26 years

 26 years ago this afternoon I took my last 'normal' biological step. This anniversary is always odd for me to remember because it is such a sad memory in so many ways. My heart always breaks as I remember the physical and emotional pain that I endured as my life was ripped to pieces over the ensuing months. 

In an instant I went from living my best life to navigating through an unscheduled detour without a map. The computer broke my foot, but it also completely rerouted my entire life. I can't help but mourn for the years I lost due to the seemingly never ending cycle of surgeries. It makes me sad that my carefree life was stopped so abruptly. It also makes me angry.

But 26 years have past and my life has firmly planted onto a new path. I love my life, my family and my career. I barely remember and can hardly relate to the young woman that I was stepping into that conference hotel. I suppose many people no longer relate to their youthful selves. Maybe I just have the 'luxury' of knowing the exact moment everything changed.

What is hitting me odd is that the number of years I have been living without my healthy biological limb now officially outnumbers the time I spent with my foot. I walked without pain for 25 years. I have been dealing with the ramifications of the injury for 26 years. Time moves so quickly!

Today I plan to keep busy. I don't really want to remember. Sometimes memories are overrated, especially when they make your heart hurt.

Technical Repair

 Robby had his enrichment classes yesterday which means that I spent the majority of my afternoon in the car, driving him to and fro. Since it was Monday and his "short class," I opted to stay in the area and run some errands while he was at school. After swinging by Starbucks for an iced tea, I headed to the 3d print supply store. One of Robby's machines is starting to malfunction and we needed a simple replacement part. 

Although typically the technical arm of our family, Scott has avoided interacting with the 3d printers. Whenever there is a clog or another type of malfunction, Robby and I are the ones at the kitchen table taking the machine apart. I have become quite versed at troubleshooting and repairing these frustrating little machines. I'm not sure how I ended up wearing the 'repair woman' hat but here I am, living the dream.

Because I work with the machines everyday, I am quite competent picking up my own parts and supplies. Perhaps this is one of the reasons I was so annoyed when the sales clerk at the store kept encouraging me to "phone my husband to make sure I am picking up the right thing for him." Seriously? Assuming that a woman needs a husband to complete a technical repair is infuriating!

I remember being young and car shopping with my mom. Well, I remember going to the lot with her and her being refused a test drive until she came back with her husband. That was in the 1980s. This is 2024. We need to do better.

Overwhelmed

 The rain and wind forced us inside again this weekend. Sigh. I really wish we were gifted a huge snowstorm this year instead of the consistent cold rain that has been falling all season. This winter, like so many in the years past, has been a complete dud. Oh well. At least my daffodils are blooming and look happy waving from the yard.

I should have spent our weekend inside cleaning and packing. Instead I streamed Oppenheimer and worked on my computer in front of a roaring fire. At least I was productive- albeit not around the house. One of these days I really need to get back into packing and organizing or we are never going to move out of this house.

Did I mention that I feel overwhelmed?

Another Email

 I have come to the conclusion that our family must look odd from an outside view. Robby's room is littered with WWII military artifacts while my basement has been converted to a small warehouse to store the items for his traveling holocaust museum. While it has become normal for us to discuss both historical and contemporary military tactics over the dinner table, I recognize that this is not fodder for normal family conversations.  

Timmy, heavily influenced the adoration for his big brother, has become a sponge for the WWII knowledge and trivia that Robby offers up on a regular basis. Because of this, Timmy has a unique insight and perspective that is not held by most 9 year olds. Unfortunately, he has to learn that what is comfortable conversation at home may not be appropriate for school.

Yesterday I received (another) email from Timmy's teacher reprimanding him for discussing "war" in school. He had been reprimanded earlier in the week for hosting an epic battle between his "geometry city" and two of his classmates cities. The boys had a great time playing their game until it was shut down by their teachers. We told Timmy that he wasn't allowed to play war in school and I thought the issue was closed.

The email yesterday took me off guard because Timmy's teacher accused him of referencing war again during a class discussion. It turns out that the class was learning about evaluating sources on the internet to determine if they are authentic or propaganda. Timmy was asked to explain propaganda. He replied, "Well, anything that was written by Joseph Goebbels was propaganda for sure. He tried to scare everybody with his hate."

His teacher was offended. Timmy was removed from the classroom and put into a private "break out room," which is the equivalent of detention, for talking about war. My issue with this is that he didn't talk about war. He referenced a historical example of extreme propaganda.  I disagree with his punishment, but I'm not sure if I should just let it go or push back.

Happy Birthday Scott

 Today is special in our family because it is Scott's birthday!  

Our family loves birthdays and any reason to celebrate. Even though Scott isn't delighted with adding a digit to his year, he is looking forward to our family party. A favorite dinner, a few presents, a lot of doting and a red velvet cake will top off the celebration tonight. His birthday marks the beginning of our family busy season.

The spring and early summer have always been heavy with birthdays, anniversaries and various reasons to celebrate. This year the parties will be magnified because we are adding graduations and retirements to the mix. I feel like I've been treading water to stay afloat in a stressful 2024. Everything is about to get considerably more complicated as we try to navigate retiring, college and moving within the next few months.

I suppose I'll worry about packing, moving and living with a retired husband later. Today is all about celebrating Scott. The boys are so lucky to have him as their dad. I am so lucky to have found him! 

Happy Birthday Scott!

Battle Ready

 It feels odd in the house this morning. Scott is home because schools are closed for election day. It feels strange having him home, not being ill, on a random Tuesday. I suppose this is a peek at what our future may be with him being retired. 

It's always a little harder to get everybody on their schedule when Scott is home from work. The boys tend to want to mirror their father and lounge. Unfortunately for them, they do have school today. Sigh. I know that I am going to have to be the bad guy (again) and insist upon logging in. I suppose I am worried that these one-off battles will become an everyday occurrence when Scott is retired and home each day.

I guess I can worry about that next year.  In the meantime, I'll fortify myself with some more coffee and prepare for battle.

MerMagic Con Wrap-Up

 We had an amazing- I mean 'mer-mazing' weekend! Although we were busy and we aren't starting the week feeling refreshed or ready, the past few days have been fantastic. Robby's FlexyFriends were very well received at both the craft fair and the MerMagic Con. We thoroughly enjoyed meeting so many people and making new connections. It is fun to watch FlexyFriends grow and expand into new areas.

On Saturday Robby and Scott were in Leesburg at the Spring Bling Craft Fair while my sister and I were in Silver Spring at MerMagic Con. This was my first con event and it was spectacular. I've never before been around so many accepting, loving and completely body inclusive individuals. I wish I had the confidence to strut in shells and a tail!

Saturday evening the boys packed up in Leesburg and drove to the event hotel. Excited to embrace new experiences, we went out for Korean BBQ for dinner. Unfortunately it wasn't our favorite but we were thrilled to walk by a Burger Fi on the way back to the hotel so that dinner #2 could be secured. (Although we didn't enjoy the food, the experience was fun. Watching Scott try kimchi was worth the price of the meal!)

Sunday morning we headed back to MerMagic Con for day #2. Robby and Scott were able to experience Mer culture and met so many wonderful people. They were even able to pose with some mermaids! 

*A hint in case you ever meet a mermaid. Never ask a mermaid how much the silicone tail weighs. Apparently it was offensive. Every time I walked past that pod of mermaids they screeched at me because that is what angry Mers do. It was so funny and done in great fun, but it was certainly enough to embarrass my teen.