2017 & 2018?

As I have stated several times over, I am a terrible blogger.  I pick it up with every intention to keep it going every time but then fail miserably.

Let's see if I can recap 2017 & 2018 and even lead into 2019.

My last post was drafted on 7/31/2017...just forgot to hit post. It should have some details up to there.

The latter end of 2017 was a roller coaster.  Work moved me back to the main Evendale location away from the Ivory Tower that was Downtown Cincinnati, which obviously had an adverse effect on my daily commute.  ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Several other work related things happened over 17/18, but not anything worth sharing at the moment.

Yonatan had a lot of developmental milestones. I think 2017 was when he got his glasses. The first pair was really cute, blue. However, when he has tantrums, he would whip them off and out would pop a lens.  Surprise, surprise, surprise, in late 2018, he did it one too many times and we couldn't find where the lens went.   Had to go about 2 months before we could get an updated replacement script (in 2019).   His vocabulary grew greatly over 2017-2018. Especially in late 2018, when he started preschool.   He is growing leaps and bounds and brings a lot of joy as well as frustration.  He blesses us.

A lot of church related things happened. I was elected Section 2 Kentucky Missions Director. Wonderful to be part of the Kentucky Missions team. A couple of families left our church for other ministry opportunities, others joined. Lots of change, but sometimes change can be the catalyst for growth. Looking forward to great things in 2019!

August 5, 2018, 2pm. We were taking the exit ramp to get on to Dixie Highway when someone doing about 20+ over the speed limit, while either on their phone or looking behind them, ran a red light and struck the driver tire area of my mom's car.  I was driving, Roxy was in passenger seat, Mom was behind me and Yoni in his seat behind Roxy.  I may write more about this later, but everyone but Yoni received "minor injuries" that we are still dealing with. The claim has not yet be closed out and I'm still being treated medically.  Yoni only received a few scratches and have still trouble getting him into the car seat.
More on the accident and recovery as things unfold.

The following month begins a chapter of life that I wish was never brought into.
The day before Thanksgiving, my mother called me saying my dad (who had not been eating well) agreed to go to the hospital, but needed my help to get to the car. 

Long story short, he had a 10 day stay at St. Elizabeth, during which time we were told that his dementia and myotonic dystrophy have ran their course and that he didn't have long to live.  Hospice was called and physical therapy options provided.... We had hope and opted for the physical therapy. He spent the next 24 days at a nursing home/physical therapy facility that we were not thrilled with. Then we took him home to home-hospice care.

[During this time, I had a few health scares. Thankfully, the one major scare was a false alarm and there is no cancer. Other things I am still dealing with and waiting to get into a specialist for.]

Dad said he didn't want to ruin Yoni's Christmas, and then the same for Yoni's birthday on Jan 28th.  We were able to celebrate Christmas, Mom & Dad's anniversary and Yonatan's birthday with Dad. I should have asked him to not ruin my birthday...but I didn't get the chance.

Near the end of January, Hospice told us it would be about a week with the signs he was giving.  I made arrangements at work to work from home on certifications and maybe even FMLA until... Well the following day, I was working on my certification training and got a call that the heat was out at mom & dad's, that he was being transferred to the hospice center.  An hour later I get a call from my mother's mobile phone, but it wasn't my mother speaking, it was someone from hospice.  I received notice that the wonderful man that raised me, that I looked up to, that I loved, my Dad..has passed from this life January 31, 2019. I will have at least one other post about this...it will include what I said at the memorial service.
We are still dealing with the paperwork over a month later. Obviously, it will be a long time to be dealing with the emotional and other repercussions.
We have stayed the night every since, essentially slowly moving in with Mom to make certain she is okay.

Within 3 weeks of Dad passing, Granny (Mom's mom) also passed, at age 92.

I'm sure there is more to share, but I can't seem to remember it all. For obvious reasons, my memory isn't as good as it has been. It will get better. 

Things might be dark in this season, but God is my light. I will make it, we will make it and we will be blessed.

Until Next Time,
TRP