31 Days of 31 Christmas' - 1987

This letter was written, but not mailed...

 1987 Christmas at Nannys' ... Because we didn't have an address!!!! 

Richard's dad died in July on the 27th (heart attack).  Richard had finally mended fences with his family and spoken with his Father for about 2 hours the night before he died.  We bought the SOBCZAK MOTOR HOME in March.  In May I went to work part time and we entered the program for foster children.  On the way home from the funeral in Oregon - well that's a very long story, to cut it short we had to rent a car to get home.  When we returned Richard had no job.  He turned around and went to Oregon to live and help his mom, the kids and I got an apt. I went back to work full time.  I was on my own.  

Over the next 3 months I learned what commitment meant, who is willing to be, and who wants to be committed.  I was asked to teach Relief Society twice a month - the lessons were on Marriage.  I will always be in debt to Liana Willis for allowing me, in my awful state to teach about Marriage, ---those lessons converted me - I had to get my act together.  

Richard came home to visit at Halloween, he had a mask on knocked on when he knocked on the door, and when the kids answered he scared the crap out of them!  Austin would hardly go to him the rest of his visit!  

Thanksgiving I took Nanny and the kids and went to Mexico it was the most enjoyable relaxing trip...I love it there.  

When we returned I starting packing things up to go and be with my husband in Washington.  He came home for Christmas and Christmas night we loaded up the Ryder Truck and headed out. But before we left, getting that van of ours on the trailer that was too narrow -- it was a nightmare, not a good way to start off our "Fresh Start"!  I swear I'll never deal with Richard and tow trailers of any sort ever again!  

On the way North we stopped to visit Grandma Joan and Grandpa Sam and went to Gramma Judys in Eugene.  

Immediately after crossing the Columbia River into Washington we picked up the Toyota, which was at Vic and Wades and when we got to our new home we found that Santa had been there and set up the cutest little "charlie Brown tree" for us. 

 Christmas is a great time of the year for "fresh Starts",  recognizing the Savior acknowledging we need Him and being with FAMILY.  Im totally going to miss my family in Arizona, but am anxious to start again with my  family here in Washington.  

Pioneer Day, Halloween, New Apt, Single Parent

Foster Kids, Work Party, Austin

Halloween, Richard, Dewitts, Apryl, Austin
Crocodile Dundee, Warrior Princess

Alicia School Project of the Sobczak Heritage

Alicia, Randy, Ron and Kids

Funeral, Oregon what a trip!

We have this Christmas sock tradition it is to put in our socks in writing on christmas eve a gift that we can give to Jesus over the coming year

this year these were those gifts...

• Austin - Be a Good Sport - if I loose a game still play again)! 
• Apryl - be worthy to be baptized.  Learn the Articles of Faith. 
• Mom - Develop more Patience.  Not loose my temper so easy.
• Dad -Be more prayerful to make certain of decisions that are being made.

I mentioned that Austin wrote about experiences in his life in his class in 1997... this one is about the Family Trip to Granpa Sobczaks Funeral....

the Sobczak Motor Home and Granada!

31 Days of 31 Christmas' - 1985

Easter at Butchars

Living in the "Mud House" on MacDonald in Mesa...
Stacey, & Fred Dewitt along with Matt Sanchez and Emily Wilson came over dressed as Santa and his elves on Christmas Eve gave the kids a nice show,   it was fun!!!!

That was my christmas letter ! ? ? ! 
  the pictures kinda tell the story...   Merry Christmas!!! and a Ho Ho Ho!

Mud House Austin, Richard, Apryl, Sis, Nan,
Marilyn & Alicia

Kelly, Apryl, Austin, Olaf, Richard, Ballheims, Alicia

Apryl starts dance team with the STARS
Easter at Grandma Joan & Grandpa Sams'

Mexico, Sis, Nan, Matthew Olaf, Kelly & Robin

California; The Prices

The Work 

Hikes, Valentines Day, Alicia, Richard, Kelly,
Ward Campout and Matthew

Christmas at the Mud House

1985 Pappa, Nan, Grandma Judy and Apryl & Austin

Don't be a HateR

I HATE MY LIFE!    LIFE SUCKS!   HE SAID?  SHE SAID?  IT's NOT MY FAULT. HE DID IT!   

Once upon a time I used to work at a job that wasn't at my home.  When I was first married in fact I worked at place where I rotated shifts, sometimes  days, sometimes nights, sometimes all night.  It was a ruff way to start out.  My husband worked days and went to school for awhile, he was a Route Supervisor and that took 50 hours a week so he actually quit his job and went to work at Circle K working graveyard and still going to school full time, now that was fun!  By now in our lives we had two children.  I've told you this before I like the work place, but people are not kind there (to be clear, some are) but the majority are not, they are kicking and screaming to get to the top, get a raise, survive til they go home again, on and on we could go ...  and shift work PLZZZZZ they Hate each other!  

Why is it that people actually hate?  It seems almost cool now, in todays world to be a Hater, why is that? 

Hate and love are so close and yet so far away on the scale of balance that there is no balance.  

It's been on my mind all week this dilema  of love and hate, love 'em and leave 'em, how many times do we shatter someone else's reputation, when do we, how do we love the porcupine?

Art, Music, poetry, movies, stories, articles, crime and passion are just about all related to as 

Love Stories and/or Hate Crimes.

Do we apply, learn, ever go fix anything? 


The Scriptures are full to the brim of stories of Love and Hate, people and families, places and circumstance to apply, learn and teach by.   Today in my seminary class we talked about judging and gossip, reputations, hate and love.  If you believe in Jesus Christ or not as a Messiah or Jehovah His story is an example that we can apply, learn from and use to better our lives in general.  It is the easier road to judge, criticize, tear down and destroy - much easier to say I HATE THAT!  At times on Facebook I wish there was a dislike button, but isn't it nice that there isn't, saving us from ourselves!?

In the New Testament we are taught "Judge not, that ye be not judged."
But I think that most often we forget the rest of it "For with what judgement ye judge, ye shall be judged: and what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again."   Matthew Jesus sat down to eat with the publicans and the sinners as well as his apostles and family.  Do I, sit down with everyone alike?  I like to think that I do, but probably not.   
Once Austin told me that he just "didn't know what my kids could do that I wouldn't forgive them or judge them".  I tell ya, I hold that sacred, close to my heart that he thought that well of me.  In High School I pretty much think I was nicer to the friend who didn't have my same standards than I was to the ones who did, because IN MY JUDGMENT they weren't kind --because they were so judgmental!  It's a anomaly! 
Matthew, my nephew once said to one of my kids that "if someone needed a home, I wasn't going to kick them out".  I like to think that it's true, I always thought my Dad was like these compliments my family gave me - I always wanted to foster children because I watched him have so many extra kids around the riding stables, I was always jealous of them being able to be around the horses, my brothers, and my Daddy.

The Spirit of the Lord is a spirit of kindness; it is a spirit of patience; it is a spirit of charity and love and forbearance and long suffering ... Lucifer is exercising every means to destroy the souls of the human family. He is more active than he has ever been and he works in such an insidious way. I will not take time to enumerate the many ways he employs but there is one way in which he operates, and has operated from the beginning of the world, and that is to tempt one individual to destroy the reputation of another by saying unkind things of them .. It is so easy to criticize someone else, so easy to find fault, and sometimes we speak harshly of our neighbors and friends.    --George A. Smith

but let's be real...we all judge, criticize murmur maybe even hate  I pray we can find the strength to overcome to forgive, forget not judge, not gossip, not ruin reputations making that persons problems bigger, but be kind, love them without being walked on and let people into our lives, accept "the sinner", even if we don't approve of what we call "the sin".