2020 A World In Commotion

The best way I can describe the world in 2020, is commotion and calamity.  We entered the year thick in the Impeachment trial of President Trump.  It was one thing after the next from there:

-The Chinese threatened war with the US. 

-Coronavirus was released in Wuhan, China and became a global pandemic. 

-We were asked to quarantine in our homes.

-The economy plummeted while suicide rates skyrocketed.

-Toilet paper and disinfectant wipes were difficult to come by.

-Schools were shut down.  Children were forced to learn online.

-Church was canceled.  We studied scripture in families and were given special permission to participate in the sacrament at home.  Temples were closed.

-We couldn’t enter public places without wearing a mask.

-Rioting in the streets broke out due to the death of George Floyd, an African American who was killed by a white police officer. 

-There were many natural disasters; wild fires, tornados, hurricanes, a "Firenado" in California, earthquakes, a locust plague in Africa, murder hornets from China.

-There was a massive explosion in Beruit, Lebanon, airplane crashes, the assassination of a top Iranian General (and terrorist) with threats of retaliation.  

-Mainstream media spewed"fake news."  They intentionally hid stories that were not in line with their ideology or that would disparage then candidate Joe Biden.

-The Presidential election was emotionally draining. Our country became even more deeply divided, and a political puppet, Joe Biden won the election. 

-There was suspicion of rampant fraud in the election. 

 

Our family faced additional challenges:  

-Because airlines were shut down and then functioning at lower capacity, Ben's company nearly lost funding.  A few pay checks were late in coming and if things don't improve, he may be looking for new employment in 6 months.

-My sales slowed considerably.  Labs across the country are focused on testing for Covid-19.  Selling their used equipment is the last thing on their minds.  

-A wild fire broke out to the south of us.  Strong winds blew it north and it threatened the homes in our neighborhood.  We were evacuated.

-I broke my foot/sprained my ankle.

-Holly had MCL surgery and is still recovering.

-Ben and I both became infected with Coronavirus.  

-We were scammed.

-We faced additional financial hardship due to some unexpected legal battles over custody.

-The transmission in our car went out, an additional financial burden.  

Phew, it was one crazy year!  Could this be the beginning of the end??  Time will tell.  

Third Christmas

 Got the girls back today, yay!

Holly loves mugs!!
Especially her new ones!

Alyssa is hand knitting a very soft, cute blanket.

Update:  Alyssa finished her blanket!

Second Christmas

On Christmas night we got Ayzha, Tiago and Reyn and opened more presents.  

Reyn always has the best reactions!

Roller skates!!

Umm...you got us kids chewable Tylenol?
No sillies, open the box.  

First Christmas

Santa brought Q a mountain bike
so he can ride with Tiago and dad.

Christmas dinner at my dad's was wonderful.
We got to know Jennifer and her children a bit better.
They might become my brothers and sisters some day.

Qyntn is really good at crossing his eyes!

Alyssa and Holly spent Christmas with their dad.

'Twas The Night Before Christmas

I loved Christmas Eve this year, it was super chill.  Karen and Grant and the kids came for a delicious, simple dinner.  We played "fluff ball," watched "Christmas Vacation," then spent a sweet moment remembering our Savior as we watched "The Christ Child."  Qyntn opened his pajamas, and after we got him to settle down and go to sleep, Ben and I watched a show about the birth place of Jesus Christ.  It was a low key, no fuss, no hassle evening.  

These stinky cuties
got to gnaw on the turkey bone.

I love this image

Family!

My mom's birthday was on December 23rd so our tradition has been to have our family party on the 23rd.  For the past two years the party has started at her graveside where we sing happy birthday and a Christmas song or two.  We also play the present game which is our favorite!  This year all the siblings were together.  Why didn't we snap a sibling photo???

Friends!

I love that the girls have made some good friends. Alyssa's friends come over all the time!  

Matching pjs for these cute girls!

Holly created this cute snow
dinosaur with her sweet friend Alyssa.

Cookies, Chocolates & Gingerbread Houses

Tiago was very proud of his chocolate pineapples!

Making chocolates seemed to be
 their favorite activity this year.

Sugar cookie decorating, also fun!

This year we used Pop Tarts
for our gingerbread houses.

On the First Day of Christmas...

12 days ago I found a gift on our front porch.  Someone had chosen me for the 12 Days of Christmas!  I was so excited!  

Day after day the presents kept coming.  Each present represented a different gift we receive from the Savior, based in scripture.  I loved every one!  After a few days I became curious to know who I should thank.  One night Alyssa and I spent 2 hours in a stake out to no avail.  Some gifts were left in the morning, some at night,  so it was impossible to predict when they might be delivered.  I decided to put some cameras on the porch to see if I could figure out who it was, but they were super tricky...

There were some clues that made me think that it might be Ben, but a few of the times a gift was delivered he was sitting right next to me so I determined it couldn't be him.  It was super fun trying to figure out who this mysterious person was. Turns out I was right all along, Ben had recruited Holly to help, which threw me off his scent.  It was so incredibly sweet of them and made this Christmas season even more fun!

Merry Covid Christmas!

 

We Did It!

At the beginning of the year we made a goal get get out of debt (excluding our mortgage) this year.  We did it!  This week we made our last payment on Ben's student loan!  

We had to overcome lots of unexpected obstacles to make it happen this year but we stuck with it.  We have always been taught to pay our tithing, live within our means, stay out of debt and save for a rainy day.  We feel good about the first three, now we just need to work on our savings and food storage.  

Christ Will Help You Through It!

Kids, I want you to know that you will go through many difficult times in your life.  If you turn to the Savior, He will help you get through them.

During one of the most difficult times in my life, I would close my eyes and see this image and then try to place all my focus on Jesus. When I allowed thoughts of all the ugly, turbulent things I was dealing with to overtake my mind I began to sink.  When my focus was on Christ I felt peace and hope.  This image has a special place in my heart.

Just after my second divorce, (in two years) I attended the Women's General Session of General Conference with a friend at her Stake Center.  At that time I felt scared and weighed down wondering how I would support my 2 beautiful 3 year old daughters and what my future would hold.  We stood to sing the rest hymn  "How Firm A Foundation."  As we started to sing the 3rd verse, I felt as if the Lord was speaking the words directly to my heart.  FEAR NOT.  I AM WITH THEE be not DISMAYED.  I AM THY GOD and will still GIVE THEE AID.  I'll STRENGTHEN thee, HELP thee and cause thee to stand UPHELD by MY righteous OMNIPOTENT HAND!  Tears streamed down my face as I felt enveloped and strengthened by HIS love.  It's still my favorite hymn.

Christ will always be there for you!

Happy Coronavirus Thanksgiving

Since Ben and I both had Covid this month, we decided to have a cozy little Thanksgiving of our own at home.  I'm sure we saved lives😏.   We have so much to be thankful for!

We started the morning off right!

While Ben smoked the turkey, we played puff ball

Just 6 of us

We make a good team

Nobody really likes pie around here
so we went with zebra popcorn for dessert.

#givethanks

This year the Prophet invited us to flood the internet with messages of Thanksgiving.  This was my post on day 7:

 I #givethanks  for my Heavenly Father and MY Savior Jesus Christ and for everything that has brought me closer to THEM.  They have comforted me through heart wrenching experiences.  They have strengthened me when I felt the load was too much to bear.  They have sent angels to protect me and lift me when I''ve been down.  They have performed miracles in my behalf.  Even when I have made terrible choices, they were still reaching out to me.  They have been patient and given me infinite chances to start over and do better.  I've been blessed by their love and encouragement throughout my life.  I look forward to the day when I will be reunited with them again.

The prophets and Apostles don't know it, but they are some of my very best friends.  I listen to their words almost daily.  they have gotten me through some of the most difficult times of my life.  I hear the voice of the Savior when they speak and I grow closer to HIM.

I was taught that If I want to talk to God, I should pray, if I want Him to talk to me, I should read the scriptures.  Through the Book of Mormon THEY speak to me.  Sometimes the words I read are just the answer I was looking for.  Sometimes it's just the peace that comes when I pick up the book.  There is power in the Book of Mormon.  It draws me nearer to THEM.

My mission was an incredible opportunity to draw near to THEM .  As I served I tried to say and do what they would do if they were here.  Without other responsibilities, I was able to focus completely on bringing others to Christ.  The sacred experiences I had in Argentina have anchored me to THEM.  

The moment I step foot in the Temple I feel THEIR peace.  Of course I do, it is THEIR home.  I believe Christ walks the halls of the temples more than we think.  Even when I'm just on the temple grounds I feel like I am in a sacred place.  When I perform work for those who have passed on, I feel joy.  I also feel like every time I perform a vicarious ordinance for someone on the other side,  I am amassing an army of angels to watch over me and my family.   What a blessing it was to be sealed to Ben and Qyntn in this holy place.

Surviving Covid-19!

We made the news!

As if the devastating presidential election wasn't bad enough, the day after the election I started feeling awful.  It began with painful muscle aches and fatigue and escalated to a sore throat, headache, nausea, vomiting, congestion and cough.  Ben started getting symptoms about 4 days after me.  I was in bed 7 days straight before we decided to get tested.  We both tested positive and we're surviving!  It would have been so lame to go through a global pandemic and never get sick.  We were lucky to have the full pandemic experience!

President Donald J. Trump

4 years ago Donald J. Trump, a businessman and Washington D.C. outsider, became President of the United States of America.  I had my concerns about voting for him.  He wasn't what I considered a good role model.  His language was inappropriate at times, there were questions about his behavior toward women, and he often came off as a bully.  However, his political platform was more in line with my values, so I gave him my vote.  

He ran against Hillary Clinton, a previous first lady, senator, and secretary of state with lifelong political ambitions.  The polls showed that Hillary was poised to run away with a victory, but in an astounding turn of events, she lost, and lost big.  The liberal left and the mainstream media went into a complete meltdown and never recovered.  

Before Donald Trump was even inaugurated, the left was plotting his removal from office.  Instead of accepting the results of the election, they fought against him every. single. day.  The media constantly demonized him and spread hatred, anger and vitriol for 4 years.  They blamed him for colluding with Russia to win the election (a complete fabrication), even impeached him for it in the House.  But the conservative leaning Senate did not remove him from office.  

The amazing thing, is that President Trump fought for our country every.single.day!  Against all odds, Mr. trump went to work and accomplished more than any other President in my lifetime.  He had made promises during his campaign, and kept them.  By early 2020 our economy was booming and President Trump seemed on track for an easy re-election.  Then life was turned upside down when Covid-19 hit.  Faced with a global pandemic that shut down the economy and brought death and despair to families across America, Trump was once again blamed for everything.  The left saw an opportunity to capitalize on the misfortune of the American people.

By summer of 2020, a Trump re-election seemed impossible.  Although the polls showed Mr. Biden up double digits in most polls, President Trump campaigned day and night, pulling in thousands and thousands of Trump supporters at each of his rallies. As the economy began to recover, the polls seemed to tighten, but on election night Donald Trump came up just short.  73 million Americans were deeply disappointed. The loss was hard to take, I shed a few tears for sure and then decided to share my gratitude for his service on social media... 

Dear President Donald J. Trump,

MILLIONS of Americans LOVE YOU!🇺🇲  THANK YOU for fighting day and night for the American People!  THANK YOU for not being a typical politician!  THANK YOU for DOING what you said you would DO.  Your WORK ETHIC and ENDLESS ENERGY are inspiring!  THANK YOU for using your God given TALENTS to improve the economic situation for families across America, and for fighting for trade deals that benefit our GREAT country!  THANK YOU for fighting to protect us from evil forces that conspire to destroy our freedom and prosperity.   THANK YOU for promoting PEACE across the world!  THANK YOU for fighting for the UNBORN,  RELIGIOUS FREEDOM and for standing up for our law enforcement officers in BLUE!  THANK YOU for fast tracking the process of producing and manufacturing a VACCINE for Covid-19 and for closing the border from China which saved MILLIONS of lives.  DESPITE astounding opposition from democrats, the media, big tech and others who tried to UNDERMINE your Presidency, YOU and your administration accomplished much in just 4 YEARS!   PLEASE know that we APPRECIATE your service in behalf of the United STATES of America.  

Sincerely,

Shannon Fuller

I don't know how President Trump will be regarded throughout history.  But to me, he was a true American hero!

Repeat Super Bowl Champs!

We are the Champions!

Qyntn had some key pulls!

He was definitely the defensive player of the game!

Silly String to celebrate

Congrats Q-man!