New Year's Eve 2021 Style

 Well, just like the rest of this year, my plans and my reality didn't quite match up. 

As soon as Mike and David decided to go up to Indiana to help his mom out with her mastectomy this week due to her husband being in a nursing home/memory care facility, I asked Juan to not make any overnight plans with friends for the three weeks they'd be gone. He and I would find something fun to do together for New Year's Eve, especially. I had considered flying up to Indiana at least for a week, but then decided against it because I'd be flying there and back alone. Juan's new job does not give him vacation time yet. My mother-in-law has another surgery on the 11th, so Mike and David won't come home until after that. So I agreed to teach Inter-session at school starting on January 3rd and make some extra money doing that instead. 

Then out of the blue we found out that my father-in-law was on 100% oxygen and was not expected to make it through the night. He thankfully did make it through that night to give his wife time to get permission (COVID restrictions) to see him before he passed away the next night. 

Well, Mike and David already had tickets to fly up three days later, so Juan and I got tickets to fly up a week later (tomorrow) for the funeral. Which meant I had to tell my principal I would need a sub for the first two days of inter-session before I would make it back. I felt bad because I had agreed to teach 5th grade bilingual, which isn't easy to find coverage for, especially when everybody is on vacation. They are kids I already taught both in Pre-K and in 2nd grade, so I was really looking forward to it. Then I spent the beginning of this week preparing for a last minute trip up North into the frigid cold. I also had to take a day to go in to the school to leave plans and make copies for a sub to cover those two days of inter-session. Juan gave me a gift card to Chili's for Christmas, so I was going to use it to treat us to a nice dinner together this evening before heading to bed early so we could leave for the airport at 3:30 am. 

Juan told me on Monday night that he had a strange cough, so I sat at the opposite end of the table from him at dinner just in case it might be something contagious. He came home Tuesday night and texted me, saying, "Mom, I think we might have a problem." He was running a fever, had a headache, body aches, and felt really weak.

He got tested the next morning, and they said he'd get results sent in 24-36 hours. We hoped for the 24. He quarantined in his room since he came home from work on Tuesday, and I just deliver his meals and meds to his door and text him to tell him they're there. He sadly did test positive, so we had to cancel our flights and will not be able to attend the funeral. Nor will we even get to celebrate New Year's together this evening. I'm out in the living room, and he's in his bedroom. 

So guess what? I ordered Chili's to go and delivered it to his door, along with a New Year's hat. And I just made a cheesecake to have something to celebrate with at 12:00. No twelve grapes (a Colombian tradition), no card games, and no special drink. Me in the living room. Him in his bedroom. And Mike and David in Indiana an hour ahead of us. 

I couldn't have made this year up if I even tried. From start to finish. Oh, my. 2021--you have definitely been a memorable year.

Thankfully, Juan is feeling much better today than earlier in the week. He's staying plenty hydrated and checking his oxygen faithfully every few hours. Holding steady. 

Since I'm spending New Year's Eve alone with peaceful music in the background, I can't think of a better time to enjoy my new book that I ordered myself with my Christmas money. :) 

                                                                    See you next year!

21 Blessings from 2021

Well, I tried to put these in the opposite order, but this is the order the pics keep showing up. So here are my twenty-one blessings from 2021, in no particular order of importance.

1. Getting to see both of my brothers at the same time. First family pic in a long, long, long time.

2. Celebrating both of my parents' 75th birthdays. 

3. My beautiful handcrafted fake fireplace/cat cage/coffee table  that Mike made for me (aka--piece of furniture that brings me peace)--I had it outside and just recently brought it inside. I let the fireplace run all day, and it brings me such peace to just sit and watch it "burn".

4. Two Colombian friends that surprised me with a bag of treats straight from Colombia, within about a week of each other!

From a coworker who had family visiting from Colombia.

From a friend visiting from Colombia in another state

5. Family dinners for birthdays. 

With four very busy adults, it sure was hard to find time for us all to have coordinating schedules this last year. 

6. Boots and Spazzie. Gotta love them. 

7. Priceless pictures of Mike's family. 

A trip that almost didn't happen. 

No one had any idea how little time remained.  

So incredibly thankful we made it in time.

8. Time with the Alspaugh cousins.

9. Watching my mother-in-law just radiate as she walked through breast cancer, chemo, and also cared for and honored her husband at the same time as his dementia progressed so rapidly. 

She taught me the value of being comfortable in your own skin. Even with all the pretty hats and head coverings, she was just fine without them or her hair. 

10. Summer morning bike rides. 

They helped me get healthy after a very difficult semester post-COVID. 

Literally just what the doctor ordered. 

11. Church with both my boys. Doesn't happen much anymore with all of our different schedules, but I cherish it when it does. I love that they both love going to church. 

12. A church that focuses SO much on fighting for a godly marriage. This picture was from a church-wide marriage night. 

13. An in-depth study of Psalm 23 that really deepened my relationship and trust in God. 

It stuck with me all year and is my go-to passage for prayer now. 

14. The opportunity for both my boys to study at DBU. 

David lives in a section of a house on campus that he shares with six other guys. He absolutely loves the community in his house. 

15. Sweet notes from previous students that survived and actually thrived during the 2020/21 school year nightmare.

16. My walking shoes. They've walked a lot of miles with me this year. Whenever weather or daylight permit, I walk a mile before work every morning and sometimes another mile when I get home. Perfect way to collect my thoughts and talk to God--and keep my blood pressure down and gain the energy I need for the day. I can tell a big difference on the days I don't walk or ride my bike.

17. Front Porch Bible Study. Those five ladies (three not pictured) have become my strongest prayer warriors, as we all continue to rally around each other in prayer in each of our times of need. 

18. LOTS of fun crafts to do with my mom. Our personalities can be quite different at times, so having something to do and create has given us a happy medium to connect in an authentic and memorable way.  

19. Summer dates. It was a short, packed summer, 

but we found time to enjoy a few extra daytime dates. 

20. Hanging out with my boys.

21. Great friends who send you just what you need when you need it. 

Little did she know how bummed I was driving home in the pouring down rain on my birthday, knowing I'd be eating dinner all alone because everyone was working. 

I have been lost in thought quite a bit in the last 9 days of this year, still in shock that my husband and son are in Indiana preparing for my father-in-law's funeral on Monday. 2021 started unexpectedly hard and ended just as unexpectedly hard. But seeing someone's life come to an end so quickly really makes you think about our purpose in this world and how we spend the days given to us. Hard or not, every day is a day to be thankful to be alive. Every day holds blessing if we're willing to look for it. Every day holds purpose.

 

The years I became a Mom

I've been thinking a lot about my boys' particular ages right now. It's definitely an awkward stage of parenting, fully realizing that they are both adults now, wanting to make their own decisions. I did a little too much for Juan as he entered his twenties, which kinda backfired on me because he didn't then take responsibility for the choices I helped him make. This last year he's really taken the initiative to make his own decisions, many of which I never would have guided him to do, but I've noticed a much, much happier and fulfilled young man.

David has always been pretty independent, so he keeps me and my advice at an arm's length most of the time. I'll admit, though he's made his fair share of mistakes, he's learning from them, and he's a much more well-rounded person than I was at his age.  So I back off and just have to trust that he's figuring out his own way and style. Sometimes he opens up and talks about life, but sometimes he just doesn't. I miss the deep conversations we used to have when he lived at home, but I also respect his need to learn on his own because I'm exactly the same. 

David is 20 years old now. When I was his age, I embarked on the most life-changing adventure of my life to study abroad in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Though I didn't even know it (and wouldn't know it for another ten years), my motherhood journey began during that adventure. Juan was born in Colombia a month before I came back home. God used that whole experience to prepare me to meet him ten years later and then become his second mom five years after that. 

Juan is 24 years old now. When I was his age, I carried and gave birth to David. Truly the most life-changing moment of my life. I can't look at either of them as children in any way. They both are going through so much life change right now figuring out who they are,  and they obviously need my encouragement and respect more than my guidance.  

Both my children were born at the current age of their brother, and that's just mind-boggling to realize the young men they have become. No wonder I feel a bit lost these days. We've entered the pre-empty nest season and really don't have much longer for both of them to still call our home their home.

Seventy-five years young

 

Happy 75th birthday to my mom!

I'm so proud of my dad for arranging a very memorable day for her. He made her steak out on the grill, and then he invited his kids and grandkids over, specifically asking each one to bring a card and write three ways she has been a blessing to us. He handed each card to her one at a time and had her read them aloud. She teared up with each one she read.

Then he gave her a pure gold necklace, telling her that SHE is gold. He read her several more affirmations of her that he personally sees, and honored her in such a beautiful way. 

I think God wanted to honor her today, too, by letting her rose bushes bloom even at the end of December. 

For my dad's 75th birthday, I made him 75 mini-muffins out of my special banana bread recipe. So for my mom's 75th, I gave her a bag of 75 specialty chocolates. (And some books, some tea, some lavender chamomile spray for her pillow, and a laminated copy of 75 Biblical declarations to read over herself.)

After watching several close friends and now my own mother-in-law lose a spouse or a parent over the last year, I consider myself blessed to be able to celebrate both my parents' 75th birthdays this year. It's been a hard year for a lot of reasons, but this milestone birthday is a pretty good reason to celebrate. 

Christmas morning reflections 2021

I sit here early Christmas morning as the rest of the house sleeps. Just me, my cats, my coffee, and God. Trying to soak in a few moments of peace before making my family a nice Christmas brunch to enjoy together. Because in just a few hours, we'll head to the airport to drop Mike and David off for a flight to Indiana, where they'll stay for the next three weeks. As soon as they come back, David heads straight back to DBU, so I'm trying to savor every moment we are all together. 

Their suitcases are packed and waiting by the door, reminding me to just be present in the moment while they're still here. 

In keeping with tradition, we celebrated the holiday on Christmas Eve. Mike worked all day, and when he requested a special coffee drink from a nearby coffee joint, David and I took advantage of the near 80 degree temps to go for a long walk to get our iced coffees and take one to Mike. I couldn't ask for a better way to spend the last day with David during the break. Just walking together and talking, sipping on our drinks. 

We started the evening before with a small celebration/gift exchange with my parents. I wish we could have done more, but our reality with Mike's family didn't leave us much time. Juan and I will be back to celebrate my mom's birthday with my family tomorrow, though.

We gave them a date in a bag, with gift cards to a coffee shop, a bookstore, and lunch out. We also got them a cute little table, and a dog treat gun for Lulu. They gave us each cash to have a little fun with. 

David's contribution was to put the table together for them.

Last night we all went to the Christmas Eve candlelight service together, got pizza on our way home, and then opened our gifts together. I really enjoyed seeing everyone's thoughtfulness in our gift choices for each other.

Me trying out the new hat that David got for Mike. As you will see, I'm not in the rest of the pictures because Mike hasn't sent them to me yet. So here's the one selfie I got. 

A beard kit from Juan

Juan's initials with Marvel characters from David

Cereal from Juan

A sign I got for Mike. David liked it so much that he got himself one, too. It's basically the tailgate to his truck.

A tube of Adidas socks. :)

The boots David took me shopping for. I love the boots, but I think I loved the shopping trip with David more.

Nice winter sweatshirt for David that will come in handy in Indiana over the next few weeks.

Shirts from my brother, Jonathan, from his company, Kloppmann Architects

Real egg nog

A card from friends with some spending money inside

More Adidas socks

Cool lights for Juan's car

A Cowboy's sweatshirt for Juan, too

A model truck with some cash taped to the side from Juan

A few new t-shirts

A model to put together, along with some cash taped to the side

A new cool family game, along the lines of Scattergories, but with the opposite goal. Instead of one letter and lots of categories, it's one category with all the letters of the alphabet. 

A drink wrapped up. They had to try it before unwrapping it and guess what it was. 

A cool shirt from our very patriotic son, David

A card with his main gift, finding out he will inherit a toolbox from his grandfather.

A card with Juan's main gift, $ to buy some wall decorations he's been wanting.

And me? David got me two pair of boots since they were buy one pair, get a pair free the day we went shopping. Juan got me a Cowboy's jersey, and Mike got me a bunch of fuzzy socks, as he's done for the last 27 Christmases we've spent together. He also ordered me a portable blender I asked for, but they ran out and refunded the money. So I guess he's on the lookout for a different gift. Juan also got me some candles and a gift card to Chili's, which we might just use over the next week. 

Boots and Spazzie got new treats and a treat launcher, but the treat launcher scared Spazzie, so she stayed clear of all pictures. 

Well, Mike is up, so I better get busy on my brunch preparations! 

Merry Christmas!