Just Because

I don't really have anything to say today, but I'm trying to be better about writing. So here I am!

I got my first vaccine. I had a little spot that felt slightly bruised the day after and then nothing after that. I hear the second one takes you down, but we shall see. They still don't have one for kids under 16, so we're not sure when we'll get you taken care of, but hopefully sooner than later. We're all really itching to travel! Your whole life we've traveled at least 2-3 times per year (usually a trip to Aunt Linda and Uncle David's lake house over the summer, a trip to their Sherwood house for Thanksgiving and, if we're lucky, somewhere with a beach over the summer). But there was NO travel for us in 2020 and so far none planned this year due to the uncertainty with my job situation and the vaccine. After so many months of just bad news, it was pretty exciting to get my first shot. I know it doesn't really mean anything until we can all get one, but it just somehow felt like progress.

My friend Alicia is reading/editing my book. So now I'm researching what to do to get it published. It really seems like writing it was the easy part and figuring out next steps is frustrating. But I still hope to get something printed and ideally sold to a publisher. If not, I'll self publish and then we can start trying to get people to buy it. I think it's good, but now that someone else is looking at it, I'm nervous! Haha! I might have strayed too far from the typical formula. My main bad guy isn't really evil. He just makes bad choices. Which I thought was truer to real life for most people. Although, when I read the news about the people who still support Trump, perhaps I'm wearing rose-colored glasses. I think many people are truly evil and think they're the good guys. It's not just fantasy stories. Maybe Alicia will have me re-write the ending after she reads it.

I don't have a ton of updates for you. We've actually talked as a family about how Covid has depleted our things to talk to each other about. Since you're in school, you do have some things happen. But Da and I sit a couple of yards apart with a wall separating us and chat throughout the day, so we have no new news when we go on our walks. I'll try to remember things that happened in the years when I didn't write and come back with a few stories. I'll ask you when you get home from school today too in case you have something you'd like for me to add.

The main thing I can remember right now is something we're still doing. We both started helping out at taekwondo. We're not officially instructors, but you help out with the Dragon class (4-6 years old) and I help with whatever they need help with. It's fun watching you with the kiddos, although still hard to believe I have the big kid. For me, it's nice to have something that makes me feel useful again.

I'm looking back through pictures from the past year to see if there's anything notable there. After a few months in 100% lockdown at the beginning of the pandemic, we did start hanging out with some of our friends on a limited basis. Mostly the Krauses and the Scherpenisses (Kennedy and Ryder are their kids you play with), both neighbors we run into when we walk and have befriended.

Oh! And you learned to ride your bike! For some reason that was a major hurdle for you. Another of those things I think you wanted to master on your first try and when you didn't, you decided it was dumb. I hope you outgrow that reaction because you looooove riding now that you figured it out. And it's fun to go on rides around the neighborhood or one time over the summer, you and I were out riding and ran into Reuben Krause, who was loading up bikes for him and Ryder to go to the park and we joined them. It was a gorgeous day and a wonderful respite from sitting around worrying about all the things. And now that you can ride, once we can travel again, we should go to Europe and take bike tours to see as much as we can!

Did I mention you got a cat? Jezebel passed away last October and you were beyond heartbroken. Even though she wasn't very nice, we loved her and it was sad when she passed. We were all there to usher her into the great kitty beyond. But then you just KNEW you needed a new cat. I wanted another dog, Da wanted nothing. But somehow, when we walked into PetSmart and they had a kitty adoption, you were drawn to this one cat in particular. She was an itty bitty tortie and her sign said she was, and I quote, "a toot." But your heart knew she was the cat for you and on February 1, 2019, Xena Von Beanifrid Bryan joined our family. She's a little chatter box and we sometimes joke that she's really an alien who thought she was inhabiting the body of a dog because she loves to play fetch with ponytail holders. She's a goof. Just like you. No wonder it was love at first sight. :D

Okay, I'll quit babbling now. See below for some photos from the past year.

I love you!
Ma

Xena shortly after we got her when she was still little

Halloween 2019