My Year in Review - Issue #49
On January 1st last year, I was recovering from a stomach virus that swept through the house over Christmas and pondering a decision we would be making soon. Jonathon's brother, Sam, had asked if his wife and yet unborn baby could live with us when he was deployed in the Navy the coming summer. We both wanted to do it, but looking around at our little house, knew things would be challenging unless we moved to a bigger place. This was something we wanted to do anyway, since Jonathon had already decided not to seek another term in office and we wanted some acreage further out in the country.
The other thing I was pondering while recovering from a stomach virus was getting back into writing, finishing my novel, and getting more active on my author's page on Facebook.
We began to work on both. I started writing again and trolled Zillow in search of a new house. It was the worst of times to buy a house. As you might recall, the housing market was a seller's market. House prices had skyrocketed. People stopped looking at houses and just started making offers sight unseen because waiting to walk through the house guaranteed someone would snatch it right underneath them by offering more than the asking price!
I was trying to be optimistic, but it seemed an impossibility. But we kept praying about it and kept looking.
All Hell Breaks Loose
Jonathon's final legislative session began in January, and I was in Columbia with him when I got the call from the vet with bad news. Bob had heartworm. We began the arduous treatment process.
I kept writing.
One house caught our eye and was sold before we could get approved for a loan. And then...I found our house the very day it went up for sale. That evening, we looked at it and the next day we put in an offer contingent on the sale of our home.
I kept writing and feeding Bob pills. I also felt quite bad, and it seemed to be getting worse.
Low and behold, the seller accepted our offer near Valentine's Day, and the race was on. We had to get our house picture ready and listable in about two days, which by some miracle, we did. Although we nearly burned our house and the neighbor's house down in the process. Really. You can read about that on my blog here.
Our house had to be under contract in two weeks, or the offer was off. No pressure. Jonathon continued to run back and forth to Columbia to fulfill his legislative duties while I stayed behind. At the time, a guy was renting our spare bedroom while he did temp work in Georgia. So, I had to get up in the morning, make sure our guest's room was spotless, clean the kitchen and get everything we used for cooking off the counter and tucked somewhere, clean the floors, and then be ready to jump in the car with the dogs and take off at a moment's notice.
I kept writing, feeding Bob pills, and got a cold.
Things Get Crazier
We were nearing the end of our two week window, and I was feeling uber stressed over our impending deadline, when a couple put an offer on our house...for our asking price! We quite obviously accepted.
This was excellent. But then...came the house inspection. The list of things to fix and mitigate before closing was long, indeed, and we didn't have much time. We went like mad. I packed like mad! We had to rent storage to move all of our stuff into because we had to be out of the house before we could close on our new house. Some friends of ours offered to let us stay in their guest bedroom after we closed while we waited to get into our new house. Bless them!
I kept writing, feeding Bob pills, feeling worse, and packed as fast as I could possibly go.
It was during my sister-in-law's baby shower (the sister-in-law and baby who are now living with us) that I finally figured out why I kept feeling worse. In the process of fixing an issue in our master bathroom, Jonathon and a friend of ours ripped into a massive, sloppy moldy mess. Who knows how long I had been breathing in all of those mold spores.
Jonathon called and said, "Get an N95 mask, come and get what you need and go to the Kaufman's house. You can't sleep here anymore."
From Here on, Everything Gets Fuzzy
I got back to back colds (probably due to mold exposure) for a long while. We lived in a spare bedroom with our long-suffering friends for much longer than we intended due to delays and supply chain issues. We finally moved everything out of our old house and into storage in the nick of time right before the closing date. I remember that it was a long day and a bunch of people from church, Jonathon's mom, and a few constituents came to help. But that's about all I remember because I was sick as a dog with the latest cold.
We closed on our new house, and then we worked on all the repairs there for what seemed like forever before we finally moved in either June or July. (I truthfully can't remember.)
While all this was happening, I had to keep running Bob back and forth to the vet for his heart worm injections, watch him like a hawk because he was not allowed to run for two months due to the risk of heart damage while the worms died off. Oh, and keep writing.
In August, my sister-in-law and the baby arrived and life got crazy again as we adjusted to having a baby in the house and she adjusted to living with virtual strangers.
In September, I discovered oxalates were a big problem for me with a whiz banger of a bladder flare.
In October, I got sick as a dog (sick as a dog happened a lot this year, and watching Bob go through heartworm treatment brought that expression to life) with stomach flu worse than the one I began the year with. We also went to an apple orchard and had a lovely time.
In November, I cooked a massive amount of food, began my Christmas sewing blitz, and got the living room looking put together and presentable the day before a big crowd of family came over for Thanksgiving.
In December, I sewed, felt terrible while cutting down on dietary oxalates, and hosted the family, once again, for our Christmas celebration.
"Jesus led me all the way..."
And somehow, in spite of all that insanity, I managed to move twice, settle (or mostly settle) a house, keep a dog alive, make clothes and Christmas presents, and write ten chapters, a blog post you can read here, and 49 newsletters. With consistent posting, as futile as it seemed in the moment, I gained 100 followers on Facebook. My novel has nearly doubled in size. I started at ten chapters and it now has almost nineteen. I do believe 2023 will be the year I finish 27.
On paper, I do not know how all of that was possible. I don't know how it happened. Because I felt awful most of the time, and there was about 75% more stuff I had to focus on besides writing.
Thank you, Jesus! God helped me. That's the only explanation.
All the way my Savior leads me
Cheers each winding step I tread.
Gives me grace for every trial,
Feeds me with the living bread.
Though my weary steps may falter
And my soul athirst may be
Gushing from the rock before me
Lo, a spring of joy I see.
He gave me Jonathon, who has picked up my slack more times than I can count this year. He gave us friends who gave and gave and gave and helped and helped and helped us. Without them, so much would not have happened. He provided financially. He provided strength when I felt near to emotional and physical collapse, to keep trying, to keep getting up and doing, to keep writing one more paragraph.
Just as He always has. Just as He always will.
I have been somewhat hard on myself this year. I would fuss and scold at myself when I felt sick and the stress of my unfinished novel wore at me. "Why can't you just buck up? You used to just power through when you felt bad. You're turning into a wimp!"
Well. I'm not 20 anymore. I'm 37. I can't seem to power through the way I used to. I'm feeling the wear and tear of time. But... In a real sense, as I take stock of everything I did this year...I did buck up! I did power through. In the thick of things, it's hard to see your progress clearly. So, I will try to remember that the next time I'm in the thick of things.
Be encouraged. If I lived through last year, God will get you and me through next year.
That's all for now. Until next time, folks...