splash
I've been poor about updating my blog this past year.
I have to start the blog year out with this photo because I never shared it here, and my friend Julie is one of the few people who actually checks my blog anymore. Julie is super competitive when it comes to trying to swim later in the year than Mark each year.
Mark's final lake swim of the year was on 10/14/21. It was his 200th day of swimming in a row. We had a mild fall, so it wasn't too bad that day - I just remember, like many days, trying to rush him to the lake between soccer practice and before heading to the event of the evening, while still allowing him time to dunk, swim a lap and enjoy his daily ritual.
While it was a mild fall, within that 200 days - he swam in snow, rain, hail, and sunshine. He swam as early as 6am and as late as 10pm on those away game nights.
He has tenacity and is enjoying being on the high school swim team this year. He's also stretching out, having grown a full two inches in the last year, passing everyone in this home up - one by one, and not showing any signs of slowing down. He finds great joy in patting me on the head and calling me 'short momma'
I was hoping (and am still hoping) to talk him into trying shot put in track and field for the spring, but he seems adamant about needing to take a break, do drivers ed and get a job. I'm working on him.
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Speaking of jobs - Brian is still enjoying flipping pizzas.
He found a car just as the snow began to fly (Understatement. We drove that car home from Gladwin in white knuckle winter storm conditions) so now can drive to work rather than trudge through the snow and mud. My goal was for him to have a car before archery season begins. Archery begins full swing tomorrow, so that goal has been met. He enjoyed placing in a few preseason tournaments and is excited to mix up his nights between work and archery for a few months.
He's started to flip through the daily college stuff that comes in the mail, but is leaning heavy towards the trades, which we fully support.
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Allan is currently enjoying our couch while his car is in the shop. Due to the car shortage, worker shortage, shortage shortage - we are hearing reports of cars being in mechanic's garages for months before they even get looked at.
We moved his car from one garage to another (he got in a fender/bender) because the first one couldn't look at it until March, only to have the second garage ending up having to close due to everyone getting COVID. I am so sick of COVID showing up in every single element of our lives. Fact.
Anyway. We're enjoying his humor, artwork and conversation until we get him some wheels again. It's a lot easier for him to get to work from our house than it is from his apartment, and he goes home now and then when our shuttling schedules will allow for it.
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Wendy is still living in Minnesota, and was able to come home for Christmas this year - thanks to us having helped find her some new (used) wheels when we went to visit her in October. The old car never would have made it.
She was just with us for four nights before having to head back home for work. The bummer was that she got back and was told not to come to work that week as someone at worked had tested positive, so she could have stayed longer.
BUT. The weather was best on the day that she traveled and she was able to begin her several week camping adventure a week earlier than planned. Her and friend(s) are traveling south through Missouri, Oklahoma and to Arizona through much more pleasant January weather than what Minnesota has to offer. She keeps in daily communication, turning our few remaining dark hairs gray with shares of which lights came on in the new (used) car and how they sleep with an $8 Samurai sword on their dashboard to 'keep them safe' when napping in Walmart parking lots.
Perhaps they'd be even safer if they put a 'Warning! We are C19+' sign and a bunch of balled up Kleenex on their dash.
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Greg enjoyed his time off between Christmas and New Years, while fielding just a few phone calls. It's fun that he's finally in a position that he doesn't have to travel during this time, as was the case for many many many years. We can handle the few phone calls if it allows us to keep him home.
He still has a desk set up in our bedroom, but does drive in to the office a couple days a week. I'm a little worried about our shuttle schedule this coming week, so I have hopes that he'll be able to work from home - but it'll be a day by day thing.
He still carves regularly, enjoys his forge and having sold our old snow tires yesterday - I may have gotten him hooked on selling things online. He was so excited, he even installed the tires on the buyer's vehicle as an extra service and asked if I listed the kid's snowshoes yet.
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Me. Well - you know. I just putter about. Sewing, photographing, creating, working, working, working, hiking and I've done a good job of getting back into reading this past few weeks. I'm hoping to keep that ball rolling. Mark, who reads hundreds of books each year, doesn't think I can do it - so I'm really just out to prove him wrong.
Here's to 2022!
Oh my good gracious, where do I begin with this thoroughly rewarding post!! So glad I stopped in. Well, here I go:
1. I almost got my suit out for a dip tomorrow if that had been a New Year's plunge...but then I remember I have a Covid test at 10a.m.and feel like crud!(insert eyeball rolling emoji here!)
2.I would personally label it, "good naturedly competitive." hahaha!
3.I've read cold water swimming might help with dementia, I might indeed begin swimming outdoors in March, the signs are plenty at 51 here!
4.Love that he's swimming in high school, awesome!
5.William's talking trades too, I'm personally shooting for Culinary Arts School because he's amazing in the kitchen!
6.Lara's been a HUGE fan of road trips with friends the last few years, I'll mention the Samurai sword trick, though the tissues is hysterical!She found a great camping sites (many free)app, ask if Wendy's interested.
7.I too got back into reading...over break, with tonight being the final night...I finished the book I bought in...January 2011, tried again in 2015, then 2020 when Covid hit and finally, this past Christmas break 2021 finishing 1/4/22!! Hahahaha! I will NEVER become super competitive with Mark on that one, you go girl! (-:
8. Wishing you a Happy & Joy-filled New Year!
Posted by: JLMP | January 04, 2022 at 08:50 PM