remembering 2020 & praying for a peaceful, healthy, happy 2021

January- enjoying the West coast during Christmas break 

February- the older girls were back at university- the little kids were busy with homeschooling, Trail Life, AHG, Basketball, choir, cotillion, and of course church activities

March- in the middle of the month, the world changed... we were grateful to have a small patio for our backyard during the long stay at home order. We were also grateful to continue to have the Divine Liturgy as a family, but were dismayed at the strict regulations. The children and I went frequently to an outdoor stations of the cross during Great Lent 

April- Easter Divine Liturgy was at home; the older girls' university went on-line and the dorms were closed. Thank God for the hospitality of friends and family who opened their doors to them! 

May- regulations in California became stricter. We had daily walks in our townhouse complex as all the parks and beaches were closed. The older girls' university continued to be on-line and we worked on getting them home from the Midwest

June- Priest-husband began the transfer of his ministry as he accepted a call to work in spiritual care/chaplaincy in a hospital out of state. We were preparing to leave California after almost 20 years in the middle of a pandemic- so we made repairs and painted our townhouse to sell it

July - we visited his hospital (just the patio) during his last day of ministry there- I do not think we will ever truly process the difficulty of leaving this life - little to no closure, no hugs, no parties- we tried to offer it up for those who were suffering from the illness. There were the small things- chalk drawing with great friends on the sidewalk, a few times eating out outside with friends, going to a friend's farm to see the animals, a few final Divine Liturgies celebrated outside of the church before the government made regulations strict again. I might be melancholy- but I know we were and are very blessed

August - we packed the Honda and a 16 foot moving van to make our way to the buckle of the Bible belt. We enjoyed the ubiquitous Western burger on the road, and when we arrived at our new city we had to try hot chicken (delicious)- Our oldest daughter had her BA graduation with social distancing measures in place. Sometimes it feels like the twilight zone 

September - the kids and I made a quick visit to the big girls' university (oldest started Masters); we are exploring the wonderful parks of our new stomping grounds 

October- we bought a house! & we were able to have some family visit 

November- The Nativity Fast began, and we enjoyed the chilly weather and the changing leaves of our new state

December - wishing you all a blessed Nativity season & a peaceful, healthy, happy new year!

when God wants you living a simpler life, remember- "enough is as good as a feast"

We have lived in a townhouse for almost ten years. Time flies. This August, after all the fun summer activities, I decided to look into selling it and slightly upgrading to a fixer ranch. With the new real estate boom here, it was now or never.

We sold the townhouse in four days and found the only house in our price range that was not a foreclosure. All was well. We would have a nice 15% down payment without dipping into checking or savings.

I failed to remember that I am strongly INFP with no paper work talent besides paying the bills on time. My father says that it is only half my fault, but I 100% forgot that we have 3 'silent' loans in addition to the big mortgage. 'Silent' means that you never get a bill and it doesn't even show up on your credit report! You just pay it when you sell the house. It took the month of August for the lender and escrow officer to figure this out...because I failed to mention it...because I forgot.

So, we are a bit under water. To buy the fixer ranch we would have had to liquidate all checking and savings to zero to make a 5% down payment with mortgage payments $1000 more per month. Um, no thank you. Praise God that the deals were contingent on everything working out. And yes, in California, all we talk about is traffic and real estate.

I sobbed for two days, mostly for disappointing my children who won't get to run around like both their parents did. I had ponies, chickens, a goat named Friday. Their dad had country grandparents 3 miles apart to choose from, spending summers picking plums, fishing, smoking cornsilk. But now is not then. After the escrow fell apart, the calls came, realtors who wanted to sell our house since the deal went south. So, I had to explain the situation- everything was great- except I forgot about $30,000+ of debt! Aren't I stupid! Thankfully, the calls have finally stopped.

God has made it clear that he wants us to be satisfied where we are. We can never upgrade here because when our townhouse grows in so-called value, all of the other properties do, too. Someday in the far-off future, we will be that annoying ex-California couple who cashes in their 'California dream' and moves to Oregon or Ohio and buys a nice place outright. It won't happen here. And I am staying away from pretty blogs like soulemama and small things where the kids have room to roam and be creative. I know they only show the pretty- but how pretty it is! 

So- we ripped up the carpet last week. When we bought this townhouse 9 years ago (for more than what we were offered with the failed sale), it was a mess. There was literal fresh dog vomit upstairs...so we ripped up the 35 year old forest green carpet and put laminate downstairs and carpet upstairs. Carpet is cheaper than laminate. Who knew? But the new/old carpet is making me sick; I wake up with sneezes and puffy eyes. So it has got to go. We slowly replaced just about everything- appliances, windows, doors, floors, ceilings...It takes a long time to do-it-yourself without credit cards, but I would rather have laminate counter tops with cash than solid surfacing with a credit card I can't pay off. 

So, I have finished my pity party. I am grateful for what we have. I'm trying to make it prettier. I will have aquaponics even if it is just a kitchen counter system. I'm getting a little worm composter for my kitchen scraps. All will be well. "Enough is as good (or maybe better than) as a feast." Someday, my children will have room to run whenever the mood strikes.

In the meantime, I'll see you at park day.