My perspective on this week

We are essentially half way through my summer break.  It's been nothing at all like I had planned it, and I'm completely okay with that!  I had "grand" plans for all the house work that was going to happen, especially painting what used to be Catherine's room.  Not going to happen.

Instead, there have been afternoons of naps and lots of genealogy work.  For one thing, the heat indices have been close to over 100 degrees.  So painting a small room is probably not what I'd be going for anyway.  Secondly, I've had little things pop up during the week and it hasn't allowed me hours on end of painting time, which is what I prefer.  And honestly, I'm prioritizing mental health, and I'm good with that.

The further I get from this past year, the more I realize how awful it was.  As my boss pointed out, we used to have weekly admin meetings, but this past year it was common for us to meet two or three times...a day!  I've realized how unfair it was to Andrew that I would come home and do absolutely nothing.  I didn't even want to talk to him.  I literally just wanted to sit and stare at something, usually my computer screen as I would mindlessly surf the internet.  If I had been parenting younger children, I've told my co-workers I would have resigned because it just wasn't fair to my family.

So, yes, the room will need painted at some point.  But, it's perfectly livable as it is, I'm just not a fan of purple! :). But I've enjoyed spending afternoons with my husband, relaxing, and I've enjoyed spending time (and dinner) with my adult kiddo and his wife, and I'm absolutely certain I will enjoy our trip with friends this coming weekend.  I'm physically able to travel and that is never a guarantee in life.  My dad died at age 59.  Andrew and I have made smart choices and we continue to do so, but it is 100% okay that my week has been more enjoyable than productive!

June is the best

As much as I love the holidays and prefer cooler weather, June really is the best month of the year in many ways.  I work minimal hours in June, and the nice thing is...July is much of the same.  June is usually cooler than July, plus, even after June, I still have July.  So June really is the best.

It also wraps up our first summer month of being empty nesters.  I enjoy it, but I also miss my kiddos.  They've had a lot going on recently, but I'll admit, it is less stressful when they aren't living it under my roof.  Catherine has a new job, and it's closer to where she now lives.  They had hoped to be able to move later this summer, but have agreed to remain where they are for one more year.  Overall, things are working out for her and I'm grateful.  Thomas and Lyndi are house hunting.  I'm not sure how things are going to work out for them in that regard, but I do understand them wanting to leave their current housing situation.  There is a chance they'll be moving in with us in September, but hopefully it doesn't come to that.

It's been a really lovely first six months of the year (knock on wood) in terms of my family, generally speaking.  I'm optimistic that the second six months of the year will also be lovely at work!

Returning the book brought tears to my eyes

Nearly a decade ago, Andrew and I came into possession of about 40 books that had been written by children in our school district.  These books were 10-20 years old at the time, and I was tasked with trying to get them returned to the "authors".  We were able to get a few returned, but most of the people I didn't know.  We are desperate to get this box out of our garage, so I decided to start taking action.  The one I returned this morning, brought me to tears, and this is going to stay with me for a bit.

I had been contacted by the step-daughter of one of the names.  Unfortunately, the gentleman had passed away two years ago.  His step-daughter was so excited about the prospect that this book may have been a part of his childhood.  When we discussed getting the book to her, she mentioned she didn't have transportation, but she would see if she could find a friend.  I told her I'd be happy to drop off the book to her.  That is when I learned she lives in the "project housing" here in town, but has a job at the fast food restaurant next to it and works mostly evenings.  I told her I would bring the book by after church.

Andrew doesn't like me going to this place by myself, and I was happy he was along to accompany me, although it was fairly quiet on a Sunday morning.  This woman lives with a partner and small child at the end, and honestly, they are more isolated and I'm sure that helps to keep things quieter.  As I handed the book to her, I showed her where her step-dad's picture was in the back, and as she kept thanking me, tears came to her eyes.  I hugged her, and I am so incredibly glad that I was able to get the book back to her family.  Her plan is to make copies and give the original to his mother.

This is going to stay with me, to be honest.  I have no idea what this family's story is, but they are going to be on my heart and mind for a long time.  Clearly, things have been hard for them.  I can't help but feel there is a reason I was to do this.  I don't know what it might be yet, but I'm not going to forget these people anytime soon.

The beginning of summer break

Today is officially the beginning of summer break.  It sounds a little ridiculous, but it is the only week of the entire summer that our office is completely closed.  It is also really the only week of the entire year that nothing has to happen and everything can wait.  I take an extra day at the end since we are traveling back from visiting our friend, so I don't have to be at work again until July 7.  Woohoo!

I know I'll be ready for the kids again in August, but I'm also very grateful that we still have almost eight weeks until that happens.  Tonight, we had a school event at the community concert and a few families showed up.  I'm not sure exactly what I'll be doing for the next couple of days, but relaxing and sleeping is on the list!

Father's Day 2026

Today, as we all know, was Father's Day.  I think Andrew struggled a little bit, as it was the first time he didn't get to see any of the kids on Father's Day.  Originally, I was supposed to be up helping my mom today so I hadn't planned anything with the kids.  I hadn't seen them on Mother's Day, so I didn't worry too much about it.  Andrew made an incredible dinner.  I told him I felt really badly that he had to cook, but I also pointed out that there was no way I was going to cook anything near as yummy as what he had made.  I'm so grateful for the incredible man that shares his life with me, and he couldn't be a more amazing father!

Of course, I've thought about my Dad a lot today.  He would love seeing what the kids are doing, especially Thomas.  I think Thomas would spend a lot of time with my parents if Dad were still alive.  I also was so blessed to be able to grow up with my grandfathers.  As I'm in my early 50's, there are so many years of memories.

We are keeping an eye out for severe storms again right now.  I'm tired and looking forward to a good night of sleeping, so hopefully nothing more severe will develop.

Another week in June

We are now 4-1/2 weeks into our summer with 8-1/2 weeks to go.  This summer is one of those rare summers where we get an extra week and have 13 weeks instead of 12.  I'm not sad about that at all.

This week has had some really gorgeous weather, although Wednesday was a really rough night.  We had two tornado warnings in town, and a tornado did touch down northeast of us.  Thankfully, it was an EF-0, but since the timing of the storms was from Midnight-2am, it made for a very-not-great night of sleep.  Fortunately, there wasn't a lot that needed accomplished at work this week, so we worked the minimum number of hours and that was that.  And we were closed today (although we try to never work Fridays in the summer), so yesterday's early departure was the start to our weekend!

It was a bit of a busy week.  Tuesday we had dinner plans with our best friends, and then on Wednesday I had TWO meetings at church.  And our week was after our busy weekend, which included two graduation parties on Sunday.  The first one was family, and my cousin expressed to me how she felt a little disappointed that one branch of our family (my uncle's...surprise, hmph) had no one attend and how her dad's side of the family had no one attend either.  As someone who just went through that with Thomas's reception last year, I get it, but they hadn't been there either.  Just remembering to feel grateful for the times we do have together.

We spent today's gorgeous weather day working in garages, although even with the nice weather it took a really big toll on my.  I've been fighting a migraine all day.  I'm hoping that soon I can get back to digitizing photos.

I'll say it again...I'm so incredibly grateful for the slower pace of summer!

The rest of our vaction

The last of our vacation was fairly uneventful, but it was still lovely.  We decided Thursday was going to be our "nothing" day.  I finished my book, Andrew did a lot of reading, took a walk, just hung out.  We were debating between two restaurants, and I was thrilled that Andrew agreed with me that we wanted to return to the winery we had gone to earlier in the week.  It was a really lovely day and I asked to sit by the windows so we could enjoy the view.  It was a really, really nice way to end the week.  EXCEPT, that we actually got to go back again, because as we were cleaning up in the evening, we realized that Andrew had left his phone there.  Fortunately, it wasn't too far from the condo.  There was also a walk along the shore to watch the sunset and another slide on the playground! :)

Up and on the way yesterday, and we were home by mid afternoon.  I was so ready to be home, and I was especially ready to see our sweet pup.  We were so grateful to Catherine for holding down the household while we were gone.

Today was another day in the car.  The parents of Catherine's boyfriend invited us to a family cookout.  We hadn't met them before, and we really wanted to make the trip, even though it was 2.5 hours each way (or more if you avoid the awful interstate drive as we did on the way home).  It was another long day in the car.  On the upside, they are lovely people and I'm so glad we had the opportunity to meet everyone.

I am grateful there is still another day before going back to work, but we have two grad parties, so not an entirely uneventful day.  But it's been a truly lovely week!

Days 2 & 3 of Lake Erie vacay

Yesterday had another rough start.  We decided to head to Sandusky.  We really though, with it being a bit larger, it would have some cute little shops.  It. Did. Not.  We had some ice cream and walked around in a fun park, but we both admitted, it was a bit disappointing.  We salvaged the afternoon by finding a nice winery, though.  Dinner was almost comical.  Andrew had dome some research and found this place that had fabulous reviews.  We dressed nicely, and when we arrived, we were stunned to find out it was basically a fancy Long John Silvers.  Now, I actually love LJS, but it is not what I am going for on vacation!  We decided to head to a restaurant that attached to a golf club, and that saved the day.  Other than it have the worst lemon martini Andrew's ever had, the dinner was nice.  It rained in the evening, but we hung out in the condo and just enjoyed the views.  I did go down some slides at the playground, and Andrew laughed at my joy!

Today, Andrew wanted to take in the Rutherford B Hayes presidential sites.  The house was really enjoyable and our tour guide was fabulous.  I could have done without the museum, to be honest.  It's also really, really hot outside.  We came back to the condo and had dinner at a little place that is essentially right around the corner.  It was burger night, and the burgers were scrumptious!  We also found a popcorn store and brought home a tin.  Yum!

Tomorrow is our last day here.  We are staying close, just doing the little lighthouse in town and going for some ice cream.  We will have a nice dinner, and Friday it is time to head home.  I'll be ready to head home, and our weekend is packed.  We still have ten weeks of summer, and I'm soaking it all up!

It was a fabulous day

Yesterday was a fabulous day.  We left around Noon and drove over to Catawba.  We found an amazing restaurant that we might venture back to for dinner later this week.  Lunch was great, but it wasn't the same experience as dinner, I'm sure.  Then we drove over to Marblehead Lighthouse and had a blast looking around there.  It was almost chilly!  Andrew went up to the top, but I wasn't interested in that.  We decided to hit up this fancy winery in Catawba on the way back and do appetizers for dinner.  They had the BEST wine and the crab cakes were also amazing.  We were back at the condo by 6pm for a relaxing night of nothing.  If the next three days are as incredible as yesterday, just wow! 

Everything about this vacation is different

We've made it to Lake Erie, and our "home" for this week is amazing.  Right now, I'm sitting in a sun room area with the windows open, feeling the cool breeze as I watch the whitecaps on the lake.  Everything about this vacation is different in every way...no kids, no pets, just Andrew and I, close to home...and healing.  After the school year we had, the healing is being felt, and I'm so grateful.

Two beautiful days in June

The last two days have been absolutely gorgeous.  In fact, I actually got cold in bed last night!  If it was like this all year round, I might even be willing to forego snow...although I still need my midwest autumn days!

My mother-in-law is still here until Thursday.  I've so loved having her here.  We have found a routine where basically I let her do whatever she wants and and she tries to stay out of my way.  That sounds far more negative than it actually is.  I'm so glad she was willing to come this week.

Next week, Andrew and I are headed to vacation.  It is the first time we have taken a longer vacation by ourselves in over 20 years.  We've had some long weekends, but this is an actual vacation.  Lake Erie, here we come.  

I truly can't say enough about how grateful I am for these moments in life!

These have been the best two days

These two days of this weekend have been everything I hoped they would be and exactly what I needed.  Honestly, I almost can't put it into words.  These days feel like they have been such a gift and I feel incredibly recharged.

To begin, the weather has been absolutely perfect, ideal late May weather.  No rain, 70's with no humidity, and last night it even got down into the 40's.  It's been amazing.

Yesterday, I was able to take off the entire day and not really do any work, either at home or school or church related.  It was wonderful.  The kids all came over for dinner last night.  We had a taco bar for dinner, then played a round of croquet, and then played a game Thomas and Lyndi had given Andrew for his birthday back in January.  We ate, we laughed, we loved.  Sounds cliche, but it was such a spectacular evening.

Today was another awesome day.  Again the perfect weather was in place.  I spent the day working on school things.  For a variety of reasons (some due to school employees) I am way behind where I would like to be in terms of getting reports out.  We are heading to our vacation next weekend, so I need to get them out this week no matter what.  And I will, but lots of hours will be involved.  Anyway, our gift to Andrew's mother for Mother's Day was a nice dinner out.  Since my work schedule may be crazy this week, I suggested we go out this evening.  It was a spectacular dinner.  We ordered a bottle of wine, and even Andrew's mother liked it.  We had an appetizer, amazing food, and brought dessert home.  Then we sat around and watched some episodes of  Modern Family, which makes my MIL laugh so hard that her stomach hurts.

I hate that I don't get to hang around with Andrew and his mom this week, but I'm grateful that I feel so incredibly recharged and ready to face work again.  I am more blessed than I can put into words. 

A perfect Saturday morning

This Saturday morning is about as perfect as one ever gets.  The weather is beyond gorgeous...sunny and comfortable.  The kids are coming over this evening, but the house is already picked up and we have nowhere else we have to be today.  I can honestly just sit this morning if I want to, and I'm so incredibly grateful for that.

We had dinner with a dear friend last night, and I'm so grateful we were still able to make that happen.  We got home about 9:30 and then all of us went to bed...that's the kind of week it had been.  It's important though, to take time to make those things happen.

There are so many things I want to do this summer, and honestly, it already feels like there isn't enough time.  But still, for today, I'm going to sit and enjoy this incredibly perfect Saturday morning!

Just as drained and exhausted as I expected to be

Today was my uncle's funeral.  My uncle was a complicated man who often had fairly complicated relationships with family members.  There was always a lot of drama involved in that side of the family, but we were all still family.  I completely understood why the family had asked that Andrew lead the service.  Andrew knew him, knew his "quirks", and is a religious man who isn't afraid of public speaking.  My husband did a fabulous job.  If my uncle could have chosen a service, he would have chosen exactly what was done today.

I delighted in seeing my cousins and various other family members today.  The kids are all grown up with kids of their own now, and they have all married very well.  I'm thrilled our family has grown the way it has, but since we see each other so incredibly rarely, it was also a little heartbreaking.  Family is a blessing.

I'm absolutely exhausted.  I'm drained.  I'm saddened by my uncle's passing, and of course the memories can add to the emotions.  I'm so grateful to have the weekend to recover before having to work again Monday!

We've been out of school a week, and what a week it has been

It's hard to believe that we have only been out of school a week.  It's wonderful it has only been a week, but a lot has gone on.  We had a couple of laid-back days at school before beginning the weekend, but of course I do the school reports and those need to get done.  Teachers, however, were not as on top of getting info to me in a timely manner, so those are going slowly.

Friday evening we ventured to my cousin's birthday party.  It was lovely to see everyone, although it was day 2 that week of nothing but steady rain.  Saturday we decided to spend the day working around the house after we went to a grad party, because that was going to be the only dry time before Monday when we were hosting some family.  Sunday, we decided to venture to family cemeteries, and Andrew and I really enjoyed spending the day together.  Our sweet Janey girl was able to join us as well, and she's just as great a car traveler as Abby was.

Monday morning, we received news that my uncle passed away overnight.  This uncle is the brother-in-law of my dad.  He'd been in poor health for quite a while, but it was still unexpected at the time.  Instead of getting the house picked up on Monday as I had planned, I spent the day contacting family and communicating information.  My poor sister was tasked with having to tell our grandmother, as it is her son-in-law.  Grandma is really struggling with this news.  It turns out that my aunt & cousin would like Andrew to perform the funeral.  This was also very unexpected, and definitely stressful as well because Andrew is at his mom's house until late tomorrow night.  The funeral is Friday, and I'm already exhausted and drained.  I've been helping to get pictures ready and other things while still trying to get school reports done and take care of wrapping up the school year, in addition to checking in on Grandma.  

My poor mother-in-law is coming back with Andrew to visit for a week, and I'm certain she is beginning to think that our lives are stress and chaos 24/7 because that seems to be what happens when she is here!

Sending out prayers for my aunt and cousins.

Another year in the books

Andrew got home about an hour ago, and that officially makes 30 years in public education for him, 27 in his current district.  Under the rules when he started, he would have been able to retire this year, but even when that was an option, we never really considered it.  We'll see what the next year brings in public education and then he'll make a decision if 32 will be it or if he'll go a bit longer.

I only worked until Noon today, and honestly, it's all very glorious.  No summer camp this summer, so we have so much freedom in our scheduling and planning, and so much peace and quiet!  We definitely needed it after the craziness of the school year.  Yesterday when I got home, I got so much stuff done.  I made the comment to co-workers today that it sure is funny what  you can get done when you aren't mentally and emotionally drained when you get home from work!

We have a few fun plans this weekend, but mostly I'm just looking forward to thinking about the freedom of our summer!

I was pretty sure I was going to react that way

Today, finally, was our last day of school.  Every year we have a family picnic and then the annual "Egg Drop" activity.  Every year we hope for rain, and even though it always shows it might, it never does.  We've had some really cloudy days, but never rain.  Last week, it looked like it might rain today, then by this weekend, not really.  By last night it was looking much more likely, and then by this morning the day looked like a complete washout (and it has been).  So no picnic, but we still did the egg drop.

I kept having this vision that I would get to today, it would be over, and I would be come an emotional mess.  The relief of having this wretched year behind me would just get to be too much.  That's pretty close to what happened.  We have several really awesome students that are moving away or are not returning for other reasons next year.  I gave out some hugs, and when one family in particular came by to say goodbye, I couldn't stop the tears from falling.  I was able to hang out in my office and the tears just kept falling.  I was able to get myself together in order to say goodbye to my coworkers, and I headed home.  I was mentally and emotionally exhausted.  I've also come to realize that there is a lot of anger regarding things that were taken from us this year by a group of absolutely ridiculous parents.  I took a nap when I got home, and I'm still feeling pretty drained.  I get to sleep in about an hour later though for the entire summer (and later on off days) and I'm soooooo happy about that.

I'm grateful we made it through the year, and I'm grateful the summer is upon us.  Thirteen weeks of no school days are stretched out in front of us.  And I'm really looking forward to a good night sleep!

The last weekend of the school year

This weekend is the last weekend of the school year.  I keep reminding myself that this time next week I'll be able to sleep in for Memorial Day, and even the next 12 Sundays after still won't feel awful.  The workweek-to-weekend ratio isn't as rough in the summer.

Last evening we had dinner with some friends.  It's an hour drive each way, and given the exhaustion I've been feeling it felt a little tough at first, but we had a lovely evening.  The best part is that I was able to sit by Ellen, and I rarely get to visit with her even at these dinners.  I'm so grateful for that.

Today was a hard day.  I spent several hours at my mom's house, but we didn't get anything accomplished.  I kept telling myself it was okay that we just sat and visited.  I don't think Mom was up for much more, and although I feel badly because it is going to be awhile before I'm up there again to work.  I then went to visit my grandmother, and that was a rough visit.  She looks absolutely awful.  She couldn't understand why I was there so "early" (it was 2pm) and she had no idea what day it was.  She wasn't certain the last time she had seen my sister or when my aunt had called her.  She looked pretty awful as well.  I kissed her on the forehead when I left and told her I loved her.  I absolutely hate that she is "living" like this.  I miss her even though I can still see her.  I couldn't help but think about all the memories of she and Grandpa, and I'm so grateful for them.  And I'm missing my dad a little extra hard today, too.

That carefree summer I've been banking on to help reset my attitude is almost here!

We've really almost made it

Last evening was our last big school event of the year.  It was overcast and a bit chilly, but honestly, that seemed to kind of fit the year.  The best part is that we were finished by 8:30, which is the earliest that's happened.  Definitely not sad about that.  And now we only have two more full days and a half day.  Our admin team was talking about how hard this year has been, and it's hard to believe the things we had forgotten about.  We often forget about the parent who accused us of sharing confidential information with someone who "called" to talk about her child, even though we were not only able to share logistical explanations for why the story wasn't possible, but showed her our call logs for 90 days showing that the phone call never happened.  We forget about the staff member who refused to come to work when we told him that leaving over an hour early for over 30 days because he wanted to coach a sport wasn't really workable for the classroom.  These are BIG situations, but the rest of the school year was such a shit show that these don't even rank for the year.

We aren't hosting a summer camp this week, and with the timing of dates, we actually have an extra week of summer this year.  We are so counting on summer to reset ourselves.  Just three more days!!!

I graduated from college thirty years ago today

Exactly thirty years ago today I graduated with my accounting degree.  I can't believe it's been THIRTY YEARS!  Where did all that time go?  I'm not going to pretend it feels like yesterday, but I'll be honest, my 20's don't feel like they were that long ago.  I have a photo of that day of my friends who came to my ceremony.  We'd been friends since high school, and in one case, even longer.  Those friends are all still part of my life.  It may not be daily contact, but we'd all be there for each other if needed.  Life has been full of so many blessings.

Mother's Day 2026

Mother's Day has arrived again.  It has arrived at the end of another school musical week, and that brings absolute exhaustion.  The Friday after the musical is always such a hard day, and I went to bed at 8pm that night.  I was supposed to spend yesterday working at my mom's house, but between my exhaustion and my allergies it felt like more than I could handle.  Andrew and I spent yesterday doing a bit of shopping instead, and today we literally just hung around the house.  I've been spending some time trying to get things organized (or reorganized), as well as cleaning.  Honestly, it's been exactly the day that I would choose.

I feel a little badly that I didn't see my mom this weekend, but we are seeing lots of each other these days.  Of course, I still wished her a 'Happy Mother's Day' today.  Andrew called his mom, and we are going to take our moms out to dinner at some point.  Catherine, Thomas, and Lyndi all texted today.  It was so sweet of them.  It was odd not to see any of my kids at all though.  And of course, as a parent, there is always the realization that I have three children and no contact with one of them.  Mother's Day also brings up all the memories of those years that I wanted so desperately to be a mother, and I also can't help but think about all of the moms that are no longer with us.  It just seems like a challenging day for so many.

I'm incredibly blessed to have my amazing kiddos, and I'm grateful for so many things.  I'm also incredibly grateful that there are only eight more days of school remaining!

This weekend was a wonderful beginning to May

This weekend was a really nice beginning to the crazy month of May.  Andrew and I were exhausted at the end of the work week and went bed at 9:30 on a Friday night.  We are not in our 20's anymore! :)

Saturday morning I got up and went up to help at my mom's house.  She wasn't feeling great, and I ended up not being there very long.  It was such a gorgeous day, and I decided to make a quick trip to the cemetery.  I miss them all very much.  That evening we had dinner plans we are best friends, and it's always a fabulously fun evening with them.

Sunday was another absolutely gorgeous weather day.  Catherine had been at our house Friday evening to help with some weeding and other outdoor chores, and Andrew wanted to finish trimming.  I worked in the garages and was able to make a good deal of progress.  Honestly, I was delighted to soak up the gorgeous weekend weather.

Today is the exact opposite of that gorgeous weather, but I don't really mind.  It was a quiet day at school, except for the very wet carlines.  But, it is the only evening I'm home this week, and I'm so very happy to sit in my house and watch the rain fall outside.

Only eleven more days of school this year.  We can do this!

A year of marriage

Today, Thomas and Lyndi are celebrating their first year of marriage.  It's hard to believe it has been a year, and it's crazy to think that we put on a wedding the week prior to my craziest week at school.  Holy moly.

I am so grateful that Thomas found Lyndi, and I'm incredibly grateful that she puts up with him.  They are so, so young, and I worry about that, but they truly do love each other.  Thomas was a bit of a putz in the beginning of their relationship, but I couldn't be happier that these two have found each other.

They took a trip this week to celebrate since they never really had a honeymoon last year.  I hope they have many, many happy years together!

This month took forever

I can't believe today is the last day of April.  Not because the month flew by, but because it feels like it took forever to get here.  I mentioned today to my co-workers that Easter was only 3-1/2 weeks ago, and we all felt that couldn't possibly be right.  I can only hope the summer moves as slowly as April. :)

Tomorrow though, May does finally arrive!  We only have fourteen student days remaining.  That doesn't make me sad at all.  In addition to all of the crap we have dealt with at school, life in the world, and especially our country, feels really, really hard.  Gas this week jumped an entire dollar and is $4.99/gal.  It's almost double what we were paying just six weeks ago.  This comes at a time when Andrew is starting to contemplate retiring from teaching, and when my school's enrollment was already struggling, and these gas prices won't help.  Things feel precarious.

I'm going to try to remember that each day, I "get to."  I get to wake up and spend the day with great kids and co-workers who are literally the best on earth, and then I get to come home and spend an evening in a house I love with my awesome husband and our fabulous pets.  And if I'm really lucky, I might even get to hang out with my kids from time-to-time.  I should wake up each day and be glad for whatever I "get to" do, so that is going to be my goal.   And the first day of May seems like a great day to start.

A beautiful day for my dad's birthday

Today is another year of not being able to celebrate my dad on his birthday.  It's an absolutely gorgeous day.  With a birthday at the end of April, I have so many memories of celebrating dad on perfect weather days.  Dad's birthday on a Sunday is particularly memorable.  As a child, Sundays were the only day might dad might not work.  I miss him more than I can even put into words, but I also know that anyone who has lost a parent understands what I mean.

There was a part of me that really thought Grandma might not wake up today.  It's hard to see her living the way that she is and the way that she never wanted to be.  I really thought maybe it would be too much for her to face another birthday of my Dad without him here, and that she would be ready to go see him.  Grandpa has been gone over 21 years, and I just suspect she is really to see them all again.

Andrew will be home in about an hour.  He and Thomas had a spectacular weekend together, and I know they loved getting to see Andrew's mother.  I know she loved having them.

I'm feeling emotional about a lot of things right now, and I can't help but feel some changes are on the horizon.  I'm working on holding on to a peaceful feeling and for being grateful for the blessings in life.

This is my kind of Saturday morning

This morning is so incredibly peaceful, and so incredibly needed.  As much as I love my husband, and as much as I do miss having my kids around more, this peaceful morning is exactly what I needed.  The three animals are all sound asleep here in the living room with me.  The weather is sunny and cool, and I can have the windows open and listen to the sounds of nature that are all around me.  I have plenty of things I want to get done and I'll get to them later.  There will be baseball on TV and maybe listening to some radio.  But for right now, I'm going to soak up every second of this quiet peace that I can!  And of course it is a Saturday which makes it all even better!

Draft weekend

Andrew and Thomas have been looking forward to this weekend for quite some time.  The draft is in Pittsburgh, and the guys have gone over to partake.  They left last night after Andrew finished parent conferences so they weren't at the first round.  But, they have spent the day in the city today doing draft things, they are at the draft tonight, and they'll be in the city again tomorrow before heading home on Sunday.

Honestly, I've been looking forward to this weekend as well.  Since it isn't fair to the dog to be alone for an entire day, I stay home with Janey.  This means I don't have to leave the house if I don't want to!  I can get the house picked up, and maybe even doing some photo digitizing.  I can also sleep as much as I want!  I'm very excited about a weekend with no obligations...other than making sure Janey gets four walks a day!

Right now we are receiving a soaking rain which makes it even more lovely to just get to hang out at home.  It's bringing a cool front through, and I'm happy that we won't be having more 80's right now.  Have I mentioned our house stinks?  I'm not going to get into it, but we need to be able to leave the house open to air out, so cooler weather is beneficial.  And tomorrow it is supposed to be very cold, and I'm so very excited about that!

We have 18 days of school remaining.  It's hard to fathom that I have to tolerate some of these parents for another 18 schools days.  It's also a little hard to believe that in four weeks it will be Memorial Day weekend.  I am 100% not sad about seeing this school year come to an end.

What a week!

This was a heck of a week.  Andrew regained his voice by the end of the week, so we are grateful for that.  He also had cataract surgery Thursday morning.  We are very grateful that also went well.  He jokes that he will be going back to work tomorrow as a whole new person!  Having some extra time off has helped him to get ahead on the classes he'll be teaching next year, but that is a post of its own.

Thomas also managed to land himself in the hospital Thursday evening.  We aren't entirely certain exactly what happened, but our best guess is that there was a medicine interaction that proved problematic.  His system is just sensitive and fragile.  We left to drive the hour to the hospital and got there at 9:30 Thursday night, then I had to drive the hour home and let the dog out, thinking I'd be going back in the morning, but Thomas ended up being released and I was on my way back up in the middle of the night, so it was 3am before I was in bed.  I went to work later in the day than normal, but needed to make sure I got there because we had to fire a teacher that day.  That was just a really long two days.  Holy moly.

The good news is that Thomas is doing okay, and Andrew and I were able to meet him and Lyndi for dinner this evening.  Yesterday, Andrew and I made a trip to Columbus to visit our friends we hadn't seen since last summer.  It was such a needed visit, although the two hour trip each way was an exhausting drive.

Today before dinner, I spent the day at my mom's working on her house.  It was a actually a little bit fun as we came across some old memories and things we had forgotten about.  Next week Andrew will be gone all weekend, and I'm looking forward to getting some pictures digitized and organized.

I'm exhausted and we are headed into the busiest part of the school year.  But, there are only 23 more school days to go, and then we are going to have a wonderfully carefree summer!

This past week

Andrew's mom went home today.  I miss her already!  I so wished she lived closer, but then if she did she wouldn't need to stay here for long visits, and I love having her.  At the same time, I'm always ready to regain my space after her visit.

Andrew ended up being sick all week.  He has completely lost his voice.  There is absolutely nothing there.  This is day five, and part of him is panicking.  He went back to urgent care, but it seems to still be just a virus.  He feels so much better, but the voice is not returning at all.  As someone who totally relies on his voice for his job, he is growing concerned.  I suspect it he just needs some more time.  

Catherine has also been sick this weekend.  Everyone was going to come over for dinner, but we didn't want her to share her germs, and she didn't need to be exposed to Andrew's germs either.  Thomas and Lyndi did come over and spend the night.  We ordered some food and had a blast (pun!!) watching Artemis splash down.  I love sharing historical events with my kids, and especially Thomas.

We are down to 28 days of school to go.  Can't wait for summer!

Easter 2026

Today was a very nice day, in spite of Andrew being sick.  He started running a fever last night, and felt lousy.  I slept in a different room.  Today he has not had much of a fever, but his throat really hurts and he is achy.  The rapid test came back negative, so they are doing the throat culture but are treating it as just a virus and he'll have to ride it out.

My mom and the kids were here.  Fortunately, we were having a fairly simply meal, so Andrew being unavailable didn't really affect anything.  My cleaning is a different story, but I still got it done.  None of us slept overly well last night, and I suspect it will be an early night tonight.

It's a chilly day, and although cloudy earlier, the sun came out laster in the day.  It feels like the "official" beginning of spring now.  I'm so grateful that our family spent the day together, I'm so grateful I took lots of pictures, and I'm so grateful that the house is mostly cleaned up and put back together!  Tomorrow is another day off as well.  So grateful.

The Easter baskets are ready

Easter is happening here tomorrow.  If I'm totally honest, this holiday has always been a struggle for me.  We never particularly had set traditions as a kid, although as I became a teenager we always spent the holiday with my Dad's side.  Because my family wasn't religious, it was just more of a "whatever" holiday.

When I got married, it generally made more sense to spend the holiday with my in-laws.  After all, they are very religious.  At the same time, there were years when that caused resentment because sometimes I wanted to be with my family, or just not have to travel.  Now, my MIL, whom I adore, comes and spends a week or two with us each year for Easter.  It's still tough to balance my MIL's religious devotion with my mother's anti-religious feelings. 

And now our kids are on their own.  Thomas and Lyndi have her side to visit as well, and Catherine and Zeke just kind of "do" whatever.  I was never good about coloring eggs or doing egg hunts when the kids were little so it's not like we are missing any traditions in that regard, but I do still miss them being little.

Life feels really, really heavy right now, but I'm grateful for a few days of quiet and peace!

Listening to a Cincinnati legend

A couple of weeks ago, that Marty Brennaman, the very long-time announcer of the Cincinnati Reds, was doing a fundraiser and speaking at the high school in the next community over.  I find these kinds of events are normally way over-priced, but this was very reasonable.  Andrew agreed it sounded like fun so I purchased two tickets.  I was sure it would be packed, but there were only about 70 people in attendance.  He talked for nearly an hour and then answered questions for another 30 minutes.  We had such a good time!  He talked about how his favorite team was the 1990 Reds that went wire-to-wire (the first team in MLB history to do so), and he talked about his many, many years announcing with Joe Nuxhall, he talked about the Griffeys, and so many other wonderful things.  In some ways, being that close to him was a life-long dream come true.  I'm so grateful that Andrew is a big baseball fan, and I'm so very glad that he became a Reds fan.  It was such a great evening!

It's time to go back to work again

My week of being sick...I mean, my week off (hmph) has come to an end.  I didn't start functioning until Tuesday, and I didn't actually feel well until Thursday evening.  I'm trying to be grateful that I wasn't supposed to be working while I was so icky, but there is a small part of me that is a little bitter that my week wasn't as productive as I had hoped it would be.  Andrew's mom arrives on Tuesday, so I'll be spending tomorrow evening doing LOTS of housework.

One thing I did manage was to see my grandmother both on Tuesday and again this afternoon.  I'll be honest, it's really awful seeing her this way.  She isn't suffering greatly, but this is never how she would want to be living her life.  This isn't really her.  She will be much happier when she is reunited with my grandfather and my dad.

Only 36 more days of school.  We can do this!

Family FaceTime

For Christmas this year, we gave my MIL a gift card towards an iPad.  The plan was to get it for her before she left, but life ended up being busier than we had anticipated, and we found out things weren't as in stock as we would have liked.  We ended up ordering one and having it shipped to her, but it didn't arrive before Andrew came home.  Last weekend, Thomas and Lyndi went to visit her and they were able to get the iPad all set up for her.  Thomas texted today and wanted to do a family FaceTime with everyone.  Unfortunately, my MIL couldn't get it to work, but the rest of us (including Catherine) joined in.  I hadn't seen Catherine in about six weeks, and it had been three weeks since seeing Thomas and Lyndi.  I loved having the opportunity to see my kids and do a quick check-in.  I appreciate the technology to help keep us close.

The beginning of spring break

I have been on spring break for about 29 hours.  And I've felt lousy for about 26 of them.  Ugh!  I could tell I had some drainage earlier in the week, but as soon as I got home yesterday I had a scratchy throat.  I am fairly certain it has developed into a sinus infection.  Not how I wanted to spend this gorgeous day on the first day of my break.

It is what it is though.  I'm watching basketball, although I don't really care about the games at this point.  Andrew attended a memorial service this afternoon for a colleague's mother, and was able to stop in at the service for my co-worker's mother who was also our neighbor.  This evening he has gone to. Dayton to have dinner with friends.  I'm sure this wasn't exactly the day he had planned either.

Fingers crossed I feel better tomorrow after a good night of sleep!

We made more awesome memories!

This was our "accidental trip" weekend, where I had thrown out a request to hang out in a group chat that included our friend in KC.  We were all checked into our motel in IL by mid-afternoon, and we headed out to begin our fun!  We hit two wineries, a Mexican restaurant, and a wine bar.  This morning we got up and had breakfast before we left.  We are so grateful that Catherine and her boyfriend (we'll call him Zeke) were willing to come and stay with Janey this weekend.  To say that we laughed is an understatement.  We also talked about our summer plans for our trip in July, and after about 15 suggestions and two hours of planning, we decided to stick to our original plan and stay with our friend.

I'm so glad that our friends enjoy these times as much as we do and are willing and able to share these weekends.  It was so wonderful to get away and not worry about being responsible for a bit.  And now, only one week until spring break!

The shutdown started six years ago

Six years ago today is a day I'll never forget.  I spent the day with high school seniors, and even had my own sweet girls in class.  We knew the governor was holding a press conference in the afternoon, and we all strongly suspected that the schools were going to be shut down.  I remember some of the seniors were worried about graduation, and I vividly remember assuring them that this wouldn't impact graduation as it was over two whole months away.  Oh boy, was I ever wrong!

When the announcement was made that evening (also a Thursday), it included the caveat that schools could remain open for the next day and the following Monday in order to get things arranged.  Our school originally planned to be open the next day, but the county health department shut us down because they were already concerned an exposure had occurred.  I remember sitting on the couch that evening, just mindlessly playing games and scrolling on my computer because all of a sudden I literally had just about nothing to do.  There would be no church, no work, no baseball for Andrew...almost nothing to occupy my time.  The beginning is so very vivid.

And there were some really hard times, and I know I'll never completely understand how things impacted my kids, and honestly, most of their generation.  I know the pandemic hastened the decline of my father-in-law, and I regret that family gatherings had to end and were never revived.  At the same time, I loved the amount of time the four of us had together.  Those few months held some fear, but they also held a lot of love and togetherness, and I'll cherish those memories.

Here we are six years later.  So much has changed for our family in the last six years, but I am so grateful for so many of the changes.  I love my job.  My kids are in healthy and loving relationships and living on their own.  I am grateful for the life Andrew and I are living. And this weekend we get to hang out with our good friends.  We are so incredibly blessed!

It's easier when it's such a gorgeous day!

Last night was that annual pain in the rear end when we lose an hour of sleep.  As a kid I always informed everyone that I was going to lose an hour of awake, but now I understand that isn't at all the way it works.

While I appreciate the extra hour of sunshine at the end of the day, the adjustment is so rough.  I have to admit though, that when the day is as gorgeous as it was today, it makes that missing hour of sleep much more tolerable.

I'm also grateful that my school attempts to schedule our work day on the Monday after the time change.  It doesn't always work out, but when it does, it is delightful...and that is the case tomorrow!

Open toe shoe season, an evening of basketball, the best kind of weekend

That is a lot to put in a title!  I guess maybe I need to write more often!

It RAINED this week.  I mean it was crazy.  According to a graphic I saw yesterday, our town was the big "winner" with over 7.5" of rain in three days.  That is CRAZY.   Everything is wet and muddy, needless to say.  But yesterday, it was actually in the 70's, and I laughed as all three of us in admin wore open toe shoes.  The season has arrived!

My aunt and uncle gave us their tickets to the UD basketball game last evening.  We gave up our season tickets when we moved here.  We hadn't been back to the arena in 13 years!  I'll be honest, I don't love the changes that were made, but we enjoyed the game.  Unfortunately, it was a loss.  As we (Andrew) drove home, I watched my alma mater play their final regular season game.  They were playing our arch rival for an UNDEFEATED season.  We were able to watch the second half from home.  The game went into overtime, but the Redhawks are undefeated for the regular season.  Woohoo!!!!

Today was a day where I planned to get a lot done.  We rarely have a weekend ay where we have nowhere to be, and next weekend we will be out of town.  Tomorrow was supposed to be a day where I would spend a few hours up at my Mom's house helping to clean and go through things, just as I've been doing most weekends since August.  However, my sister let me know today that she was going to need to work tomorrow and since Mom had plans later in the day anyway, I don't have to make the trip up!  So I truly, truly, get some time off this weekend and get things done around here.  It's fabulous!  I feel like I'll never be caught up around here, but I'll do the best I can!

We went to see my grandmother

Thomas and Lyndi had mentioned last week that they wanted to see my grandmother, and we all know that sooner is better than later.  My sister had said she had a good day on Friday.  She called yesterday and let us know that she wasn't as good as Friday, although better than earlier in the week.  Thomas brought their wedding album along and showed Grandma pictures.  She really enjoyed that.  Grandma was pleased that she remembered having met Lyndi before, and there were a few other things she was pleased she could recall.  It was a pleasant visit.

Last evening, there was a big part of me that was angry that my grandmother is still alive.  I know that probably sounds terrible, but I know this is not at all how my grandmother ever wanted to live.  She had 90 amazing years, and even the first year or two that she was in assisted living weren't awful.  But especially the last two years have not been the life she ever wanted, and the last two months the decline has been more severe.  The woman I loved and knew is gone, and I'm sad about that.  I miss her.  But it's hard to grieve someone who is still actually here.  I know that Grandma is ready, and I know that she is looking forward to being reunited with Grandpa and my dad, and her siblings, etc.  When she passes, it will not be a tragedy.

I will always be grateful for the time we spent with Grandma.  She was a huge part of my life, and without a doubt one of the strongest people I've ever known.  She's been a huge blessing in my life.

A happy accident

Last weekend, I texted our good friends and asked if they were available the middle of March to have dinner.  It's been since early January that we were able to hang out.  No one responded, and I was just moving on with things.  Last night, our good friend pointed out that our dear friend in KC. MO was part of that group and jokingly suggested we meet in western IL for dinner.  She actually responded that she could do that, and we have three rooms booked for a night in the middle of March for dinner and hanging out on a Saturday night.  It will be about a four hour drive for us.  It will be so great to hang out together, even if only for about 18 hours!  What a blessing, and what an wonderfully happy accident!

I need more daylight and sunshine

We are reaching the time of year where I'm really starting to need more daylight and definitely needing sunshine.  My motivation in the evenings has completely tanked.  I feel like I just come home and do absolutely nothing.  It doesn't help that our work is exploding again.  I'm so tired of parents who are being so incredibly difficult.  They are being completely unreasonable, but our enrollment is down, and we need the students.  I know I'm taking it more personally than I should, because my head just needs a pick-me-up.  In a couple of weeks, our time change will have happened and I'm hoping that helps my mood. 

In 85 days it will be the last day of school.  This year, more than any other, it is much needed!

It's almost jelly bean season

As we are six weeks away from Easter, I have realized that it is almost time for jelly bean season.  Yum!  I love jelly beans.  Totally not healthy, but I love jelly beans!

Another sign that the end of winter is nearing is the fact that the Reds spring training game was on TV yesterday.  I didn't get to watch much, but it was on!  We have already purchased our season package so we'll have access to watch the games.  Yes, spring is just around the corner!

Today was a busy day with lots of family.  I spent most of the day at my mom's as we continue to try to get her house together.  I brought home a bunch of photos from my childhood and can't wait to get them digitized.  Most of them I don't recall seeing before.  It's been fun looking through them.  When I got home, Thomas and Lyndi had come by.  Thomas hadn't met our sweet Janey girl yet, and they were thrilled to meet each other.  Andrew had decided to make meatloaf for dinner and they decided to stay.  It was lovely having them here for a while.  I enjoy being an empty-nester, but I miss my kiddos.

Six days left in February!  It will be a busy week and an incredibly busy weekend next weekend, but then it's March!

This week has felt heavy

Earlier this week, there was a murder in my hometown.  It appeared to be a random home invasion.  To be honest, things seemed odd from the start, and I mentioned to Andrew that I couldn't remember the last time there was a killing in my hometown that didn't involve the deceased knowing their killer.  And sadly, this is no exception.  Her husband has been charged with the murder.  There are now two little girls who have lost both parents.  It is truly tragic.

There is also a local young woman whose story I follow.  She has a chronic autoimmune disease, but has accomplished amazing things, but right now she needs to fight again.  So many prayers for all of these situations.

I've been taking our pup over to our neighbor's house so she can run around her yard.  Our neighbor passed away right after Christmas, and her daughter is my co-worker and friend.  I miss her so much.  I've realized that I haven't allowed myself to be sad because it is really her daughter's grief.  But that doesn't mean I'm not sad about it.  And Lent started this week, which is not meant to be a celebratory time, so there's that.  And if I'm being honest, there are emotions about being empty nesters, somewhat unexpectedly.  But I don't really have time to think about that because Andrew and I are swamped.

Truly things, are fine.  I know that, and as the days get longer it helps to alleviate sadness.  But I have to be honest, things have felt heavy.  It will feel better soon, I'm sure.

Another long weekend comes to an end

Monday evening and time to go back to work tomorrow.  I'm ready.  As longer days come around, it's easier not to feel as though my day is over as soon as I get home.  I might have also counted and realized that we have 60 school days remaining this year. 😁

Our weekend was fun overall.  On Friday, I slept in and spent the day picking up the house.  We had frozen pizza for dinner and watched Olympics.  Andrew had to work most of the day Saturday, and I spent the day working at my mom's house.  My sister and I were able to get some furniture cleaned and moved around.  I also made a visit over to my grandmother.  I'll be honest, it's a little heartbreaking to see her like she is.  She just lies in bed all day.  She doesn't really know what day, or even what month or what season it is.  When they brought dinner, she wasn't sure what meal it was.  Grandma was "with it" for about 92 years, and it's hard to see how much it has changed.  Andrew and I spent the evening with soup for dinner and watching a movie.  Not a very exciting Valentine's Day, but not our least exciting either!

Yesterday was our day to celebrate our love...a combined anniversary and Valentine's day.  I slept in much later than I even thought possible.  We left early afternoon as I wanted to do some antiquing before our incredible dinner.  It was kind of disappointing that only one of the shops we wanted to visit was open, and we had hoped to hit a wine store after, but it closed early.  Our dinner was delicious, but holy moly, the prices!  I'm accustomed to paying for fine dining, but this was a lot more than I expected to pay, and that was before we added the tip.  Yikes!  Andrew had wondered why we don't eat there more often because we love it so much, and I pointed out that would be why!

Today was a productive day of working in the garage and accomplishing a few other things.  Life with children around is certainly uneventful.  I read back over my years of posting and there was often something funny to write about or at least a lot happening, but now it's just about Andrew and I and the boring lives we lead.  That's okay though.  Boring is better than dramatic!

The beginning of our four day weekend

It is always a treat to be at the very beginning of a long weekend!  Woohoo!!

I have to be honest, this has been a heavy week.  I've been incredibly emotional.  I was watching figure skating the other day, and the American man who lost both parents in the big plane crash was skating.  After watching, my emotions were so out of whack and I felt inconsolable.  I recognize I have some grief I've been holding onto.  And the emotions about our world are even heavier.  I've become more involved in our community with serving meals, and Andrew has been at the homeless shelter a few times.  I don't really understand how this is all okay.

And James Van Der Beek passed away yesterday.  I was truly so sad to see that.  He had six young kids, and was so young himself.  Although I was in my 20's when Dawson's Creek was on TV, it was so impactful.  You can't grow up in a small town with the same set of people and not have drama.  That is the way it works.

Andrew is at a meeting this evening and I'm enjoying some quiet.  And I hope to relax and take in every second of this amazing long weekend!

Another wedding anniversary

Today is another wedding anniversary for Andrew and me.  I'm ALWAYS grateful for the man I married and the life we created together, but it is fun to have a day where we can say it over and over again!  Since today is the Super Bowl, we decided we would go out next Sunday.  With Saturday being Valentine's, we decided to try for Sunday since we'll have that Monday off work.  Today consisted of church commitments, watching the Olympics all day, exchanging cards, and then watching the game we absolutely don't care about, but eating fun "game" foods for dinner.

This week's temps might actually be normal, and no school Friday.  It's always awesome to have a four day weekend.  Life feels so very blessed.

Our fourth full day of parenting

Twenty years ago today, I woke up feeling absolutely miserable.  My in-laws were leaving, and since it was Super Bowl weekend (and the Steelers were playing), extending their stay wasn't an option.  As a sports fan, I get it.  I was able to get into the doctor before they left, and he confirmed I was definitely sick.  When I got home, I started my antibiotics, and then I called my mom and told her she was going to need to come down to help with dinner because I was sick and needed to be in bed.  There was no way Andrew could handle dinner by himself when it had taken the four adults in the house to accomplish it up to that point.  My mom agreed to come and help, and I told her to bring Aunt Cathy with her.  Dad was already sick, and I couldn't take the chance to expose him to my germs.  It was bad enough my mom could possibly carry germs home, but we were desperate!  I know that Aunt Cathy was thrilled to come down and be helpful, because that is exactly who she was.  She loved her family deeply, and was especially happy to spend time with the youngest family members.

This is the end of the really crazy beginning, but I'll probably tell several more "Twenty years ago" stories throughout the year.  It's why I was asked to teach at our adoption agency for many years talking about our first year!

Day three of parenting

Twwenty years ago today was our third full day of parenting and it began very early...at 6am when we could hear a child vomiting in the bathroom.  It was Robert.  He said he hadn't felt well and the mentioned he had told us that Nonie's dinner was going to make him sick!  It was awful.  After we got him and things cleaned up, Andrew and I stood in the bathroom clinging to each other and crying, thinking we had ruined our lives.  I know that sounds ridiculous and dramatic, but we were completely exhausted.  When Thomas awoke, it was time to give him the suppository so we could give him his medication.  I opened the fridge, and the suppositories were no where to be found!  It turns out, the way they were wrapped made Robert think they were candy, and he had eaten them.  I had to call the doctor not only to make sure Robert would be okay, but to request that we receive more suppositories.  The doctor wanted to give me a bit of a lecture on medicine safety, but I pointed out that it needed to be refrigerated.  I know the staff was getting a kick out of our story!  Wowzers!

That afternoon we registered our children for school.  Robert was in Kindergarten, and because Catherine had an IEP, she qualified for the public school special needs preschool program.  That evening, my sweet MIL made us another dinner, and they would be leaving in the morning.  Meanwhile, I was starting to feel quite poorly, but day four is tomorrow's story!

The next day of parenting

When we had taken Thomas to the hospital, they had explained to us that he had an upper respiratory infection and and needed to be seen by his primary physician.  Given that we'd been parents for about 12 hours, we didn't have one, and didn't really have the capability of finding one.  Our doctor treated children and we were fine with it.  We weren't entirely certain how we were going to get him to the doctor as the day before it had taken us all day to get the kids dressed, bathed, and fed.  Looking back that wasn't entirely true, as there were grocery trips and naps involved as well.

Since my in-laws had arrived, they were going to keep the older kids while we took Thomas.  Sure enough, an antibiotic was given, and Andrew picked it up at the cute little small-town pharmacy that was two blocks away.  We gave the dose to Thomas, and it immediately all came back up just as his foster mother had warned us would probably happen.  I called the doctor, and he explained that was a "learned" reaction rather than an allergy, and sent us to get another prescription.  Of suppositories.  Oh boy.  That first time it took three of us to get the suppository in.  This was all literally the first 36 hours of parenting!

Things began to settle in the afternoon. My MIL made a roast for dinner and it was nice to have a home cooked meal.  Robert complained and told us that he didn't like the roast and he shouldn't eat it.  That will come into play about 12 hours later, as this story continues into the next day.  The adoption worker came for her first visit, and twenty years ago today we had survived our second full day of parenting.

Always glad when that is over

Today was our annual meeting at the church.  It is always the least favorite Sunday of the entire year for me.  When I first started in this role, there was a couple there who made it their mission to point out any errors that were made or to question just about everything, and it was questioned in a tone that made it feel like we hadn't done our jobs correctly.  There was also to be a new church constitution voted on, and there were some people unhappy about that.  Overall though, it was very positive and I'm pleased with how it went.  I wasn't at all sad when it was postponed from last week due to the snow storm, but I sure am glad to have that finished for another year!

Our first full day of parenting

I am going to share our first full day of parenting.  Andrew and I had finally gone to bed about 2:00am.  Our bodies were still on west coast time!  Thomas was struggling with the asthma a bit, and we knew we needed to check on him every two hours or so.  I finally fell asleep sometime between 2:30 & 3.  I awoke  around 4 to check on Thomas, and knew he needed a nebulizer treatment.  About 1/2 hour later, I woke Andrew because I was pretty sure we needed to take him to the hospital.  Oh boy, here we go!  I called my mom around 5am because we didn't want to wake the other kids.  She needed to shower and dress, and then it was a 45 minute drive to out house.  We were finally on our way out the door at 6:30 and at the hospital by 7.  I was horrified that Robert and Catherine were going to wake up the very first morning with their new parents and we weren't going to be there!

I vividly remember how kind everyone was at the hospital.  We went to the nearest hospital because this did not require a specific children's hospital.  And of course, we pretty much couldn't answer a single question they asked of us because we had only been responsible for parenting him for about 12 hours!   Truly though, they were so kind and helpful, and gratefully, we were back home a little after 9am.  Because the kids were also still on west coast time, they were still asleep when we got home. 

My mom left shortly after the kids awoke, and it was then we realized how many things we didn't have that we needed, including diapers!  I volunteered (or ran out the door, haha) to go to the grocery, leaving my poor, sweet hubby at home with all three kiddos.  The house was a disaster.  The kids had taken every box of toys and toys on the shelves and dumped absolutely everything on to the floor.  Our dear neighbors called and wanted to come over and meet the kids.  At first Andrew refused, but then realized they had raised five children and could probably be helpful!  They came over and kept an eye on the kids while Andrew got some food made, and even cleared a path through our home so we could walk.  

Andrew's parents were scheduled to arrive late afternoon.  Thankfully, they were staying at a bed & breakfast in town and not with us at the house!  They called and mentioned they were stopping to do some shopping, and Andrew begged them not to...we needed help!  I'll never forget them walking in and being so excited to see the kids (Thomas was napping).  Shortly after arrival, they offered to let Andrew and I take a nap.  BEST OFFER EVER!

I remember coming down the stairs after napping and my FIL asking what was for dinner.  My response was to ask what he was going to go get us.  It had taken us all day to get the kids bathed and dressed and eating breakfast and lunch.  I.  Was. Done.  We finally fell into bed that evening, but there was more to come in the next few days!

Twenty years of parenting

Twenty years ago today, Andrew, the kids and I stepped off of a plane in the Dayton airport and began our lives together as a family.  The kids' caseworker and Thomas's foster mother joined us as well.  It was a very long day of flying across the country.  In fact, when we first got on the airport, Thomas was having some breathing issues, and they weren't sure he was going to be allowed to get on the plane.  At the last minute though, they got on, and we all arrived home to friends and family who were waiting at the airport for us.  I'll write about our first week over the next several days.  It's actually a bit of a doozy of a story!

Tomorrow, we are sharing a meal with the kids, my mom (possibly my sister), and our dear friends who shared so much with our since the very beginning and are the kids' godparents.  We've decided this will be the last really big celebration we do.  This date will ALWAYS be a blessing to our family, but my kiddos are living their own lives in their own homes now.

The rest of our lives are moving right along.  Our Thursday and Friday were normal, but Andrew had delays both of those days.  It's been absolutely frigid.  Today Andrew had to work at 8am, and won't be home until about 10.  Tomorrow is our rescheduled annual church meeting, and then our family dinner.  This is the time of year I prefer to just hunker down and hang out at home, but life doesn't work that way.  Regardless, I'm so grateful for this life, especially today!

I had to go back to school

I mentioned to my co-workers today that this weekend felt as though it was our reward for surviving our first semester.  We knew Saturday afternoon that church was going to be canceled for Sunday morning, we knew by Noon on Sunday that we would be home all day Monday, and we knew early afternoon Monday that we would be home Tuesday.  It was an amazingly wonderful gift of time.  On Sunday, I completed my entire puzzle.  It was an easy one, and I loved, loved, loved it.  The entire day was spent watching the snow fall, watching football, and doing the puzzle.  It was a day that was much, much needed.

Monday and Tuesday were spent being much more productive.  Lots of laundry was done and I was able to do some cleaning and get other things done.  At the same time, there was time for reading magazines and catching up on other things.  It was really just such a wonderful few days.

Yesterday, Andrew and I drove out into the country to see how the roads were.  While some streets in town, were fine, most were okay, but the country roads were not.  I wasn't thrilled about having to spend 15 minutes out in morning carline at -9 windchill (even with a 2-hour delay), and with the drifting in the country I really thought closing was the way to go.  It wasn't my decision though, and we were in today while the public schools remained closed.

It's going to remain very, very cold here for at least a week, and we might even get some more snow.  I don't know how it will all play out, but I am so very grateful for the few extra days off, and for the gorgeous scenery it gave it and the ability to relax!

Twenty years ago today I met my children

Twenty years ago today, I met my children.  As I explained recently, my children are an adopted sibling group.  We flew across the country twenty years ago today and were to spend five days getting to know my children and their routines and needs.  My children were adopted out of the foster care system, but were not in the same foster home.  Robert and Catherine were together, and Thomas was in a different home.  When we went to the house where Thomas was living, we had been told he didn't like men.  But as we left that day, Thomas reached out and wanted my husband to hold him.  I think he knew Andrew was his dad.  When we met Catherine and Thomas, Catherine stood at the top of the stairs and I'll never forget seeing this little girl yelling, "Mommy, Daddy" when we walked in the door.  It was an overwhelming few days, but the last two decades have been full of so many blessings!

It wasn't overstated!

This storm has been something!  It started snowing at about 5 or so last evening, and hasn't stopped.  I measured early this morning and we had over 9", then when I measured early this afternoon, it was nearly 11".  It slowed down for a bit, but is really coming down again.  The first school closing was mentioned about 9:40am, then our local public schools closed about 11.  My school closed about 12:30 this afternoon.  Given that temps are going to be in the teens with subzero lows (not to mention wind chills), we aren't terribly optimistic about Tuesday either, and we'll just have to see about anything beyond that.

I was finally able to start a puzzle.  It's a Christmas puzzle, but I don't care.  I've decided it's okay to have a bit of Christmas whenever I want!

It's going to be a monster

We've been waiting for the weekend all week, and it's finally here.  Woohoo!  And what a weekend it is going to be.  We are forecasted to receive a monster of a storm.  Most of the weather stations are calling for 8-12", but an online guy I follow is saying 9-15", and he said he may have to bump up the totals after the model runs tonight.  The temps are already brutal and they are going to become more so.  The university in town has already cancelled classes for Monday.  Churches have started cancelling for Sunday.  It is something!  As a snow lover, I'm pretty excited!

More changes

This weekend, Catherine officially moved in with her boyfriend.  If I am being 100% honest, I don't love cohabitation without an engagement, but I understand times are very different now and this is rather normal.  She went through an official application process and has been added to the lease.  Andrew and I are officially empty-nesters, and not just on certain days of the week!  I'm hoping to rearrange some furniture as well, so there are definitely going to be changes around here.  I'm also hoping that decluttering and pitching things is part of this process.  To be honest, it feels a little bit surreal.

Overall, Andrew and I enjoyed our weekend, but January is a tough month.  The church responsibilities are a little out of control, and there are so many this time of year.

On the upside, today the sun is shining (although it feels like negative temps with the windchills), and overall, I'm thankful for this life I am living!

A Monday at school

Today was a school day.  This isn't really notable, as most Mondays of the year are indeed school days!  In our case though, the last four Mondays we haven't had school.  Our Winter break had three Mondays off, and then the Monday before break was a snow day.  And even six weeks ago, it was a Monday where we were pretty sure we might have a snow day the next day.  I'm able to take some solace in the fact that next Monday is another off day.

Don't get me wrong, I'm very grateful that I'm able to work the schedule that I work and have days off.  I'm also very grateful that the second semester is much less stressful than the first one.  One might ask how I can judge this on only the fourth day of the semester, but by day three of last semester things were brewing, and on day four I spent nearly the entire day in meetings figuring things out.

I also worked on church things this evening, but I'm happy to report after three hours I was able to submit the final info needed before our annual meeting (my least favorite Sunday of the year).  It's nice to have these things handled.  Now maybe I can actually get Christmas put away and my house back together!

Lunch with Grandma

For the fourth year in a row, we brought pizza in for lunch with my grandmother.  This year, my sister asked me to see if my aunt wanted to join us, and she did!  It's really hard to go see Grandma alone, because she just really doesn't understand what is happening around her, she can't really carry on a conversation, and she doesn't have the TV on so it's either a monologue or awkward silence.  I'm sure my aunt appreciated having us all there and not having to make the visit alone.  I'm sure it's also really hard on my aunt to see her mother that way.  And the fact that my uncle is in failing health is also tough for Aunt Connie as well.  It was nice to have the afternoon all together, and my aunt and I had travel time to chat as well.  We are all aware that this is almost certainly Grandma's last birthday lunch, but it was a nice afternoon.

Relaxing on Friday evening

Today was a working Friday.  That is certainly not at all notable, except that the last three Fridays were not working Fridays.  The Friday before that was a 2-hour delay, and six weeks ago was the day after Thanksgiving.  So, in the last six Fridays, I only had to work a full day on ONE of them.

It was a good week at work.  We are starting this semester with great optimism that things will settle.  I'm not at all sad about that!  It would be nice to not feel the stress and emotions that we felt in the first semester.

I'm enjoying this Friday evening of relaxation.  Andrew brought dinner in for us.  One cat is asleep next to me, one cat is asleep next to Andrew, and Janey, our sweet new pup, is also asleep with Andrew.  Janey had quite a day today!  Andrew arrived home to find that she had completely chewed apart the bed that is in her crate.  Oh my, it was quite a sight!  Overall, we are so absolutely thrilled that Janey has joined our lives.  She has a lot of similarities to our precious Abby, but she is her own girl.  She keeps us laughing and brings us a lot of joy!  I've started taking down our Christmas, but it's quite a process.  Tomorrow is lunch to celebrate Grandma's birthday, and then hopefully I'll get some more Christmas put away.  

I'm grateful for this relatively quiet weekend!

My favorite Christmas decorations

As I'm getting ready to put away the Christmas decorations, I find myself thinking about my favorite decorations.  While there are so many that are filled with memories, and there are plenty that are over 40 years old, my favorite decorations are the photos.  I have 16 frames filled with Christmas photos from various years.  Obviously, not every year is represented, but I love not only looking at the memories, but I love the decorative nature of the frames.  I added this year already.  I've actually run out of room on the shelves where I keep them, but I've worked it out to expand a bit.  It makes me so incredibly happy when I get each photo out each year.

I undecorated the trees this evening.  I needed to separate Catherine's ornaments this year.  It seems like our trees might be pretty bare next year!  As I was putting the ornaments into their own bin, I couldn't help but think about how much I'm going to miss them next year.  I thought it wouldn't bother me because we've already had Thomas take his.  But, I realized this evening that some of the memories were still there because seeing Catherine's ornaments would make me think of the memory.  For example, one year, all seven of my grandmother great-grands visited Disney.  She made each of the kids a Disney related ornament that year by making them cross-stitch ornaments.  Those kinds of memories are so dear to my heart.

And speaking of my grandmother, today she turns 95.  My sister saw her today and said she is definitely fading cognitively.  My mom, sister, aunt and I are going to see her Saturday and bring in lunch.  I am nearly certain this will be her final birthday.  I am so, so grateful to have had her in my life for so long, but I know this is not how she wants to be living.

An entire week into 2026...time is still flying!

This break is officially over

Even though none of us had students yet, we've all been back to work.  I'm grateful I took the morning off and allowed myself to ease back into things, although the last several days I've been working hard.  I'm responsible for compiling, editing, saving, and sending the narrative progress reports that we do twice a year, and it keeps me plenty busy.

This break felt much busier than I would prefer.  The days leading up to Christmas involved trips to help my mom and days picking up our house here, and of course getting ready for Christmas itself.  I'm a little embarrassed by our bedroom as that just kind of became where I decided to throw things.  Thomas stayed over Christmas night and was here all day the next day until we went north for a family wedding gathering.

On Saturday the 27th, our dear friends son got married.  There were only 12 of us present, including the bride and groom.  It was important to them that we be there, and it was such an absolute honor to know they consider us family just as we do.  We were gone literally all day, but again, it was such an honor.

After that, things began to settle down, but I had done no work on the reports at all.  I'm grateful I have those things to do because if I didn't, I wouldn't be getting a paycheck this week.  At the same time, I'm a little sad that I didn't get an opportunity to do a Christmas puzzle.  I don't think I'll let that stop me though...it just extends the holiday!

This week is busy, but tomorrow is already Wednesday.  I get to go and finalize the adoption of our sweet pup, Jane, and she has been the best thing to happen to us in a long time.  2026...here we go!

These last six weeks

Six weeks ago, it was the Sunday beginning our Thanksgiving break.  Andrew arrived home with his mother, and we were kicking off the beginning of the holiday joy.  There are only two of the last six Mondays where I had to work the next day, and on one of those, I was pretty sure it would only be one day before a snow day (I was right).  In the last six weeks, we have had 12 school days.  That feels pretty darn good.

We still have tomorrow off, but then Tuesday we go back to work and the students will arrive on Wednesday.  There is no snow in sight, so it will be all in.  To be honest, I'm not terribly sad to be going back to work.  I love my job (but I'm just NOT a morning person...and ironically I have the earliest report time at the office), and of course I need a paycheck.  I think what I'm most sad about is that the holidays are coming to an end.  It truly is the most wonderful time of the year!  My MIL wasn't here as much as she has been in past years, and at age 86, we can't ever be certain that next year she'll be here.  I loved having all the kids here.  Catherine has let us know that next year, her boyfriend's family is planning a week-long trip.  And of course, it is nearly certain that this was my Grandmother's last Christmas.  Oh, the memories of Christmas with her are so treasured, but I suspect she will love Christmas in Heaven next year with her parents, all her siblings, and of course Grandpa and my dad.

Life is good.  I do not fail to see that.  I love my job, and I am grateful for it, but there is a big part of me that still wishes it was six years ago.  I would love to get to do the holidays all over again.  I am so grateful for the time we had together and the memories we made!

The first day of 2026

As I've written many times before, January 1 is often my favorite day of the year.  And this year is no exception!  We've been watching the College Football Playoffs, (after the Buckeyes awful loss, we are now Hoosier fans).  Andrew and I have both been doing a lot of school work today, but we haven't left our home...just the way I like it!  In fact, I informed Andrew this morning that I wouldn't be getting out of my pajamas, although in my defense I actually put on clean pajamas this morning.  I gave myself a new set for Christmas, and they are incredibly comfortable.  I also put on my comfy Christmas socks for the last time this season.  It's been a great day.

NYE was spent at our good friends' house last night, and it was especially fun to share it with other friends and even some of the kids.  There were twelve of us together at Midnight, and we left shortly after.  I told Andrew that I know I'm getting old because although I love our friends and I especially had fun watching the game, I'm to the point that I almost prefer to stay home and just hang out ourselves on NYE.

Our sweet new pup, Jane, has been so much fun today.  After insisting it would NOT happen, she slept in our bed last night.  Beagles are just absolutely the best!  She and the cats are coming to an understanding.  There are so many little traits that remind us of our dear Abby but she looks different than Abby and I'm glad about that.  I'm so, so glad that she has come into our lives.

This break had a lot of crazy, but I'm so grateful for the last few days.  It's very nice to end the old year and start the new one with a sense of peace!