Hello World! It has been TWO long years since I last updated the blog! What a two years we have had! Weddings, babies, pandemics....OH MY!
Last time I blogged we were about to head back to Saudi with a ten day stop in Budapest, Prague, and Vienna for my 50th birthday. It was a lovely ten days of exploring with my amazing husband. It was freezing and snowy and magical. We didn't spend much time in Vienna, but it was lovely. We spent the bulk of our time in Prague and Budapest. We hooked up with Mike the chauffeur again in Prague and he took us to all the same sights that he took Madeline and me to in 2017. It was simply lovely. It was my second time there and I could go another 20 times. The absolute highlight of the trip was soaking outdoors in the Szechenyi Baths in Budapest. It snowed while we were soaking in the pools and it was just surreal. Needless to say, it was a successful 50th celebration trip and will be hard to top for future birthdays.
The rest of the year was spent planning bridal showers and a destination wedding. The BEST part of 2019 was Jane and Kirk's wedding in New Orleans at Thanksgiving. It was a small wedding, but it was incredibly fun! Our friends and family that made the trip to New Orleans made the wedding all the more special. We rented a house on Camp St. in the Garden District to stay in and for the rehearsal dinner. We got Jane and Kirk's favorite poboys from Mothers PoBoys and had an intimate rehearsal dinner in the courtyard of the house. It was just lovely and so much fun. The wedding was at the House of Broel in the Garden District and it was perfect. The venue was old New Orleans with food and drink to match. My brother-in-law, Will, performed the ceremony. They were surrounded by friends and family and love. After the wedding our family rented a party bus to drop and pick us up from the French Quarter. It was just so much fun. We all met at Pat O's and the fun went late into the evening....for some. Hehe. The next day we all met at the Ruby Slipper for brunch. It did NOT disappoint. The weekend was a whirlwind, but will go down in history as one of the most fun weddings I've ever attended.
The other highlight of 2019 was finding out that Alison was pregnant with our first grandchild. We had no idea what was coming our way....
That brings us to 2020. *Insert ominous music here* John and I were in Saudi until March of this year. We were both planning to come home in March for Alison's two baby showers. We got home in time for the first one which was at the beginning of the COVID panic. We rescheduled the couples shower several times before we ended up just canceling it. Even though we weren't able to properly celebrate Luke and Alison, people showered them in spite of the lockdowns. There were presents and diapers dropped at the doorstep and sent through the mail and it was so appreciated.
The borders to Saudi closed just a day or so after John got back to the United States. He began working from home in April. We had no idea that John would be stuck here for the rest of the year. We were only planning on being in the U.S. for two weeks, so all of our belongings were still in Saudi. We made the best of the situation for the first few months. Alison and Luke were on baby watch, but also, we found out in April that their house had some termites and some termite damage that needed to be taken care of. That gave us something to do while on baby watch.
Baby watch 2020 lasted until May 25th when J.D. finally made his debut. John and I got the call early that morning and hopped in the car and drove from College Station to Crosby. We couldn't go to the hospital because of the stupid COVID, but we were able to go and take care of the dogs, tidy up, put together the last few baby items like the swing and the wall decal.
Our original plan was that I would be commuting to and from College Station to Crosby until the end of the year keeping the baby when Alison had to return to work. The pandemic changed our plans...and praise God that it did. God went before us over the next several months and prepared a way for what was going to be our new normal.
We moved to our new house in August. Alison had to go back to work at the beginning of August, so I was keeping the baby during the day time. John basically packed up the house and got it ready for the movers with only Madeline and Jane's help. They were awesome and I am grateful for them.
Shortly after we moved here Alison and Luke sold their house and bought a new house off the same street as us. It is such a pretty house. They needed more room and they found the perfect home. They sold their house in less than a week for almost full asking price. Alison bought that house in 2017, before she was even engaged. She made an amazing investment. Praising God for the perfect buyer at the right time for the perfect price.
During the pandemic most of the world knows that NYC became ground zero for the virus. After Madeline had the virus in mid-March and the city was beginning to shut down, she decided to put all of her belongings in a storage building and move to Miami. She stayed in Miami for several months until she moved home. With no job opportunities (Broadway is shutdown for the foreseeable future and restaurants are shut down) in NYC or basically ANY city, Madeline decided she needed a plan B. She had been teaching herself Spanish and found a great opportunity to teach English in Madrid. We are so proud of her tenacity. She worked tirelessly to get her Spanish visa and all her ducks in a row and was preparing to fly out on September 20th. On September 18th, John wasn't feeling right and so Madeline called 9-1-1. He had had a TIA earlier in the year sometime so were weren't comfortable waiting to see if it would pass. The paramedics were amazing. They were there within 5 minutes and brought him to the exact place he was supposed to go. Again, further evidence that God is so good.
It turns out that John had a very small stroke. He spent the next two weeks in the hospital in Kingwood learning how to walk again. It was a long two weeks. I spent my days looking after JD, and my afternoons in the hospital visiting and helping John. He made huge strides very fast. I am so grateful to God that He went before us and just paved the way....from the new house near a GREAT stroke unit and rehab facility to our house selling in College Station to his visa being expired so he couldn't go back to Saudi when expected. It was a long 12 weeks of driving him to PT and OT at TIRR in the Heights while juggling a baby, feedings, naps, etc. He has lost 40 pounds, takes care of himself, stays away from wheat and sugar and alcohol. I am so incredibly proud of him. He has some more work to do, but he has just killed his therapy.
This year has brought us the BEST of life in J.D. and the worst of life in John's stroke. I was able to be home for J.D.s birth and the loss of my best friend's husband. While this year has been challenging, it is easy to see God's mercies in every single thing.
Just as trying as it has been, it has also been an amazing year of firsts for JD and us)...first day without mom home, first day in our new house, first Halloween, first Thanksgiving, first Christmas, first tooth, first solid foods... and the list goes on.
John is in Saudi until January 2023...as far as we know...if I've learned anything from this year it's that we never know what is next. I am in Crosby for the foreseeable future. We will go where He sends us and when He sends us. I am enjoying every minute of keeping J.D. ...I keep expecting it to get old, but it never does. I adore him. He is my world. He is all of our worlds.
I pray for those who have lost their loved ones. I pray for those that have lost their livelihoods. I pray that God's plan is revealed in all our lives. I pray for a better 2021. But most of all I pray that we can see God's grace and mercies daily in everything.
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