December

December rolled in with some gorgeous sunny days.  Since they were sandwiched between rounds of rain, we tried to make the most of them.

We got some yard work done, I stained the trim around the patio & my garage, and Kevin stained the upstairs.

School plugged along for the boys, and our governor extended mask mandates, decreased gatherings (10 indoor & 25 outdoor), and put curfews in place.

On my birthday Keenan's grade split into groups at a shopping center and rang the bell for Salvation Army.  This was my crew and they were amazing.

Rang the bell for two hours and sang Christmas carols the entire time.

The boys gave me this puzzle and book for my birthday.  The puzzle will get started in the next week or two, and the book makes me ready to dust off our passports.  Can't wait to travel again.

On the 21st we all pulled on coats and walked to the back yard to see Jupiter and Saturn merge together.  The Christmas Star.  The great convergence.

Whichever term you prefer, it was pretty neat to see.

Christmas Day was a cold, windy day and we just enjoyed lounging inside.

Lots of books were given, and hot beverages were enjoyed.

And the smell of the sauce for Sticky Toffee Pudding was amazing.

We enjoyed a few rounds of a new game in between viewings of A Christmas Story.

And Hobbes was relegated to wearing the Jingle collar after he was busted counter surfing some sausage balls.

The rest of our break has been pretty quiet.  Some frisbee golf has been played with friends, and a lot of movies have been watched.  Kevin & I originally looked at getting out of town for a long weekend but seems like most of our state decided to ignore the governors orders to stay at home too.  So instead of ringing in the New Year from the beach or the mountains, we rang it in from our couch (or a friends house which is where Kieran was).

And it was fine, since the Buckeyes had a huge game to win the next day.

This poor planter was a victim of someone backing out of my garage without looking behind them.

And no, it was not Kieran.

Our neighbors adopted a new chicken & he's brought a smile to all of our faces.

Think after this past year, we could all use more smiles.

2020 was a long and hard year.  Busy season for Kevin seemed like it never ended.  Hearing from friends with business' struggling, kids struggling, anxiety, depression was awful.  High school & middle school kids in public school here haven't been back for in-person learning since everything shut down last March.

I saw someone last week use the word "revealing" to describe their thoughts on 2020 and the more I thought about it, the more I agreed with that description.  It revealed our views on all types of issues (politics, race, science, mask/no mask, restrictions, etc.).  It revealed what we hold dear.  It revealed fractures in relationships.  And it revealed areas to grow in our own lives.

Praying for some healing in 2021.