Thursday, April 24, 2008

Life is like a Roller Coaster....

This is just a little update on what is going on in our family. As you all know we moved to Illinois to start a curbing business. There are hardly any companies who do curbing here so we thought it was a great opportunity. After many prayers we felt like this was the right thing to do. So we made the move and we started the company. Mark realized after last spring and summer that working with concrete was hard work! He would come home shaking because of the heat and the hard labor. It was so hard to see him like that. I don't know if it was too soon after the chemo and radiation and his body just wasn't ready, but it was not good for him. I shed a lot of tears over the scenario because we had tried so hard to make it work but I did not want Mark doing something that he didn't enjoy. So during this last winter Mark decided to go back to school at Southern Illinois University. Mark was really close to getting his Business degree but decided to take one of the career tests that the university offered. Business was one of the occupations that Mark should avoid. Engineering on the other hand was something he scored high in. Now of all the things Mark has ever done this is something he has always been interested in. Life is funny sometimes and it took Mark some time to figure out what career he really wanted to do. But he is majoring in Mechanical Engineering and is loving school. Which is something I never thought he would say. He is so happy to finally be doing something he enjoys. So this path is a little different than we had expected, but it is good! I don't think Mark would have realized what he wanted to do if he hadn't gone through this experience. Our prayers were answered and we were supposed to come here but it was for different reasons than we thought. We really enjoy living in Illinois and are excited for this new journey!

6 comments:

sara and wade said...

that is awesome!! so great to hear that he is enjoying school and you are happy. and yes... life is a roller coaster that i don't think any of us will understand until we look back. congrats! we love ya!
Sara and Wade

Joe and Amy said...

So true Kory! I can relate in a small way. After Joe graduated from BYU he knew he wanted to go to graduate school, but didn't know what for. After much prayer and fasting we decided MBA school, we would be able to stay in Utah and things would be a little easier. He thought and prayed a little harder and that's when he decided law school. It was weird, because he didn't ever really want to become an attorney, so it wasn't always clear what the future would hold. As we moved to Washington and he went to law school he kind of fell into the mold and thought he would become an attorney after all. I remember the day he came to me and told me he didn't feel like practicing law was the right fit for him. Normally I would have flipped, but the experiences we had there were things that I wouldn't trade for anything and like you said, I didn't want him to be doing something he didn't want to be doing everyday, we started to carefully research a career path where he could use his law degree without actually practicing. (explaining what was going on to other people was the hardest part, especially when things were so uncertain about where we would end up). Even though what he does now is extremely hard work and takes many hours, he is happy with the type of work. Before going to law school I never would imagined us leaving Utah County! I think sometimes Heavenly Father has to get you where he wants you in a round about way.:) Going to Spokane made us realize, we can do this and it is good for us. None of the experiences have been easy, there are plenty of things to complain about, but there have been many blessings that have come as well. That's what I've loved about writing them down in our family journal (AKA our blog :) ) By writing the happy memories we have, I am able to look back when times get hard and realize, it's not as bad as I think it is, there are lots of blessings that accompany the challenges. Thanks for updating, it's good to know what's up! I'm proud of you guys!

Kelly Ledward said...

I love the way we learn things. It's weird how something that seems like it has gone wrong really leads us to the right thing. I'm so glad you are happy and that Mark is happy. That is all that matters!

mindi said...

agreed. life is crazy. just when you think you have something figured out life throws a curve ball at you!
good luck with the school thing!

Bill and Rowene Vest said...

Kory,

It was so fun to read your blog. Both you and Mark have grown so much from your move to Illinois. I would much rather you be here, but I can see the growth that you and your family have experienced. I'm so excited that you are expecting, just wish that we could see you more often.

robin said...

muy familiar una pregunta como lo hicieron