Life is up and down and sideways. 

It is January, and we just heard thunder. Warm enough to day for me to walk the dog (Yes, we are down to one dog - one passed away just before Thanksgiving) in a Tshirt. 

My kids are doing okay, working, looking for a job, finishing college, and all the things that go with that. I miss them terribly, and wish I was closer to them. 

I was looking at my blog roll - and realized one blog will never be updated again. A blogger I followed passed away this past year from cancer. Other blogs are still there, but some aren't for other reasons. I miss the blog community - I think FB changed it so much. 

I have more to say, but it's getting later and I'm sleepy....so my New Years resolution is to write more often on this blog and on my faith formation one. We will see, however! 

Happy New Year!

Umm...Hi?

 When you forget you actually have a blog....

So much has happened in two years. I live in a new place, and life is totally different. Empty nesters, down to just one dog (one died just before Thanksgiving...at 230am, in front of me and my husband) and trying to figure out what might come next. 

Do we stay here? Do we move closer to the kids? 

There are no yarn stores here closer than a half hour of driving 70mph. This is an issue. 

I plan to update more frequently, but time to go make dinner. 

Ending, beginning, all of it

Ending, beginning, all of it
First of all, I'm so thankful. I have a safe home, I have family, I have a job. I have health insurance and supportive people around me.

I also have eyes. And I see that people around me are struggling so hard with all of this. And a heart. I see that people around me are hurting, and scared, and lonely. And that people are dying and sometimes the only reason they are dying is because someone else was selfish. And I have a brain, that knows we are in a trying time with a terribly trying government.

And then I found out that someone who was a great friend in high school and even in college has maybe had a stroke. And I had lost touch with him and didn't even know. That makes me sad.

On a home note, we made it through finals, and house prep and the house goes on the market on Friday. We are moving to a smaller town in another state. I'll miss South Carolina. But I think this is a good move for both of us.

I also am reminded that I HATE putting a house on the market. I think we need a new real estate trend - not "dorm room" but less than "showroom". Something along the lines of clean but normal.  I mean, does anyone keep their counters TOTALLY empty all the time? How the hell do you get anything DONE?
The dogs are already so over this whole process, it's pretty funny.

Interesting Times

So...we live in interesting times, to say the least. It hasn't even been 6 months since the world saw the emergence of the COVID 19 virus, and yet life is now terribly and terrifyingly different than it was even 2 months ago.
2 months ago, I was at a conference in Atlanta, sharing space with LOTS OF PEOPLE and having an amazing time.
1 month ago, I was back from a trip to our soon to be new area and thinking about mortgages and offers and all that.
Then it all changed. Now I leave the house only a few times for a very specific and isolated purpose, and never to a store. DH has taken over that part. I do my ministry virtually and by phone, I video chat with friends and try to keep the peace with 2 college age kids, a husband, and 2 dogs who are just really ready for this to be done.
I have found, however, that listening to daily prayer podcasts are a blessing. I try to listen to morning prayer and compline each day. I'm trying to do yoga each day.
I also spend a lot of time playing words with friends and solitare on my phone. And thinking "I should really get something done". Reader, she doesn't.
This is hard, but I can do hard things. I just don't want to somedays.
Today our plan is to work on the house, doing the things we can do. Outside contractors will have to wait. But the sun is shining, I am blessed to be able to withstand this time in all the ways, and I can pray and help in other ways for those who cannot. For those who will not, I pray even harder.

Also, I packed up almost all of my knitting before all of this hit. So it's in a POD somewhere in our soon to be new place. Really? Timing is everything.

Well good gravy

I am the worlds worst blogger.
Still working. Still enjoy my job, although there are stressors at play right now that make it more stressful than before. Trying to keep your eyes on a future goal to make present hassles worth it is a lot easier to do for 8 months than it is for 2 years or more.
Oldest is now graduating from college. That's fun, and he's off to seminary in the fall, which is awesome.
Middle has had a rough college year. We pulled him from his residential college after the 1st semester and he is attending community college. I still agonize over if that was the right decision. But while academically he was fine, emotionally he was a wreck in seriously unhealthy ways.
Youngest still needs to finish Eagle project. Plus get some get up and go.
I've started knitting again, which is good.
I also managed to lower my Cholesterol by 30 points in 6 months and raise my good Cholesterol numbers. Yea me!
I'm also starting that phase of life where grouchiness is a mainstay. I've never suffered fools well, and I do so even less well now.
Maybe i'll get back into this whole posting thing....

Heh. Look. Over a year. I kinda forgot about the whole blog thing because of the whole new job thing. Which is wonderful, and amazing, but keeps me very, very, busy.
It's for a good sized church in a affluent community. Lots of kids (that's my job) to wrangle - Sunday School, choir, Bible studies and so much more. I've been here a year now and I really do love it.
The oldest is in his second year of college. Loves it for the most part. He's an RA. Doesn't love that so much.
Middle is doing well, junior in high school. Still loves art. Thinking of majoring in English.
Youngest is still playing flute. Doing marching band. Which I love that he loves, because it drives me bat crazy. Boy scouts...eagle project time approaches.
Husband still at same job, but not enjoying it as much.
Dogs still dogs.
More later...but not a whole year later, I hope.

Pops head up, says hello!

Life has been hectic this summer. Oldest graduated (goes to college on Friday) and wrecked my car a few days post graduation. He was fine, car was totalled. So new car - actually truck- for husband and I took the smaller car. It makes sense because I drive the furthest to work, and it gets WAY better gas mileage, but we needed something to pull the boat!

Youngest did Boy Scout Camp, middle did drama camps, I worked. DH worked in June. No idea where in the world July went.

Now, it's back to school for everyone. Well, not me, but everyone else. I never stopped working so there's no re-starting. In fact I worked more this summer than I had planned on. Ugh.

I did get to go to a wonderful children's ministry conference - it was held here, which was awesome, and I learned so much.

We just got back from a quick trip to see the inlaws, it was fun, but I'm worn out.

I promise to be better about posting, if anyone still cares :)