January was suprisingly low-key. It is probably due to the fact that we all were still mentally and emotionally recovering from our December and decided to say "no" to all of the extras. If this tells you anything, I don't have any pictures for this month. I know - WEIRD.
January 1, 2023 - Our church time moved to the Noon-2:00 slot which means nap time for a lot of the babies. I got to hold Jack Moody and was in complete heaven. He is the snuggliest little cutie. Back at home we helped Nick move his room around to make room for his new desk/piano table. We at leftover Chinese food and had a Zoom call with Mom and Laura.
January 2, 2023 - Steve and I woke up to someone in the shower at 4 am. We didn't think much of it because it feels like there is always someone up at our house. After 15 minutes we went to check it out. Steve went in first when we discovered it was Jeremy. Steve urgently called me in. Jeremy was laying in the shower and was unresponsive, only able to mumble a response to any questions. He was covered in vomit and smelled of alcohol. He couldn't stand up either. Steve searched his room and found an empty bottle of Vodka. Jeremy was able to confirm that he had consumed the whole bottle over the course of a couple of hours. We immediately woke up Nick to carry Jeremy to the truck since Steve's shoulder was still too weak from the surgery. I sat in the back seat with Jeremy's head in my lap. It was the longest drive!! At the emergency room, they would only let one of us go in with him. We decided that Steve would go in with him and we would trade off. I sat in the truck worrying about what could be going on. Was this a reaction to the medication and the alcohol (seratonin syndrome)? Was this alcohol poisoning? I was so worried. Steve sent me periodic updates. They went through triage and were sitting in the waiting room. Jeremy was still throwing up, which was a good sign. After a couple of hours, Jeremy wanted me to come in. Steve and I switched places. I was so relieved to see that Jeremy was much more coherent and could sit up on his own. He was crying and apologizing. He was just so sad about Grandpa's death and he didn't know how to deal with it so got drunk. All he wanted was to go home. I went to the front desk and asked the receptionist what the procedure was to checking Jeremy out. She talked with the triage nurse and gave me the legal jargon of 'if you leave you are doing it against medical advice" but then told me if the triage nurse was worried she would not let us leave. Jeremy needed to sign a document that he was leaving of his own free will. I called Steve to meet us at the door with the truck. Jeremy tried to get up and walk and was still a little unsteady. Back at home we let him sleep, but I woke him up every three hours to check his eyes and coherency. Let's just say we had a long talk about alcohol and why it is not a good idea. We also put down a rule that there will be no alcohol in the house and readdressed the issue of driving drunk equals not being on our insurance any more. He agreed to everything and has stayed true to our agreement since (it is now almost May).
Later that day, Avian went to play miniature golf with her friends and then they came back to our house to play Wii for a bit. Jeremy woke up and helped Steve put Nick's desk together.
January 3rd was a day getting ready to go back to regular life. Vacation was up. We cleaned Jeremy's room and rearranged Nick's closet so all his stuff would fit. I gave everyone haircuts. I stepped on my glasses and Steve was nice enough to take them to the eye doctor the next day to get them fixed. Steve also took Nick to IKEA to get some shelves for his room. He is working on getting it set up they way he wants it. That night I was up until after midnight talking to Nick. He has an upset stomach and could not get to sleep.
If anyone tells you that your children get to a point where they don't need you anymore, they are either lying or misinformed.
January 5th, the box of Dad's shirts arrived. I opened the box and was immediately overwhelmed with the smell of my dad. I found all the things in the box that I had picked out for Steve and the kids and then closed the box. I cried off and on for another couple of days and finally found the strength to open the box and got through the shirts.
January 7th I took all the Christmas decorations down. I figured if I was already sad I should just get it all done.
January 8th, Jeremy went down to the campus to find his classes and reconnect with friends. He loves college and really missed being on campus.
January 9th - Volleyball started up for Avian again. Winter semester started at UNCC. Steve went to PT and is doing really well.
January 10th - Avian has started to play volleyball with Alex O'Neal at the rec center and is loving it.
January 11th - Avian was really excited to find out that Sam was on her team again. Hopefully it will be a good season.
January 13th - Steve and I had a date night. We went into historic Kannapolis and found a great Mexican restaurant, Sabor. The tacos were amazing. We also found a puzzle store and spent some time picking out a really pretty on of a castle surrounded by fall foliage. This was all killing time until the movie started at the Gem Theater. We went to see "A Man Called Otto" starring Tom Hanks. It was an incredible movie and I cried more than I normally would have because the character of Otto reminded me of Dad during certain scenes.
January 14th - It was our week to help clean the church. We ended up doing a lot of vacuum repair and not so much cleaning, but the cleaning happened a lot faster once the vacuums were repaired and functioning properly. Back at home I went for a walk with Sandra and then helped Nick clean his room. Avian worked on some paintings and Jeremy hung out with friends at school. I finished the day by putting the finishing touches on my talk for the following day. Steve's shoulder was really bothering him and so he spent time with ice on his shoulder.
January 15th - I spoke in church and Sandra came to hear me. It was amazing to look out in the congregation and see her and Steve smiling at me. It calmed my nerves. It was worth the look on people's faces when I said that we were going to talk about their big buts. My talk was about making scripture study more a part of our days. I had read an article by Hank Smith about reversing our buts and I loved the idea and used it as the basis for the talk. I talked about all the excuses we use as to why we do not study our scriptures daily. Example: I need to study my scriptures, but I am too tired. If you reverse the but is sounds like this I am too tired, but I need to study my scriptures. I had a good time and several people in the congregation said it really caught their attention. After all, how often we talk about buts in church? I think we should do it more!
January 20th we had a Relief Society presidency and team dinner at my house. Melissa Boone had commented on my New Year's picture of the Chinese food that we should do that for a Relief Society presidency meeting soon. Well, your wish is my command. It was a great night. We really got to know each other. Also, you know it was a Relief Society event because all the dishes were done by the time they left. I love these ladies.
January 21st - Steve is slowly getting his range of motion back. He was so excited to get working with wood back in the garage and had a free day to do it. He needed a wooden mallet for a project he was working on. He discovered that they were ridiculously expensive and set out to make one for himself. It turned out better than anything he could have purchased. He is so talented.
January 29th - bullet journal for the day says "Grateful for Mom!" I didn't write anything else. There are so many reasons I am grateful for Mom. January 29th was a Sunday so I would have had a Zoom call with her and she is always the best listener and she gives solid advice and I always come away from a conversation with her feeling better and re-energized. That is just a guess because I also bake bread on Sundays for the coming week and it was my mom who taught me how to make bread. It could also be that she is so strong mentally and emotionally and is handling my Dad's death so well. I am currently Zooming with Mom and told her all I wrote for the day and she pulled out her journal and told me why. She helped me with my relationship with Jeremy and how to improve my communication with him. I am grateful for such an example of journal keeping and so grateful for her relationship with Jeremy and how she just loves him and my other two so much. She is a guiding force for good in their lives and I love her!
