Hello 2015

We finished out 2014 more relaxed than anticipated.  I was a mess trying to work full-time with both girls and preparing for our anticipated move, so I quit my job the beginning on December.  I was able to fly out to Connecticut a few days later and help Glen look at houses with the real estate agent.  Even though it's probably the least pretty time of year (lots of bare trees), I really liked the area.  You can hear my full report once I move, but my first impressions were that it is very clean and the people are friendly. Connecticuters pay very high taxes (income and property), so the roads and other public services are exceptional.  The schools are some of the top in the country.  But, it's more rural than I'm used to.  I'm trying to think of a comparison, and east Woodinville is what I come up with.  I'm not even sure if that's accurate, but most houses are on 1/2 to 1 acre of land, but everything is in cul-de-sacs and very neighbor-hoody.  They are true New Englanders and get all four seasons, so Glen has already experienced negative (Fahrenheit!) temperatures and driving to work in a snowstorm.

For Christmas this year, Glen flew in on Christmas Eve and we spent a nice evening by the fireside just being silly and enjoying each other.  We do Skype and talk on the phone, but it had been two months since the girls had seen Glen.  On Christmas Day, Santa was modest (like always) in our household, but added to some gifts from our family in Australia, the girls had fun playing with their new toys.  In the afternoon, my mom & dad hosted a fun Christmas Day celebration.  They always do such a great job and we really appreciate all their hard work to bring the whole family together.

So on to the hard stuff.  My Auntie Pam is not doing well.  She did one chemo treatment, which she did not tolerate well, and then had blood clots from her surgery.  The worst-case-scenario happened and she had two strokes from those clots.  After a couple weeks in the hospital, she is now in a nursing home in north Seattle.  She has lost a lot of function, but is comfortable.  My cousin Loren (her only son) is amazing and is there with her every day.  He is a very calm, sensible man, and his daily presence gives us all comfort.  My mom is very involved with her care too, and her experience as an OT, and with healthcare in general, helps us all understand what is happening.  My parents are simply amazing dealing with all of this.  Even if they feel like they are totally losing it at times, they are really such strong people and among their own grief, are helping everyone else process what is happening.

Compared to all of that, our own struggles seem small, but we are grappling with the reality that we're moving soon.  I've been able to meet up with lots of friends lately and of course spend lots of time with my family.  We're excited to be reunited with Glen and start a new beginning, so it's nice to always have that in front of us.  The movers are coming on Tuesday (yikes!) because it takes two weeks for our belongings to get cross-country in the winter, and then we will live with Neely & Emilio until we fly out.  Our anticipated date to leave is February 2nd, so if you're in Seattle and want to see us, please connect me before then and we will make time for you!