Time Flies

     It was a month ago today when I last blogged. I don't know how I let time get away from me. I don't know that it's so much a matter of time getting away from me or a matter of just not thinking there's much important to say. It was easy during the summer. We had fun trips to document and adventures to tell about. But now here we are in winter and we find ourselves sticking closer to home. But that doesn't mean we don't have things going on in our lives. God prompted me to write a blog post and I'm trusting Him to give me the words to say.

     Since my last post, I've led the Hour of Code (computer coding initiative) at my school, we've celebrated Christmas, New Year's Day and Drew's birthday, and been to the beach for a few sunsets. We've loved on our grandchildren, watched lots of movies and enjoyed lots of quiet nights at home. We've had good days and bad days but we've persevered through it all.

     Let's see...Hour of Code. First of all, let me say how much the majority of my students are loving the beginning coding course we're working through. It's been fun to watch them learn how to "talk" to their computer and make things happen. They get so excited when they figure out the steps they need to have their character follow to reach their destination. So we excitedly embarked on this Hour of Code journey. It's a focused period of time where they do nothing but coding during class. The website we use gave them a handful of games to choose from and they were off! In the end, I had 88% of my students complete the Hour of Code and get even more excited about coding. It was great!

     Holidays. I celebrated Christmas with our grandsons on Christmas Eve. Drew wasn't able to be there due to his work schedule. But I made sure to get plenty of pictures and videos for him. That night we went to see Christmas lights with my parents and our daughter's family before coming back to my parents' house for snacks. Christmas Day we celebrated with our granddaughters in the morning then our bonus granddaughters in the evening. New Year's Eve was spent quietly at home then we spent some time watching movies with my parents on New Year's Day. Holidays sure are different now that we're empty nesters but we make it work.

     Before we talk about Drew's birthday, let me talk about a bit of an unexpected celebration that could have ended so much differently. Early Thursday morning on January 2, Drew woke up gasping for breath. He literally sounded like he was suffocating. It was the scariest sound I've ever heard. I wanted to call 911 but he refused. He had an inhaler from more than a year ago in his work bag so he grabbed that and used it. It gave him just enough relief that I could drive him to the hospital. He began gasping for breath on our way once again. We made it to the hospital and he was taken back almost immediately. When I relayed to the doctor what had happened and admitted he had used this expired inhaler, the doctor said that's what had saved him. Cue the celebration. Had he not had that inhaler in his bag, I wouldn't have had my husband coming home with me later that day. He was diagnosed with bronchitis with wheezing. After prescribing a breathing machine, new inhaler, steroids and an antibiotic, they sent us on our way. I suppose I could had another celebration in here. On January 2, we met our insurance deductible. Thanks, honey! hahaha Seriously, I'm thankful for my husband having enough clarity to remember he had that inhaler, for the medical staff at Elkhart General Hospital (which is closest to home) who went to work immediately to do a chest x-ray, EKG, blood work, breathing treatment and really stay on top of things, and mostly to Jesus Who allowed my husband to come out on the other side of this scary time and still be with me so we could celebrate his birthday two days later.

     On January 4, we celebrated my sweetie's birthday. Of course, he had to work so we could celebrate until later. But when he got home, Clara and I were ready to take him out to dinner. Of course, Clara had waited all day to tell her Bapa Happy Birthday so she was more than happy to go out to dinner to celebrate. We had a nice dinner together at Red Robin and then came home for a movie. Sunday we celebrated with more of our family and had sugar cream pie (hubby's favorite). Sarah and I had used his family's recipe to surprise him with this treat. We had never made it before and didn't know how it would turn out. We got the thumbs up (with a couple tops for next time) and a huge thank you. That made it all worthwhile.

     Perhaps the highlight of break was the fact that we were able to have Clara and Lucille each for an extra overnight stay during the week. Clara stayed with us Christmas night and we got to make some fun memories with her the day after. We started out by breakfast after Drew's weigh-in, a trip to the train museum then trips to two different beaches. I think it's safe to say it was the first time I've ever built sand castles on December 26. Lucille stayed New Year's night. Sadly, she had to go home much earlier than expected so we'll have to make up her special outing another day. We're thankful for the time we get to spend with them since they live just around the corner from us.

     Now we're back to our regular schedule. That's a good thing and a bad thing. I like routine. I like having a plan and a purpose. But it makes it harder for adventure. Once the sun decides to stick around a bit longer each day, it'll get better. I know God has great things in store for us. I look forward to what 2020 holds.