A life update

Life here has been moving on quite normally.

A few notes:

1. Arabelle and Ritter have mated, earlier than expected. This means puppies due in early January. Less-than-ideal when that is the coldest month of the year. This will be the last litter for Arabelle (her fourth). We will get her fixed after this litter and allow little Raven to take up the helm. I always forget how completely annoying both the big dogs are during this time. Ritter is constantly whining, wanting to be with Arabelle. But then they get in these horrible arguments. It's very love/hate. I truly don't understand how it works in animals. 
2. We have loosened our COVID-19 reins just a little bit in the last few weeks. This is mostly, honestly due to the length of time things have gone on and the holidays rapidly approaching. It's been a very long time since John's parents have been able to see any of their other children, and like most of the world, at some point, your mental health must be weighed against your physical health. We returned to church this Sunday for the first time in six months. Mannnn was it good to be back! John and I also went and saw our friend, Elizabeth Sparks, perform in a local production of Macbeth. (She was Lady Macbeth, and she was outstanding!) Both church and the theater did a fantastic job of social distancing, and we felt very comfortable. This is such a weird time in our lives, and I truly hope we never face another pandemic as long as we live.
3. Work continues to be challenging for JB. With flu season approaching and COVID-19 ramping up in our area, there is great concern for their hospital to be able to handle things especially because there have been some higher-up decision made that are affecting the number of nurses they are currently employing. John continues to chug away. He works with some great people. His Co-Director in the ER is outstanding, but ER medicine is not a fantastic model of medicine, and time will tell whether John can continue to do it the rest of his career. He always has the option to return to private practice. Oh do people around these parts wish he would do that. We won't be making a change anytime soon, but we will see. I know we don't want to do another pandemic in the Emergency Room. 
4. Homeschooling is going SO well this year. I continue to homeschool our family, the Kotynski family, and our friend Katy, a ballet prodigy who is homeschooling to create more time for her to work on her ballet. Of course, I'm not doing this by myself in any stretch of the word. Hannah Kotynski is amazing as my teammate. Grama K. has been able to help a ton mostly because COVID-19 has prevented them traveling as much as they did in years' past. Uncle Eddie is teaching Math and Science to his two older kids as well. One day at a time, but I am absolutely loving the new Sunlight Curriculum and am challenging myself with a new Birding curriculum for Abigail who is obsessed with her avian friends. 
5. We are excited that Joni will be visiting us for her annual pre-Christmas and that my parents and brother and his family will be spending the actual Christmas holiday here. We will have to loosen our quarantine a bit, but we truly feel that having the opportunity to be with our family is incredibly valuable during this time. John also has both holidays off which is equally wonderful. 
6. I have been battling chronic migraines. They are hormonally related, and I have been working with my family doctor, John, my OBGYN, and am even getting my eyes checked this week to see if we can get to the bottom of these things. If I let myself, I feel very frustrated. The female part of my body has always been a problem ... from PCOS to infertility to pregnancy complications and delivery issues ... I just want it to all be over. But alas ... other people have bigger fish to fry, so we carry on.
7. We have just finished an election in these parts, and it appears Joe Biden will be the next President of the USA. (There is some mandatory recounts that must occur due to how close the voting was in some states.) This has been an incredibly tumultuous time in our nation's history, and I truly believe that sin is at the root of many of these problems. I pray that our country can find a common ground, but I truly believe that Jesus Christ is getting closer and closer to coming back and that some of the depravity will not go away. John posted this picture on his Facebook wall the other day, and it really resonated with me. I have included it at the top of this post. 
8. Life has never been easy. There have been wars and pestilence and rumors of war for generations. I just want the future to be okay for my children. There are no easy answers. The Democrats want it one way. The Republicans another. They both think they completely have the right idea. And truly, I believe the answer lies somewhere in the middle where only God knows. I pray for our country. I pray for my children. And I will continue to love. I believe Social Media is at the very CORE of these divisions in our country, and my presence there will be less and less in the upcoming days .... Life is hard sometimes. But GOD IS ON THE THRONE! My Jesus lives. And HE IS MY ultimate President! I will respect whoever holds offices of leadership in our country, but I will serve my Jesus. 
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