Catching Up

Whew! What a whirlwind year it's been. When I stop and think about how long it's been since I've written a blog post, I want to tell you that it's because nothing big has happened. But in reality, I just haven't taken time to sit and write a post. Let's see if I can try to summarize the past almost 11 months since my last post. Summer of 2023 was completely different than we've ever experienced or had expected. As my mom's dementia led to a rapid decline in her overall health, we found ourselves pretty well bound to the house. My main "outings" consisted of watering flowers and mowing the lawn. We didn't make a single trip to the beach all summer. We were blessed to have close friends who gave us a couple respite days which allowed us to take a couple short day trips. But going from summers of adventures to a summer of being mostly homebound was quite different. I guess you could say we had lots of company over the summer. Of course, the company we had came in the form of Hospice nurses, health aides and chaplains. At least those "clinical" visits broke up the monotony of the days. We found ourselves looking forward to the nurses visiting as they helped alleviate a bit of the stress of caregiving. Returning to school in August was somewhat of a relief as it allowed me time out of the house all day. I tend to take things personally so when mom's dementia got really bad, I took things she said to heart and it really got to me. Drew is much more patient and was better at realizing it wasn't her saying things but the disease. However, returning to school provided its own challenges. I found myself working during the day then coming home to take over caregiving so Drew could get a bit of a break. It made the days long and the nights short, but we kept plugging away at it. My coworkers were incredibly supportive and my students made each day a little brighter. August rolled into September which rolled into October. October marched on to November which quickly rolled into December. It seemed like we were at Christmas break in no time. Mom's health continued to decline. We hosted the church women at our house for our Christmas gift exchange so mom could participate with us. We welcomed in 2024 quietly at home. Mom started spending more time in bed as the weeks went by. By this point, we were having Hospice nurses visit daily. This helped Drew as they were faithful at getting mom cleaned up and dressed each day. Days were still hard and there were some very dark moments along the way. But we continued to persevere through it all. We had quite a few late-night emergency nurse visits along the way. They were always faithful to respond and not only provided care for mom but moral support for us as well. On March 14, mom met Jesus face-to-face. Her mind and body were completely healed. After all those months of caregiving, it was quite strange to not be checking in on mom or getting her meds, etc. However, a few days before mom passed away, we adopted a very energetic puppy. Her arrival into our home was perfectly timed as she offered love and affection but also a diversion and someone to care for. We have quickly settled into our new normal. It's nice to have Drew go places with me again. It's nice to be able to do family things and not worry about who is going to stay home with mom. It's nice to be able to plan adventures without having to worry about when the nurse is coming. We've done lots of yard work, enjoyed road trips with our puppy and I completed my 10th year at Jimtown. Drew has taken a break from writing as he had been caregiving and then needed to start working on outdoor projects. He's built some raised flowerbeds, planted veggies and herbs, stacked firewood and kept up with things around the house plus cooked incredible meals. He has created quite a special bond with our puppy, Dahlia. After a year of volcanos, elephant toothpaste, rockets, parachutes and lots of engineering projects, I finished a chapter of making memories with some amazing kiddos. I watched 6th graders leave our building for the last time. I met incoming third graders when they came through on their tour. I had the opportunity to photograph our Life Skills students as they participated in Unified Games day. It was such an incredible experience! I also had the pleasure of watching the first group of students I welcomed in as 3rd graders walk across the stage and earn their high school diplomas. I've attended a few open houses already and have a few more to attend. What a blessing to know that these kiddos who I love dearly care enough to ask me to be a part of this big life event. While I will be ready to get back to teaching in August, I am fully enjoying summer break so far. I've spent more time enjoying the sun already in the past 7 days than I did all last summer. I look forward to road trip adventures, sunset trips to the beach, lots of puppy playtime, s'mores and time in the summer sun.

Of Shepherds and Caregivers and Changes in Life

It's been a minute since I last blogged. I assure you that is no indication of boredom or lack of things to share. It has everything to do with not having time to sit and process what to share and actually have time to sit with my laptop long enough to type it out. I'm certain this is not going to end up being cohesive, but rather thoughts on my mind as they make their escape through my fingers. Buckle up! Most of you know my mom had a stroke in March 2022. She spent a few weeks in rehab before returning home and we found a new normal. She was able to get around well and everything was going smoothly. Then the diagnosis of dementia came. It started off slowly but it really flew from beginning stage to late stage dementia just over this summer. In fact, Drew and I went to watch the sunset on June 8 and she was fine at home alone. That would be the last time we would get out just the two of us without having someone sit with her. Now we spend most days reminding her what day it is, explaining why none of us went to church (because it's not Sunday) and convincing her we're not checking out of a hotel to go back home when she wakes up. However, we have some new people on our "team" that is helping make things a little more bearable. Hospice sends a nurse twice a week, a home health aide twice, a social worker twice a month as well as the chaplain. Everyone that has come has been wonderful. They are so caring and it's nice for them (especially the aides) to come in and say, "We've got her for now. Relax." Both of our kids have taken a couple hours to sit with her so we could get out for a couple hours and we even had a dear friend spend an entire Saturday with her so we could take one road trip together this summer. Thank you to all who have become a part of our family. I've spent a lot of the summer with something floating through my head. I need to get it out so let's see if typing it out helps. So, when I went to college originally, I spent much of one school year living on a farm with dear friends. We had sheep along with other animals. But I've been thinking a lot about those sheep. As I think back, I realize that each of the sheep needed different types of care from us. Some of them would go to the food that we put on one side of the pen even though they were on the opposite side. Some needed the food placed right in front of their face. Some would follow us around and nudge us if we didn't pay attention to them. People are much like those sweet sheep we had. Some people are content to have people pass by on the other side away from them. Some want us to come right up and give them attention and others will follow in our shadow until we notice them. Think about the "shepherds" in your life. They could be bosses, pastors, team leaders or coaches. Are they meeting the needs of the different "sheep" in their "flock" or are some sheep going missing because no one seems to care? Come alongside those lost sheep and let them know you are there for them. More recent developments in our lives are the fact that Drew's dad was diagnosed with cancer last week. Doctors are working to determine the best course of action. This week, his mom was diagnosed with early dementia and Parkinson's. His sister is caring for his mom and his step-sister is caring for his dad. These diagnoses never come easy. But I think they're harder when we're in the midst of caregiving here and not able to get away to be there for them. Changes in life have meant that we have not gotten to do our regular summer adventures. With the exception of last Saturday, the furthest we had been away from home was 15 minutes. We haven't been to the beach since June 8, we didn't make it to any state parks or even gotten to Ohio for our annual family farm visit. Most days, our biggest adventure is going out to see if any tomatoes have ripened. However, I mentioned that a dear friend came and spent an entire day with mom so we could get out just the two of us. We started out by visiting Drew's mom (as well as his sister and brother-in-law) at their home for awhile. It was nice to sit and visit with them. After that, we headed to a "park" I had read about when I did a search for bison viewing. In case you didn't know, bison are one of my favorite animals (along with pandas and flamingos). My favorite Indiana state park is one with a bison enclosure. My favorite way to drive to the beach takes us past a bison farm where I often pull off the road to take pictures and talk to them. So finding a place where bison roam on 1,100 acres of land was like a dream come true. Now, let's point out that this "park" is 8,400 acres of wetland and prairie with hiking trails throughout. So for a hiker who adores bison, this place is perfect! I stood right next to the fence where I could have reached out and touched my sweet fluffy cows (and probably would have tried if it hadn't been an electric fence). After taking a ton of bison photos and talking to them for awhile, we went to one of the hiking trails and I took a 1.5 mile hike through dense woods where I ended up seeing the foundational remains of buildings from the former town of Conrad, Indiana. This town was started in the early 1900's and by the early 1930's had been abandoned. It was pretty haunting to think I was standing inside the foundation of homes that had been inhabited some 95-120 years ago! Check Kankakee Sands out at

We've had our grandsons with us every other week all summer, two of our granddaughters overnight once or twice a week and mom to take care of all summer. Some days I feel like going back to school in two weeks will be like a vacation. Other days I realize I'm going to miss those sure-you-can-come-spend-the-night-with-us times. At any rate, two weeks from today I will be sitting here trying to stay awake until bedtime after my first full day with students. A whole new adventure awaits as I teach all day and then come home to take over caregiving. I know it won't be easy but I also know we will make it through this season. Besides, I'm beyond ready to get this school year started! Stay cool and hydrated if you're in this heatwave. If you're not, send us some cool breezes. ❤️ Brenda (for both of us and the crazy circus we're ringmasters for)

Looking in the Rearview Mirror

I often tell students as they're walking backwards down the hallway, "Look where you're going, not where you've been." Max Lucado reminds us that "There's a reason the windshield is bigger than the rearview mirror. Your future is more important than your past." But as we bring 2022 to a close and look towards a new year, I realize I haven't posted since last year so I figured now was a good time to catch you up on our lives (if anyone is interested to know what's been going on). So grab a cup of coffee or another beverage of your choice and read on. Hopefully you'll be moderately entertained...just don't laugh at our boring life. January 2022 Winter months tend to be hard on adventurers. However, we've gotten pretty good at finding things to do, even if our time doing them needs to be shortened a bit. January was no exception. We ventured to places like Bonneyville Mill, Baintertown Park and Cobus Creek County Park. January also found me outside with a couple of our grandchildren building snowmen, having snowball fights and sledding. Little ones sure have a way of keeping you active if you will just go along with them. Clara learned the benefit of having a nice hot cup of tea or cocoa after spending time out in the cold Indiana winter.

February 2022 February brought us some pretty significant snowfall. Not Minnesota-level snow, but it was a decent amount. Once again, I was building snowmen, snow couches (don't laugh!) and sledding. I took up winter hiking. I strapped on my snow boots, bundled up so there was nothing showing but my eyeballs and hit the trails with my camera. Even in the depths of winter, there is so much beauty to be seen. We ventured out to France Park in central Indiana to see the frozen waterfall. We drove down a narrow winding road to Seven Pillars on our way home. This beautiful site is home to the local Miami Indians and is a breathtaking natural wonder. We made a trip to the lake to watch the sunset over the frozen tundra. I was the crazy one walking out onto the frozen lake. Even in the dead of winter, the lake is a beautiful place to be. We also had the pleasure of celebrating the second birthday of our twin granddaughters.

March 2022 As things started to warm up and thaw out for the spring, we found ourselves searching for spring blooms. We visited places like Krider Gardens, Calendar Garden, Bonneyville and, of course, Lake Michigan. We had a family first in March also. We have a dear friend who has maple trees on his property that he taps and then makes syrup out of the sap. We had the chance to take two granddaughters and go watch the syrup making process. Drew sat and whittled while the girls enjoyed running around the wide open area. The smell of the sap boiling was incredible and the time with an old friend was great! Warmer weather also meant two trips to watch the sunset lakeside.

April 2022 April brought several more beach trips as well as Easter. We ventured a little further north along Lake Michigan for a sunset, spent some time a little further south along Lake Michigan, saw lots of spring colors starting to bloom and visited family for Easter. While 2022 didn't have us venturing too far from home yet, we were thankful to get out and about after a long winter spent very close to home.

May 2022 As the weather warmed up more, we found ourselves venturing to some of our favorite county parks multiple times as well as the beach. It almost seemed like spring sprung overnight. We started spending more time outdoors enjoying the fresh air and beautiful sunshine. Perhaps the biggest adventure of the month was packing up my classroom in preparation for summer renovations. For the first time in 9 years, I had to pack everything in my classroom into boxes and label them for storage. I'm thankful to have so many students who enjoy helping and were willing to sacrifice their recess time on multiple occassions just to help me pack. We ended up the month at our town's Memorial Day parade.

June 2022 After packing up everything in my classroom and saying farewell to another great school year, it was time to kick off summer break. That means lots of beach trips and lots of county park visits. We spent a lot of time playing at parks, watching sailboats at the lake and checking out the Seward Johnson statues that were on display in Elkhart County. We had a church picnic, went to Biblical Gardens in Warsaw and France Park in Logansport. Summer was definitely in full swing and we were enjoying every minute of it. Our big adventure of the month was a trip to Ohio to visit with my Aunt. Of course, that included a stop at the family farm. This farm was in my family for generations and is now owned by dear friends of the family (first non-relatives to own the property) so we are able to come anytime we're in the area. As my grandparents' only granddaughter, I was never allowed to drive the tractor. I could ride in it with Grandpa or Denny (the man who now owns the farm) but never to sit behind the wheel and actually drive...until June! It was a surreal experience to drive the tractor (not the same one my grandpa had) down the lane he drove down so many times before.

July 2022 July was another month full of trips to various parks and the beach. We visited some of our favorite Elkhart County parks a few times, went to the lake for sunset and had a special adventure with a couple of our grandchildren. Elkhart is home to a nice little train museum. They have lots of hands on activities for children along with lots of artifacts and even train cars to see up close. The two girls had a great time and so did their Bapa and Ama. After our time at the museum, I walked with the girls to a local ice cream shop downtown and Drew drove there to meet us. They enjoyed waving at cars along the way and watching for the light to tell us we could cross the street. Of course, getting ice cream at the end of our walk was a nice treat. We traveled to Huntington and Oubache State Park to visit the bison. Another memory making moment with the girls was their first ever firepit and s'more making night. It was a hit and they're anxious to do it again! After a long time of dealing with knee trouble, I started a round of injections in my knee to try to get some relief.

August 2022 August brought the beginning of a new school year. We still managed to make it to a few of our favorite county parks as well as a trip to France Park. Of course, I was excited to get the schoo year started in my new classroom. Unfortunately, it wasn't quite done by the first day of school. In fact, we waited for another few weeks before we were able to unpack boxes and put things away. However, being back in the swing of things doing what I love to do was exciting, even if everything was in boxes. The middle of August means our town park hosts the Osceola Music Festival. The park happens to be across the street from us so Clara and Lucy decided they wanted to have a lemonade stand in the front yard. (We have no idea where they heard about lemonade stands but they really knew what needed to happen!) So, we spent a Saturday outside helping the girls sell lemonade. They had a great time, even though the grown-ups ended the day exhausted!

September 2022 By September, the school year was in full swing. My classroom was finished, boxes were unpacked and we still managed to make a few trips to Bonneyville Mill, Cobus Creek and River Preserve County Parks. We also made sure to get a beach trip in. With the newly renovated classroom, my role transitioned from Computer Lab Teacher to STEM Lab teacher. In case you don't know, STEM stands for Science, Technology, Engineering and Math. That means I get to teach them keyboarding and using Google Apps for Education. But we also get to do things like computer coding, building things like bridges, catapults, rockets and volcanos. We get to explore electricity, physics and creative problem solving. After deciding that the injections didn't provide any longterm relief, it was decided that knee surgery would be scheduled. We got it on the calendar for early December. While waiting from late September to early December wasn't going to be easy, I would make the choice to make the most of the weeks that lay ahead.

October 2022 Knowing that winter was around the corner and we would find ourselves spending more time indoors that outdoors, we tried to get as many outings in as we could. We went to Bonneyville Mill and Calendar garden a few times, made a trip to France Park and Seven Pillars, went to Saint Joseph for a sunset and we had one more (unnplanned) long trip to make before winter. We made a trip to Ohio for my Uncle's memorial service. Our daughter traveled with us which made it fun as we shared a lot of laughs along the way. Spending time with family we don't often see was special as we were able to spend time reminiscing and catching up. I had the pleasure of having three photo shoots - a one year anniversary shoot for a couple I met when he proposed to her, an engagement photo shoot for a sweet young couple I met on the beach and family photos for a dear friend and co-worker. We ended the month with our annual Trunk-or-Treat at our church.

November 2022 November slowed down a lot. Weather turned colder, it got dark quicker, and as I got closer to surgery day my knee hurt more and more. We still managed to make a couple trips to the lake. We had our first significant snowfall and I went to get some pictures at Cobus Creek County Park. We decorated for Christmas and had our annual Thanksgiving meal with dear friends. It wasn't the greatest month of our year but we made it through.

December 2022 December has seemed like the slowest month of the year. I'm not one for sitting around but it feels like I've done an awful lot of that since early December. Before surgery, I had a huge surprise when a local TV news reporter walked into my classroom with my husband, a cameraman and a representative from a local grocery store. Apparently, my husband had nominated my STEM Lab for a grant through a "One School at a Time" program that the store and station have. I was chosen and presented with a check for $1,000 to buy supplies for my classroom! They spent about an hour in my room, interviewing my husband and me as well as several students. They were very interested in what we do in my classroom and I loved showing off what my students do. That was certainly a nice way to lead in to my medical leave. December 6 was the day I had been waiting for since September! Surgery last almost 1 & 1/2 hours and after some time in post-op and recovery, I was headed home to start the process of recovery. I had every intention of returning to school the following week, 7 days after surgery. But the surgeon and my physical therapist had other ideas. So, I spent two weeks (and counting) working on recovering and trying to convince my husband to let me do things around the house. He has been an incredible rock star of a care giver. A co-worker and some friends from church provided meals for the first week, which was wonderful. I've been making great progress in physical therapy and I look forward to the day I'll be given the all-clear to return to normal activities. Due to surgery, we didn't have any outings in December. But I was able to make it to the children's Christmas program at church as well as our ladies' lunch. January is just around the corner and I hope that means the beginning of new adventures and returns to some of our favorite places.