Sixteen Years Of Faith, Hope & Charity! Part One

Sixteen years. Sixteen crazy, but amazing years. From their beginning to now, no matter how crazy, no matter how chaotic at times, I still wouldn't trade any of the last 16 years for anything in the world. These three are truly gifts. Three amazingly different personalities wrapped up in three beautiful packages. From their crazy beginning, Amy and I knew things would never be the same for us. These days, their story may not be unique to a lot of people. But for us, it is a story that we love to tell. 

Many of you know their story, and many of you may not. Theirs wasn't by any means an easy beginning. But sometimes, good things don't always come easy. Sometimes, you have to pray a little harder for the good things. You see, Amy and I had been trying for awhile to have kids. Amy had been pregnant twice before, but doing things the natural way didn't work out. Amy had two tubal pregnancies. The second, we didn't even know she was pregnant until it was already too late to save it. The second, she almost died. 

Amy had woke me up in the middle of the night in extreme pain. I took her to the closest hospital. It was a Catholic hospital. This is significant because of what happened next. Once there, they did a pregnancy test along with a dozen other tests and procedures. They found that she was having another Tubal pregnancy. But because they are a Catholic hospital, they could not abort it. Things would have to take their natural course if we stayed there. Which ment not only losing the pregnancy, but losing Amy too. She surely would have died if we stayed there. So we immediately had her transferred as fast as possible to a different hospital, hoping that the tube wouldn't burst before we got there, and we lost both of them on the trip. Thankfully, we made it there, and her doctor was already there waiting. She took Amy to surgery right away. She tried to save the pregnancy, but but there was nothing she could do. No matter how hard she tried, Amy's tube just kept shredding like string cheese. Amy lost the only tube she had left, and the pregnancy that night. And as upsetting as that was for both of us, I was very happy and greatful that Amy was still alive. 

Later the next day, her Doctor came in to talk with us. She was full of hope. She told us that we still had other options to have kids. We could adopt, or we could try again with our own through Invetro Fertilization. Her Doctor was an amazing woman. She was always positive and Amy's biggest cheerleader other than me during those times. I did everything within my power to keep Amy positive. I knew if I didn't, things would be even more devastating than they already were. After a little while and some late night discussions, we decided on Invetro Fertilization to try again. But even that wasn't an easy process. 

There was a lot you had to go through to be able to get things going. A lot of preparing. And sometimes, a little painful. It was by no means an easy process. But through it all, we kept focused on what the end result could be. After our first attempt failed, we waited the alotted time frame, and we tried again. Amy remained positive. I was super proud of her. Then came the second attempt. It also failed. At this point, Amy was just drained, tired and was losing hope. To the point of depression creeping in. She began to feel like we were not ment to have kids and that we should just give up. I was not going to let her go down that rabbit hole, because if I did, I would surely follow and who knows what would have happened then! Her Doctor and I convinced her to try at least one more time. That was a hard sell, because like I said, the preparation for this procedure is not an easy process. Amy wasn't sure she wanted to go through all of it for a third time. But her Doctor and I remained positive for her, and we eventually talked her into a third try. 

For the third time, we sat down with the Invetro Doctor to discuss our next plan of action to foster a successful pregnancy. This time, instead of putting two fertilized eggs in, we went to three to try and increase the success rate. The Doctor warned us that either one or all could take, or even one or two could split, giving us more! But the odds were pretty high for that to happen, and she thought maybe at the most, two would make it. After the eggs were placed, we had to wait a few weeks to see if the pregnancy took, and if it did, how many of the eggs actually survived the procedure. Amy went in for the test, and we were both nervous. Fingers and toes crossed, the whole nine yards. Then came the Doctor with the news. Amy was pregnant this time! But we'd still have to wait a few more weeks to find out with how many. At that point, we weren't even thinking about that, we were just extatic that she was pregnant! It was definitely a time for celebrating, but we didn't want to celebrate a lot because Amy was still early in the pregnancy, and we knew that still, anything could happen. As the weeks went on, our excitement grew the closer we got to find out how many eggs took. All we wanted was just for one to take and we'd be satisfied! 

Finally, the time came! As we sat and waited to see the Doctor, we were quiet. We were extremely nervous. Then, we were called into her office. She said she had some good news. We let out a sigh of relief. She said Amy was definitely pregnant, but there's more. We looked at her a little puzzled. She proceeded to tell us that at this point, we were set to have triplets. All three eggs had took. I can't speek for Amy, but my heart jumped up into my throat. And for the first time in my life, I felt as if I would pass out. The Doctor went on to explain that we were still very early on, and we could still lose one or two. She also mentioned that if we wanted to, we could go through the process of Selective Reduction. Which basically ment that we could abort one or two of the eggs. Then she went on to tell us the dangers involved with a high risk pregnancy such as this. Anytime your dealing with more than one baby, the risks are very high. She gave us a little time to think about it. You only have so long before it's to late to reduce. We told her we would have an answer for her before the end of the week. 

The car ride home was incredibly quiet. Both of us were really trying to process all of the information that had been thrown at us. It was a lot. Even once we got home, we didn't speak for a few hours. I knew what I wanted to do, but I was waiting for Amy to come forward first. After all, she was the one who would have to carry them. She was the one who was being put at risk. Whatever her decision, I was going to go along with it, no matter what I wanted. Finally, she broke the silence. She wanted to know what I thought. I told her she needed to go first. She then told me that she felt that there was a reason why all three took, and that she didn't want to do the reduction procedure. I let out a sigh of relief. I told her that was exactly how I felt. There was definitely a reason we were being blessed with all three eggs taking. The next day, Amy called the Doctor with our decision, and we were put in touch with a Doctor who specialized in multiple pregnancies. We were told that he was the best in the area. And they were right. 

I went with Amy for the first Ultrasound. It was pretty amazing. And it confirmed that all three babies were there to stay. At this point, there were three heartbeats, but they were still to small to be sexed. That would come at a later Ultrasound. After hearing all three heartbeats back to back, I stepped out of the room for a few minutes to catch my breath. This was really happening. Amy and I were going to be parents of Triplets. And there was no turning back now. I was still in shock, but at the same time, I couldn't wait for them to be born so I could meet them! 

Unfortunately, when we finally broke the news to our family and friends, not everyone shared our excitement. Some did. Probably more than I remember. But I do remember the ones that didn't. And truthfully, I found it completely heartbreaking that these people couldn't support our decision. A few of them tried really hard to push us towards Selective Reduction. Siting everything from finances, to the risks to Amy, and even the risks to the babies themselves. Some even told us that we were being selfish by going ahead with a triple pregnancy. We finally had to shut some of them out due to the stress they were putting on Amy. As far as we were concerned, they were harming Amy and the babies more than the babies were! And for that reason, we began screening phone calls and visitors. It was the only thing we could do because these people were doing more harm than good. They left us no other choice. 

My Prayer For 2022...And Beyond

The last two years have been rough for everyone. With the arrival of COVID-19 here in the States at the beginning of 2020, the chinks in our armor became more noticeable and upfront. Not just as a Nation, but as people. Our vulnerabilities were put on full display. Our dislikes for people different than us were shoved upfront. And because of this, there has never been a more dangerous time in our Country than right now. 

Normally, you are used to me writing something happy and shiny around this time to close out another year. But I'm finding it hard to do that this year. Not because there is none of that to write about, but because there are too many things to pray for that need our attention. Of course I'm greatful and thankful for all of my family's blessings this year. Who wouldn't be thankful for that. But it is also important to notice and pray for all that needs our immediate attention. As families. As friends and neighbors. As a Nation, once proud of it's ability to pull together during a time of crisis. An ability, that I hope has not been lost forever. I'm not normally one who wears my faith on my sleeve. As most of you know, I do not subscribe to any religion such as Catholic, Evangelical, Protestant or anything else. I have my reasons. Mainly because no matter how INCLUSIVE they claim to be, they are very EXCLUSIVE and hypocritical. I have seen it for myself. I've seen the more well to do parishioners look down upon those who are less fortunate than them. Is this what God teaches us? It is not. I've seen them look down upon those who are different from them in how they look, act and even sexual orientation. Is this how God wants us to be? I don't think so. I've seen supposed people of faith put politicians above God. Infact, it is still happening today. If we are true believers as we claim to be, there should be no other God than ours and certainly none more powerful. IF we are true Christians. Politicians are nothing more than men and women like us. They are no better than me or you. They are just people. They get dressed the same way we do everyday. They have all the same problems we do everyday, just on a different scale. They are just people. So before I get too wrapped up it this, let me get right to what I'm praying for in 2022, and beyond.

More Inclusive Than Exclusive:  

Yes, I am praying that we all can be more inclusive than exclusive this coming year and all the years to come after. We should be embracing and celebrating each other's differences. Not bashing and pushing those away who are different from us. If we just open up our minds and our hearts to each other, we may find that we have more in common than we realized. And how could that possibly be wrong?

We Realize As Christians We All Worship And Praise The Same God, No Matter Our Supposed Religion:

Listen, just because you may be Catholic, your Neighbor Baptist and your coworker doesn't subscribe to a religion, but still believes in the teachings of God, doesn't make them bad people and neither one better than the other. As I said earlier, I don't subscribe to a religion. I have my reasons. But I still believe in what He wants us to know and follow. I just choose to worship Him my own way. Meaning, I don't need to sit with others who claim to believe the same way I do. I'm perfectly capable of doing it on my own. 

We Realize Politicians Do More To Divide Us Than Unite Us:

That seems to be all they want to do these days is divide and conquer. Is that really what we want? Can we truly call ourselves the United States if we proceed to let them have their way? We keep saying we want change. And if that's true, only we can make that change happen for sure! We need politicians who are true to their word. That want us to stay united, and that truly have our best interest at hand. All of the ones in office now, do not have that, nor do they want that. They want us to stay divided. They want us to be dependent upon them. This is not what our Forefathers wanted for us. Only we have the power to change that. It's time we show them that power... PEACEFULLY!!!

We Teach Our Children To Be Better People Than We Are:

Yes, teach them! Inherently, children are born innocent. It is what they learn from us their parents, and others they associate with throughout their lives that perverts their minds! But as their parents, it is up to us to teach them good family values and good morals. It's our job to make sure that they are better people than us. 

Praying That Our Nation Really Realizes The Seriousness Of This Pandemic:

I've made it no secret how I feel about what's going on with the Pandemic in our Country, and how there are people here just not taking it seriously enough or caring enough to really turn the tide. Instead of really looking at facts, they choose to follow those who claim to know the facts, but really know nothing at all. I trust the science. I trust the vaccines. And I believe that the only way to really beat this is to work together. Not divided.

May We All Learn To Be More Patient And Understanding With One Another:

Okay, I am not the most patient person when it comes to certain things, and yes, even some people. But I have made a promise to myself to be better at it from now on. Rome wasn't built in a day, and I'm still very much a work in progress. But let me tell you what I have noticed lately. 

I like to people watch when I'm out places. And these days, I have observed that people are not as patient with one another as they used to be. Sometimes to the point that they become violent. Although I don't see myself getting violent with people, I do see a lot of that lack of patience in myself. And not just out and about. But at home and work as well. Everyone has their breaking point, and your always going to have that one person or persons in your life that just loves to get you right to that point. But the challenge is to not buy into it. And if you can get that mastered with people that you know and associate with, the better off you'll be when dealing with persons you don't really know. That's the goal I'm going for. I hope all of you can promise to yourselves to do the same.

Have a safe and blessed Christmas everyone! And a safe and blessed New Year as well!

Update For April, 2019!

Yes, it has been awhile since the last update...okay it's been a little over a year! But, with as busy as life has been around here, it should be no surprise! First, let me just say that the girls are now in the 7th grade and are still doing great with their schooling! Hope especially continues to make great strides with her schooling, due in part to the one on one that Amy is able to give her, where the Public School system could not. Hope has really benefited from this. And, with all of the outside extra curricular activities that all three girls are in, Hope's socialization continues to improve as well. Most kids can't even really tell anymore that she has Asperger's. So that Occupational Therapy that she goes to every week is helping her tremendously!

And of coarse, all three girls are still involved with 4-H. We are also crediting 4-H for the socialization for all three girls. The kids involved with this program have incredible morals and are extremely polite. These things are all rubbing off on our kids. Especially when they see how the older 4-H'ers treat other people, especially their Elders. They have nothing but respect for everyone, and we are especially proud that our girls are around kids like them. Plus, with the kids having to work on projects for the program, most of the work having to be done by them, it helps them to form a good work ethic, letting them see how hard work and determination really does pay off, all while letting each kid explore their creative sides. So if there you, yourself were thinking of putting your children in a 4-H program in your area, Amy and I would highly recommend it! It is such a great program!

And, of coarse, all three girls are still playing Soccer...year 'round now! Yes, they have discovered Indoor Soccer! Which is great, because they are keeping up with their skills through the Winter months and it has made all three girls better at the positions they play for their Travel team. While all three girls have vastly improved at their positions, Faith had been discovered by a professional Goalkeeper coach, who has been coaching Keepers for over 30 years. He was so impressed with Faith after her first Indoor season last year, that he volunteered to coach her. He told us that he hasn't seen a Keeper with as much raw talent as she has in quite some time and he wanted the opportunity to develop her. Not to mention that over the last year, she has been courted by one of the Premier leagues, and has finally decided to sign with them! Faith is now an official NWI Lions FC player! Her first games were at the beginning of April with the new team. This past weekend, she went to Indianapolis with the team to participate in the "Indy Burn Cup" Tournament. In the first game, Faith had been shot on 16 times and saved each shot! Oh, for those of you not Soccer lingo savvy, when we say that she "saved" a shot, we are meaning that she stopped it from going into the Goal. During the second game of the day, she was shot on 18 times and again saved 16 of those shots! The only two goals that were scored on her...one came off of a freak bounce that just happened to bounce the right way, the other came into the far upper corner. Both of those type of shots are very hard to defend.

Faith with her new team, NWI Lions FC at the "Indy Burn Cup" in Indianapolis, IN April 13, 2019

Faith making a save in the first game of the "Indy Burn Cup" April 13, 2019!

Of coarse, Faith's biggest fear about joining this new team was how the girls on the team would accept her. It appears that the team has accepted her pretty well! Now, as far as the Travel team here in Rensselaer, the season has not started as of yet. Their first game was supposed to be yesterday, but due to the crazy weather we had, games were canceled. Now, the team has another two weeks before their first game with the Lady Pumas. Which is okay! You can never practice too much! So as soon as I can get some pictures of all the girls with the Lady Pumas, I'll be sure to update again and post those here! Faith is not the only one of the girls on cloud 9 right now! Charity has become a certified Referee! Back in February, she sat through a 12 hour class to become a certified Soccer Referee! She has all of her gear now, including a Ref Uniform, flags, a coin for the coin toss, and her cards for carding players not following the rules of the game! She is super proud and we are just as proud of her! Faith was not the only one in the spotlight this weekend either! Before Faith's team took the field for the second game of the "Indy Burn Cup", One of the Refs was a little late getting to the game. Faith suggested that her sister, Charity fill in since she just got her certification! So, Charity got to be a Line Ref for the first ten minutes of the game! She was so proud, and very great-full to Faith for suggesting Charity to do the job!

That little figure dressed in black back there holding the flag...yep, that's Charity reffing the "Indy Burn Cup"!

Yep, Charity was feeling pretty good about that day! And, of coarse, Amy and I were very proud of her for stepping up to do the job! She did great! Okay, that's about all I have right now. So until I have more, I'm going to let you all get back to life in your neck of the woods! Thanks for being patient with the updates and...thanks so much for reading! I will do the best that I can to update more as the year goes on! But if you have a busy schedule like we do, then you'll understand if they aren't very often! Thanks again everyone! 

An Interesting Year!

So, here we go! Another year over and it seems like it just flew by! Looking at my most recent posts, I can't believe I let so much time go by again without an update. But to our credit here, we've been crazy busy!

The girls are still heavily involved with 4H, Soccer and Basketball, the later of which will begin in January. And yes, Amy and I are coaching for their team once again! This time though we have a little bit of help from a third coach  this season. This is a good thing, being that my current work schedule only allows me to be available for every other practice and game day. Amy won't have to worry about coaching a game by herself now. Although I don't know why she worries, she's an awesome coach and really doesn't need a lot of help! 

The girls really killed it this year in 4H, gaining more experience, awards, plaques and trophies! Hope showed a pair of Barred Rock hens and brought home the big trophy for her birds! She's very proud of that trophy and we are very proud of her! Plus it's nice to know we have a pair of prize winning birds in our flock! Charity also took Reserve Grand Champion for her Buff Silkie. 

As for Soccer, the girls were on their first Travel Team this past Fall! I must admit that I was a bit reluctant to let them play on a Travel Team. I honestly didn't think they were ready for that. Turns out, I was the only one not ready for them to do that. They, on the other hand, were very ready. This time around though, due to my work schedule, Amy had to assist coach their team with two other fellas who were just absolutely outstanding coaches and great with the girls. Even though this was their first time coaching an all girls team, lol. The girls played for the St. Joe Pumas U12 girls team and they ended up taking first place in their division with a 7 - 1 record! They started out a little rough and a few of those wins were a bit ugly, but by their fourth week into the season, you could see the progress they had made since their first game, which they got stomped 6 - 1. That same team they played that beat them that first week, they turned around and beat them a few weeks later 3 - 1! Turns out, this was also Faith's season to shine. Faith loves to play the Goal Keeper position more than anything in the world. She actually had to fight for that spot this season and won it hands down with a more than spectacular play against Hobart, were she jumped higher than I've ever seen her jump before to stop a high ball going into the Goal. She caught this thing in flight and drop kicked it down the right sideline! Uh, it was a beautiful play and I almost cried right then! From that point on, her team sang her praises all season and you knew right then that she was their main Goal Keeper and they weren't going to trust anyone else there! We were so proud of her! Out of the 8 week season, Faith only allowed 4 goals! She was outstanding! Hope also scored her first goal this past Fall as well! Talk about another great moment! That was the second time I almost cried during a game! Charity has gotten considerably better as well! Her speed and agility have much improved, and she came awful close to getting her first goal last season as well! I can't wait to see were they take it in the Spring season! 

Well that does it for now! Don't know if I'll get the chance to update again before years end. So have a great Christmas and a Happy new year!

Spring Update 2016

Well here we are, another Spring has come and gone and we are finally at that point in the year were we can take a bit of a break. Okay, yes, the girls still do have some things to do for 4-H, but at least for the moment, we are done with Sports at least until Fall. Don't get me wrong, by the time we start getting well into July, myself, Amy and the girls will be chomping at the bit to get back into Soccer again. Especially after coming off of our best season yet as coaches, and for the girls, as players!

Black Division Champions 2016: Team Santelik!

Pictured above is the team that took us all to a First Place Championship in Spring Tournament play for the U-10 Black Division! Amy and I couldn't be more proud of this team! It was a tough season, but when it came down to crunch time, this group really pulled together in tournaments, winning all three of their games to take the First Place trophy! They really proved that they knew how to come together as a team when it counted. 

Out of our three girls, Hope was the most improved this season! She incorporated moves on the field that we've never seen her do, helping to make her unstoppable at both the Forward and Defender positions. Those moves, incorporated with an increase in speed for her, really showed how much she has improved, and has really boosted her self confidence! Charity too has reached a new level of play on the field! She also has increased her speed, as well as showing more aggressiveness going after the ball and keeping it in play! Not to mention her ability to challenge her opponents, no matter how much bigger they are than her! Charity really went out there this Spring with more heart in the game than we've ever seen her have! Very proud of her as well! Faith continues to grow at the Goalie position! Out of all the Goalies this Spring in the U-10 division, Faith allowed the least amount of points all season, leaving our opponents scratching their heads, wondering how they were going to be able to score on us with her in the Box! Tournament day was no different! In fact, Faith also upped her game that day, allowing only 4 points between the 3 games we played! She was a monster that day, and received a ton of praise not only from her teammates and their parents, but our opponents and their Coaches as well! The way these girls played on Tournament day, along with their teammates, really showed how well they learned to play as a team this Spring! And really, that's the most important thing. Them coming together as a team to get the job done, win or lose. 

So now we focus on 4-H for the next couple of weeks. The girls are prepared to show their Chickens for the first time this year at the County Fair, especially after the disappointment of not being able to show last year due to the Avian Flue (Bird Flue). Not to mention, the girls are doing a few crafts as well that will also be shown at the Fair this year! Wish them luck! Hopefully they'll get a few First Place ribbons! But never fear, once 4-H is done for the year, it's back to preparing for Soccer again! This Fall, the girls will enroll into a Fall training program with some of the areas top trainers for Soccer, looking to hone the skills that they've already developed, as well as working on other skills to help them take their play to the next level. We are also talking about getting an Indoor Soccer team together over the Winter, to help keep them from getting rusty until Spring Soccer starts up for 2017. The end of the year will prove to be busy again, but that's how things go in the Felton household! Never a dull moment! 

Also, the girls will be celebrating their 10th Birthday this July! Yep, you read that right! 10 years old! Those teen years are creeping up fast and Amy and I are looking for the pause button! In all seriousness though, it's hard to believe that our little girls really aren't so little anymore. I really have to say, I try very hard to spend as much time as I possibly can with them so I don't miss anything, but with this milestone of their 10th birthday coming up in a few weeks, I still can't help but feel that I've missed something due to the fact that this crept up so quickly! It's amazing. You think to yourself in the beginning that you've got a long time before this happens. And when it finally does, it seems like it came so quickly. It's like we just blinked, and the girls went from newborns to preteens in seconds flat! This time around, I don't know who will have a harder time with this birthday, me or Amy. Ugh! And they still have to turn 16 yet! Okay, not thinking about that right now! Just want to enjoy the few short weeks they have left of being 9, lol! Geez, they're growing so fast! 

Anyhow, that's it for now! Stay tuned for the next update! Oh! And don't forget to check out our latest blog called "Our Backyard Chickens"! You can sign up for email alerts so you don't miss a post! Until next time!

A Whirl Wind Year!

Hello, friends and family! Hard to believe it's been a year since my last update. That, alone, should clue you in as to how crazy this past year has been. Last year, I had just got a job at the world famous Albanese Candy Factory, only to find out that the candy is really the only thing world famous there. The girls joined Jasper County 4H and are loving it, and a myriad of other things since the last update. So lets get to it shall we?!

The Fall of 2014 brought some changes. Some positive, some not so positive. I had just gotten a new job at Albanese Candy Factory in September of 2014, after losing a job of 14 years at Elco Laboratories to a company buy out by Chicago Aerosol. The girls had moved up a level in Soccer, making them first time U-10's! What a season it was too! The girls first year playing U-10 and our first coaching it, meant our first season playing Tournaments on the last day of the season! And guess what?! Our team ended the day taking Second place for the Fall 2014 season as first year U-10's! As Soccer ended, Basketball sign ups came. And so did 4H! Basketball came first and we had a great season once again! We were very blessed to have two great teams, one for Soccer and the other for Basketball! We ended the Basketball season only losing two games! Then it was time for 4H! Although the girls could not show their Chickens this past Summer due to the Bird Flu, they still were able to make posters about chickens, and were also able to show their chickens eggs as well! For the posters, Faith took Grand Champion and was selected to go to the Indiana State Fair with her poster. Hope took Reserve Grand Champion for her poster and Charity received a Blue Ribbon. In the egg class, Hope took Reserve Grand Champion again for her Brown eggs and Charity took Champion for her Blue eggs! All three girls had their pictures with their ribbons in the local paper! As for Faith and the Indiana State Fair, she received a Blue Ribbon, and the whole family took a trip there to see it! It was our first time ever going to the State Fair and we all had a great time!

As for Albanese, well it just goes to show that all that glitters isn't necessarily Gold. They were great for making all kinds of big promises, but there was no follow through on any of them. So after seven months, I took another job and left Albanese. I am now currently working for Con Agra Foods in Rennselaer, and it has turned out to be the best move. The girls are currently in 4th Grade and are doing marvelous as usual, learning new things everyday and amazing both Amy and I with how quickly they can learn them! Due to them getting into 4H this last Spring, and Amy and I not knowing for sure how much time that would take up, we decided to skip Spring Soccer for this year, but we did play again this past Fall. Again we were U- 10's and once again we took Second place on Tournament Day for Fall 2015! After two seasons taking Second place, we've decided we have enough Second place Trophies and are focused on that elusive First place Trophy for the Spring season!

And as if that weren't enough, we learned this past Spring that the Board of Directors for the Soccer league were all leaving after the Fall season. The worst part was that Volunteers to take it over were very scarce. After talking it over with Amy and another Soccer mom who happens to be a good friend of ours, we decided that we would all run for positions in the November elections to try and keep the league going for the kids and the community. The elections were held November 16th and a new Board of Directors was elected. I won the President's chair, Amy won Secretary and our Friend, Heaven, took Treasurer and Web Master. We have a lot of work to do, but we are all up for the challenges our positions will bring! Wish us luck! We're going to need it! Well, that's all there is to report for now! I will try not to wait so long before updates next time!

Big Changes At The Felton Household...

Hello again friends and family! There have been a few changes since last I blogged! Well, okay, maybe just one major change. But before I get into that with you all, let me tell you about everything else first!

The girls started the Fall season for Soccer in August, and it has basically been non-stop weekends ever since! Just Crazy! Throw in the occasional birthday party here and there and it really doesn't leave a whole lot of time to do what ya need to do as far as stuff around your own place! As much as I love coaching their teams every season, I do wish that we had more time around the house to finish some unfinished projects. But... I digress! The girls team for Fall has been nothing short of amazing. I mean as far as the kids on their team. All are wonderful kids and a whole lot of fun to coach! This is the one team I wish that we could carry over into the seasons to come. Not because they are that good skill wise, but because they are that good attitude wise which makes them so much easier to coach whether they are winning or not. They always remain positive, even when Amy and I aren't feeling that positive during a game that we may be down a few points, seconds before the end of the game. These kids still manage to keep a positive attitude and put a smile on our face every time! Amy and I are going to be sad to see them move on to other teams next season, that's for sure! It's kids like them that make what we do all worth it in the end! The regular season ended last weekend and this weekend we have Tournaments! Yes, the girls have moved up to that division where you get to spend ALL of your Saturday, for the most part, at the Soccer fields playing multiple games to give them a taste of what true tournaments are like. So after this weekend, we get a bit of a break from sports until January where it all starts all over again with Basketball and Soccer again, practically back to back. The girls have also started Third Grade this school season as well! Yes, Third Grade! I know, I get a lump in my throat every time I say it too, simply because I can't believe it myself! So far, everything seems to be rolling along smoothly with very few bumps in the road, which is awesome! They really seem to like everything that they are learning, so that helps too!

Now on to the biggest change on the Homefront to date...

About two months ago, my old company that I worked for (Elco Laboratories) announced to us that they were selling to another company called Chicago Aerosol. Which was all well and good, but they also told us that within a few months they would move the business to Cole City, IL from University Park, IL, which was about 30 miles more southwest of  the current plant. That made my trip in to work about an hour and a half, and another hour and a half back home. Too far for me to travel, especially if they were going to give us a cut in pay at more than half! So, I set out immediately to find a new job, preferably closer to home. It didn't take but a few weeks and I landed a job about thirty minutes closer to home at Albanese Confectionery Group in Hobart, IN! I originally put in to be a Batchmaker there, but at the moment, those positions are filled. So for now, until they get their third line running, I run a machine called a Mogul. What does it do? It forms those ever popular Gummy candies! From Bears to Butterflies, to Snakes to worms! If we've got a printer plate for it, we can make a gummy version of it! The only downfall to the job is that I work 12 hrs. a day, but hey, how many people get to do what I do every day and put smiles on millions of peoples faces every day of the year?! That's right, not many! And besides that, I have three little girls at home right now where I am their biggest hero because I make the ever popular Gummy Bear! And with that, what I do doesn't need to be popular with anyone else except for them! THAT, to me, is all that matters! So, I bid my former company, Elco Laboratories, farewell and it's on to the next chapter! I do wish all of my former co-workers the best of luck in whatever they do, and thank them for a great 14 years! I learned so much there, which helped out in landing my current job.

So, that's all I have for now! Until next time!