As I sit here writing my last blog of 2020, a year that has been so difficult for so many around the world, I reflect on all the blessings I have received in spite of all that has happened....
-Steve and I were blessed with health and endurance to get our Columbia house ready to sell, thanks to a tremendously skilled, reasonably priced, and very nice handy man, James Remus.
- Steve and I were able to sell our Columbia house within 48 hours of listing for our full asking price to a buyer that didn't back out.
- Although purchasing a house in St. Louis did not go as smoothly, we ultimately did fine the perfect house at the best price. When we actually were able to buy, we found the house on the first go-around. And, we found the perfect place to sub-lease for the month we were "homeless" - it benefitted us and it blessed the person we sub-leased from, too.
- My back started to deteriorate in the spring of 2020 and got progressively worse until I was able to get in to see a doctor in mid November. But, after three different doctor visits and six sessions of physical therapy, I can see improvement on my back pain. It is not completely conquered yet but it is SO much better than even two weeks ago.
- Steve's health took a strange downturn in the spring - two hospital stays to regulate his potassium levels and then his calcium levels - but, with diet and medicine changes, he is getting back to normal again.
- We lived in a freezing house here for almost two weeks but we now have a functioning heater and a plan for replacement in the future using a dear Columbia friend who will be blessed with the opportunity to work.
- We had several fix-up needs for our new house and we finally found another tremendously skilled and reasonably priced, and very nice handy man here, Neal Merritt.
- We adopted two adorable, sweet-tempered senior cockapoos (or cockadoodles) to complete our new life here in St. Louis.
- We get to see Emily and family and Beckie regularly now: Larkin comes over for Grandma preschool once a week and I get to see the whole family once a week (usually) when I go to Ballwin to teach piano lessons to Noah, Lucy, and Quinn. We do things with Beckie usually at least twice a month, as well.
- In spite of a pandemic, we were able to safely visit with Kirsti, Ryan, and Alice at the end of October. We will welcome a new grandson from them in April.
- Also in spite of a pandemic, we got to see five of our seven children in person on Christmas Day. Sarah drove here with her two dogs from Utah to spend the holidays with us. She was able to get a Covid test shortly after arriving which came out negative. Elise spent Christmas Eve and Day with us. Steven and Tamara stopped in for a couple of hours Christmas morning on their way to Ohio to visit friends. Beckie came over, of course. And the Southerlands came for a couple hours, too. Pandemic protocols were generally practiced....And, we FaceTimed with Kirsti, Ryan and Alice and with Julina. -
- Since having Sarah and getting our two new dogs, we made it through two dog escapes! First, Lily and Bones got out of our fenced back yard on Monday night! After calling and calling, Steve got in the car and found Bones fairly soon in an alley behind a BBQ place a block away. But, we didn't see Lily until four hours later. We had given up hope of her returning on her own and hoped to find her in a shelter the next day but she managed to find us and came bounding up to the front door after I heard her barking at someone who was walking across the street. The next day, I patched up two of our known holes in the fence (which I had already temporarily blocked) as well as a third hole that we had somehow failed to notice. I also tried to chain together the two parts of our back gate where we think Bones and Lily might have squeezed through (although, the third hole was also large enough to get through). But, apparently, Sally was still small enough to be able to squeeze through the space at the back gate because Tuesday evening, while I was out with all four dogs to supervise their potty duties, I watched Sally go right up to that back gate and go right through! She ran to the next street while I, who didn't have a key to the padlocked gate, had to climb over our fence (happy for long legs and a relatively short fence) to go after her. We had only had her for five days so I was not really her "person" yet - plus she is getting used to her new name of Sally - and she didn't come when I called her. I helplessly watched her begin to run down the street behind us but then she stopped and started running to me! I caught her and another disaster was averted. I know it was a miracle that she came to me. And that Lily found us the night before.
And so, as 2020 winds to conclusion, I am glad it is over but I am so grateful for all the great things that happened over those twelve months. And, I look forward to a brighter 2021....
Photos of our Christmas Eve Bethlehem dinner held at Kyle and Micah's house (who were down in Arkansas with Kyle's parents) where Beckie was house and dog sitting. Steve with Luna, Beckie and Sarah in the kitchen with Armond, and all of us around the table. Whenever Beckie is involved in a meal, it is always a work of art as well as being delicious
Christmas morning at our home.
Elise made the gluten-free cake and I turned it into my mom's Christmas cake recipe. And, Beckie's hedgehog (or possum) cheese ball
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