Week Four

A few of the things that made me smile this week...

• Student success in our reading lab
• A productive appointment for Kate
• Warm chai tea gifted at work
• A new charming book series
• Ty feeling chatty after school
• Austin teasing he wants to make me cry before announcing he misses me
• Hugs from small friends
• Silly jokes from kiddos catching the bus
• My yearbook students arguing who got to go home with me (the answer is none of them)

I brought home an assignment I had originally printed for our second graders. This one practically demanded the safety guy tackle it. I titled it, "Tell me you have a conflict at work without telling me you have a conflict at work." 

Oliver has been a bit of a jerk lately. He taunts Diesel and keeps occupying the dog water bowl while Diesel patiently waits for a turn.....

However, Diesel is still a complete handful so I suppose it's all fair in the long run. 

Our seventy pound lap dog

If only he were just resting instead of recharging

Week Three

A second grader noticed my inflamed hand and asked about it. I gave my standard answer about psoriatic arthritis and assured him it looks worse than it feels. He then asked, "do all old people get that?" 🤨

Ty fell asleep before school Thursday and then slept the entire way home. His throat hurt. He then laid around all evening and scored himself a day off on Friday. The strep screen was negative but he feels really run down and still has a pretty sore throat. A weekend of rest is on the agenda. 

Erin swears she had more privacy living with us than she is permitted now. Ada is a hot mess. 

Erin is getting back into the swing of work, class and her internship. She has also been asked to help select a new director for the program she completed in 2021 with the University of Louisville. There is no rest for the driven. 

Lauren and Taylor have been given a projected date of March 23 before they receive their belongings. They caved and purchased lawn chairs to have somewhere other than the floor to sit. The air mattress is getting old just two weeks into this little island adventure but they are making the best of it. Daily walks to new parks and frequent beach exploration has been the saving grace for a very busy four year old who is missing his friends and his toys. He has learned so much about the island already, including his address. He blows me away with the facts he recites during our video chats. 

Someone fancies himself a lap dog. At 70 pounds, why wouldn't he?

I kid you not, Greg had just told him to get down. Look that that attitude!

We had a gorgeous start to the week with temperatures mild enough Tuesday for Bible study outside. I was delighted and hoped it would last. It didn't. January in the 60's was appreciated, if even for just a day. 

Saturday Greg roasted a turkey, Lauren's favorite meal. I text her this photo and asked about Hawaii. She promptly responded with a picture of the beach, "it's great." I was hoping she'd come home. Sigh.

I got to take Anna and Ava to Target while their parents had appointments. I was missing Austin and needed to pick up something to help Ava make a tee shirt celebrating the 100th day of school. One thing lead to another and both of the girls ended up with a small trinket too. Ty also landed a treat and was overheard whispering to the girls he wanted them to come along every time we go to Target so I will say yes to things not on the list. It was a shake down. 

Jet Lag

He dressed himself for the beach.

Someone is having trouble adjusting to his new time zone. He is seeking a nap mid afternoon and ready to start his day around three each morning. Their first morning in Hawaii was rough, with Denny's being the only thing available at five a.m. but our weary travelers were desperate. Denny's was their first Hawaiian meal. It can only get better. 

Lauren and Taylor are quickly learning the cost of living in Hawaii will be making them far more frugal than they ever imagined. Lauren keeps joking they may join the heavy homeless population in a tent on the beach. There are worse places to be homeless, I guess. 

But their days on the beach and the walks to the parks make it all feel worthwhile already. Paradise wins. Even Remi agrees.

As Lauren was arriving in Hawaii, Erin was leaving Africa. We spent three solid days tracking our kids across oceans. Erin had been eight hours ahead of us while Lauren was six hours behind us. I've asked we not make this a habit. 

This beach is five minutes from Lauren's house. Pray for her. 

Erin loved Tanzania. The culture is rich and beautiful and the people are lovely. She had some profound take aways and spent hours telling stories about the wonderful things she experienced. Some of her most hilarious stories involved American clothes on African people. A large man wearing a Momma Bear tee shirt was just one amazing example.

For reasons that aren't clear, two basketballs were sitting in our lounge and Ty couldn't resist dribbling and spinning one before school.

The school week lasted an entire month, I'm convinced. We are all tired and feel like we climbed some mountains. A standoff with one of Ty's teachers may be improving and Kate saw a new physician who appears to be a promising lead to solving an issue for her. By Wednesday, I was certain Monday was actually last week. But we made it through Friday with hot soup planned for dinner and a long weekend ahead. And naps. I hope to take naps.

New Year

We entered 2023 well rested. It's been years since we last watched the ball drop. I found it rather anticlimactic and frankly, I think entering a new year refreshed is better than powering through yet another expectation. Why race into the next thing when it's been another full year of non-stop energy? Greg did have to stay up past our bedtime to cheer for his Buckeyes. Both of us lamented the late start time and also the score. He saw the clock roll over to 2023. I did not. 

We got the kids another trampoline. They've missed the old one for over two years now. We assembled it on the driveway because the ground was saturated from all the snow and rain this week. We joked about leaving it there to give the neighbors something to complain about just before relocating it to the back yard where most would suggest it belongs. 

We spent New Year's Eve working on small projects around the house and reading through our weekly contributions to the "Tell Me Something Good" jar. I'm grateful we started this tradition when 2020 wrapped with "the worst year ever" mantra repeated everywhere. So whereas every year presents challenges, grief and pain, we also experience joy, silliness and gratitude. It's important to notice both. Since we naturally gravitate toward the negative, noting the smiles is imperative.

Some highlights from the year:

• Ty's baptism
• Austin's fan club singing Happy Birthday to him on multiple devices
• Ava's week of fancy dresses
• Soup at Cherie's
• Walk-a-thon with my girls
• Porch swing reading (documented multiple times)
• Early bedtimes are mentioned a lot 🙂
• Kristil's visit
• Seeing Devyn on stage
• Road trip with Kate
• Brunch with Erin
• Dinner on the deck (also mentioned repeatedly)
• Crisp new bed sheets
• Baby birds in our tree
• Morning walks with Austin seeking adventure
• Kenna's first teaching job
• Big family breakfast
• Tea with Anne
• Hearing Kate's laugh in a crowd
• Fresh peaches and blackberries
• Austin sharing a snow cone with a bee
• Brown county get away 
• Mimi mail
• Feeling valued at work
• Austin doing yoga dressed as a dinosaur
• Donut date with Ty
• Surprising Dad on his birthday
• Emmaus Walks
• Diesel playing in the snow
• Chili night as a whole family
• Dinner train date with Chris and Kristin 

Kate and Hagan were the only ones who went out for New Year's Eve. They had reservations for dinner at a local sushi restaurant but were still home before the partiers hit the roads. I will never like my people out and about on nights most celebrate with alcohol.

I haven't seen whatever you are watching on TV but I may have read the book you are considering. This year, I did a better job of documenting the titles I completed and was shocked to count ninety-two books on my 2022 list. If I'm being completely honest, this reveals a lot of life avoided. I escape when I read, hearing literally nothing in my world when my nose is in a book. It's not likely a common resolution, but I am cutting back on my reading for pleasure so I can better invest in not only my health, but also my relationships in 2023. 

Monday we lost Kate's sweet Pip. He was an unusual pet but a great one, none the less. He loved Kate and she loved him. All of us are pretty sad he is gone. I think we need to be done with small companions with short life expectancies around here. The grief these little guys leave behind in the kids who love them is pretty tough.

When they first arrived on the island, they had their measurements taken for a custom dress to be worn the final night of their internship. It's such a great keepsake from this incredible experience.

Erin has fallen hard for the Island of Zanzibar. Video chats have revealed a very calm and breezy Erin. She loves the people, the food, the group she is working alongside and says she may come home to get the cat but wants to stay. She is fully embracing the experience.

Kate and I slipped out for errands and prom dress shopping Tuesday. We enjoyed not only success on the dress front, but also a quiet lunch of soup and salad while out. 

Ty's stress level about school hit an all-time high this week. The transition after breaks is always brutal. He took full advantage of the trampoline as an outlet for pent-up energy each afternoon. 

A five year old artist drew a picture of me on her goal sheet. She needed to see what color my eyes were that day because she has noticed they change. I was impressed with her observation skills. 

Kate's return was also met with some anxiety. She finally conceded and eliminated the babysitting gig. She will only work one day a week at the gym for this final semester. With her course load and stress about the future, it's absolutely the right decision for now. I'm proud of her for doing what is best for her. 

Descending into Seattle 

Lauren, Taylor and Austin are enroute to Hawaii. They made both flights. The dog did too, which was a serious concern with temperatures in January. Austin asked me if I was going to cry when he moved. I lied. I assured him I was too excited about his pending adventures to be sad. I then gave him two jobs I needed him to complete. First, he needs to let his mommy take his picture on their adventures so she can send them to me. Second, he needs to make a list of his favorite things to do in Hawaii to share with me when I visit. He agreed to both. Then he told me he had a job for me too. He needs me to come prepared to help shake coconuts out of trees. I'll do my best. I hung up and cried. 

Christmas 2022

We canceled Christmas Eve when we still didn't have power and roads from Kentucky were treacherous. The rescheduled date eliminated Theresa and her family and also Erin. I was more than a little disappointed. Add the whole no gift thing we all agreed to and the weekend felt anything but Christmasy. But we found humor in the ridiculous and even made a card we failed to send out. Winter coats in the house is a unique card idea, none the less. I'm still finding ways to honor both sadness and joy living in the same moments. I'm not a "everything happens for a reason" kind of person nor am I inclined to paint silver linings on dark clouds. But disregarding the joy that dwells in the same space is ignoring the hope I also carry. Balance, they say, is the key. Where do I locate that? 

We were well loved on by friends with the delivery of a kerosene heater and so many offers to stay in warm homes. We had frozen water lines and between keeping watch on those and a house full of animals, we didn't feel like leaving was the right choice. We weren't comfortable but it wasn't dangerous, unlike our homeless population. That group remained on my heart all weekend. 

The dog decided he was too precious for the outdoor bathroom and left several opportunities for the floor to be mopped. I'm not in any way impressed with him. He cares not at all. 

Kate's phone went off by 8:30 Christmas morning because the kids she babysits couldn't wait any longer to share their excitement with her. Their relationship is pretty special. And our grandson schooled me on all things Pokemon as he shared his Christmas morning loot. I hope there isn't a quiz later. He then had to pack toys for the move and won't see them again for a few months. 

Kenna came to spend time with us on Christmas Day and thought she'd nap. Diesel assumed he was invited. Of course he did. 

He was literally sleeping like this until I moved to take his picture.

While they napped, Greg reinstalled the smoke detectors that went off at one o'clock in the morning Christmas Eve because we still didn't have power. Nothing silenced them so they were literally pulled out of the ceiling in desperation. And then the closet shelving system that collapsed just before we left for Christmas Eve service was rehung. The day wasn't a total loss of typical Christmas joy though. We bundled up and took off for our annual Christmas Light Scavenger Hunt and even enticed our friends in Texas to join us at the end. 

We called it at the half hour mark and took Kenna home. I'm glad she joined us for this low key Christmas day. Diesel is too.

And then. Monday we hosted the delayed Christmas Eve dinner, minus several guests. We were the crazy people shoveling a path to the grill when it was single digits to make this happen after a false start just two days prior. But steak and crab are the tradition and there would be a serious revolt if I deviated. I may never be forgiven for scaling back the carb-heavy side dishes at Thanksgiving.

Tuesday, Mom and Dad went with me to help Makenna organize her classroom. Dad and I made a pretty good team in her storage closet. Mom took down the tree and Makenna worked on second semester lesson plans. It was fun to see what she has implemented since I was last there helping her prepare for the first semester. 

The first of Erin's multiple health clinics in Zanzibar. She is spending her time studying, job shadowing and eating really well. She was most excited about the food when preparing for her trip.

Erin video chatted through Instagram from her gorgeous hotel room in Zanzibar. She was enjoying  eighty five sunny degrees and incredible accomodations. Meanwhile, Lauren was entertaining Austin out of the way of the movers. Their beautiful home is now empty and clean. And also, no longer theirs. It was a pretty rough week for our girl. I'm praying Hawaii is good to them. 

Wednesday, Diesel and I slipped out for a walk in sunshine. Neither of us could quite believe it. He kept looking over his shoulder as if to ask, "is this real?" We needed it. 

I panicked when I cleaned up his poo off my floor and realized I didn't smell it. The subsequent covid test was negative so I text Greg. He replied, "That dog knows his sh*t doesn't stink!" 😂

Thursday I washed a few windows and took the opportunity to air out the house a bit. Open windows for a few minutes at a time is always a good idea when the air outside is a balmy 50 in December. It was good for my soul.

We wrapped the week without jackets, daily walks and games of basketball in the driveway. We are grateful for the lot of it.