2021
January - Because of school vacation and a week for bereavement, I had about two weeks to get things organized before I had to head back to Houston. I could not have made it through that time without Hubby. He was my rock.
Mom was not a planner and she was a very private person. In the last days, she told me that she wanted to be cremated and that some papers were in one specific drawer, but I didn't have any other guidance besides that. We had to find paperwork, make decisions on the spot, do a first pass at throwing things away, sell her car and a myriad of other things to try to get it organized. Thankfully her neighbors were very helpful and willing to keep an eye on things for us. The events of January 6th were barely a blip in my life because we were packing things and throwing things away and making plans. Then it was time to head back to Houston, my life on a completely different trajectory than it was when I went down in mid-December.
February - The Texas freeze. Our power went out for days, our fish died, we didn't have fire wood and finally escaped to my husband's family who had power. When we came home the pipes in the master bedroom and bathroom area burst. I had to move into our guest room / office that wasn't really set up to accommodate people for any length of time. Furniture and items were everywhere as we tried to save things from the water and then had to make things accessible for me to continue to go to work.
An aside to say how amazing my mom's neighbors were during this time. My mom had a ton of plants and they wrapped them or moved them into the garage and saved as many as they could during the freeze.
By a miracle, my aunt was able to get Hubby and I onto a list to receive the first doses of vaccine. It meant a two hour drive and lots of lines and protocols, but it was such a relief.
March - We went back down to the Valley, this time with my aunt in tow, so we could make a second pass at going through the house and packing up as much as we could.
At work, more and more students were returning across the country and even in my district, except at my campus. Other music programs were able to regain some semblance of normalcy, but my community stayed away the whole rest of the year. By the end of the school year our classes still only had 12-15 in person and the rest online, but at least we were able to ditch the shields in March.
July - Mom's house sold and we went down to the Valley one last time to take care of final details and then take ourselves to a few days at South Padre Island. I knew when I left, that the Valley chapter of my life would be closed forever and I would only ever return as a visitor.
Work FINALLY began on repairing our house, six months after the freeze. Six months of furniture all over the place and not having my own space. Six months of chaos dealing with mom's stuff and school stuff and house stuff.
August - Finally moved back to my room.
November - Hubby's dad who lived alone outside of Waco became ill. Hubby went up there and we received the news that he would have to be permanently on oxygen. He would need to move down to Houston to live with us.
December - Had a small gathering of Mom's friends in the Valley to commemorate her birthday and celebrate her since we were not able to have a funeral or memorial service.
2022
January - We stepped into the roles of caregivers and had to learn a whole new world of dealing with oxygen equipment, finding a raft of new doctors, arranging appointments and begin the process of selling the family property near Waco. Plus debating what we were going to do about where we were living because it wasn't designed for all of our new needs.
Teaching the year after the pandemic was infinitely harder than the year before.
March - Hubby's dad had some setbacks and was in the hospital and then moved to a rehab center for a few weeks.
At the end of the month, I was diagnosed with walking pneumonia which sucked because ...
April - After being together for 10 years Hubby and I got married at the beginning of the month. It was low key and lovely with a private ceremony at our house with Hubby's dad and my aunt as our witnesses. We then had a reception for our close friends and family at a local restaurant. A bright spot of joy in a rough couple of years.
At the end of the month I had a milestone birthday. 50. And then the next day I had to go to the ER for the first time EVER because of gastric issues.
Summer - Finally making forward progress in getting services in place for Hubby's dad and learning how to live with the three of us. Up until this point it felt like whack-a-mole and just trying to keep up. This six week break was really the first break I felt that I had since March of 2020.
We begin renovations on our house to convert our garage into a father-in-law suite. So construction and more construction, but forward progress.
August - Covid finally caught me right at the beginning of the school year. And with an oxygen patient with respiratory issues it was a very stressful time for everyone in the household.
September - Hubby's dad turned 90.
October - Construction is completed on the room addition.
December - Covid round two. I honestly never felt really recovered from the first round in August.