2024!

Well this has been a YEAR.  We knew it would be a hard one going into it, with Matt in school all year.  January was a really hard time with facing months and months without a mutual break between him and the boys, Matt starting clinicals, and wrestling in full spring.  Plus no Christmas to bring up my mood (I didn't realize how much I needed Christmas to keep my moods up until it was over).  And Matt being in school has really defined the year for us.  It brought challenges and a lot of solo parenting on my end.  A lot of added stress.  It's really hard to think of this year without thinking primarily about Matt in school. 

Winter brought more wrestling, this time with Matt in school so he was less able to help with driving to/from practices AND I got to sit through the bulk of the meets because he always had schoolwork to be doing.  I did not miss wrestling once that was over, even if it did mean a steady stream of pretzels with cheese.  We had a whole month off sports before Luke played soccer in the spring which was honestly fine.  Other than sitting through a game in a tornado watch, the games we good weather and the season was only a month long!  That's my kind of sports to commit to.

Even with Matt's semester breaks never lining up with the boys', besides Christmas break, we still managed to do most of our normal traveling.  We did 4 KOAs for the 3rd year in a row, getting in 2 of those while Matt was on break so he didn't have to do work during those at least!  Also two trips to Jellystone, including one for 3 nights which is the ideal, even if Matt had to go back to work on one of those days.  We still went to Kings Island and got very lucky that it was a day that Matt didn't have zoom class in the evening.  We stopped by UD on the way home too which I always enjoy sneaking in (since I always offer to drive that portion of it).  Spring did wonders for my spirits, especially when we hit the halfway point of Matt's program.  We were going to make it! Probably.

Matt spent a week in South Bend this summer, we spent 5 nights in a row apart, by far the longest in our marriage, going first one full day without seeing each other (only the second day in 19 years we hadn't), the boys & I visited him, and then another 2 full days apart.  Our record.  In that time we also had a toilet overflow into our basement and I was trying to pack for our vacation that would be happening mere hours after Matt got home on Friday afternoon.  Would not recommend that but also had to take advantage because it was his one week off all of the boys' summer break!  It was a small miracle he was able to get that week off his actual paying job too!

We went to the Outer Bank, something I still intend to write about.  I had been there in 2000 with my family and then Matt & I went in 2011.  I've loved it all 3 times I've been.  I'm sure I'll have more to say when I actually get to writing that post.  Getting home from that trip we had about 10 days before school started back up for the boys and we fit another weekend trip in there too.  Then school starting, I didn't cry this year although I was close if not for walking part of the way home with another school parent friend.  It was back to the grind of work, catching up on house things, and a quiet/clean house. 

Luke ran cross country again in the fall, his 3rd sport of the year, but my favorite of all of them since now 2 of my sisters and 2 sisters-in-law have kids on the same team.  So much family makes it so much more fun.  Although a bit crazy since I did a lot of carpool driving for that.  But Luke had a great season and was consistently among the top JV runners (one race he was top!).  It's always a beautiful way to spend the fall.  Then didn't even get a week off before basketball conditioning started, his FOURTH sport of the year (who are these parents allowing this???).  Basketball brought us through to the end of the semester which also brought the end of Matt's semester and the decision to homeschool which still brings a lot of feelings.  

2023 had brought a lot of changes to our family.  2024 maybe was less changes but more stress with Matt's school and all the things that lead to our homeschool decision.  The start and the end of this year have been DOOZIES.  The middle 8 months were mostly good!  It's been wonderful having Christmas break to recover, regroup, and celebrate Matt being done.  The family time has been desperately needed.  

What will 2025 bring?!?!?!  It feels foolish to even try to guess at this point because most of our big changes/stressors of the last 2 years aren't ones we would have anticipated.  So keep focusing on what I can control, keep trying to make small changes to improve our days, keep trying to do the best for the boys that we can at that moment.  Celebrate Matt being fully present in our lives again and not just seeing the back of his head on his computer all the time.  Plan trips and embrace the stages of life as they come.  And try to focus on the good.  

This post may not have made it sound that was but there really was a lot of good in this year too.  My favorite tree, pretzels with cheese, Jellystone, new games our family started to play, lots of beautiful fall weather days, Christmas Day was perfect, jeans I like, kids who will still hug me in public (sometimes), and many dear people.  This year was a lot but it's also in the past now.  Here's to a less chaotic 2025!

2023!
2022!
2021!
2020!
2019!
2018!
2017!
2016!