So long overdue

It has been forever since I have given an update about Nathan and what is going on in our lives.

Since the world shut down on March 15, Nathan has left the house a total of 4 times. 2 times we have gone to a local pizza place that has outdoor seating and 1 time to his favorite Buffalo Wing restaurant and the other was to school to have his picture taken and we were in and out within 5 minutes.

If you would of told me a year ago that this pandemic would happen and that Nathan would be home all day, every day, I probably would have cried. Behaviorally, he was in a different place at that time. I will say that he has handled being home like a champ. He is very bored and lonely at times. We did have caregivers coming 6 days a week, however one just quit. So we have consistent care Monday – Wednesday and some Thursdays. That has been a tremendous blessing to have the help so that Jay and I both can still work. I was already working from home, so not much changed for me. Jay has been working from home since March and has opted to stay work from home permanently. It has been so nice to have us all in the same place at the same time. The fact that we can be with Nathan whenever we want has been a really nice thing for us. Jay especially does not feel like he is missing out on anything. Madison just celebrated one year working at Starbucks and still loves it. I have loved having more time with her as well. We plan meals out a week at a time and she has been helping me cook. We have made some pretty yummy dishes.

I am sure we are like a lot of other people and took on COVID projects. We tore out our deck and Jay built us a fantastic new one that we enjoyed spending time on this summer. We decided to get a puppy. Her name is Abby and she is a Labradoodle and probably the sweetest dog I have ever met. We got a new roof and are now looking to finally remodel our kitchen.

There have also been a lot of losses. Jay’s Step-Dad passed away from COVID, unfortunately we were unable to be with his Mom due to the pandemic. We had to move my Mom into a memory care facility which broke our hearts, but we knew it was the right decision. Nathan has and will miss his entire Junior year of High School. So many people have lost so much during this time, it breaks my heart.

We are doing everything in our power to stay safe and stay home. The only place we go is the grocery store. We hope that this finds you all healthy and wish you a very Happy Thanksgiving. I know I have so much to be thankful for, I hope you are able to find something to be thankful for as well.

Stacey

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