Thankful Tuesday

Today is Giving Tuesday, which usually translates to the day of the year in which I receive the most emails. The upside of the event is that many non-profits have arranged matching partners so that most gifts given on this day are doubled or tripled. Facebook (aka Metaverse) is definitely not my favorite company (by a long shot), but I give them credit for donating $8 million dollars today through matching opportunities. I gave a gift to a ministry promptly at 8am this morning in the hopes my gift might be doubled through their initial 2 million matching opportunity. And it's also the last day of November so I thought I should end the month with one final gratitude list. Since I haven't been taking pictures lately, the ones in this post are from this day seven years ago.

1. The last few days I have not aggravated my ankle, which has been my goal. I did a little bit of grocery shopping on Saturday and also stopped to pick up books at the library. This was evidently too much for my ankle as I was back to hopping on my left leg that evening. Yvonne said to sit down and elevate my leg as soon as the pain starts to increase. 

2. I went to church on Sunday for the first time in almost 2 months! Paul dropped me off right at the entrance, and I kept my leg elevated during the entire service. It felt odd to be sitting whenever everyone else was standing, but I knew that would be too much for my ankle right now. 

3. Because I've been in sticker shock at grocery stores lately, I searched to see if the prices had gone up at ALDI. I've never placed an online order with ALDI before. They charge a small fee whereas it's free at Weis and Walmart. I placed what was for me a BIG order on things I could put in the freezer (ex. chicken) or things that don't need to be refrigerated (flour, sugar, canned goods, etc.), and Paul picked the order up on Sunday night. For a time, we should only need to buy dairy products and produce from the grocery store. 

4. Paul brought up the Christmas tree and put the lights on the tree on Sunday. The kids put on the ornaments on Monday. Now we are hoping and praying that Milo will leave the tree alone! I remember how hard it was on me emotionally to decorate for Christmas in 2016 following the passing of my mom. I'm so thankful that it's no longer painful emotionally to decorate for Christmas. 

5. Nadia and Ian did well on their chemistry test yesterday. Ian earned an A-! Chemistry is not a strength of mine. I'm very grateful Paul has been helping explain some things to them on the weekends or in the evening.

6. Dad and Margie have enabled us to have a membership (early Christmas gift) in the Lamplighter Audio Club. We are looking forward to listening to their audiobooks over the next year. First, we have to finish The Secret Keepers, which we're really enjoying.

7. The kids were excited to see our first snow on Sunday morning. It was the perfect kind of snow as it covered the grass but melted on the roads.

8. I called the doctor's office where Paul and I have gone for the last 13 years to inquire as to what they would charge for Ian's physical as a cash paying patient. I was told $50. She wasn't sure what the immunizations would be. I then called the Pediatrician's office where I've taken the kids for about 12 years. They said they offer discounts to the Plain community, but since we're not Amish or Mennonite, we'd have to pay full price ($254) for a physical which is their price for an established patient. Needless to say, I cancelled Ian's appointment with them and started the process to have all three kids' records transferred to the doctor's office that is about 1 mile from our home. I can't actually schedule an appointment for Ian until they receive his records. I'm grateful that the clinic that is closer to our house charges about 1/5 of where we've been going. 

9. I'm still very grateful for the list of 87 entrees that I try to rotate through every few months. I don't make every single one before starting the rotation over again, but I make a much wider variety of dishes when I use the list than I did previously. The kids and I enjoyed the chicken chimichangas I made today. Hopefully Paul will also enjoy it when he eats later this evening. 

10. The past three nights, Milo slept in either Ian's bed or Nadia's bed instead of his crate! The plan is for Milo to alternate between their two beds. This morning he slept all the way until 7:30am whereas the previous two mornings he woke up around 6am and was put in his crate at that time. The kids love having him snuggle with them during the night, and it will be wonderful if we can just leave his crate in the kitchen all the time rather than carrying it up and downstairs every day!

Black Friday

Three years ago, the kids and I spent Black Friday with my brother in Philadelphia. I knew when I said goodbye to my mom in July 2016 that it would be the last time I'd see her on earth, but I didn't know on November 7, 2020 it would be the last time I would see my mother-in-law just as I didn't know on November 25, 2018 that it would be the last time that I'd see my brother. I miss all three of them. Now for most people Black Friday doesn't cause them to think of the last time they saw a sibling but rather of shopping deals. I did no shopping in person and only the tiniest bit online as the usual deals I get each year on Black Friday (such as bedding for the guinea pigs) wasn't much of a bargain this year. 

Supposedly inflation is up 6%. This number seems much lower than reality. Most of the price increases I have encountered are between 20%-70%. Paul was told this week by the company they buy coloring from that the prices have gone up 22%. The cheapest I could find guinea pig bedding today was $17 per bag (sale price!) whereas I've never paid more than $10 for a bag of it before on sale. The most I've ever paid for a bag of Doritos in the past has been $2.15, but the lowest sale price I've seen for them lately has been $3.50. I've chosen not to buy any Doritos for the last few months, but I will have to buy guinea pig bedding at some point. I recently had Paul buy some ground beef even though he paid 50% more per pound than I've ever paid for ground beef before because we were out of it and I hadn't seen a good price on it since we've been back from vacation. Our home insurance premium has gone up far more than 6%, the price of gasoline has jumped more than 6%, prices at restaurants have gone up more than that, etc. I know it's asking a lot, but I wish the government could be more honest (that's not a complaint against our current administration in particular but rather in general). I'm trying to figure out whether I have to adjust the maximum prices I will pay for things or just hold out for a better sale in the future. Here's to hoping and praying that we never experience hyperinflation.  

Over the last ten years my kids have been involved in the ministries of seven churches - two Wesleyan, two Alliance, one Methodist, and two Baptist churches. I was shocked to hear recently that the Methodist Church that is about 1.5 miles from our house will be closing next month. In the past when I've heard that a church was closing it had a very low attendance for a significant period of time. That is not the case with this church. For example, their children's choir is putting on a Christmas program next month, and there are 30 kids in the choir! Our church is much bigger than that church but our church's children's choir is much smaller. My kids have gone to VBS there every year from 2011 to the present with the exception of 2020 when it was cancelled due to COVID. There is a preschool that meets in the church that has a currently enrollment of about 40 kids. Nadia was in their middle school youth group for about a year in the past. This is the church that sponsors the Kids' Cafe program that provides meals for children at the playground in the summer. The pastor and his wife only moved to the area two years ago. The church was founded in the 1860's, but they'll be closing their doors as of December 27. My heart goes out to the congregation and pastor. This was one of the few churches around here that included grades 7-12 in VBS, so my days of taking the kids to VBS might have already come to a close since Ian and Nadia will both be too old for VBS next summer. 

Church has been the one place my kids have still been going during the last 7+ weeks since we got home from vacation, but that wasn't the case this week. We all stayed home this past Sunday because our church was getting a new floor in the gym (which is where worship services are held). All five of us (plus Milo ha ha) were present in our family room for the streamed service that had been prerecorded. Our church always cancels Wednesday night gatherings the day before Thanksgiving. The five of us haven't left the house together to go somewhere since October 3, but we all plan to go to church together on November 28.

Today I'm giving thanks...

1. That Nadia earned a 93% on her Algebra test on Tuesday. This was a HUGE improvement as she hasn't passed all of her tests this fall. Thankfully I don't have to give her report cards in eighth grade. 

2. I was able to see my friend, Cheri today. I hadn't seen her since the end of July. My niece, Jenna, changed her plans for the weekend last night, which means we won't get to spend time with her after all, which made me all the more grateful that I could spend some time with a friend as I've had very little interaction with people outside my immediate family for the last 7 weeks. Meeting her at Panera was my first time leaving the house to go somewhere other than the hospital since October 6. 

3. I learned about a TV show that was aired about 13-14 years ago called "Roman Mysteries." The kids seem to like it so far, and it has some good historical content.

4. I drove today for the first time since September 12 (not counting the day I drove around a parking lot a little in search of a parking spot at Zion National Park). The good news is that I can do it safely, although my ability to slam on the brakes hasn't been tested. The bad news is that it hurts to press the accelerator. The good news is that I can use cruise control at least some of the time. The bottom line is that I don't plan to drive much until it's less painful to walk and drive, but it's nice to know I can drive if needed such as taking Nadia and Ian to church on Wednesday afternoons. 

5. Yesterday was a very bad day for my foot and ankle. Lately only my ankle has been swelling, but yesterday my foot including my toes were swollen. It's a bad sign when you can't even wear a sock because it's become a tourniquet. I used ice and took pain medication yesterday for the first time in weeks. I was back to hopping part of the day as it was too painful to step on my right foot. I've tried to stay off my feet more today, and as a result my sock still fits this evening, which is good because I really like to wear socks when it's cold outside. 

6. Although we usually see extended family for Thanksgiving, we were able to maintain two traditions - each of us writing a gratitude list in a journal we use only on Thanksgiving Day each year, and having monkey bread for breakfast. Usually, we have it on for breakfast on Thanksgiving Day. I had thought we'd save it for Saturday when Jenna and Toby were with us, but when I found out this morning that they weren't coming, I made the monkey bread this morning. It's a treat that Oliver, Ian, and I really enjoy a few times a year!

Thankful Thursday

Last Thanksgiving was the first one that we celebrated just with our immediate family, and that is true again today, but we will see one extended family member this week as our niece, Jenna, who turned nineteen on Monday, plans to arrive at our home with her boyfriend tomorrow night and spend the day with us on Saturday. We talked to her on the phone on Monday, and we talked to her brother, Nathan via FaceTime yesterday as they both celebrated birthdays this week. I made the pumpkin bread and also yeast dinner rolls for today's meal yesterday. Today I have already made or will be making mashed potatoes, turkey, stuffing, sweet potatoes, corn casserole, and peanut butter pie. I also purchased cranberry sauce and a pumpkin pie. Over the past 20+ years I've usually celebrated Thanksgiving with Paul's family, which means I've been thinking of Paul's mom as this is the first Thanksgiving since she passed away. 

Today I'm giving thanks that:

1. We live in a free country. Although we've seen a lot more government intrusion over the last 20 years and especially over the last 20 months, we still have the freedom of worship. 

2. I am able to homeschool our children. Our decision to homeschool certainly has nothing to do with whether homeschooling is popular or not, but the percentage of children being homeschooled in the US has drastically changed over the last two years. According to the US Census Bureau, 5.1% of children were taught at home prior to the pandemic. This rose to 11.1% by October 2020 and was at 19.5% in May 2021. This does NOT include students who were enrolled in a public or private school and doing that schoolwork at home. Time will tell whether that number goes up or down in the future, but we are very thankful that homeschooling is still a legal option in our country. 

3. I can walk on two legs! It's rather painful to do so, but I'm thankful that my days of crawling on my hands and knees or hopping on my left leg are over. I also greatly prefer being able to stand when I'm taking a shower. 

4. We have been enjoying watching the episodes of Tuttle Twins as they are released. 

5. I'm planning to drive tomorrow for the first time since September 12. I went 12 weeks without driving in 2012 when I was pregnant with Oliver, so this time of not being able to drive was a little bit shorter (a little shy of 11 weeks).  I'm planning to meet my friend Cheri, whom I haven't seen for four months. 

6. Christ made it possible for us to spend eternity in Glory! I look forward to being reunited some day with my mom, my brother, and Paul's mom.

7. Milo has been my snuggle buddy during this time I've spent a lot more time sitting.

8. The last two years have been very good for Paul's company. 

Samaritan

Last Friday and Saturday I invested many hours into first researching the cost of health insurance premiums and then different Christian medical sharing plans. I narrowed it down to three choices - Medi-Share, Christian Healthcare Ministries, and Samaritan Ministries. The most appealing aspects to Medi-Share were that we could have access to free virtual doctor appointments (which could result in a prescription being given if needed), free virtual counseling appointments, and they negotiate discounts with providers. I didn't choose Medi-Share because if I chose a monthly premium that was similar to the other two, the deductible would have been $6,000 per year for the family. I realize that this deductible is lower than what we would have if we had chosen traditional health insurance, but still it seemed a bit steep. The other two programs were very similar so the choice was harder to make. I personally know at least three families who have used or are currently using CHM. I chose Samaritan over CHM for the following reasons: the premiums are a little less than $100 a month cheaper, Samaritan will pay 100% for qualifying bills that exceed $400 (it's $500 with CHM at the "gold" level which is what we would have chosen if we went with them), Samaritan covers some things that CHM doesn't, and CHM requires you continue paying the premium until you have received payment for an eligible bill. I read of some people who went back to traditional health insurance and ended up having to pay double premiums for upwards of four months while waiting for bills to be paid. Samaritan doesn't have that policy. Saturday night I submitted the application and forwarded something to one of our pastors as they must verify our church attendance. I'm hoping that our coverage with Samaritan will go in effect on December 1. I wasn't surprised that Christian sharing programs don't cover fertility treatments as our health insurance didn't pay for them either, but I was shocked to see that CHM is so opposed to IVF that they won't even cover a pregnancy that results from IVF. I can understand that Christians don't want "unwanted" embryos to be destroyed or left frozen indefinitely, but what about those families (like us) who were committed to using all our embryos? That wasn't a factor in my decision making progress considering our ages. 

The good part of being a part of a medical sharing plan is that if we encounter large bills (hospitalization, surgery, etc.) we will get reimbursed. The bad news is that none of the Christian sharing programs provide coverage for preventative expenses. The exception would be that Medi-Share does cover an annual physical plus a little bloodwork IF you have already met the $6K deductible. So in addition to paying the monthly premium for Samaritan, we will be responsible for paying for physicals, immunizations, mammograms, colonoscopies, and such each year. I already wasn't looking forward to having a colonoscopy, but if we also have to pay thousands of dollars for it? We shall see when I actually have my first colonoscopy. I will also be calling around and finding out what different providers will charge us as a patient who is paying cash. Ian has a pediatrician appointment next month for his physical and twelve-year-old immunizations, but I might be changing that appointment if I find another doctor will charge a lot less in light of us paying cash. For the last several years all of those appointments haven't cost us a penny. Similarly, I have a mammogram appointment for next month, but I might be cancelling that as I found out they cost over $1K.

In light of the mammogram and Ian's physical, I considered keeping our awful health insurance for the month of December in addition to the plan with Samaritan. I called the insurance today and asked what my cost would be for a mammogram. Over the phone they told me it wouldn't cost me anything. When I asked if I could have that in writing, she said I should just access their website. According to the website they will only pay $60 for a mammogram. I also asked what my cost would be for Ian's physical and immunizations. She said I would have to pay $25 for his physical and that the immunizations would be free. According to the website, they won't pay anything for physicals or immunizations. If what I was told on the phone was accurate, it would be worth it to pay for one more month of coverage, but I have a feeling I'll be cancelling the policy later this week because of what it says on their website. One good thing regarding the insurance was they did cover the x-ray that I had two weeks after the surgery. They also sent me a check for about $11 with that EOB??? Hopefully that means they will also cover last week's x-ray. 

I have made a lot of progress over the last five days with walking. I went from not being able to walk at all to being able to walk while holding on to something (such as my walker) to being able to walk without holding on to anything. Friday I needed to use a walker to get into the shower, but I was able to take a shower standing rather than in a shower chair for the first time in 6 weeks. By Sunday morning I didn't even need the walker to get into the shower. I must hold on to the banister and have both of my feet go on every step, but now I can walk up and down the stairs. My gait when walking is not normal. I generally just plop my right foot down rather than using a heel/toe motion. My right ankle is still very stiff. I am optimistic that I will be able to resume driving on Friday. As of yesterday, it has been 10 weeks since I drove. If I stand or walk for too long, my ankle becomes rather swollen, and the pain level also increases. I'm definitely not back to normal, but I'm walking on two legs again after hopping on one leg for a long time. I've been able to do some of the cleaning and organizing projects, and I took a photo with my good camera today for the first time in probably close to two months. I took less than 10 pictures with the cell phone over the past seven weeks, which is far fewer than normal for me; today was the very first picture I took in November and it's already the 22nd of the month!

Hopefully we won't get surprised with being asked to pay any gigantic medical bills once we're in the Samaritan program, and hopefully we'll be healthy and not need any surgeries or hospitalizations for as long as possible! I haven't been hospitalized since Oliver was born in August 2012. Nadia and Ian haven't been hospitalized since they were born, and Ian hasn't had any surgeries for 9.5 years. Aside from the colonoscopy, Paul has never had any surgeries or been hospitalized (and he'll be turning 53 years old in 42 days). Oliver's last hospitalization was in February 2018. This ankle surgery was definitely an aberration from the norm as my last non-pregnancy related surgery was in 1994. It was awful timing considering it happened 12 days after our health insurance changed.

Giving Thanks

Typically in November I have tried to include a gratitude list in every post. I haven't done so this month, and I've only written two "thankful" posts so far this month as my last one was 10 days ago. So although Friday doesn't start with a "T," here are some things I am thankful for today.

1. Tab, Micah, and Isaiah came over for a visit on November 12. We hadn't spent time together since September 2 so it was great to talk face-to-face. Tab also brought her vacuum so that we could use hers while ours was on the fritz. 

2. Paul fixed the vacuum last Sunday afternoon. I'm thankful that we don't need a new one. 

3. The doctor gave me permission on Wednesday morning to begin bearing weight on my right leg. I didn't make progress that day toward walking, but I made progress yesterday and today. I am by no means walking normally, but at least my hopping days are over. We shall see if I can walk up the stairs this evening for the first time in almost 10 weeks. I was able to walk down them this morning with my back to the railing and both hands holding on to the railing that was behind me. I'm thankful that Yvonne can help me via FaceTime with relearning how to walk. Yesterday morning I was so happy that I could finally make my right leg go forward to take a step, but then I was frozen and couldn't move my left (uninjured) leg an inch. The kids and I all were all laughing. I felt ridiculous, but Yvonne told me that my brain was still working hard to protect my right leg. I've had to readjust my expectations as to what I can accomplish around the house at the moment, but hopefully in another week I'll be back to normal. Walking is VERY exhausting to me at the moment. I was so tired yesterday that I went to bed at 8:30pm, and I slept until almost 7am!

4. Nadia attended a 4-H roller skating party this evening. Her friend's mom came and picked her up, and Paul was able to meet them somewhere convenient afterwards on his way home from work. 

5. Paul's dad came up to our house yesterday. He went to the library for me, took the kids to lunch at Bonanza, helped Oliver learn how to program his Edison robot that my Dad and Margie had given him for his birthday, listened to the boys play the piano, and played Ian in a game of chess. He was with the kids for about 5 hours total. They hadn't seen him for three months. 

6. So far things have gone well for Margie following her second chemo treatment. Her white count is low so we're praying she won't succumb to any illnesses. 

7. We got a very cheap trial of an Amazon Prime channel (99 cents a month), and that enabled Ian and Oliver to see the new Clifford the Big Red Dog movie. Last weekend we watched the Jungle Cruise movie together on Disney+, and Oliver also watched the new Home Alone movie. Nadia and I are hoping that Disney+ will renew the show Turner and Hooch for a second season next year. 

8. Walmart had the grocery order ready on time for Paul last night, which was a relief after the problem we had on Wednesday morning. 

9. After the disastrous experience we've had with our health insurance regarding my ankle surgery, we want to have other coverage ASAP. Instead of trying another health insurance, we're going to go the Christian sharing plan route instead. I'm glad there are other options out there, and I'm still praying that either our health insurance company will pay more toward my surgery or that the hospital will greatly reduce the size of the bill that currently exceeds $21K. Here's to hoping and praying we have a better experience with the sharing plan. 

Baby Steps

The good news is that the surgeon told me today that I can begin bearing weight immediately, and I will likely be able to drive again in 7-10 days. Today was the first time I left the house in four weeks. Ideally I'd like to be able to meet my friend "for coffee" (term used lightly because I don't actually drink coffee) on November 26, and I'd like to be able to go to church in person on November 28. When the surgeon asked me to try standing on both legs, I had my right foot on the floor while standing for the first time in 9+ weeks, but I wasn't really putting any weight on it. Then he asked me to take a step. I couldn't do it. My brain was saying lift your right leg and take a step, but I was frozen like a statue. I felt utterly foolish. I have been walking for about 48 years, and I've forgotten how in 9.5 weeks? When I broke my ankle 28 or 29 years ago, I had no trouble immediately walking once I was able to resume, but that time (in addition to being almost 30 years younger than I am now), I had only been in a cast for 6 weeks, and part of that time was in a walking cast, and I didn't have any pins or plates inserted in my ankle (no surgery that time). The doctor said I can go from the boot to a regular shoe but should wear an ankle brace. He was going to give me one, but when I told him about the fact our insurance says we owe $21,365.83, he said it would be better if we got a brace at CVS or Walmart as it would be cheaper than what the hospital will charge. Similarly, he had been planning to give me a referral for PT, but he suggested I might want to try to forgo it in light of the fact the insurance probably wouldn't pay a dime towards it. Thankfully, Yvonne was an OT, and she gave me some assistance via FaceTime this afternoon.

I have been working for the last four weeks on improving my range of motion with my ankle when it's been elevated. The problem at the moment is my leg muscles have atrophied. I need to strengthen my leg so I can walk again. Plus it's partially psychological. I've been so accustomed to protecting my ankle that my brain is having a very hard time with the concept of actually using it even though part of me really, really, really, really, really wants to be able to walk! The other part of me is scared. The $20K bill isn't exactly helping, as I surely don't want to fall again. Hopefully there will be drastic improvement over the next 7-10 days as right now I can't take even one tiny step with both legs even if I'm holding on to the walker. I'm grateful I have permission, and now I am praying I will regain the ability to actually take advantage of the permission I have been given as I want to be rid of using a walker and walk up the stairs instead of crawling on my hands and knees.

As for the insurance debacle, I made many calls to the insurance company yesterday and got nowhere. Today I called the hospital's billing department to see if they could be of assistance. They are going to try to help. They said on October 6 (day before the surgery) the insurance told them no authorization was needed, but they also failed to mention they would pay less than $1K toward the surgery (which cost over $20K). The only other time I've encountered medical bills this large was with IVF, but in those instances the hospital told us in advance what the insurance wouldn't cover so we had time to save up money. We didn't have informed consent this time around. I would have paid COBRA to extend our previous insurance had I known this one was only going to pay a very small portion of the surgery, but now we're past the 60 day deadline. I have also filed a complaint with the Insurance Commission in PA. I'm hoping that one of these two actions will result in either the insurance company paying more towards the surgery OR the hospital greatly reducing the charges to something more reasonable for us to pay. And I really, really hope we switch to a different health insurance by December 1 as this one is awful!!!

I had placed a grocery order for Walmart to be picked up sometime between 8-9am as my appointment was at 8am and is very close to a Walmart. While we were at the doctor's office I got a text saying it was delayed and not ready to be picked up yet. We drove to Walmart so Paul could buy me a brace, and he asked around 9:30 when the grocery order would be ready. The manager said he had no idea when it would be ready. I needed to get home to homeschool the kids, and Paul needed to go to work so we couldn't wait there indefinitely. So I cancelled the order and later placed another one to be picked up tomorrow night between 7-8pm. Hopefully they will have our ready order tomorrow. 

End of the tunnel

 

Zion National Park  (9/18/21)

When I broke my ankle on September 12, I thought that the worst case scenario was that I wouldn't be able to drive for six weeks, which would be three weeks after we returned home. The ER had told me I could bear weight when using the boot if it wasn't too painful to do so. I hadn't attempted it, but I was hoping that sometime over those six weeks I would be able to walk on two legs. The ER had told me to return to see an orthopedic doctor three days later. I didn't actually see one for a little over three weeks. The surgeon told me the soonest I would be allowed to drive or bear weight would be 6 weeks after the surgery. As of yesterday it has been nine weeks since I've driven or walked on two legs. That *might* be changing in less than 48 hours as I return to the surgeon at 8am on Wednesday. I can't wait until I can walk on two legs to the bathroom rather than hopping to the bathroom using a walker, and I also am eagerly anticipating the day I can clean and organize our house from top to bottom. It wasn't the best timing to read the book The Lazy Genius Way when I couldn't really do things like declutter, but hopefully I can later this week! I'm also really hoping and praying that the insurance company will actually pay for 80% of my ankle surgery. As it stands they are expecting us to pay over $20K because it was the result of an accident. I didn't know that accidents were handled differently by medical insurance.

I've been a hermit the past six weeks. Since Oliver hasn't had a ride to church the past two Wednesday nights, he hasn't gone anywhere except for church on Sunday morning. Thankfully, Tab and her two boys came over to our house for a few hours on Friday afternoon. From October 3 until the end of November our calendar has been/is pretty clear, but that is not the case for December. First, we're planning to see the Christmas with the Chosen in the theatre. We haven't been to a movie theatre in two years. I got an AMC gift card in January 2020, and that is what I used to buy four tickets to see Christmas with the Chosen. Other plans in December include seeing a Christmas show near Harrisburg, going Christmas caroling, a homeschool roller skating party, a Christmas around the World program, spending one night at Great Wolf Lodge, a Christmas Eve service, a dentist appointment, Ian's annual physical, and hopefully celebrating Christmas with extended family. Last year most of those things didn't take place in December due to COVID. This year the usual things like going to a corn maze, carving pumpkins, fall pictures, etc. didn't take place due to my ankle. Here's to hoping that neither COVID nor my leg will impact our lives too much next month.

Since I've spent far more hours than usual sitting, I've had to come up with things that I could accomplish with my leg elevated. Yesterday I addressed the envelopes for our Christmas cards. I'll wait a bit before I put them in the mail, but I'm ready to mail them earlier than usual. One project that I worked on the last several days was to develop some potential vacation itineraries. Because we have a goal of visiting all 50 states, I had mapped out potential vacations to the remaining 14 states between now and the summer of 2030 (when Oliver would graduate from high school and when Nadia might graduate from college if she pursues a four year degree right after she graduates from high school). Those nine vacations would include a trip to New England/Canada, Hawaii, Alaska, England, Ecuador, the Northwest, the Southeast, Texas/Louisiana, the Midwest. I had previously worked on the New England itinerary. Over the last several days I've worked on three other itineraries. None of them are completely fleshed out, and I fully expect they will change, but I've gotten a very good start toward planning them. I'm thinking flights will be involved for 6 of the 9 vacations and that we'd drive for the ones in the Northeast, Midwest, and Southeast. We haven't flown since we went to California in 2018. If we go to the Southeast in 2022 and the Northeast in 2023, we might not board airplanes again until 2024.

1. The 16 day Southeast trip includes stops in 5 states we've already been in (TN, VA, NC, FL, WV) and adds 1 new state (GA).  It includes 18 National Park sites. The battlefields (especially Chickamauga) and forts are what Paul will likely enjoy the most and what Nadia will enjoy the least. The trip includes 2 aquariums, 2 science museums, 2 beaches, 5 amusement parks, and 5 other sites that don't fit any of the above categories (Titanic Museum, St. Augustine Lighthouse, chocolate tour, Ruby Falls, and World of Coca Cola). We also have several opportunities to spend a little time with friends and family in Atlanta, Lynchburg, and in the Jacksonville area. Due to the fact that September is hurricane season, I'm proposing that we take this trip during the last half of May (2022), but that might not work out for Paul. The trip includes 3 nights in Atlanta and 5 nights in Orlando. 
2. The approximately 11 day Midwest trip includes stops in 3 states we've already been in (IN, IL, IA) and adds 3 new states (KS, NE, MO) and includes 7 National Park sites, 3 zoos/aquariums, 2 science museums, 1 children's museum, 1 amusement park, 1 cave, 1 art museum, 1 WW1 Museum, and 1 industrial tour. The length of this vacation will probably depend on how many days we spend in Chicago with my sister's family. 
3. The 17 day Northwest vacation includes stops in California plus three new states (NV, OR, WA). The trip includes 3 nights in Reno (with my Aunt and cousins), 4 nights in San Francisco, 18 National Park sites, 5 science museums, 3 zoos/aquariums, 2 industrial tours, and more. I am thinking we'd fly to Reno and then fly home from Seattle. 

Bryce Canyon (9/17/21)

Thankful Tuesday

Yellowstone - photo credit Nadia

1. On Saturday morning I made some pumpkin muffins for breakfast. I had half of a can of pumpkin leftover from when I made pumpkin waffles the previous week. I can go years without making muffins for breakfast, but Oliver, Nadia, and I enjoyed it so I think I'm not going to let that much time pass before I do that again. I put some raisins in half of them and some chocolate chips in the other half. They were delicious! I really enjoy eating pumpkin foods each fall. I think pumpkin yogurt and pumpkin ice cream sound repulsive, but I love pumpkin cookies, pumpkin pancakes, pumpkin bread, etc. 

2. Oliver wanted to do something special on Friday afternoon while his siblings were traveling to Ohio. He asked if we could make cookies; we ended up making sugar cookies. He would have liked to do cut out cookies with sprinkles. I said we'd wait a few weeks until it was closer to Christmas to do that. Even the toes (on my right foot) were swollen by the time we finished making the cookies and the mashed potatoes for dinner, but I was happy to do something with my youngest!

3. Nadia and Ian had a good experience with quizzing in Ohio this past weekend. They need to put a LOT more time into studying over the next 7 months.

4. Paul took Oliver on a field trip on Friday night. They attended a program about owls at Montour Preserve, which is about 20 minutes from our house. Oliver is studying birds and insects this semester so it was perfect timing. I was thankful the program was from 7-8:30pm, which made it possible for Paul to take him. 

5. I placed an order with Lands End that included some things for the kids but mostly was for me. It was the first time in 2021 that I bought myself new clothes. It felt nice to wear a new outfit.

6. On Sunday I resumed making my bed. The bed has been VERY messy for the last 5 weeks because we haven't been tucking anything in to the end of the bed because it was painful if anything was on top of my foot. Things ended up on the floor or in quite a big jumble on top of the bed. I really love seeing my bed looking neat again. 

7. Paul mowed the lawn on Sunday. Since October 3 Nadia mowed once, a neighbor mowed for us once, and Paul mowed twice. We shouldn't need to mow again until the spring, and I plan to resume that chore at that time. I have also appreciated that Paul has been taking out the garbage, going to the library, and buying groceries, which are three other things that I usually do. 

8. Oliver has really been putting a lot of time into practicing the piano. He's off to a great start!

9. All three kids finished their schoolwork by 1:45pm today. That's much earlier than usual for Ian. 

10. Usually the "fall back" time change has been a struggle for the boys. They have gotten up a bit earlier than usual the last few days, but since their wake-up time had shifted later, waking up a bit earlier doesn't translate to way too early. We shall see how long it takes them to fully adjust to the time change, but I will say time changes go much more smoothly when your kids are older.

11. I've had more time to read lately, which makes me even more grateful for libraries. I recently read Nicholas Sparks' and John Grisham's newest releases as well as Set the Stars Alight by Amanda Dykes. I'm currently reading The Lazy Genius Way. 

12. In the last week my Aunt Janet called me, I chatted with Yvonne via FaceTime, and my friend Kay (who is in her 80's) called me. I can go months (or years in Kay's case) without talking to them so it was a blessing especially during this time when I've only left the house once over the past 5 weeks. 

13. Paul, Ian, and Oliver have had a cold for several days. I'm very thankful that Nadia and I have escaped it so far because I'll have to postpone my appointment that's currently scheduled for the 17th if I come down with a cold due to COVID regulations. None of them have had a fever. 

Sunset at Yellowstone- photo credit Nadia

Best of the best

Yellowstone - Photo credit Nadia

Yesterday as the kids were telling me about their experience quizzing in Ohio, I thought it would be nice to cheer them on at Nationals in South Carolina in June, especially as we were already planning to go to Georgia in 2022 as that is one of the 14 states the kids haven't done anything in yet. We have gone on vacation in June before such as our trip to Myrtle Beach in 2019, but it's not the best month for Paul to travel. I had been thinking we'd fly to Atlanta and then fly back from Tampa or Orlando, but now I'm thinking that even if we go to Georgia and Florida in September we might drive.  As I did research for this particular vacation, I also found myself adding other places to visit to other trips that I'm hoping we'll take in other years. For example as I was trying to decide if we should visit both the Georgia Aquarium and Tennessee Aquarium, I was reading various websites that included reviews of those two aquariums as well as lists that people have compiled of what are the best aquariums in the United States. This lead me to look at other "best" lists, and I found it encouraging to see that in many cases the kids have already been to many of the "best" places on the lists and also I have plans for us to visit some of the other "best" places. We've also been to many children's museums, caves, zoos, amusement parks, etc. that aren't included on any "best" list. The one category I omitted was "Best Art Museums" because we've done very little in that regard, but hopefully we will visit some of the best art museums in the years to come. I hope and pray that during all future vacations no one in our family breaks a leg!

Best Children's Museums: 

• We've been to the Boston Children's Museum, Please Touch Museum (Philadelphia), Children's Museum of Pittsburgh, Strong Museum, and the Port Discovery Children's Museum (Baltimore).
• Because Nadia feels she has outgrown children's museums, I'm not sure if we will make it to any others from the "best" lists. The three "best" ones that might be included in our future trips are in Houston, Indianapolis, and Atlanta. 

Best Caves: 

• The kids have been to Mammoth Cave, a slot canyon similar to Antelope Canyon that was on many lists, and Luray Cavern. I  wanted to visit Wind Cave and Jewel Cave in South Dakota in September, but they were cut so we could visit North Dakota and Montana. 
• Future plans include visiting Natural Bridge Caverns, Meramec Caverns, and Ruby Falls. I would love to take the kids to Carlsbad at some point, but it's not currently in any of the future vacation plans. 

Best Aquariums: 

• We've been to the Shedd Aquarium and National Aquarium. I was a little surprised I didn't see the Adventure Aquarium on the best lists as we were quite impressed with that one in New Jersey.
• Future plans include visiting the Audubon, Columbus, Atlanta, Seattle, and Tennessee Aquariums. 

Best Zoos: 

• The kids have been to the San Diego, Philadelphia, and Smithsonian National Zoos. 
• Future plans include visiting the Omaha, Columbus, Houston, Saint Louis, Woodland Park, and Brookfield Zoos. In the past I've made plans to take the kids to the Bronx Zoo, but we haven't actually made it there yet so that's another one we might visit from the best zoos lists.

Best Living History: 

• We've enjoyed Mystic Seaport, Plimoth Plantation, Colonial Williamsburg, Genesee Country Village, Old Sturbridge Village, and Greenfield Village.
• We hope to visit Camlann Medieval Village, Vermilionville Living History Museum, and the Fountain of Youth Archaeological Park in the future.

Best Museums:

• We've visited the USS Midway, Kennedy Space Center, Smithsonian Museum of Natural History, American Museum of Natural History (NYC), National Museum of the US Air Force, Oklahoma City National Memorial, Field Museum, and the Henry Ford.
• We plan to visit the National WWII Museum (New Orleans), USS Arizona, Biltmore, 9/11 Memorial, Alamo, Holocaust Museum, World of Coca Cola, National Infantry Museum, Titanic Museum, Eastern State Penitentiary, and Art Institute.

Best National Parks: 

• We've been to Zion, Yellowstone, Grand Canyon, Bryce Canyon, Badlands, Mesa Verde, Statue of Liberty, Mount Rushmore, and Grand Teton. 
• We plan to visit the Crater Lake, Great Smoky Mountains, San Antonio Missions, Acadia, Mount Rainier, Big Bend, Gateway Arch, Denali, and Olympic. One that is on the best lists that would be nice to visit but isn't included in any future plans at the moment is Glacier National Park. 

Best Amusement Parks: 

• We've been to Sea World, Disneyland, Magic Kingdom, Cedar Point, Hollywood Studios, HersheyPark, Knoebels, Six Flags Great Adventure, Dutch Wonderland, and Legoland.
• We hope to go to Epcot, Universal Studios, Carowinds, Six Flags over Georgia, and Islands of Adventure next year.  

Best Factory Tours:

• The kids have toured the Louisville Slugger Factory, Crayola, Hershey's Chocolate World, US Mint (Philadelphia), and Martin guitars. I tried in both 2020 and 2021 to take the kids to the Toyota Factory in Kentucky, but it wasn't possible due to COVID.
• I plan to take them to the Harley Davidson (York), Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream, Tabasco, Boeing, Jelly Belly, Utz, PEZ, Cabot Cheese, Herr's, Taza Chocolate, Vermont Teddy Bear, Snyder's, Lake Champlain Chocolate, and Herbaria Soap factory tours in the future. 

Best Science Museums: 

• We've been to MANY science museums. Those that make the best lists include Museum of Science (Boston), MOSI (Chicago), Arkansas Museum of Discovery (I really don't agree that it is one of the best), Liberty Science Center, New York Hall of Science, Maryland Science Center, and the National Air & Space Museum. My kids would argue that the Carnegie Science Center should be on the best list.
• I'm hoping we will visit the Exploratorium, COSI (Columbus), California Academy of Sciences, Pacific Science Center, Oregon MOSI, The Tech, Saint Louis Science Center, and Discovery Place Science Center.

Best Places to Visit: (that don't fit any of the above categories) 

• The kids have been to Times Square, Horseshoe Bend, Central Park, Niagara Falls, and Cape Cod.
• I plan to take them to the Lincoln Memorial, Golden Gate Bridge, Washington Monument, White House, Alcatraz Island, and the Capitol Building (as well as many other places that weren't on the "best" lists I reviewed).

Yellowstone - Photo credit Nadia

Happy Birthday, Grandma

Today would have been Paul's mom's 77th birthday. From December 26, 2019 until her passing in May 2021, the kids and and I only had one visit with her, it was on her 76th birthday which means it's been exactly one year since we gave her a hug and were with her in person. It's been six months since I talked to her. She is greatly missed. I know she's in a better place and am very thankful she's free from the physical suffering she endured, but today it's hard not to cry. 

Within a period of eight days we had electricity issues in our home. Milo electrocuted himself on October 29. Yesterday I decided to try to vacuum the family room. I asked Paul to move the office chair into that room and thought I could vacuum while sitting in that chair. Oliver brought me the vacuum and plugged it in. Unfortunately, he didn't plug it in correctly. I screamed when I saw the sparks and smoke coming from the outlet. Paul was sitting very close to the outlet, and he pulled it out. One of the prongs was still in the outlet. Quite a few things have been broken by the kids during the past month. Nadia broke our hamper; I ordered a new one from Walmart. Nadia also broke part of the kitchen chandelier when she was trying to replace a lightbulb. The kids have put some pretty big gashes in the walls when they've been carrying Milo's crate down from Ian's bedroom in the morning (usually that's my job). If we actually have to replace the vacuum, that will be the most expensive thing that was broken during this time. Paul is going to try to just replace the plug. We're really going to miss the vacuum until he fixes it or we replace it, especially in Nadia's room as the guinea pigs make quite a mess in there. Paul usually goes to work on Saturdays, but he hasn't felt well the last several days so he decided to stay home yesterday. This meant he was able to go to the library and go grocery shopping for me, but it also was a big help that he was here to turn off the breaker and extract the melted prong from the now blackened outlet. 

Last night I went to bed a little after 8pm. I'm not a night owl like my mother-in-law was, but that's very early even for me. I tried to make myself stay up because I thought the night we were turning the clocks back an hour was not the night to go to bed early, but I slept almost 11 hours. Because I went to bed early, I was asleep before Nadia and Ian came home from the Bible quizzing event in Ohio. There were eight teams competing in the event from four different churches. Three of the teams were from our church. I believe our church's teams included three 6th graders, three 9th graders, two 8th graders, and two 11th graders. The competitions include a written portion as well as oral quizzing with buzzers. There are both individual and team competitions. The teams were divided into two divisions. The team Nadia was on won 1st place in the B division. The team Ian was on won 2nd place in the A division. It was Ian's first experience with quizzing. They both had a good experience. This time the quizzing was only on Romans 1-8. In June the nationals will be held in South Carolina and will be over all of Romans and James. There will be two other quizzing events prior to the Nationals - one at our church in January and one in Indiana in May.

As of today it's been seven weeks since I walked on two legs or drove. I decided this morning I was going to figure out how to make our bed while hopping on my left leg. I know it's a little thing, but it felt really good to look at a made bed for the first time in two months. Progress!