excited to see Seth. He has been such a valiant and faithful missionary, and example to us all. Because of regulations, he won't be able to play football next year like we had hoped ( in order to do that, he would have to be enrolled in school this coming semester). So, he will redshirt, and we will all see the PROBERT name at BYU stadium again.

5. Whether to TULANE or the U, we will be moving this year.... No matter what happens in the final outcome of medical school application process, we will be moving sometime this JULY. I hate moving!! I am awful at it, and it gives me ulcers. It would be nice if we could move 20 minutes as opposed to 20 hours away...but we will go where the Lord wants us.

6. Steve starts medical school in Aug. What a dream! It is still hard for us to conceive that this is finally happening for us! We are so excited, and aware of how challenging this will be for the whole family. It will completely change our lives for forever in ways we have not even conceived of yet....This not only changes our present, but our future as well. Life as we know it will be completely different.

7. My brother Nate will be getting married in Sept. Another opportunity for the Proberts to have a little reunion ( we are so spread out, we all hate it). This one is going to be much harder for us to go to since it is in Oregon and right when school starts, and we won't have ANY money. We are in the process of trying to figure out details so at least I can go and bring the kids. Pray for us!

8. Steve will not be working and we will have no income! This is probably going to be the biggest challenge of them all... and won't end this year. You just can't work and go to medical school. And no one will be able to watch the kids if I work ( and we do NOT believe in day care---what is the point anyway, paying someone the exact amount you earn to watch your kids, I might as well just watch them myself instead of earning only $20 a week after paying for day care). We still have not figured out how we are going to manage. We know it can be done as we have seen others do that in the past, not without difficulty.

Besides the BIG changes, there are always the unexpected things we have to look forward to...among those:
--We are not sure what will be happening with Andy's eyes. She is going to get bifocals, but it just may all end up in surgery as we really don't want that!
--We will be changing church times --excited yet not about that one. 11 am church is my favorite, but not with kids. Could be interesting.
--We will be getting new callings. I really think a calling defines an experience in your ward, so this is a big deal to me. The good news is we know the Lord will be the one in charge.
--We have no clue if we will even have 2 cars for another month as they are falling apart. This is a challenge I don't even want to further discuss.
--We are going to get a few new cousins this year. Both from Mckay and Heather, and Alex and Sam. Love having new ones around. All the kiddies can play and be best friends. No clue what the sex is yet, but that will be fun to find out!


I recognize that this is just life. It is exciting, overwhelming, and wonderful all at once. I look forward to the adventures ahead and hope I have the faith, courage, and zeal to tackle all of them. It is going to be a wonderful year for the Cook family!