Teri Parris Ford's Blog

Mother's Day

This was my first Mother's Day without my mom. Erika was so sweet and called ahead of time to ask about my day and if we could have brunch together. I got up early and made quiche and the two of us enjoyed some time in the sunshine chatting with Balt. It made my day. Of my three daughters, Erika is most like my mom. She's more like my mom than I am, in her disposition, physically, in her sensitivities. Because Erika lived with my mom at the end of her life, she knows my mom, in some ways more than me. While it's kind of nice to be off the hook for Mother's day gifting, I miss my mom on a daily basis, thinking about her, wanting to talk with her. 

Monika called but had to work most of the day (Sunday is her busy day) and Jessi sent me flowers-- red roses but she ordered lilies for me. Jim offered to take us out but between the busy brunch time and COVID concerns, it was just easier for me to make quiche with some of my CSA veggies. I went to a late afternoon hot yoga class and then went for an early evening walk with Jim. It was a wonderful day.

It’s Called Languishing

The New York Times had an article a couple of weeks ago I read that I connected with. As we emerge from the pandemic, I keep thinking I need to be doing more. Jim and I discussed the article at length. He feels it too but fights for well being and productivity way more than I do. He has a method of managing his time. He spends an hour doing whatever it is he's doing-- so an hour walking (or two), an hour grading, exercising, reading etcetra, and then keeps track of all of his hours. According to the article, finding "flow" is way out. I find flow when I'm painting, working on a project, prepping for classes. I'm currently just waiting for the school year to end, holding off on starting anything new to do, but it won't be long, I think, and I'll be back in the thick of it. I've got a  list of things to work on... I just have to motivate myself to jump in:

• start doing hot yoga 2-3x weekly
• CSA starts 5/8>> start eating all vegan again
• Pool opens 5/29 >> start swimming
• Flooring: rip out all carpet and re-do stairs
• Redo tile in bathrooms
• Animation Curriculum for 2021-22 classes

Hello HEAT!

We welcomed May with a couple of 80 degree days, making for an amazing weekend. Then to top off my wonderful weekend, the yoga studio opened with both vaccine only maskless and masked hot yoga classes. I took the vaccine only one on Saturday and the regular one on Sunday. I wasn't sure how hot yoga would work with a mask but it wasn't so bad. We did not deep breathing exercises though. I stank pretty badly after the first one. Sweating out those toxins isn't pretty. 

Jim had an army weekend in Ft. Macoy and was gone so I did a lot of cleaning, organizing and watched several seasons of Girls on HBO aside from doing yoga. Erika came by today to hang out a bit and grab a few items I wanted to toss out. She misses the animals and likes to spend time with them while we catch up on news. She's got a nice rhythm to her life with work which seems very stress-free.  She mentioned not having anyone to hang out with mid-week when she has time off and I told her Monika would be back next fall and would probably be more available than me. Hopefully I'll have more time once school gets out for summer. It is so nice to see her looking so good and so happy.

Students are in the room!

This past week seniors and freshman began to enter in my classroom for the first time since March 2020. On Tuesday I had my editors-in-chiefs in to finish up the yearbook. It made the work so much more fun and celebratory. I have to admit this year's yearbook, while more difficult in some aspects, this book has been one of my the least stressful books in part because of my student's leadership and work ethic. Every year I have amazingly talented students but this year I feel like just had more. Oh, sure they still have senioritis and they procrastinated a ton but not as much as years past ironically. With the book done, I was able to make appointments I had been putting off (massage, hair, nails, etc) and I've had way more down time at home.

Any time there's a lot of down time on my schedule, I always feel pressure to start a big project, as if any down time is wasted time. I've been wanting to redo my floors upstairs but it's a really big project, so I'm putting it off until summer and letting myself relax. I'm eager to start going back to the yoga studio in May and swimming at the pool! As this pandemic starts to wane, going back to normal is starting to look like a reality! Jim and I are eager to add travel into our plans soon. Next week I'll add juniors and sophomores to the mix of kids it the classroom. I'm hoping by next year, I'll be only teaching kids in the room again.

Walking Uphill

This next week students are coming back into the class. Now that I'm vaccinated, I'm not too concerned about the health issues. There are a lot of stressed out teachers for various reasons. My stress is not really work related anymore. My yearbook and newspaper kids have been so good at getting the work done that I've had it made on that front. I have some students failing my classes that I need to get up to passing and do some prep but it doesn't stress me out, it's just work that needs to be done. What stresses me most about life is my health. I've started meditating daily to help. I use a "waking up" app that helps guide me. I exercise almost daily but I'm not sure it's intense enough to count. While I've heard most Americans have put on a few pounds over COVID lock downs, I think I have a few factors at play.

The added sedentary lifestyle that virtual teaching has turned into meant less steps taken every day and boy did that add up. Not being able to get into a studio to do hot yoga also meant a lot less time paying attention to my body, stretching and meditating. I often got to yoga classes early or left late so that I had that mindful time in my day. And then there is aging. I am now several years post-menopausal and that has slowed and sagged things. I'm on some new meds this week and trying to eat even less. I'm guessing by the time I'm 80, I won't be able to eat  hardly anything! Jim came back from his army training with a cold. With both of us vaccinated, I wasn't too concerned about getting him tested since things seemed pretty mild (he had soar throat, congestion and cough). While I did not get sick, I was pretty tired from what I think was just fighting it off!? I used to think of aging as a hill with middle age being at the top and then it's all down hill from there but NO! Aging is a valley. We start our youth on a mountain top and middle age is a valley. The end of our lives are all up hill and the journey is tiring!

56!

Today Jim turned 56. That's means I'm turning 56 in 5 months. We had a family text chain discussing if 56 means Jim is a "senior" and no longer middle aged. 50's are the new 40's was mentioned along with 30 is the new 20 which I know Erika is feeling having turned 30 last year and just now starting to enjoy independent adult life. Since she is the only daughter living in Madison, she came by to help Jim and I celebrated Jim's day. He'd been gone all week with Army work in Missouri as it was his spring break. It has always been frustrating to me that the two of us never have spring break at the same time.

To make the day more special, I made a homemade chocolate cake and lasagna with garlic bread for his birthday lunch. I used new recipes from my New York Times app. The lasagna called for red wine in the sauce which seeped into the noodles, making for a very different lasagna experience. The cake was extremely disappointing. The recipe called for buttermilk and butter which I decided to splurge on instead of doing a vegan cake. The cake was so dry that luckily I had purchased some ice cream to go with it and that made it edible. After each of us had a slice, the rest was tossed out. Erika suggested soaking it milk, but neither Jim or I wanted those extra calories in the house. I'm already eager for the next birthday cake I can make since this one did not quench the craving. We all watched an old 20/20 murder mystery show which is Jim's favorite lately. 

April Flowers

I came home from Virginia to find my daffodils blooming. Every year I plant a bag of bulbs for my birthday just for this. It is so exciting to see them around the yard. The weather has been balmy and wonderful since I got home but I haven't have much time to really enjoy it. While I have tried to get out and walk everday, I have so much work right now. Since returning I've had to catch up on prep, grading and getting caught up. My list of things to do is long but I know it will wind down once the yearbook is done and the kids are back in the classroom. I got my numbers today and at most I will have 9 students in a class, a few only have 4 kids coming back. Students will only be in my class in person once a week with a once a week virtual visit, while other students will stay on all virtual. 

Today I got my oil changed in the Yukon and I was congratulated for having an old car with such high miles (185K) in such good shape! It was kind of nice. No need to be looking for a new car anytime soon. 

Changing Weather

A big storm rolled in last night. I knew that cold weather was rolling in, so I made sure to get out to the beach for a long walk to get my last dose of the beach. I am leaving on Saturday morning before the sun comes up, so I will miss the next warm up on Easter Sunday. Luckily it should be fairly warm in Madison for Easter.

I finished re-painting Jessi's stairs. She had put on decorative decals onto the white paint but after time, they bubbled up. Once removed the paint pulled off and I could see that it had been painted on top of varnish. Stripping the paint was not easy. I ended up sanding it down with an electric sander to get it cleared out. I painted 3 coats and still some of the wood varnish would show through. I wanted to restain the steps and put a poly coat on them but Jessi didn't want that. She was fine with the way it was and why do the work not wanted.

My spring break started officially yesterday since I had a big yearbook deadline on Tuesday that I had to attend to. I am enjoying staying away for all things work. I decided to start a meditation program for the week. I have been working out in the morning but would like to add a more meditative component. I have really been missing hot yoga, which was very meditative for me in the past. At home when I do yoga, I am always get distracted, so rarely finishing an online class. Anyway, I've studied mindfulness but wanted to work on focus.

Working Out

I am officially on vacation finally. I still have a big yearbook deadline on Tuesday but my students got most everything done yesterday. I am so proud of them. I will meet with my editors in chief to make sure the pages are good to go and will transmit them then but until then I don't have a lot to do for work. I have tons to do for Jessi though! 

On Friday we walked the beach to celebrate. Her housemate and her boyfriend came with. The weather was perfect after a long day of classes (Wednesdays and Fridays are my long days). Saturday we started the day going grocery shopping at the commissary on the base which is cheaper and I wanted a new NAVY sweatshirt to replace an old tattered one I bought when she at USNA. We mowed the lawn, planted some flowers went to the beach but didn't stay long because it was too windy and I made tacos for dinner. I also worked on removing some paint with stripper on her stairs which has not been easy. I think I'm going to run to Home Depot today to get an electric sander and try that. 

Note: Jessi and her housemate (Megan) have been really enjoying the home gym I got them for the garage (see below).

Being Handy

Jessi claims she is not very handy so when I come to visit, she wants to get lots of projects done because I'm handy. I grew up seeing my dad fix everything all the time knowing being handy could be easy but was witness to plenty of times of frustration. I see Jessi trying to be handy. So far I have fixed and painted her front door, installed a new thermostat, started stripping paint from her stairs, measured her kitchen cabinets to order new doors, cleaned out her garage and organized a shed. 

Today after going out to breakfast, she power-washed her whole house while I was teaching online. She was not able to get to the second floor, but overall her house looks great. After I was done teaching I spread weed & seed all over her lawn before it started raining. Jessi had a training to go to, so I watched tv and hung out with her housemate (a very nice 2017 grad from USNA who was a diver on the team). 

Road Trip

There was no school on Friday-- just PD meetings all morning and planning time in the afternoon. I made all of my meetings on zoom while driving to Virginia. It was smooth sailing for a 16 hour drive. I've been wanting to visit for months and I'm thrilled to finally be able to visit with Jessi for 2 weeks. I still have work to do, so I made sure to bring all of my art supplies, my cameras, extra rosters and two laptops. I worked last May from here so I know it's doable. I ordered higher internet speeds for Jessi last May and I know she never bothered to lower it afterword. She has a new housemate and has lots of new projects for me to help her with so things are a bit different.

 

Today started off cold, colder here than in Madison but I know it will warm up later in the week. We had a relaxing morning but got to work in the afternoon, cleaning out the garage and setting up storage in Jessi's shed. We made extra room in the garage for a workout area for Jessi with weights, a slam ball, rope and weights. It's pretty cool! I'll be honest, this was a project I wanted mostly so I would have a place to workout while visiting!

3 out 5!

Monika was at a drug store yesterday in Michigan when she was asked if she'd like a vaccine as they had extra at the end of clinic they had run. She called me to ask if she should do it and I told her, YES! She ended up with the Pfizer one, so now the three of us each have had a different one. She called me this morning to tell me she had a very sore arm today. I noticed that my left arm seemed red with a mild rash this morning when I got out of the shower but I'm not sure if is vaccine connected. Other than that, I don't think I've had any side effects. Erika was able to get a vaccine months ago, when they first came out as a senior care worker but she claims she's been too busy and wasn't eager, wanting to hold out to see how others faired. She came by on Sunday to visit and said she was ready to get one, but knowing her it will take her another month to do it. Jessi wants one, but has to wait until the Navy gives it to her. 

I have begun packing for my spring break trip. I'm leaving Friday and staying 2 weeks with Jessi. I'm so excited. Jim decided to stay home to take care of cats and enjoy the quiet. Jessi is going to keep me busy with projects and I'll still need to work for the first week I'm there. 

Two Appointments!

On March 1st, the first day teachers could get a vaccine, I started checking into Walgreens to get an appointment and got one for today. I also signed up for the lottery with county which I heard would not start accepting teachers until mid March since they were so backlogged. But I am guessing since Wisconsin got the J&J vaccine, they moved up the teacher lottery and I got an invite for an appoint for next Tuesday, so I gave Jim my Walgreens appointment. I went with him just in case. They did need to check with management but since we share an insurance card, they seemed to be okay with the switch! So Jim has the first shot of Moderna vaccine! I am so excited we are getting closer to being able to travel again!!

I did some cleaning, washed the car, gave Balt a bath, vacuumed, made apple spice bread, worked on scanning old negatives, and watched a season of The Middle. It was a pretty nice Saturday!

March! March!

I got a love hate thing with the month of March. It's a tease with warming temps and glipses of spring. This month I have a vaccine to look forward to-- in Wisconsin teachers are on the list for who's next. Eager teachers got their appointments early (end of February) in order to be among the first at Walgreens, but those teachers will need the second dose during spring break. I'm planning to be out of town that week, so I'm kind of hoping to hold out for the J&J one that is only one dose. We'll see. Public health here is back logged and still playing catch up with front line workers. I've seen posts from teachers driving all over the state to get their Walgreens vaccine. I'm eager, but not that eager.

Last weekend I made a challah bread loaf (not vegan but used vegan butter on it when I toasted it). I've been trying to get back to at least vegetarianism, if not vegan most days. 2 weeks ago I got inviciline retainers put in to straighten up my old lady teeth and that has been somewhat painful. I was hoping the process would help me lose weight since I can't eat with them on and my teeth hurt when I take them off. In 3 months I'll show off my before and after pics but I don't think I'll end up losing much weight after all.

YogaFest Weekend

Monika had been working months for the Yoga Fest event this weekend. I wanted to support her as much as possible to I participated in a few events. I made sure to check in as soon as it started on Friday afternoon so I can see her welcome. She also had a welcome on Saturday morning (pictured here). Later in the day she moderated a Q & A with Naren (an ordained Hindu priest). Jim and I made sure to check in to that special zoom call. She asked really great questions, and we were both proud of her efforts. Erika is teaching a class later today that I am planning to participate in as well. I think at some point in the future Monika and Erika could organize a special yoga event together with all the experience they both have. 

I spent my Saturday doing very little. I did vacuum (filled and emptied my can 3 times!) and started laundry.  Jim and I watched some Netflix and a movie on Hulu. Today is supposed to get warmer (30), so I may go outside to knock down the big icicles but if I just wait a week or so, they may just melt on their own. My progress report grades are due tomorrow at noon, so I spent my morning catching up on grades. My schedule is a bit easier (only 3 preps instead of 4 from last semester) but between yearbook deadlines, materials distribution, budget issues, and prep to be observed, I'm still feeling maxed out. Add on top of it all the discussion of students coming back to the classroom and preparation for that, it occassionally feels crazy. Luckily, it doesn't feel crazy often.

Happy Valentine's

The past few February's I have tried to take a trip. Last year Jim and I went to Minneapolis, the year before that I went to El Paso. When the girls were in college I would go visit them Annapolis or LA (or both!). Of course there is no going anywhere this month and it's killing me. I am contemplating sneaking away to visit Jessi at the end of the month since we will be back in the classroom. Do I wait for the vaccine? or do I risk it!!? Oh, why is this so hard? I'm going stir crazy. The whole month has been crazy cold. Today we had a high of negative something with wind chills making it even colder. The animals are all going nuts too. They keep wanting outside and then coming right back in. In and out. I have to take Balt out for quick short walks. 

Yesterday I went to the grocery store and stopped by to get Jim new slippers for Valentine's. I also got him a bunch of stuff he put on the grocery list, so added it to my gifting pile. The flowers were from me to him to give to me. I ordered vegan gluten free sugar cookies from a favorite bakery and we went out this morning for coffee (to go) and picked up the cookies. I made Indian food for lunch (lentils, spiced rice, and Trader Joe's samosas with onions and cucumbers). We enjoyed our cookies for dessert. I made it as fun as I could given it may have been the coldest Valentine's Day in history. 

Meetings and more meetings...

The superintendent of MMSD announced this morning that we will begin a phased return to in-person instruction, starting with Kindergarten students on March 9th, while other grade levels will transition back to in-person learning on a weekly basis. There was no mention of teachers being vaccinated first. Wisconsin is behind in the vaccine process. Teachers are supposed to be in the next group; "1b" that initially was to start this month but now we are being told maybe in March. In general, teachers in Madison are not happy about this announcement, some threatening to go on strike before returning. I am not sure how I feel honestly. I've been teaching from school already, and I am eager to get back to a sense of normalcy but getting kids back to school will not make the world normal. 

This evening and all day tomorrow I have parent teacher conferences for struggling students. There are a lot of strugglers out there. There has always been kids who struggle, but without being able to meet with them after class, after school, during lunch or to pull them aside during class to help them one on one, it has been difficult to connect with kids. I had a conference today with a student who shared she is often confused and did not know how to get help which is frustrating. I feel like I do so much to make sure they know how to get help. It's been struggle for many. I think we are in for many years of struggle. Opening up the schools is not going to fix things... it may make things more complicated. We'll see.

Frigid February

It's so cold, there's not a lot to do other than work and clean house. I got a new vacuum cleaner at Costco the other day the lady behind the counter called me a "Costco Queen" noticing that I had a reward that was big enough to pay for my membership. It made my day but no one else seemed to appreciate it. My mom would have and that made me miss her. 

I've included my example of the first big digital art project example here. Kids are starting to work on theirs and I'm excited to see their projects. On Thursday we had a snow day and I was able to work on my painting example. I am enjoying my classes  and my schedule. I think I would have loved it a lot more had we been in school for real. School officials are getting things prepped for students to return. I'm not sure how that will all play out. It's all so uncertain and no one has any answers when I ask. I can't imagine any big changes any time soon. In Wisconsin teachers are up for vaccines in the next round which hopefully will happen in the next few weeks but in our district, high school teachers are lowest on the list of priority. I am hoping to get it before spring break so I can go visit Jessi.

Jim was in Indiana for an army training all last week. He stayed at a hotel and went out to eat, so even though he was wearing a mask and with army folks who wore masks, they ate together without masks. I'm crossing my fingers he didn't bring COVID home. 

The End of January 2021

2021 started with tons with hope and optimism but the month has dragged on with most of what was wrong in 2020 still plaguing the world-- well, at least we have a new president. I should not complain. The rush and crazy business to finish one semester and start a new one is just about done. I still have a hand full of students in each of my classes that have not connected but most have already turned in my first assignments (I try to start easy). We had what would have been a snow day under normal circumstances-- school facilities were closed last Tuesday. I did virtual school at home and it was awkward since all my work was in my classroom. Luckily enough was online to do my classes. Last night we had another snow dump on top of the storm from earlier this week, so snow banks are getting high! I've already gotten my workout in for today with a couple of shoveling sessions.

 As we move to February, it's Monika's birthday month and Valentine's. I sent her an early gift since her old iPhone 6 was glitching. I sent her the new 12 mini which made her very happy. I put boxes together this weekend with Valentine's treats Jim and I purchased this week. I have tried to plan trips out west every February for the last few years but I'm thinking until I get the vaccine I won't be traveling. The plan for our school district is start vaccinating in February BUT high school teachers are last on the priority list. So I am crossing my fingers I'll get it before spring break so I can go visit Jessi-- I can't wait to walk on a beach. Shoot, I can't wait to go pretty much anywhere!  Jim has an army trip to Indiana this week which has me concerned with that crazy variant spreading but he's promised to start wearing two masks. 

 

New Classes!

Today is the first day of the new semester. I love second semester as it always goes a bit faster and the slippery slope to summer is kind of exciting. I have two brand new classes (to me) this semester. Painting 1 used to be Painting & Printmaking but had to change to streamline to a district description (all four high schools now have to teach the same art classes).  Josh took the class over so I'm just using his curriculum. I am also using his curriculum for Digital Art 1 which was his class but he could not teach them all this year. It is quite nice to have a good foundation to start with but I still have to make the curriculum mine, by doing the projects for presentations and demos. The first project in painting is a color wheel in acrylic and in digital art it's a reproduction of a picture or painting with personal photo inserted. Josh made himself as Adam in Michelangelo's Sistine Chapel's ceiling painting with god as an example (it's a bit audacious). I've decided to put face into Albrect Durer's self portrait. I'll post the finished project later.

Jim's new classes started last week. So we've both been crazy busy with prep. We switch our diet to a keto one, with the hope to lose a few pounds. Being vegan made me feel better, "cleaner" but I was not able to lose weight. Jim is still going out to walk, but once it gets below freezing, I'm out... or actually staying in. I finally cleaned off my treadmill and started walking at night in the basement!

Side note: my mom and dad's house has officially changed ownership and my connection to the Santa Clarita Valley is now history. Luckily I have a couple of friends who still live there. Jim's parent's home has to go thru probate but his siblings are taking care of business, so I don't see us having to go back there. It is a relief, but still makes me sad to see that connection to California gone. 

Relieved

I don't even know what to write anymore... I'm not sure who my audience is. I think I'm just letting future Teri know what was going on with past Teri. I watched the news all morning while working. I cried when VP Harris was sworn in and just felt relief when Biden finally became president. I've come a long way in the past 10 years politically but the past 4 really pushed me way left. Anyway, I am hoping things kind of go back to normal politically. Someone asked what I was looking forward to; I wrote, "I look forward a lot less political drama! I am SOO excited about having a female VP (finally and a woman of color at that!!) It is so inspirational. I am also looking forward to my taxes going back to "normal" (I took a huge hit on my taxes from that last "cut" since I am not a business owner)." I wanted to add that getting marijuana legalized would be great too, but I refrained.

So both Jim and I are just working a lot. Both of us have new classes starting this semester. I have painting 1 for the first time (a while back I used to teach painting and printmaking, now it's just painting).I am also teaching digital art 1 for the first time ever. I am using Josh's curriculum for both classes, so I'm not too concerned but I do have to go in and make his projects mine. I also have to get kits together for passing out next week. I stayed at school getting started (12 kits done, 38 more to do). This morning I created a workbook for digital art. I'm on my computer almost all day, so I need to make sure to stand up hourly. 

What's going on?

It dawned on me last night It almost been two weeks since my last entry. My goal was to get a weekly post in just for posterity. It is a nice place holder for my happenings. Most of my happenings haven't been anything I'm wanting to share too openly about-- female issues (cystoceles), weight gain, a sprained ankle from a fall just to get started. I'm starting to feel like I'm falling a part and not being able to go to a hot yoga class is making things worse. I am doing yoga at home, but I really miss the heat, and I'll be honest I get so distracted. I miss swimming and having time in the morning to take a long walk with sunshine (the sun doesn't rise until after 7am). I'm back at work and keeping pretty busy there. I can keep working all day into the evening but often stop myself so I can go home and put my feet up. 

It is just Jim and I at home now. We are finally fully empty nested (although Monika will be back next year, so it's not so permanent). He's busier than I am with work and army. I try to keep things clean and am working on getting rid of stuff (a little bit every week). I'm already eagerly awaiting spring and it's not even half way thru January. It's going to be a long winter since we can't really get out much. I'm almost out of my cord of wood. I've never run out before but since I'm home so much and keep the fires going so many days, I won't have enough for the full winter. I've had to start to ration.

Hello 2021!! I'm glad you're here!

I ended the year early. Jim and I went to bed around 9pm so we could get a fresh start to the new year early. I did a 5pm yoga class with Monika on zoom that was really wonderful. I rolled out my mat next to the fireplace with xmas tree behind me, Monika was in Michigan and we did a yoga class with one of my favorite teachers who sent out special invites. Earlier Jim and I had gone to Trader Joe's for a holiday fun "tapas" type of lunch, which is something we like to do to on special occassions (esp when we are out of town). He went for a fridgid snow walk, that I just couldn't join him in but once he returned I had the fire going (after my yoga class) and we enjoyed Martinelli's, vegan sugar cookies and a documentary.

I made sure to start the morning with a good workout after watching some news. Every year I have the same goal to lose the same 10 to 20 pounds. This is the year, I think Jim and I will finally buy a house. I am hoping to get some traveling in in 2021-- a trip to Michigan and Virginia are musts. It may take a few years before we will get out internationally? We'll see. On my goal list for 2021>> new floors upstairs, clean out all of my personal art from the school, and purge junk from the garage & basement.

Merry Christmas

We had a very mellow but happy Christmas. With only Monika home for the holiday, there wasn't as much activity in the morning, but I still made cinnamon rolls only they were vegan. I heard from Jessi that Cody made her cinnamon rolls that were amazing. She facetimed us early in the morning while Cody was making them. I'm glad there is someone else that can take over that tradition in the future! Erika and Kelly came over for a late brunch (tofu scramble, potatoes and vegan sausage with vegan tamales). We all watched the new Wonder Woman movie on HBOMAX except Jim who went for a fridgid walk (it was like 5 degrees!). I finished the evening in bed earlly finishing up the Last Dance on Netflix. I  have come to realize that I really enjoy sports documentaries although I'm not really into sports! 

Finally!

Today was the first day, I have nothing to do and no where to go! I'm finally feeling like it's vacation time! Monika is here and we are planning to make tamales today. I spent a full day at work yesterday but got everything I needed to done! I'm feeling very free. I'll have some prep to do before we get back but first I need time off so I'm refraining for a week. 

I'm missing Jessi but she has Cody with her in Virginia and Erika has a lot of work but is coming over tonight to do yoga with us.  We'll order Chinese for Xmas eve and have tamales on Xmas with cinnamon rolls in the morning-- lots of traditions!

Winter Break kick off

I kicked off my winter vacation with a colonoscopy. I had a 2:45 appointment on Friday, so I missed my 7th hour class but I was able to make all of my other classes. I had to run away quick during my yearbook class but I left my editors in charge. This was my 2nd colonoscopy, so the process was familiar and a lot less problematic as I spent most of the week eating lightly in preparation. 3 years ago they had found a large polyp, which was removed. My doctor informed me that no new polyps grew back nor were any others found. So I now I don't need another one for 5 years. I celebrated with chicken wings for dinner. My veganism has been put on the back burner almost weekly now!

I am trying not to do too much work but I have a yearbook deadline on Tuesday with a meeting with my editors. I also have a meeting with a photo student as well who would like to go over all of his work. I have prep to do for the week I return, but plenty of time to do it it. I've done some holiday baking, cleaning and a bit of shopping. Once Monika comes home, it will feel more like the holidays!

Christmas Card 2020; the extended version

This year's card has no fancy greeting, no "happy holidays" as I just wasn't feeling it but still there is joy and I am blessed. I certainly did not want to presume that everyone I would send a card to had things as well as my family. I tried to keep things pretty matter of fact... it's just a list of what happened without much commentary on the card. I decided to include a bit more commentary on my blog version!

2020 started with Teri & Jim in Berlin, Germany celebrating the New Year together. Jim had planned the trip months in advanced, and it may have been one of the best christmas gifts I ever got. While in Berlin, we watched a lot of international news and an interesting story about a bunch of sick people in China came up. I even said something to Jim about it because he was teaching a class on plagues that semester!

Jessi purchased her first home in Virginia in January where she is stationed as a helicopter pilot. It is 1/2 mile away from the beach and only a couple of miles from the base she has to work at. It's an older home that was flipped, so lots of new paint but lots of projects to work on as well. I went to stay with her in May to help with her yard work. 

Since mid-March, Jim & Teri have both been teaching virtually in Wisconsin. Jim moved out of his place in Rochester to save money. We had planned to buy Jim a home in Rochester over the summer but everything was put on hold indefinitely. He has no idea when he will need to be back in Rochester to teach in person.

Monika got a job in April as an online content manager at Song of the Morning Yoga Retreat Center in northern Michigan. This was the place she had an internship a couple of summers ago. They offered her a job in part because of the pandemic, knowing everything would go on line. She is not only in charge of their social media content but she is having to create a lot of videos, photos and graphics. She has learned how to do live streaming on Youtube, make an online store and help with fundraising. It has been an amazing opportunity for her.

Both Teri & Jim spent the summer in California with their moms, spending a week camping on the beach at Emma Wood in Ventura. Both lost their mothers within weeks of each other at the end of the summer. Jim's mother passed first, in mid August and my mom left over Labor Day weekend. While we both spent much of the summer sorting and cleaning and basically preparing for their passing, it was still a very somber time that we are still dealing with. While I miss my mother dearly, I am relieved her struggle with cancer is over.

After spending a year taking care of her grandmother, Erika has decided to care for the elderly professionally. Erika moved back to Wisconsin in August, changed her career, and purchased her first home, a condo in Fitchburg. It has been an exciting time for her to find a life calling and a renewed excitement in her career. She loves to tell me about her clients and how she does yoga, cooks or shops with them. 

In November Balt turned 10, Jessi turned 26 and Erika turned 30! Earlier in the year, Monika actually had her 6th birthday this February and turned 24.  It's been a year like no other. Although we mourn so many losses, we have spent the year keeping safe, taking care of each other, and staying connected. Family zooms and facetime are more regular occurrences.

On the back of the "real" card I included a photo of Balt and only mentioned his birthday in the text (not all the stuff I typed in bold above). It had been Monika's "real" birthday and she had wanted me to mention that-- oh well. I didn't even write Merry Christmas or Happy New Year! Instead, I wrote a quote I found and love, "Change only happens in the present moment. The past is already done. The future is just energy and intention." It is my intention that 2021 will bring only hope, happiness and good health!

Big Snow!

It started raining yesterday afternoon and it turned to a slushy snow but with highs in the mid thirties, I assumed, the snow would not stay for long, well was I wrong! I woke up to 6 inches of HEAVY snow! Balt and I spent some time outside shoveling. I ran a quick errand to pick something up but got stuck and had to park a block away and walk home. Once the streets were plowed, I was able to get get my truck and bring it home. 

I spent much of the day working on the yearbook freshmen section. I made a vegan root au gratin for lunch, made a big fire and enjoyed the snow day with a big xmas sweater on and slippers. Hopefully tomorrow I can finish up my errands!

It's Spirit Week!

I've got a big yearbook deadline during winter break, so I'm starting to stress out a bit. This week the school is doing a virtual spirit week which is hard to get excited about-- not a lot of dressing up (wear a mask during zoom is tomorrow). I was hoping for a PJ dress up day but it seems everyday is pajama day for some. Do school from a fort is on Thursday and I promised my kids I would do class from under my desk so I can't forget to bring in some pillows in!

Jim and I went for a walk last night (it was 34, not too cold). We had ordered pizza and talked about how different life is. We are living alone (without kids), constantly working. Without parents to talk to, other than each other, we chat with the girls daily between facetime, text and snaps. I am so glad we have each other. We encourage each other to exersice, eat healthy but also to cheat periodically (we ordered pizza yesterday). I can't image how I'd be able to do this without Jim.

I'll be honest, I've been mad at mom these past few weeks and I've been having to process it alone really. Life is crazy sometimes. I don't believe in an afterlife anymore, so I can only deal with the present and try to recall the past. I'm not one to keep grudges or hold on to negativity, life is too short for that. She's gone and as much as I miss her, I'm glad it's all almost over. The house is still for sale but it won't be long until it's all done.

The pandemic scares me, but I'm doing my best not to live in fear while at the same time taking precautions. Jim and I went to Chili's last week and it felt nuts-- like we could be killing ourselves for chicken crispers! The place was empty, so it felt relatively safe. It's been at least 5 days since so I'm guessing we survived the risk but I'm not sure we'll be doing it again anytime soon. It had been 9 months since we'd gone to a restaurant to eat inside (we've gotten Chili's twice before but to go) and of course, several other to go experiences. The good side effect of this, is all the money we are saving!