2015 was supposed to be our best year yet. I would graduate from school (and hopefully find a job), Heath would be graduating from ASU and start applying to pharmacy schools, and hopefully, if all went as planned, we would be starting our family. But recently it's seemed like everything is falling apart.
{Forgive me if I sound dramatic. I'm the type of person who stresses way more than I should, and right now I'm extremely emotional, so I apologize}
Trial #1: In early January, we found out that we had to pay two grand out of pocket for Heath's school this semester. We didn't want to borrow any more money from our parents, since they have already helped us so much financially, so we decided to set up a payment plan and hope that it all worked out. And thankfully, with His help, the payments turned out to be affordable for us.
Trial #2: My car battery went bad. Normally that wouldn't be a huge deal, but Prius batteries are extremely expensive, like $3500 expensive, and we were expecting ours to last another 70,000 miles. Since we've been living mostly off our savings, we had no choice but to ask our families for some financial help. We are very blessed to have parents who care so much for us and are willing/able to help us during our financial troubles. Fortunately, a family friend was able to get a rebuilt battery and installed it for us, which saved us (and by us, I mean our parents) SO much money.
Trial (scare) #3: Our crazy dog, Jack, ate his chew toy. Chewed and swallowed 3/4 of a squeaky, plastic, toy bone that I knew he would tear apart... Probably shouldn't have bought it for him in the first place. He gave us a real scare. We thought it would block his digestive tract for sure, and surgery for those types of problems can be upwards of three grand. After having our car in the shop and trying to figure out how to pay for our new battery, surgery for Jack was simply not an option. Turned out that Jack chewed the toy into small enough pieces that he was able to pass it without any major problems. But he sure gave us a good scare.
But this week, Heath and I have been trying to work through the biggest trial we've yet had to face in our marriage.
Trial #4: On January 17th, we found out we were expecting our first baby. Heath and I have wanted to become parents since we got married. The timing was finally right, and after a few months of trying we were finally able to conceive (sorry, TMI). We were so excited that we told our families that day, and against our best judgment, told a few of our close friends even though I was still so early. We were just so excited! We couldn't hold the good news in! But on Saturday, January 31, I began to have some bleeding. By Sunday it was very heavy... definitely not normal for a first trimester pregnancy. I knew it wasn't a good sign. We spent Sunday morning at the ER, desperate for some answers, and though the results required follow up, the news was not good. Today, February 4, we got confirmation from additional tests that we had lost the baby. Heath and I are devistated. Our hearts are completely broken. The sweet little baby that would have joined our family did not have a healthy body, and it was not Heavenly Father's plan for us to be given one of His sweet spirits quite yet. We have felt so much love and support from our family and friends who have helped us through this hard time. We are so thankful for each and every text, phone call, and prayer that has been sent our way. We are still trying to find the good and the blessings that will come from this experience, though we know they will come. Hopefully we will soon be given another opportunity to start our family.