MERRY CHRISTMAS 2010!!!

Merry Christmas Everyone! It’s been awhile since we posted anything, but we really wanted to post our annual Christmas letter via our blog this year! We truly hope all of our beloved family and friends are having a great holiday season and are enjoying the blessings of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

I am so especially grateful this year for the knowledge that I have, from scripture, that Christ has made it possible for us all to return to our Father in Heaven. That death is not eternal, only temporary, and that we can all be together again after our missions on earth are complete. The birth of that little baby boy in Bethlehem over 2,000 years ago changed everything!

We were so saddened to lose my mom on Feb. 13 of this year. We knew she was sick with COPD and getting worse, but we never dreamed that that day would end the way that it did. It has been so much more difficult than I ever thought it would be, but thanks to a supportive family, I am getting through it, as we all are. We loved her so much, and realize what a blessing she was in our lives.

She continues to bless me, especially! I was really hurting and needed a way to deal with my grief, and I feel that it was my mom who sent me the inspiration to begin writing life stories for people. “Tell Me Your Story”, my new business, was born this summer, and so far I have written several stories for people, and am also doing seminars and workshops for those interested in writing their own stories. The business is growing faster than I thought, but so far I am mostly doing “informative” type things, and need to be bringing in more money, but it is definitely taking off! It’s an exciting time for me, and I am really enjoying what I do! I am working on a web site, but for now you can email me if you are interested! (blhall@flash.net). I am also taking care of a very sweet disabled boy a few days a week, which I am really enjoying. I am able to do my editing and things while I am there, so it’s sort of a double blessing! I also enjoyed working for an old high school friend, Jeff Palmer, for his company “Scentsational Candles” doing some marketing with Wal Mart Stores this summer. Found out I was pretty decent at it, if I do say so myself!

In May we found out that my dad had stage 3 Hodgkins Disease. I was heartbroken, but tried to keep the faith, and as we speak, we have a miracle!!! He was pronounced in remission after just 4 chemo treatments. He had to have a total of 8 just to be sure, but he is doing well and trying to gain the weight back that he has lost! Thank you God, for this amazing miracle!!!

Brent has spent his entire year, every day, continuing his job search. It has been quite the journey, I’ll tell you that much. He has been so close so many times, only for employers to change their minds at the very last minute. Everyone has been so skiddish in this economy. He still continues with his business Novel Surgical Products, and is making some headway there. He lost his investor in March suddenly and very unexpectedly, but he continues on. He has been very diligent in his search, and as the year ends, there seems to be a lot more on the horizon than earlier in the year, so we will see what happens! He still rides his mountain bike whenever he can, and it is a great stress reliever for him!

Jordan is working at David’s Bridal, and she enjoys it very much! Working with her Ehler’s Danlos Syndrome (connective tissue disorder) can prove challenging at times, but she is a trooper, and does okay most of the time! She is enjoying having a little extra money. She was never able to find a job as a phlebotomist as all perspective employers want experience, but she is hopeful that someday that might work out as well. She is still really busy with Institute at church and has great friends that she loves hanging out with.

LaChelle, Devin and Asher Tidwell are still plugging along in Utah! We were able to visit them twice this year, for Asher’s 2nd birthday and just last week to have an early Christmas celebration. Asher is growing and growing, and talking up a storm. He adores having his cousin Jake living close by, and when asked what he wanted for Christmas, he said “Jake!” Devin continues to work hard at his job, and Chelle is managing with a very active 2 year old at home! This boy never stops!

Kevin, Amber and Jake Roach moved to Utah after Kevin’s chiropractic school graduation in May. He has joined Dr. Thomas’ practice in Sandy, and is really enjoying his work. He’s getting lots of good experience with business and with patients, and loves it! Amber and Jake continue to be best buddies and love spending time together exploring all of their new surroundings! We sure had a good time with them this summer and our early Christmas with them as well. We even enjoyed camping with them and Brent LOVED fishing with Jake. He can’t wait til Asher is a little bigger and can join them!

We sincerely wish you all a very merry holiday season and a blessed 2011!

Love, Brent, Lisa and Jordan Hall

Daddy's Girl

It's very early in the morning, and while I should be asleep, I can't help but be awake! I have had a little bit of a stomach ache since this afternoon, so I'm waiting for some medicine to kick in so that I can sleep!!!

Tomorrow my daddy gets his port placed for his chemotherapy, which will begin probably this week. He has Hodgkin's Disease, which is a very curable cancer. But he still has to go through lots of chemo, about six months probably. The port will make things much easier for him during the chemo process. We are glad to get the process going so that he can get it over with. We love him so much and just wish we lived closer so that we could be with him more often. But he is in great hands! My stepmom is a saint, and she will take good care of him. He only has to go once a week, which is so nice.

He's gonna be fine!!!! Thank goodness Hodgkin's is so curable! We feel so blessed. Good luck tomorrow Dad. We will be thinking of you!

It looks like we are close to selling our boat, which will free up some much needed income for us! I have such fond memories of our boat, and I was sort of sad to see it go. But it was time. We haven't even taken it out on the water for at least two years, but boy we sure had some good times on it. It holds 14 people, and many times we had that boat near capacity. We had so many laughs, so much fun and will have memories forever of the fun and friendship that we shared on it.

And we think my mom's 5th wheel is sold, too. So, lots of answers to prayers today.

And, we have some old friends the Hartzells visiting us here in Texas. We were good friends in Arizona and haven't seen them in 5 years. We had some good Texas BBQ tonite, and tomorrow we will do lots and lots of sightseeing. We can't wait!

See, I told you I'm hard-headed about learning new things!

Well, yesterday I was really into being patient. I was trying so hard. I still am today, but it's a little bit more difficult today. Brent has been being tossed around by a potential employer now for a couple of months. "Don't worry, we haven't forgotten about you, we are just so busy, please be patient". Well, this week he finally got that conference call with the CEO like he has been wanting/needing. The call went great, and we had so many people praying for us. Some of our family members even fasted for us. It was such a huge deal for Brent. He was so pleased with how the call went, and felt great about it. The CEO (who shall remain nameless for now!) said that he would get back to Brent by this afternoon at the latest. Yep. Those were his words. It is 11:15 p.m. now and we have heard nothing. Nada. SO FRUSTRATING!!!

So, what does this mean? No news is good news? Sorry, you're not worth our time. Whoops, I got busy and I forgot? Did I talk to you yesterday, and what was your name again? We really want to hire you - we're just still trying to figure out the wad of money each year we think you're worth!

While I am sure this man has no idea how important that call was to us, I still have to say that I think it is very rude not to call someone back when you say you are going to. Especially in a situation like this. The guy has 3 or 4 secretaries, so it isn't like he couldn't have had someone else call and relay or message of some type.

If we weren't so desperate for a job offer, I would tell Brent tell him to stick it!! Okay, enough for now!!!

Tender Mercies

Hello there. It's Lisa updating this time. Jordan has done an amazing job at updating our blog for us! I thought it might be time for an update from mom for a change.

We have had so much going on in our lives lately. Many things have been learned, many prayers have been said, and many prayers have certainly been answered. Among the things that we have learned is patience. This is always a tough one for me, as I have struggled many many times over the years with trying to learn this sought after trait. I think my Heavenly Father will just keep trying to get it through my stubborn skull until I learn it. He is truly patient with ME! Brent, on the other hand, is the master of patience and self control! Not once has he burst out into tears, screamed, or even expressed any real fear, although I am sure he must be feeling a little bit of that.

I don't want to whine (!) but in short I have had a really tough time with my mom's passing. I understand that the grief process is different for everyone, and that I am still learning how to go on without her. It's a hard thing to describe to someone, really, unless they have been through it. It's agonizing, heartbreaking, painful, confusing, exhausting, and yet spiritual too. It's a process, one that takes longer than we know when we begin this journey down the road we call grief. But, I am trying. And I think I am improving, albiet one day at a time, sometimes one hour at a time!

Brent has been unemployed for several months now, much longer than he or I ever dreamed. He has been working hard trying to build his own medical distribution business, and it was going great, until his partner just up and decided to quit. Literally one day he was telling us not to worry, just to focus on getting my mom's things in order (she had been gone for two weeks at that point), and literally the very next day called and said that for personal reasons he could not continue to be the financial backing for the business. So, with nothing but hope and prayer - and certainly NO cash, he has been trying, trying, trying to make it come together. It has been a hard thing for a wife to watch. But money is getting tighter and tighter, and the bills get more and more behind (it's only money, right!!) we have had to work hard (together) to try and make the best of the situation. And of course, the air conditioner had to go out, the computer that I do my transcription on crashed, the washer broke and the TV started burning up one night! It's been a real circus here on Birch Street in Flower Mound!

But worse than any of these things, my sweet daddy has been diagnosed with Hodgkin's Lymphoma. I absolutely believe he will be just fine. It appears that this disease is quite treatable, but he will still have to go through the chemo and all of that for "insurance". My sweet daddy. Oh how I love him. He is such a good, honest man who has always put his family first. We are lucky to be in the same family with him!!!!

We feel that the Lord is truly testing our ability to rely on Him, and I think we have been pretty good at learning this lesson. Trials really do send you right to the source of comfort, and for us that is our Father in Heaven and His Son Jesus Christ. We have not felt forsaken or forgotten at all by Him. Whatever the reason is that we are being tested we do not know, but this too shall all pass away. We can't take any of these material posessions with us when we leave this earth anyway, so in a nutshell, do they really matter? Not really. Except for the air conditioning! I have decided that that is not a luxury, but indeed a necessity. We are getting by with a window unit until we can have it repaired, and we are amazed at how well it works!!!

We really are truly blessed! Now I will say that we hope all of this shall pass sooner rather than later, we are human after all!! And it's been no fun! No fun at all, but we are doing it!!!

We have been blessed with lots of little reminders along the way that He is aware of our situation. Family members have been so good to us. With material things and prayers, all of which are humbly appreciated. And I was absolutely overjoyed when the missionary that baptized my mom and I found me on Facebook! I still remember when those two missionaries came to our door and asked us if they could share a message with us! I didn't even know what a Mormon was back then! We were taught, baptized and then began the process of learning about our Savior and his plan for us all. What an experience it has been. My mom loved all of the missionaries that came and went in our lives through the years, but these first couple were very special, especially Elder Smith! Oh how I wish that we could have found each other just a couple of months sooner! My mom would have been so happy to talk to him. But, he tells me now, that he has talked with her, and told her how very much he loved her - even though she is on the other side of the veil. That bond between that missionary and my mother and I will exist forever. It has been such a blessing to have him back in my life. It's like Brent and I have our own personal cheering section now!!!

In this life, I think it's important to keep an eternal perspective about things. This life is so short, and all things will be worked out and made right in the end. We just have to keep the goal in sight, the goal of living forever with our Father in Heaven! And of course, our families!!! How wonderful is that!!! FOREVER with the ones that we love!!! Nothing else really matters. REALLY!!!!

Jake

A couple weeks ago Jake got to go to Disney World and on the Disney cruise (or Mickey boat as he calls it) and got to meet his idol Buzz Lightyear! He also held hands with Cinderella and blushes when you ask him about it :) While they were there they met up with some friends and since Jake calls strangers by the color of shirt their wearing, he was saying, "Hey white girl!" to the Mom all night... oh Jake! When they got home, Amber was showing us the sea shells they collected from the beach and as I went to reach for one that I thought was pretty, a hermit crab came crawling out of it!!

The Roaches moved to Utah last week :( We miss them ALOT!!!

Random Dozen

Saw this on another blog and thought it would be a good way to update the blog since it's been awhile... sorry :)

1. Define a great relationship.
I've actually been thinking a lot about this lately. I see some of my friends getting married and it makes me realize "Wow... I'm actually old enough to be married..." And it makes me examine the relationships around me and figure out what I want in a relationship... which is how I will answer this question (prepare yourself, I feel this may be a long one). I've learned from past experience that I deserve to be treated well, like a princess, and nothing less. That may sound obnoxious, but here's how I look at it... I am a daughter of God, a king... does that not make me a princess??? I think it would upset my Heavenly Father to see me not treated like one. I don't need much, but the small and simple things win me over. I've learned that I want someone with a resilient attitude... someone that when unfortunate things happen, they figure it out and move on, it doesn't keep them down. I want someone who lets and wants me to be myself... even when I'm having a bad day and being horribly stubborn. I want someone that doesn't see my health problems as just that, a "problem". Because not to brag, but I think I handle them very well and they've made me who I am. I want someone who thinks I'm funny. Someone who thinks I'm pretty when I disagree. Someone who makes me want to be better. Someone who respects me. Someone who doesn't mind my insane ideas and ridiculous imagination. Someone who doesn't mind doing chores. Someone who loves to cook. Someone who wants to be a father. Someone who loves their family. Someone who shares my beliefs and wants to be married in the temple for time and all eternity. And someone who loves our Heavenly Father and has a great relationship with Him.

2. What was the last food/drink you purchased at a drive-through?
After a bout with food poisoning from Taco Bell a while ago, I don't do fast food. I will say that the 2 times I have craved it since then... I ate it... and quickly regretted it. Did you know that fast food restaurants bleach their chicken to make it "white meat"? And usually most of the ingredients in fast food are not natural... tell me, when's the last time you went out to your garden and watered your Sodium Phosphate?

3. What is your favorite breed of dog?
I don't really have a favorite. I just like little dogs that don't shed.

4. If you had to move to a state besides the one you currently live in, where would you move?
This is a hard one because I know I will always end up where my family is because I don't like to be separated from them (extended family included). But I love cold winters and warm summers. So, I don't know!

5. If you could change anything about the way you were raised, what would it be?
That's a hard one. I don't really know... I'd have to think about it and I'm too tired to think.

6. Who's the funniest person you know?
My friend Megan is pretty funny and when you get the 2 of us together... don't be surprised when your abs ache from laughing so hard :) BUT I think my nephew Jake takes the trophy here! He's hilarious!

7. Did you get enough sleep last night?
Nope. But I'm young, I can handle it........ right?

8. What's the first thing you thought about this morning?
Probably that I was hungry because I didn't eat dinner the night before.

9. Grilled or Fried? --HONESTLY
Definitely grilled. It's healthier and I think it's tastier.

10. Are you afraid of the dark?
Horrified... seriously.

11.When you were a kid, what did you want to be when you grew up?
It changed fairly often. I can remember wanting to be a teacher, doctor, gymnast, animal trainer, make-up factory worker (don't ask, because I honestly don't know), and I always seemed to be inventing things.

12. If you had one word to describe yourself , what would you choose?
Dreamer.


Those are my thoughts for the day...
Love,
~Jordan

Catching up! And a little testifying, too!

(Photos are from our day today at the Dallas Arboretum - amazing! Look for a surprise video at the end!!!)

I publicly stated that I would start trying to do a better job at updating my blog, so here is another feeble effort towards that goal! I actually really love to write, so I am not sure why I don't do more of it via this blog.

Life has been crazy at our home here on Birch Street. This last year and the beginning of this year have been a little crazy, but all and all, we are doing just fine, thank you! We have had a little bit of everything, and we are still standing - I am so proud of us!

By far the hardest thing we have done, beyond job changes and issues, life, and health stuff, is having to let my Mom go. It is getting better each day, but it is still so hard. I still find myself wanting to go over and visit her, or pick up the phone and tell her something. I think it's because I still feel her presence. I feel and know that she is so close. Af first, I couldn't feel that closeness. I think my grief was just so profound I was unable to feel anything but that. But now, it's so different. I KNOW she is there. And it may seem funny to some, but I get the feeling that even though she has moved on and is in a different place, she is still that same person with the same personality and all! I don't think we do that much changing once we get to the other side - at least as far as our personality goes. Of course, a lot changes, and we do grow and progress and learn, but we are who we are, and we will be forever!!! I find a lot of peace in that!

I would be remiss if I didn't testify that the Holy Ghost - in the form of Comforter, has been ever present - especially in those first couple of weeks. I can't deny it and I would never try. The Gospel of Jesus Christ is true and it is real. Isn't that wonderful! What a great thing that is to know that. It is because of that comfort and my testimony that has gotten me through losing my mom, and all of the other trials and challenges that we have had. I have managed to hardly fall apart at all (!) and it's all because I know that the Lord has a plan for us! He knows us by name, knows our desires and our needs, and stands ready to bless us when the timing is right.

So, on a positive note, here are a few things that have been on my mind lately!

- Trying to reconnect with friends that I ignored due to taking care of my mom. I just didn't have a lot of time to socialize!
- Trying to spend as much time as I can with Jake before they make their big move to Utah.
- Spending quite a bit of time handling the administrative/financial part of my mom's estate. Ugh. Enough said about that!
- Trying to not let anxiety rule my life!
- Catching up on my sleep - I can't get enough of this lately!
- Going to the temple! I even volunteered in the cafeteria last Friday - and I had a blast! It's so cool back there!!!
- And last but not least, and oh so important! Taking time to stop and smell the roses, or at least the flowers!

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