Raising Flowers and Skids

My oh so neglected blog.

Is it COVID? Is it life stage? Is it competing interests?

It is all of it.

But I love printing my blog out as a photo journal so I want to have some updates in there! 2020 is seriously lacking with no travel to include!!

This has been quite the year. For everyone. So many ups and downs. I know 2020 will carry with it so many mixed emotions. Every year does, but this year has been so unique.

Let’s play some catch up (This kinda feels like a long version of a Christmas letter lol):

Gabe and Shannon are GRADUATING!!! And we are so sad that we won’t be travelling to attend the graduation (that has been cancelled anyways). It sucks though, let’s be honest. All that hard work – you want to celebrate – physically! But we are celebrating with them – very well socially distanced. I’m sure Gabe won’t mind me saying that school was not his favourite thing when he was younger, so getting through university seemed like a faraway possibility at some points. Not due to his capabilities – as he’s got them all covered – but just due to the growing pains of figuring out life. BUT, he figured it out (well, like us all, will always be figuring it out) and is now CHOOSING which law school to accept – weighing the pros and cons and SCHOLARSHIPS that he has been offered. So proud of Gabe and the hard work that he has put in to earn these acceptances! We are excited to see where this new adventure will take him and Shannon. Shannon is looking for work now post graduation so it’s exciting to see what career path she is going to set out on. Oh, to be young again with the whole world your oyster! We miss seeing them. Due to his visa delays he has not been able to come home! Last time he was home was two Christmases ago! Last time we saw him was summer 2019. Luckily for technology though- I sometimes feel like we talk to him more than the two kids in our house!!

Zandra came back from Hawaii in March due to COVID. Finished her winter and did her spring semesters online. She worked in the summer and then decided to head to Kingston to live with friends attending Queens. Everything is online anyways! So she has been doing BYU- H online from Kingston. She is returning to Hawaii after Christmas – the draw of a boy, missing sunshine and some opportunities to do some in-class classes… COVID has been tough on these kids, but she has rolled with it but is itching to get back to real university life.

Zach has been missionary – ing it up in Lethbridge, Alberta since he arrived in June. A far cry from Tahiti , but he has been really enjoying it. Not really enjoying the new lockdown COVID restrictions though. He has grown so much this past year. I can see that a mission grows you in leaps and bounds – it’s like 5 years in 1, lol. What a deal:) I also love how real he has kept it. I laugh at some of the things he writes in his group email. No filters. He is who he is. He is learning a ton about himself – that he is a questioner (according to Gretchen’s Rubin’s Four Tendencies), but that does not diminish his commitment and faith. He is a social connector and uses connection as a way to balance out stress. And he loves the people he is serving and he loves the people that are back home. He has learned how life truly is 50/50 and I think is wise beyond his years. He understands how he can passionately love what he is doing, and desperately miss being at home too. Not a lack of focus in either direction – he is just figuring out who he is:)

I think COVID has had lots of impact on the high schoolers in the world in very profound ways that maybe we are not going to see the results of for a while. What was supposed to be an awesome last year for Josh is a mishmash of navigating online school, dense classes and missing the social connection. The teachers are figuring out how to teach online and adjust curriculum to accommodate the intense but short quadmesters. Can’t say it is ideal for my two high schoolers. Josh mentioned the other day how he had planned with his friends to be running “Riverdale United”, an initiative Zach had been involved in two years ago and Josh and friends were looking forward to. All cancelled. And sports? Both Sam and Josh, avid soccer players, do not get the satisfaction and competitive release in sporadic (due to changes in restrictions) practices with limited contact on spaced out fields. My boys are driven by the actual game so their desire to play has been great reduced.

Overall I find the little boys have been up and down. Lots of stress with some deadlines, and not enough with others. Too much sleep and not enough sleep. Missing the usual outlets, but creating new ones. Both boys had a throwback summer of bike riding, bonfires on the beach and hanging out in parks. Josh had a summer job which he enjoyed and I think he benefited from the structure (and money). In some ways not having organized sports was a blessing over the summer as they really got creative with their friends. I have appreciated that both boys have friends to spend time with outdoors, and are also friends with each other. But it is not an idea high school experience. Neither is it an ideal “apply to University” experience for Josh – and lots of questions about post high school to figure out. Not an easy time in many ways – but exciting in other ways! Sam still has a few years where hopefully things will settle and this will just be a blip in the middle of high school. Sam had an easier first quadmester as he had two easy classes – I don’t think he has felt the brunt of school yet – but this quad is math so it will up is school academics. I know he’s also missing all the school extra curricular as he wanted to participate in every team. He’s missing out on so many of the activities that the older ones had that were just part of their everyday routine. Hopefully next year school will be back to the normal hum.

Rob has been working like crazy. CRAZY. Too much. While he got a promotion in the fall, it is not due to that that his schedule is insane. I think, like many others, working from home and online, there is a tendency to fill in every second with meetings. I have to book time with him to talk to him:) We miss our usual Wednesday night date now that it is colder and the restaurants are all closed again. We enjoyed in the summer eating on local patios, but have now settled for Ubereats trying to support local restaurants. We certainly enjoyed our neighbourhood in the summer; being so close to the ravine and so many trails is a blessing and we spent many hours walking these past few months! We desperately miss travel though – although stole a few nights in the summer to explore some Ontario beaches and countryside. Our backyard has been a blessing and our cars certainly appreciate the very low mileage. I think I have filled up my truck 5 times since March (and two of those times was because Zach was using the truck when he was on his “mission intermission” a few times to go visit his girlfriend who lives 1.25 hours away!)

As for me , even though this blog has been quiet, I have not been. With my SLP business being slashed by half due to COVID, I have found new outlets and been cramming more things in:) I like to keep busy, apparently. The timing of finishing my life coaching certification was impeccable and being at home allowed me to launch H&L Life Coaching with fellow SLP and business partner Heather. What we had planned to do in 6 months to a year, we have accomplished in less than 6 months! I am excited to be working with life coaching clients too – on an international basis, and super excited with all the cool things on the horizon, including launching our podcast in January. I have been filling all my “extra” time with more courses, certifications (almost done my trauma specialist certification), readings and lots of writing. All things I love and am passionate about. I also get the privilege of teaching the youth the early morning seminary for our church. I say privilege, because I really know it is, but at times it feels a little overwhelming and discouraging (teens early in the morning are not always a barrel of laughs; I spend a lot of time talking to a black screen), but I know I am growing and learning too.

Have I mentioned how much I miss travel? Need to say that again. It kind of stresses me because I have so many places I want to go! But missing travel also means I miss the opportunity to visit or have family come and visit. That has been the real downside of COVID, the missing of connections, events, celebrations. I am so grateful for technology, so try to focus on what we can do…. and that will make the reunions, the celebrations, the trips even more sweeter when we can be back them all again!

Last, but not least, Reggie… he has thrived! Loved being in lockdown and having us all around. Although I’m pretty sure sometimes he wishes we would take him out and for longer walks ( he is a pain to walk bcs he stops very two seconds so we can’t take him far). He sure sleeps a lot though! The life of a dog!

That is my update ! Heading into the Holiday season, I am hoping to be able to get some of our traditions up and running soon. Then we will send 2020 out with all the love and see what adventures are in store for us for 2021. I have a feeling the next few years, in our every changing family, are going to be doozies. Buckle up for the ride:)