Another trip around the sun is about over. This year brought many highs and lows.
January brought a continuation of the insanity that was 2020. COVID was still running amuck and Trisha and Craig's wedding scheduled for February 14 was cancelled. After some back-and-forth with venue, they were able to reschedule the event for later in the year. However, they decided to get married as planned in mid-February. During the month Ed, who had been out of work since September 2020, starting working full-time again. But I, at the end of the month, had my contract with the state cancelled.
Since I wasn't working, February was dedicated to giving Trisha and Craig a special wedding. Chairs, tables and other party supplies were borrowed from a friend and craft stores were scoured for decorations. Their wedding turned out perfect and they went to Jamaica for their honeymoon.
It felt like half the month of March was spent in doctors' offices. During a routine eye exam I learned I have glaucoma. After several tests, I fortunately learned that there is no damage yet to my vision but I will have to use eye drops every day for the rest of my life. My mom had glaucoma so it wasn't that big of a shock. Later in March Blake learned that he developed another pilonidal cyst and was going to need another surgery.
April was a low key month. Still out of work, I spent a lot of time knitting and sewing. I also made a few bucks being a guinea pig for a couple studies a the Ohio State University Optometry Clinic. Ed's work was really crazy (asked to work 24 x 7) and he was very, very stressed. He did manage to sneak away on a few weekends to go fishing.
Blake graduated from the University of Cincinnati, after 5 years and many major changes. He landed a job in March and was already working full-time by the time he received his diploma. A week after his graduation, he was back home do have the cyst removed. This time, the wound was left open and I had to do wound care daily until it healed. Since he was not cleared to drive, because he was not allowed to sit, I chauffeured him back and forth to his appointments with the surgeon. At the end of the month, when Blake was finally able to sit, we got together with some friends for a night of cards.
Fiber festivals made a comeback in the spring. My enabler and I hit several, including the Mid-Ohio Fiber Festival on June 12. A couple friends from my previous job and I got together for dinner. I had been over a year since I had seen them in person. It felt so good to give them hugs. Trisha and I took a quick trip down to Nashville and enjoyed some mother-daughter time.
Life seemed to be getting back to normal in July. Some of my siblings and I were able to get together over the July 4th weekend. My friends and I had several social outings together. I looked like things were turning a corner. I received word from my vendor that a proposal that I was included on had been awarded and it looked like I would be working again soon. Since I had been putting off buying a new car, the news prompted me to trade in my old CR-V and get a shiny new one.
August brought another reunion, but under some very unfortunate circumstances. Someone I had worked with at Battelle had passed away suddenly. I learned of the passing from my former boss, who I hadn't seen or spoken with in about 20 years. We have traded a few emails and Christmas cards through the years but had not talked in forever. After the viewing, he and I talked for a couple hours. It was like time hadn't passed at all, except we both looked a bit older and had put on a few pounds. When it was time to go, he and I gave each other hugs. I cried when I got back in my car because I'm not sure I'll ever see him again. He had been my boss for 10 years, from about 1991 to 2001. He was there during the years I had my babies and was the most supportive person. We had a good working relationship. I was his project manager and he was my administrative manager. He always gave me the best advise and supported me in my career like no one else. I've always loved him like a big brother.
September brought my oldest brother, Joe, to visit. I took him on a train ride and to a baseball game during his stay with me. I was told later by another brother that he talked about the weekend for a few weeks, telling everyone about how much he liked it. Later in the month, Ed and I got away for a quick trip up to Michigan. It was nice to get out of the house for a few days.
Mid-October brought all of my siblings and I together for my niece's wedding. Luckily Maria and Tom didn't have any of the postponements that Trisha and Craig had. It was a beautiful evening with a fabulous view of downtown Cincinnati. During October, I was busy going to physical therapy for some back issues that developed in September. During the last week of the month, Ed had surgery to replace his right shoulder.
I finally returned to the workforce in November, after many, many delays. It wasn't full-time, though, since I had to chauffeur him to all of his appointments. Ed's recovery was slowed by a couple factors. First, the surgeon said he bled a lot during the surgery, which caused a lot of bruising along the joint and across his chest. Second, he had much more swelling. Probably because of the bleeding. Plans for the postponed celebration for Trisha and Craig ramped up. Honestly, there wasn't much to do since we had most of the plans settled earlier.
December was mainly focused around the wedding. I got my Christmas shopping done early thanks to online sales. My decorations also went up much earlier than I usually like. Right before the wedding my best friend's father passed away. Ed and I took a quick trip to Cincinnati to pay our respects. The wedding was perfect. Everyone commented on how beautiful it was. Christmas ended up being low-key. The plans to get together with my sibling on Christmas evening got cancelled because my sister who was to host came down with COVID. We spent another relaxing Christmas at home. I'm not complaining. Squeaks didn't seem to mind either.
2021 was an interesting year. The world changed in many ways and so have I. Throughout the year I participated in the Bible In A Year podcast by Ascension Press. While I didn't listen every day, I did catch up occasionally and was able to end on time on December 31. I can tell being present with God's word changed me. I think I'm a able to handle stress a bit better than I had. Bad news doesn't seem to overwhelm me quite so much. And I've seen proof of the power of prayer. The podcast is repeating during 2022. I plan to follow along again. I'm sure there is more to gain.
Here's to a bright and blessed 2022!!
