our new normal: week 6 and a goodbye

It's been a pretty challenging week here.

On Monday, April 20 my grandma met Jesus. It had nothing to do with Covid-19 and everything to do with her declining health. She was 97, and after going to the ER, tests revealed failing kidneys and blood clots throughout her body, as well as one in her aorta. Within 72 hours, she was gone.

I struggled this week with my emotions. In fact, I am surprised at how upset this news made me. My grandma lived a full life and I have no regrets about time spent with her. She was ready for heaven and often asked why she was still here on earth. And yet I was (and still am at moments) incredibly sad.

This isolation has been hard. Six weeks of being home, no travel, missing holidays and birthdays - it takes a toll. And I wonder if this is what makes the tears flow so easily. I also think that of any family that I've lost to date, my grandma has meant the most, and therefore it's been the most difficult to let go. I miss her.

Her funeral was on Friday. There was a 20 person limit inside the funeral home where the service was held and we all wore masks. Sarah came alone. Joel couldn't find a return flight home and ended up watching via the Zoom Meeting I hosted, along with several other family members. I hugged people despite the threat of spreading germs. The pastor came from Our Shepherd and afterward, we drove to Glen Eden. We were given permission to leave our cars and watch her casket be lowered into the ground. A final farewell.

There are lots of things I will remember about my grandma...  her traditions and recipes, scalding hot soup with soda crackers, even hotter coffee with cookies, her desire to serve, her reminder to always take the Lord when we departed, and the image of her kneeling at her bedside each night to say her prayers. My grandma was an amazing woman, in in the words of my cousin, Linda, she is now "healthy, happy and home".

Other news this week seems to pale in comparison, but for the sake of record keeping, I'll add these items:

I tackled the laundry room walls which have been disgusting since the week before we moved in when two friends ripped off all of the wallpaper and base moulding. Scott unhooked the washer and dryer on Saturday night and then I got to work. I washed and scraped glue off walls. He filled holes. I sanded, and washed again. I then put Kilz on everything, including the ceiling, trim and doors. Then three coats of paint on the ceiling, three coats of paint on the trim and interior doors, and finally two coats of "On The Rocks" by Sherwin-Williams - the only store from which we were allowed to buy paint during this stay home order. On Saturday night, the appliances were put back in. It was a ton of work, and we're only halfway done. Still to come when life is back to normal... cabinets/storage, new flooring, and base moulding.

Also this week, we had horrible weather. Temps in the 30's and 40's and even some snowflakes really discouraged us from getting outside.

Our seeds started sprouting and that was exciting. I finally moved them outside on Saturday as the forecast promised warmer temperatures.

Andrew had his very first class Zoom meeting and loved it. I hope it becomes a regular thing. His class also did a drive-by birthday parade for a classmate.

our new normal: week 5

The week of April 13, 2020

Easter Sunday kicked off our week. I worked hard to keep traditions because it not only made the day special, but gave me a lot of comfort to do the things we would have done despite Coronavirus. The day was pretty great considering it was just the five of us. G&G N came over in the afternoon and parked in the driveway for a bit so we could visit from a distance.

This was our first week back to school after Spring Break. We started on Tuesday, and we will continue to have our distance-learning school Tuesdays through Fridays. Our principal is adamant that teachers get to save Sundays for sabbath, for family time - not for creating videos and uploading content. A Zoom staff/faculty meeting on Friday confirmed that this was such a gift for them.

The weather was awful every day, in the low 40s, and we even had snow multiple days. We didn't get outside much. I took a 25 minute walk alone on Thursday, despite the biting cold wind, and it helped improve my spirits. I'm losing motivation to keep up with my routine on fitnessblender.com. Change can be good - I see more walks in my future.


Memories from the week:

Andrew was able to present his Colorado project via video and it was shared with his class.

I made efforts to keep the dining/school room organized.

We moved our newly planted seeds inside because of the weather (except for Andrew's lettuce).

While Home Depot and Lowe's are forbidden to sell paint, Sherwin-Williams provided all we needed to get the laundry room makeover going.

I ordered a new vanity for the green bath and some tile re-finisher for my chubby friends in the kitchen. (maybe some progress pictures in future posts)

Our next-door neighbors returned from Florida with the massive camper in tow.

And a huge, devastating low to end our week: GG (the one mentioned in this story) is in the hospital and is getting ready to meet Jesus. Her kidneys are failing, and her arteries and aorta are filled with clots. She's progressing toward her heavenly home and dare I say she is looking forward to it. The news brings me both great comfort and great sadness. I'm really missing my family this week.

our new normal: week 4

Week of April 5, 2020

It's officially Spring Break. It's also Holy Week. Any plans we had were squashed. The Laundry Room re-do is on hold. Traveling to GR to celebrate Easter isn't happening. We are making the best of it. Here are the highlights from this week:

Morgan had an orthodontist appointment over Facetime. Clean hands and good lighting were the only requirements.

Mrs. Schmidt from across the street brought us a huge box of books from her school's library. You'd think it was candy.

The kids took an online paper airplane class and after several sessions, made some pretty long-distance flights in the street.

We were blessed with a 65 degree day on Wednesday and spent so much time outside. It was glorious. We took a long bike ride. Matthew called up Grandma on Skype to see if he could open the package they sent for Easter. The kids found seed packets and gardening gloves and crafts inside, and eagerly got to planting their flowers and vegetables. Grandpa requested photo updates every Wednesday on plant growth.

There was a LEGO explosion. And then it was cleaned up on Easter-eve.

Another round of at-home haircuts.

No grocery shopping this week. We are hoping to make it 12 days... shopping on Tuesday, April 14.

Governor Whitmer extended the Stay Home, Stay Safe mandate. It's now scheduled to end April 30. She has also prohibited the sale of non-essential items so the paint counter at Home Depot won't be open and neither will the garden center.

Compost pickup has been delayed until May because too many people are spring cleaning while they spend time at home. Household trash has increased and pickup is taking too long. GFL is redirecting employees to accomodate.

On Maundy Thursday and Good Friday, we streamed church at 7:00 p.m.  PK made efforts to make it more interactive, so we had our Bibles ready, along with paper, pen, and seven candles.

Matthew requested I sew him an apron. I also made a family set of masks.

I found beeswax online and fashioned some sticks so we could carry on the egg decorating tradition here by ourselves.

Tomorrow we will celebrate Easter.

Our new normal: week 3

Week of March 29, 2020

Our week started cold and gloomy. We flew kites in the cold wind. It was announced publicly that Mr. P accepted the call to Valley Lutheran and this brought great sadness (each day gets better, but it's a tough pill to swallow). We did another optional "spirit week". We made one last major shopping trip to Meijer and Aldi with the hopes that our food would last beyond next week's predicted peak of sickness. We started washing walls in the laundry room, and soon will be patching holes, and sanding and priming (don't have a color yet, bummer). We learned during Governor Gretchen Whitmer's press conference that returning to school for this school year would not happen. Online learning will continue.

I know the tone here is pessimistic, and believe me, the previous weekend was awful emotionally. But on that Sunday night a staff member emailed a devotion she wrote based on Psalm 91. This prompted me to open my YouVersion Bible app where I discovered an entire 21-day devotional on that very Psalm. I now read one every night before I go to bed and fall asleep saying the Lord's Prayer. These two things have given me peace and confidence, despite the discouraging circumstances that surround us every day.

Here's the Week 3 list of highlights from everyone:

On a super windy day, we flew kites from the end of the driveway.
We logged on to a ton of Zoom meetings. What a great way to stay in touch.
The weather improved! More sunshine, sightly warmer temps.
Grilling dinner two nights in a row.
Took our first family bike ride of the season.
Matthew "graduated" from Lunch Doodles with Mo Willems :)
We spent a lot of time in the woods: we dug a second fire pit on higher ground away from the river and cleared (and burned) sticks and brush. Had some afternoon fire snacks: s'mores and smokies. We walked around and noticed a tree with burls. We dreamed about what that part of the land would look like "cleaned up" a bit.
More yard work, too: trimming hedges, digging stumps on the top tier, cleaning out under the deck, killing weeds, raking back leaves in preparation for future yard grading, starting green bean seeds, setting up deck furniture.

The highlight of the week for me? I started and finished the first season of Downton Abbey.