A loved Coach, Aunt and Mother Gets a Deserved Honor

Chris's Aunt died in October 2008 and was recently given the honor of being entered into the Illinois Tennis Coaches Hall of Fame.

“Judy Elder liked to talk about how many of her tennis players’ pictures were hanging on the walls of Crystal Lake Central for academic honors.  

Her interest in the person as well as the athlete, and her passion for tennis made her an iconic and beloved figure in her 31 years coaching the girls teams and 21 years leading the boys teams for the Tigers. 

“She loved her kids,” said Jessica Fetzner, tennis coach at Prairie Ridge and Elder’s daughter.

“She would do anything to help them out and grow as people and tennis players,” Fetzner said.

In a fitting tribute, both mother and daughter were honored Tuesday by the Illinois High School Tennis Coaches Association. The association named Fetzner the Girls Head Coach of the Year; Elder was posthumously inducted into the Illinois Tennis Coaches Hall of Fame.” -- Hall inducts CLC’s Elder

3 Months of Busyness

I have had many complaints about our blog not be updated regularly. Sorry about that. Life has been very busy in that time.
On November 6, Chris officially lost his job at the church. He has not worked since. He has applied to about 100 different jobs, but only had about 10 interviews in 3 months. It has been a very humbling experience to have the church help us out with food and other bills. I truly believe in the welfare program. What an inspired program! Katina has worked as much as possible, taking on any extra hours she can get.
For Thanksgiving, we went to Idaho to spend with Katina's family. It was good to see the whole family and laugh together. Our 6-year old nephew did the cutest thing when we were up there. He shot out the yard light with a BB gun. He got in lots of trouble by his parents, but the power company thought it was hilarious.
In December, Chris and Katina discovered the wonderful newfamilysearch.org where they prepared many ancestors for temple work. They also spent nearly a week in Idaho for Christmas. Chris and Katina did not do much but lounge around and watch TV. It was wonderful. She will post pictures later.
In January, Katina started falling asleep at work and felt really tired. During her doctor's appointment, they discoverd she was anemic and prescribed iron pills. This made the morning sickness worse. Yesterday she finally found relief when they prescribed an anti-nausea medication.
More updates in a few days.

A much needed update

I feel like such a slacker. Since I have been a Facebook user, I neglect our blog. Here is what has gone on in the last few weeks:

On our last post, Chris had been offered a job with Mozy. After he filled out the paperwork, they called him and told him that the company was on a hiring freeze and couldn't hire anybody. We were so mad that they did not tell us before. Chris' last day of work is this Friday. He has applied for so many jobs with no success. Please keep us in your prayers during this difficult time in our lives.
The pregnancy has been going okay. I still get sick a lot. My new saying is: "What goes down must come up!" My weight has been actually declining, but the baby is very healthy and looks good. The best news: WE ARE HAVING A BOY!!!. We had an ultrasound yesterday and Daniel Ryan is definately not shy or still. He loves to move. We are really excited for him to arrive.
I should sign a pledge that I will update this more often.

Update

First of all the good news: Chris got a job! It is for Mozy located in Pleasant Grove. He starts October 26th. A long commute, but proof that God does answer prayers.

Chris and I will find out what we are having on November 2nd. Leave your comment with your vote.

I have been feeling a little better. I am throwing up less (about twice a week). I am gaining weight slowly. Getting a lot of headaches and a congested nose though.

Chris and I were able to attend a session on Saturday. Two sisters in our ward were recieving their endowments that day and we were there to support them. It was a very unique session. There were at least 8 people receiving their own endowments, a lady with cancer, a blind guy, 4 people from France, and a wedding party. It was the busiest session I have ever attended.

Not too much else has happened. Chris and I have been really busy with our church callings and his schooling. He only has one more week until he is finished. Yay!!!!

A year later

On Saturday, Chris and I fondly remembered his Aunt Judy who died a year ago. Her husband is doing much better. We miss all the wonderful advice she gave us, but know she is in a better place watching over all those she loves.
On Friday, Chris received word that his job is extended for another month. That means we have another month of worrying about his job status. It is a great blessing, though.

Good work news!

I just looked at the title of the blog and realized many of you are probably thinking about Chris's job situation. It is not about that. My school received the good news that we passed AYP (Annual Yearly Progress). This essentially means that our school passed the No Child (really Every Child) Left Behind tests. We don't have to worry for two years about our school. Before that time, the NCLB law will be discontinued if we are lucky. Our school was way excited.
We had our 2nd doctor's appointment on Monday. Baby sounds great, but I have lost some weight. Probably due to the morning sickness. I am slowly starting to feel better. We are excited for mid-November when we get to find out what we are having.

August Happenings

August was not too exciting for us. After our first doctor's appointment I started throwing up and haven't really stopped. I am really hoping this morning sickness will leave soon.
Katina started working again. She absolutely loves her 6th grade class, but has some issues in her 5th grade class. Chris has one more month of work before his internship is up. Please keep us in your prayers during this difficult time.
Both Katina and Chris have experienced some changes in the presidencies they work in. They both kept their callings, but who they work with has changed. They have both been adjusting to working with these people, but are having fun.
That is about it for the month of August. We will keep you updated on any exciting (or otherwise) happenings.