Well - there are all of - what, 96 hours or so left of this year? Is it actually somewhere between 96 and 72 hours? I know the end (of this year) draws nigh. I mentioned yesterday that the last two weeks have been a bit of doozy - so this post will be mostly a ton of pictures and some brief recapping.
Sunday, December 13th my Mom and I went to Long Branch Plantation to see the home decorated for Christmas - my Dad didn't join us because he'd been feeling a bit poorly over the weekend - what we assumed was just a bad cold. *sigh* Can you already see where this is going?
The house was decorated beautifully and it was so nice to be perusing the old home once again; a couple years ago my Mom and I attended a book club here each month and had become familiar with the house, it was nice to be back! I snapped tons of pictures and that's why I combined them... this post is already so picture heavy; I decided to do everyone a favor!
We made a Wal-Mart pit stop on the way home and the rest of the evening seemed to be going smoothly enough - until shortly before 9:00 when my Dad's fever shot to just over 104 and we had ourselves a good freak out. Thankfully a dear friend who is also an ICU nurse talked us through getting his fever down... I certainly didn't see my Sunday night involving a drive to the gas station for Ibuprofen at 10 PM.
I ended up working from home the rest of the week because my Dad had to be tested for COVID-19.... that pesky virus that has hovered over everything we as a country have done for most of this year. The potential for the virus having made it's way into our home, combined with my Dad being pretty ill for a couple day - I have to confess it unleashed a strain of anxiety like I have never experienced - it drove me to my knees in prayer over and over again.
The stress of the week was broken up a little bit on Wednesday when a Winter Storm arrived on the scene and dumped about eight inches of snow on everything - it was so very Christmas-y with all the twinkle lights peeking from beneath the blankets of snow. I ended up taking Wednesday off from work because I hadn't been sleeping well and was drained... the two naps I took on Wednesday were a wonderful help to getting me back together somewhat.
By Wednesday my Dad has started to dramatically improve - I wish I could say the same for my anxiety. Between the stress and lack of sleep, I couldn't eat very much because my stomach stayed unsettled and when Friday finally arrived, I had lost five and a half pounds. The lesson here? I need to learn to manage stress better y'all.
My younger sister arrived home for Christmas on Friday afternoon and I felt a bit of the weight lift off my chest - just because it was so nice to not be on my own. This whole experience makes me think maybe I should have two kids instead of one (Lord willing) just so they have each other... *shrugs* We also got the results of my Dad's COVID test - and he was positive. We were briefed on the way to move forward, told the date his quarantine would end and then... that was that. Just told to "treat the symptoms" and only go to the ER if he had trouble breathing.
This whole scenario was a real point of stress for me - I am a planner and I need to know what steps I should be taking to get us from Point A - Point Z... and those steps weren't very informative. Blessedly - my Dad got better each day and by the time he got that diagnosis, he seemed almost like his normal self. We used an abundance of Lysol, Clorox Wipes, staying in our own space and even designating specified seats in the living room...
This Christmas week looked very different from those in the past (for most everyone in the world, I'm aware) - we cancelled the Christmas Tea, we didn't go to a Christmas Eve service and we used Door Dash more than once for dinner. However, we counted our blessings: we were together, my Dad was on the mend and we were able to enjoy one another's company: we drove to look at Christmas lights from the safety of our car, watched Christmas movies and just generally enjoyed being together.
My Mom, sister and I had the experience of going to be tested for COVID together on the Monday before Christmas. We discussed that it was not an experience we ever thought we'd have, but life often puts you in places you don't expect... and the greatest blessing was that later in the week (an early Christmas present, if you will) the three of us all tested negative. Thank you Lord! Sweet neighbors brought us chili, holiday sweets and most importantly: they prayed for us - what a gift to discover that so many in your neighborhood are such wonderful people!
We watched an abundance of Christmas movies and my sister and I jumped in and made some of our favorite dishes ahead of the Christmas Eve and Christmas Day - my Mom didn't have much of an appetite over the week and a half leading up to Christmas; no doubt brought on by stress, so Lindsey and I did our best to create some kitchen magic on her behalf. We also discovered Door Dash and utilized that delightful delivery feature since we were home bound through December 23rd.
Christmas Eve arrived and I think my Mom and I looked at one another and said "we made it" - the stress of the last week had us just wishing for Christmas Eve, when we assumed everything would be better. And it was - we were all on the mend; whether from the virus or anxiety, we were all better. We watched several Christmas movies throughout the day, cooked some delicious treats and closer to dinner time my sister and I picked up a Chick Fil A nugget tray for our Christmas Eve spread.
We had our own "candlelight service" circled around our living room, reading familiar Bible verses, singing hymns and lighting the candles in our Advent wreath - celebrating the true reason we celebrate Christmas: the arrival of our Lord and Savior, Jesus. We watched White Christmas and It's A Wonderful Life before turning in for the evening - and even though it was different than we'd imagined it would be, it was still wonderful in it's own way.
Christmas Day arrived with snow flurries, stuffed stockings, matching pajamas and breakfast casserole. We pulled treats, trinkets and little wonders from our stockings and passed out all the presents before taking a short break to have a delicious Hash Brown & Egg Casserole for breakfast with some (more) coffee... I'll have to share the recipe here soon, it was crazy tasty and I'm not even a fan of eggs!
The presents were wonderful - we are a family of givers and that didn't change this year - I was given some wonderful things, lovely clothes and items I know I will cherish for a long time to come! Plus - Bomba's socks and Baby Yoda were involved and those are both two wonderful things! We had the most wonderful Christmas lunch with all the favorites and the presence of my family moving around the kitchen getting the meal put together was a gift in itself.
We made our first outing since quarantine ended on Christmas afternoon - we bundled up and made our way to the Alamo to see Wonder Woman 1984 - and while I completely enjoyed the movie and I am so glad that we were able to keep that one holiday plan commitment, I'd be lying if I said that aspects of it didn't make me a bit anxious. We still have no clue where or how my Dad got COVID... we are vigilant about wearing masks everywhere we go and beyond outings for church and food here and there, we don't really go out. I think going out will make me a bit anxious in the coming weeks...
We rounded out our Christmas Day watching the newest Disney/Pixar film - Soul - on Disney+ and I thought it was the most delightful little movie. I'm not sure if everyone else in my family thought that.. but that's alright! The day after Christmas seemed to pass in an absolute blur... my younger sister discovered some of the amazing letters I wrote her while she was in school at the Air Force Academy. I guess I've always had a flair for writing...
We popped into a couple shops on Saturday afternoon that Lindsey can't visit when she is in the UK and then went to have Mexican food for supper... another thing that you can't get in the UK. Okay - you can get it in the UK but I've heard that it's not very good... ha-ha! We started the Netflix series Bridgerton and proceeded to watch the first three episodes in quick succession!
We slept in on Sunday and watched church online before going to brunch at Regions 117 - the food is always so divine and never disappoints, Sunday was no exception! I contemplated pancakes but ended up going with my favorite: the French Toast with fresh berries and vanilla bean whipped cream. Yum! By the time we'd finished brunch (our reservation wasn't until 1), snapped a few pictures by the lake and raced home to change... it was time to take my sister to the airport. *sigh*
Please hear me when I say - we are blessed. My Dad's illness could have had a million different outcomes (and believe me - I entertained them in my head; hello anxiety) but we were able to spend Christmas together as a family in relatively good health. We made memories, ate good food, shared time together and it was wonderful... if different than we'd imagined.
2020 has been quite the year - and the last two weeks have been some of the... dooziest? Is that a word? Spellcheck tells me it isn't but I'm going to go with it. I feel like the last two weeks have changed me a little bit - but I don't think for the worse - and that's a good thing. I hope that however your Christmas played out, you were able to find joy in it. And if you weren't - I prayerfully hope that the coming days are better for you... for all of us.
No comments:
Post a Comment