Thankful Thursday: A Pandemic Year

So, it's been just over a year since we started our pandemic journey. It seems like a good day for taking stock a bit. I know that it's been a rough year for so many. I know that I'm incredibly blessed. I know that my boys might not agree with me on some of my points, and I definitely wish they could get back some of the experiences they've missed out on. But. I'm focusing on the positives. So here are some of the things about the past year that I'm thankful for... :)

Time together. Selfishly, I'm thankful to have had this extra time with my teenagers before they eventually leave home. I know that they'd rather be out with friends and exploring the world and stretching their wings, and I honestly wish they could have had that experience this past year. Since that wasn't possible, though, I'm choosing to be thankful for the extra time together. We've had some great movie and show marathons, played lots of new and old games, and even managed a short getaway together at the end of the summer. 

Less laundry. Practically speaking, gotta be thankful for fewer loads of laundry. ;) Without as many places to go (and without as many practices and such), we had less laundry. 

Delivery, pickup and take out options. I know some of these existed before Covid, but I'm so thankful for the updated and expanded delivery, pickup and take out options for food and groceries and such. I wish these had been available when my boys were babies and toddlers...plus, hey, drinks to go! I sincerely hope this isn't something that disappears after Covid.

Ability to schedule things specifically. As an introvert and someone way into organization and planning, I love the ability/requirement to schedule things. I like having a plan and a timeline. 

Personal space. Okay, yeah, I like personal space. Socially requested distance isn't altogether bad in my book. 

Stuff getting used up at home. Especially in those early months when some things were hard to find in stores, we did a good job of using up stockpiles of supplies at home. It was strangely rewarding.

Opportunity to prioritize. The abundant time at home prompted and encouraged plenty of thinking, especially about priorities (in many different areas). I appreciated having the time to actually stop and think for awhile and the chance to really examine what's important to me.

Reminder to support local. Alongside the thinking about priorities, I appreciated the reminder to support local businesses. I've been trying to do a much better job of that. (Don't look at my Amazon order history, though, okay? lol)

Less spent on clothes, hair, fast food, etc. Even with the Amazon orders and supporting local businesses, we definitely spent less on incidentals. Chalk that up to thinking about priorities, I guess. :) Also, it's harder to impulse shop when you're not wandering around inside the stores. Relatedly, thankful that my hair grows quickly and is healthy. I haven't had a hair cut or color in about 14 months now. My white hairs are definitely showing through. I find that I'm liking them. :)

Push to tackle home projects. We got off to a slow start but I'm actually pretty proud of the home projects we tackled throughout this past year. We've built a big ol' climbing wall, cleaned and sorted the kitchen cabinets, converted all of our print photographs to digital (thousands of 'em), replaced our water heater, pruned our trees, sorted and sold a LOT of legos, took loads of things to the local landfill and recycling centers, redid our basement to improve Nathan's office area and the workout area, finally labeled our mysterious circuit breaker box, and replaced our radon mitigation fan.

Getting through the year without anyone getting sick. We're generally pretty healthy in the first place, fortunately. With the societal distancing and hand washing and all, we've been blessed to all have made it through the year without even a cold. It's been a nice perk. 

Eating dinner earlier. With Nathan not taking the bus to and from Boulder for work, we didn't have to rely on the bus schedule and have been able to eat dinner earlier than we had been before Covid. That's been lovely. 

Opportunity for boys to practice more time management skills. Obviously I wish that boys could have had full in-person class experiences this past year. I'm choosing to be thankful, though, that at least mine were somewhat more prepared for the switch to remote...having experience with online classes and with managing their own schedules and time. I'm also thankful for the way all three boys' classes turned out; there have been both synchronous and asynchronous aspects which has allowed for more flexibility and encouraged taking responsibility for their time. 

Squirrel friends. Since watching that fateful video about a backyard squirrel obstacle course last fall, our backyard squirrels have become our friends and we continue to enjoy watching them. We worried a bit about them in the recent snowstorm even though they stocked up in the days beforehand. We were surprised to see Mia actually during the storm...

Yup, she braved the snow to dig around and find the walnuts still there. Without all the extra time from the Covid shut/slowdowns, we might not have stumbled across the video and/or decided to befriend our squirrels, so I'm thankful.

I'm sure there are more things I'm forgetting just now. :)

Honestly, I really am thankful for so much this past year. I'm sad for the things my boys missed, particularly Asher's end of high school experience...of course. But. I'm also proud of how much we did accomplish...adulting lessons over the summer, getting Asher's wisdom teeth extracted, watching Micah earn his 2nd degree black belt, seeing Micah finish drivers ed and get his permit, helping Asher negotiate multiple cancellations to finally get ACT and SAT scores needed for scholarships, getting Noah moved into his first apartment, visiting colleges with Asher and getting through the applications process, participating in Bouldering League with Micah, watching Micah compete with his climbing team in a bouldering competition in the fall and more. All of these things were different than they would have been without Covid, but we did them. 

And, today, as I look back at the past year, that's what I'm thankful for.

Our Weekend

So. It's been a full weekend. :) 

On Saturday...

• I worked out while visiting with Lynne on the phone...(yeah, okay, it's mostly visiting but we *do* exercise also, lol)
• made a smoothie for Micah's breakfast and got Nathan up...
• sent the two of them out the door for Micah's new job...(Micah hustled his friends and got a couple of them to get him a job where they work...so it's just him and a handful of friends doing manual labor type warehouse stuff part-time. It's great because he did it all on his own, after being discouraged by the lack of places hiring 15 year olds other than fast food and grocery stores. And we wouldn't let him work at either of those situations given Covid and his immune system issues.)...
• attended a virtual housing showcase for UNO, gathering more information about Asher's living situation next school year...(actually got a lot of good info and feel better for it!...will finalize a number of things soon)...
• finally got Micah's new prescription sorted out and officially ordered...(only took (since Wednesday) 11 phone calls, 134 minutes of talking on the phone--which I hate, and 8 messages back and forth to the doctor...whew...but it should be here tomorrow (or likely Tuesday depending on the weather, lol))...
• picked up Micah's local prescriptions for continuing the previous treatment plan...
• Nathan picked up Micah and the grocery orders as the snow was beginning to fall but hadn't started sticking yet...
• and that was all before lunch. Whew.

After lunch, we vegged and watched shows together and Micah took a nap... 

(Usually we let him sleep in considerably on Saturdays after his injection on Friday nights, because it knocks him out. His new job, though, is weekend mornings. He's pretty motivated to make it work but was wiped yesterday afternoon.)

And then today we woke up to at least a foot of snow. Micah got the word that he shouldn't come to work today, as did most people. Which made sense because driving would have been tricky and everyone was being advised to stay home if at all possible since we're under a blizzard warning until midnight. So we went back to sleep for a bit, having lost that hour thanks to daylight savings anyhow. 

Nathan and I eventually got up and headed outside to shovel and knock snow off of trees (to keep the branches from breaking under the weight of the heavy wet snow). 

Our patio heater got blown over. We're not sure of the damage yet but are thankful that seems to be the extent of things so far.

Despite the giant piles of snow, we had a nice time actually. One wonderful neighbor brought his snowblower over and handled most of the heavy work, and we got to chat with a number of neighbors. One of the families has adorable little boys who totally reminded us of when ours were little and happy to play in the snow...

These were taken in the big snowstorm of March 2003...our first winter in Colorado. I think we had more than two feet of snow and were literally stuck at home, as we couldn't dig out the van. (Incidentally, thankful for having a garage!)

And this one was taken in November of 2004 (our first winter in this house). We made a giant snow train out front. :) Happy memories.

Anyhow. Since then, we've been inside catching up on chores...with boys enjoying the start of spring break. We've also been back outside to shovel again since the snow's just been falling all day. Will probably need to go out at least once more tonight.

Oh, and it just happens to be the anniversary of the day Nathan and I met! Twenty nine years ago this guy walked into my life and I'm so very thankful he did. 

And that's what's been going on here. Hope you're all staying warm and had a lovely weekend! 

Thankful Thursday

Still here. :) Quick little list of things I'm thankful for today...

1. Outdoor lunch with Deanna. Last weekend, the weather was so lovely! Deanna and I decided to meet at Otto Pint and enjoy the sunshine at one of their outdoor tables. The food and drink were fabulous, and the time together to catch up was much needed.

(Isn't my drink fun?! It's a Stem Ciders Hibiscus Session fruit cider and it was great. Full disclosure, this was not my first drink. Also, I walked there and home again, so it was fine, lol.)

2. Monthly flowers. I'm still enjoying my birthday gift from John & Nancy...flowers each month. This month's bouquet...

It's so fun to have this little bit of beauty every month!

3. Children's Hospital. Though obviously I'd prefer not to have to make trips to Denver to visit Children's, I'm thankful it's there and appreciate the specialists we're able to see. Made the trip on Tuesday to follow up on the treatment plan we started in December. Three months in and we weren't seeing the effects hoped for. (Micah's still having mornings where he's coming down the stairs on his butt because walking hurts. Obviously, that's not what we want.) Long story short...we're going to try a new med. He'll stay on his current plan so that they overlap some, as the new med also won't really kick in for 6-12 weeks. We so appreciate his doctor, who took the time to fully explain different choices and the pros and cons of everything. In the end, Micah chose the route that means he'll no longer need to give himself injections. Fingers crossed!

This is Nathan and Micah on our walk back to the van. I'm also thankful that Nathan is able to make the time to go with us to these appointments. Mostly, he goes because there's a lot of information shared and it's easier to not have to try to repeat it when we get home. Also, though, it means I don't have to drive in Denver traffic, and I appreciate that. :) 

(Sidenote: I'm also thankful for insurance. I've spent much time on the phone since Tuesday with our pharmacy and the specialty pharmacy that we need to go through instead and the pharmaceutical company that provides a co-pay assistance card for their med, knowing that it's too expensive otherwise. Ugh. One month's supply retails at over $7000! I don't have a final number yet (insert diatribe about paperwork and our healthcare and insurance system here) but we're hopeful that it'll actually be less than $100/month. Oy.)

4. Fire tables. When we finally made it home after that, we decided to go out for dinner, which I don't think we've done in over a year. (We've gotten plenty of take out, but almost always take it to eat elsewhere.) Having experienced the lovely outdoor tables at Otto Pint with Deanna recently, I made a quick reservation at Otto Pint for the four of us and we ate at one of their outdoor fire tables. 

It was definitely cooler than when I was there with Deanna, but we stayed warm enough and enjoyed our private little outside dinner...complete with a hot chocolate and rum drink for me. :)

5. Squirrel early warning systems. You've probably heard that we're due for a big winter storm this weekend here. If there was any doubt, our squirrel friends have confirmed that something's definitely coming. They've been stockpiling lately...coming and grabbing walnuts and scampering off with them multiple times. Usually they just come, hang out, get some walnuts and eat right there. We've refilled that squirrel head feeder multiple times a day (definitely more than usual).

This is Hamilton stuffing multiple walnuts into his mouth to hoard somewhere, lol. Thankful for our little early warning system, even though it means we miss talking with them while they eat lately. :)

Okay, that's my list for today. Hope your March is off to a good start and that you stay warm wherever you are this weekend!

Four on Friday

Sorry...I know I haven't posted lately. February always feels fairly hermit-y to me, lol. It's a quiet month with not much happening usually. Hence, I haven't had too much to write about and have taken almost no photos. Here, though, is some of what's been going on here...

1. Asher chose a college! So, Asher's decided he'll be attending the University of Nebraska at Omaha this fall...which is crazy because I swear he looked like this just yesterday... 

Yeah, okay, this picture was taken in September of 2008. But it *feels* like yesterday. Sigh. In any case, it's nice to have the decision made and to start making plans...though right now feels more about just finishing out this atypical senior year, lol. Along with all that, he's been taking care of all the various paperwork...applying for scholarships, housing, honors programs, graduation and the like. Whew. 

2. We've been watching Survivor. Once upon a time...years ago...we used to watch Survivor. At some point, I can't remember exactly when, we had to stop watching all reality tv shows. I'd guess Micah was around 5-ish. He became so invested in the contestants that it became impossible to watch shows with him if his favorites were voted off. So we stopped. ;) Earlier this month, on a whim, I saw that Netflix had a couple of old seasons of Survivor and started watching one. I lured everyone else into joining me, lol. Since then, we finished that one season, realized that Hulu had a lot more past seasons, watched one of those seasons, and are now watching another. Don't get me wrong. I fully recognize that it's not quality tv or anything, lol. But I'm having a great time watching with my guys. It's so entertaining to debate and discuss, and I enjoy spending the time together. 

3. Micah finished his last on-street driving session. Last week, Micah had his third and final on-street driving session with MasterDrive to officially complete drivers ed. Now we just have to finish out the required driving hours and year and take the driving test, and he'll be able to get his license in August. He can't wait. :) (And, yes, we're well aware that we may not see much of him once he can drive himself. It'll be an adjustment for sure, especially since that will coincide with Asher leaving for college.)

4. Meanwhile. Other things going on here...

• The treatment plan we started for Micah back in December doesn't seem to be working. So, it's back down to Children's in a week or so. Will update when we know more.
• Noah's doing fine...still enjoying apartment life but carrying a bit more of a courseload this semester and dealing with applying for summer internships recently.
• We had to replace our radon mitigation fan. (It was way past due and making weird noises. Fortunately, it was a pretty easy fix and provided another opportunity to sort out our mystery circuit breaker box even further, lol.)
• I've been reading up on estate planning and such lately, trying to get our ducks in a row while I have the time to think about that right now (and also realizing that our boys are entering a new stage and that our current wills don't address that).
• I've been trying to eat more vegetables. It's going just okay. ;)

So. That's what's what here. March will probably be more fun and less hermit-y. :)

Thankful Thursday

Happy Thursday, y'all! Hope you're staying warm wherever you are! :) 

Today's Thankful Thursday is also a Throwback Thursday. Thankful today for all the trips we've taken with boys! I've been sorting through old photos lately and have been enjoying the little bit of time travel they create. Here are pictures of each boy when he was seven...

Noah in July 2008, on one of our first vacations that didn't involve visiting family...we stayed down in Colorado Springs for days and saw Garden of the Gods, Seven Falls, Cave of the Winds, Peterson Air Force Base & Museum and the North Pole, among other things. I think it was one of the first times boys stayed in a hotel. 

Asher in March 2010 (also look here), at Legoland in California...we road tripped it to the Pacific and enjoyed time at Legoland, SeaWorld, the USS Midway, many museums, the ocean, and so much more.

And Micah in May 2013, during our east coast road trip...where we hit the Smithsonian, the Outer Banks, Busch Gardens, Yorktown, Biltmore, and heaps of other things.

Weren't they all adorable when they were seven? And I realized, too, that when Noah was 17, we went to Europe. And when Asher was 17, we went to Belize. I don't know yet what we'll do when Micah's 17...but just contemplating it is great fun.

And, yes, because I'm me, I do have a list of the many trips we've taken, lol. So incredibly thankful we've been able to see as much of the world as we have and that we've been able to share that with our boys.