This will be our 9th Groundhog Day. When I started doing this the goal was to present a “typical” day for us. But I am now convinced we will never have a “typical” day. Last year wasn’t typical because we were in NYC and when I looked at when Groundhog Day would fall this year I thought, “I don’t even work that day, so that won’t be a normal day for us.” Unlike someone with a normal 9 to 5 job, my day doesn’t vary by just weekday or weekend. There’s a typical day for when I work the night before, and when I work that night, and one for when I didn’t work the night before but do work that night, and one for when I did work the night before but don’t work that night, and one for one I didn’t work the night before and don’t work that night, and weekday and weekend variations of each of those. So while today was a typical day for a Friday when I didn’t work last night and don’t work tonight. I might not have another day like this for several weeks.

5:00ish am

Since I didn’t work last night, I’m asleep when Groundhog day begins. I had a strange dream that woke me around five, but I was quickly able to fall back to sleep once I realized I didn’t need to be up yet.

7:35 am

Annelise’s alarm is the first to go off. I set mine for 10 minutes after hers as a back up, but I every morning I still wake to hers. I hear her get up, then head to the bathroom. I wait to see if she’ll show up in my room or if she’ll attempt to get ready without me. I hear her head back to her room, but then I few minutes later she comes into mine and asks for help picking out something to wear. She is very particular about what she will wear. No dresses, no skirts, nothing with ruffles, lace or sparkles. Nothing too complex, limited buttons and zippers, and no rough fabrics. Basically she wants to be in a fluffy cloud of cotton. Today her problem was that there were too many choices. We chose a blue sweatshirt and khaki colored jeggings. I leave her to get dressed and head into the kitchen to fix breakfast, and pack her lunch.

8:00 am

She appears in the dining room. Don’t believe the clock on the wall, it’s about 10 minutes fast and half of the year an hour off. I wish her a Happy Groundhog day and she replies with “Oh, it’s THAT day.”

Breakfast is the same everyday… scrambled eggs, toast, fruit and apple juice. Today the fruit is blueberries.

After breakfast while she’s brushing her teeth and hair. I get dressed and pack her lunch. Her school offers free lunch to everyone, but much like with her clothes she’s very particular. So everyday I pack a lunch and like breakfast isn’t almost always the same… Pasta with butter, a fruit, a veggie, yogurt, chips or pretzels and a snack (two if she’s staying after school).

8:30ish

Annelise has two friends that she walks to school with. They usually get to the house sometime between 8:25 and 8:35. It’s just one of her friends today. I help her load up all her stuff, lunch box, backpack, instrument and send her out the day.

After Annelise has left for school I make myself a cup of coffee. I discovered that I was out of creamer, but since I’m not working today it’s Bailey’s to the rescue.

Every morning I take my coffee to the front porch. This is my quiet place. Where I hide from everything I need to get done, and the chaos that is the house somedays. Back in the spring and early summer I practically lived out here as I was dealing with the grief of loosing my mom. Now how long I stay out depends on the weather, and how fast my coffee gets cold.

While on the porch I get a text message from Annelise. She arrived at school and made the startling discovery that she had two identical hats. She got a new coat for Christmas and I knit a hat to go with it. Well there was a practice hat before the real hat. It was a little big so I made a new one. I think one of the cats dragged it out of my knitting basket and Annelise found it thinking it was hers.

I contemplate my day while sitting there. Last night the decided to cancel play practice after school, so Annelise will be home two hours earlier than usual. I had planned to go for a bike ride in the afternoon but want to be home before she is so now I’m trying to adjust my plans for the day. I could just skip the ride and do it tomorrow. I’ve been trying to get out on my bike more. It’s been so long since I’ve had a regular riding routine and I’m trying hard to get back in the habit. I decided that the weather is nice enough I can probably ride this morning.

9:15 am

I head back inside determined to get somethings done so I can go ride and be back to the house before noon. The first thing I do every morning after coming in from “porch time” (that’s what Annelise calls it), is take care of all the animal stuff. Lulu is still the only dog. But we have added three cats. They were with us last year too, but we were in New York so they didn’t make an appearance in the annual post.

In 2021, we lost Kikapu, Moe and Callie. It was not a good year for our pets. That left us with just Lulu. We knew at some point we would get another cat but we weren’t quite ready right away so we signed up to foster. In May of 2022, we took in a mama cat and her seven kittens. The kittens were a week old when they came and in the end we adopted the mama cat and two of the kittens.

Mama we named Coco and that’s what it says on her adoption papers, but we have always just called her “Mama.” This was her the day she came and then this morning while lounging on my bed (her favorite place to bed.

One of the kittens we named Oreo. Oreo is the perfect gentleman. He is calm, never destructive, only sharpens his claws on the scratching post, cleans himself meticulously, and will calmly curl up next to you (is never intrusive). This morning he is resting comfortably in his favorite rocking chair.

The other is Sparky. Sparky is special. I thought what they said about orange cats was a method. But Sparky confirms every single stereotype. He’s destructive (shredding toilet paper is a favorite pastime), claws at everything including me (we call his biscuits murder muffins), if there’s something on a counter he’ll push it off, he eats the dog treats, and if you aren’t paying attention to him he will force himself upon you. This morning he is being particularly vocal about his water dish being empty. He also must supervise when I clean the litterbox and be the first to use it after. And sweeping up the escaped litter is a challenge as he tries to lay in the path of the broom.

9:40 am

After the litterbox has been cleaned all the water bowls refreshed and everyone has gotten their breakfast, Lulu and I head out for a walk. I can feel the morning slipping away from me so we take the short route.

10:10 am

After we’re back and the animal are settled. I quickly sort and start a load of laundry to wash while I’m out on my bike. Then I change into my riding clothes.

10:30 am

I head out on my bike. I’m terribly out of shape, and trying hard to make it a priority to ride more often. My plan is to ride the greenway. I’ll ride out for a half hour and then back for about an hour of spinning. Unfortunately, I was slower coming back and didn’t get back to the house until 11:40.

11:45 am

I went to switch the laundry to the dryer and discovered I had never started it. So I got that started. I ate a quick peanut butter sandwich so I went start to feel woozy, then jumped into the shower. I maybe took to long in the shower because by the time I was out and dressed it was past 12:30 pm.

12:32 pm

I head out the door and head to the village. I have to hurry because the movie I want to see starts at 12:45. I use to love movies. way back before I was even into cycling, I was into movies. I worked for Blockbuster for several years and had friends that I would go to the movies with any chance I got. For awhile I had a tradition of going to a movie every Saturday morning by myself. I’d go to the first showing whatever was playing. Last Spring, in an attempt to reclaim a small piece of myself I started going to see movies I wanted to see by myself. Of course Saturday mornings were out. I needed a day when Annelise was in school. There’s a small historic theater a few blocks from my house that plays first run movies, but is only open Fridays, Saturdays and Sunday. So whenever I have a Friday when I didn’t work the night before I go to a movie.

12:43 pm

I arrive at the theatre. Get my ticket, popcorn and soda and head into the “Screening Room.” The Theatre use to be one big auditorium with a balcony but has been divided into four individual auditoriums now. The main theatre, the two upstairs theater, and then the tiny screening room under the stairs. It has less then 50 seats. The room is completely dark when I walk in, and the opening credits have already started. I have no idea if anyone else is in the theater and I’m terrified of sitting on someone as I try to find my seat. I use my phone the best I can to navigate to a seat. I hear a sniff someone behind me so I know there is at least one other person there. I’m watching “All of Us Strangers.” Happy Birthday Paul Mescal.

2:30 pm

Movie is over. It was good. I head out of the theater and cross the street to the Natural Food Co-op to grab a few things that I had forgotten on my shopping trip last night. Then head home.

3:00ish pm

Get back to the house. Finally, toss the clothes into the dryer. I really should get started on some house work. There are dishes to put away, floors to be swept and vacuumed, and there are already several baskets of towels that need to be folded, but I’m not feeling great. I was sick over Christmas and am having a hard time bouncing back. It seems like the slightest thing can make me feel “off” and my stomach is suddenly very sensitive. Maybe it was all the popcorn at the movie, but I’m feeling queasy so I lay down on the couch for a bit. Of course this just means that Sparky is going to crawl all over me demanding attention.

4:00 pm

Annelise arrives home from school. I’m still not feeling very motivated to get up and get anything done. I lounge on the couch for while Annelise decides what to do with her free afternoon (the first one for her in months). She decides to work on a Lego set that she got for her birthday.

I continue to relax and scroll through Facebook as she works on her project and watches old Scoopy Doo cartoons. I come across the news that Carl Weathers has died. This was particularly upsetting to Annelise as we were planning to see him at Galaxy Con next month (he plays Greef Karga in Star Wars).

5:00ish pm

I finally pull myself up off the couch and get started on the laundry. After it’s all folded I don’t get it put away fast enough. Mama pushes it aside for a spot to lay down and of course Sparky see it as the perfect bed.

Sometime between 5:30 and 6:00 pm

I start to get to work in the kitchen, putting dishes away, cleaning out Annelise’s lunchbox and getting supper on the table. I had a different plan for supper based on Annelise being at the school until 6 pm. I had scratched that plan earlier in the day, but hadn’t come up with another plan. I had some meat that I hadn’t divided and put in the freezer yet so I decided to fix some of that with scalloped potatoes and a veggie. My goal was to eat around 6:30pm.

6:30

Nailed it. Supper on the table at exactly 6:30. It was steak for me and pork chops for Annelise. She doesn’t like to eat cows, but she does like it when I use steak seasonings on her pork chops. Over supper Annelise recounts her day for me. We usually do this, but today she wants to make sure that I get it down for Groundhog Day. In Homeroom, they did nothing. In English they had a sub so they didn’t do anything. In Band they “played.” In History, they did a crossword puzzle about the Presidents. At lunch she sat with her usual friends and they talked about “I don’t remember.” In Math they did a worksheet. In Science they made study guides and in PE/Health they had free time.

7:00ish pm

After were done eating, Annelise goes back to working on her Legos. I tell her to be dressed and ready to leave for basketball practice at 7:20. I get started on clearing the table and loading the dishwasher. Oreo’s one vice is people food, and after every meal he likes to check out what is left and try to steal what he can. Lulu helps with the prewash.

7:20 pm

We head out for basketball practice. It’s close enough for us to walk, but I’m trying to save time and energy so we drive the three blocks to the school. Practice runs until 8:15pm. Ever since COVID, I’ve taken to staying in the car during her practices and lessons (dance, basketball, piano, violin). I usually watch something on my phone and knit or crotchet. Basketball has been different this year. She chose trying out for the school musical instead of the basketball team because she wasn’t sure she would make the basketball team and she could always play Rec Ball. So we signed up for Rec ball but there weren’t enough girls in her age group to form more than one team. So they have no one to play against, they just practice and have occasional scrimmages at practice. Since I might not ever be able to go to a game, I try to go in and watch practice when I can. So while she practiced I worked on my temperature blanket. I’ve only completed the first week of January so far.

8:30 pm

We’re home from practice. She wants to finish working on her Lego set, but I want her to be in bed on time since she has an all day rehearsal tomorrow. I tell her if she can shower and get ready for bed quickly whatever time she has left can be used to finish her project.

8:45 pm

The automatic cat feeder goes off and all the kitties go running. Oreo gets there first and the others line up outside the “cat room.”

9:00 pm

Annelise finishes up with her shower and sets about finishing her Lego project.

9:30 pm

Bedtime. I get Annelise tucked in. Lulu likes to go to bed at the same time. So I get her settled in her room. Then I sit down on the couch and attempt to get this post wrapped up, so I can go to bed.

9:45 pm

The cats are not making this easy. They think that if I’m on the couch then that must mean I want to cuddle. I’m working on the laptop and struggling. I had been loading the pictures to the app on my phone, but now that I’m on the actual computer nothing seems to be working right. They’ve changed wordpress. This use to be so easy. Type some word, add a picture. I can’t seem to choice photo size, or even resize the type.

10:30 pm

Still trying to figure this out and then Annelise appears in the living room. She can’t sleep and is asking for melatonin. I give her a some and send her back to bed. (Again ignore the clock on the wall, this one is 10 – 15 minutes behind and also half the year an hour of, we seriously don’t have any clocks in the house that have the correct time).

11:20 pm.

Getting frustrated with this. I decided to work on it tomorrow and head to bed. I start turning off light. All three cats are in the living room. But then as I walk down the hall I see someone waiting for me. And then when I get to the bathroom door, there he is again. Did I mention Sparky is somewhat of a puppy? Following me everywhere.

11:45 pm

I’m in bed. Days over. Another Groundhog Day complete.

Well, this year is a little different…

12:00 am

We’re in a hotel in New York City. We just got back from watching Phantom of the Opera on Broadway and post show dessert at Junior’s. Annelise is already in bed and I’m finishing up in the bathroom.

Annelise is out by the time I climb into bed. I also fall asleep quickly.

5:12 am

I’m awake. Years of an inconsistent sleep schedule combined with being old means I rarely go to bed at night and sleep through until morning. I use the bathroom, scroll through social media and get started on this post. It’s going to be a busy day and I don’t want to get behind.

Annelise is still sound asleep.

6:00ish

I fell back to sleep only to be woken up again around 6 by Annelise. She heard something (I think it was the radiator). She tells me about a dream she had where she had a dragon and the blankets were it’s wings.

We both fall back to sleep quickly.

8:48 am

We both wake up again. There is work going on outside that is kind of loud. We were planning to be up around 9, so no big deal. I call Annelise’s school to let them know she’ll be out the rest of the week, something I forgot to do yesterday. We chill in bed until the alarm goes off.

9:30 am

We’re dressed and headed to breakfast. We eat in the restaurant attached to the hotel. We had supper there last night. Annelise is in an ongoing battle with the waiters over her water glass. Last night they kept refilling it. I explained they weren’t going to let it get empty but she was determined to empty it. She failed last night but succeeded this morning by always having it to her mouth when they walked by.

10:15 am

We finish breakfast and back to the room to brush our teeth, and grab our jackets before heading to the subway.

10:45 am

We arrive at the Empire State Building. We are with the first group to go up today. We spend the next hour touring the exhibits and then going out on the observation deck. I wasn’t sure how well I would tolerate it, but surprisingly I didn’t freak out. It was cold and windy so we didn’t stay out long.

11:57 am

We leave the Empire State Building and get back on the subway headed to the Lego store. Annelise is using her new phone to navigate the subway system.

12:19 pm

Arrive at the Lego store.

We check out all the cool displays, build several Lego people, and Annelise picks out a Lego Friends set.

12:45 pm

We leave the Lego store and head back to the hotel. The plan was to get lunch before heading to the American Museum of Natural History. But neither of use are very hungry for a big meal so we get some snacks from the room.

1:10 pm

Leave for the Museum

1:36 pm

Arrive at the Museum

The museum was much larger than I realized. For the first hour we checked out all the animal displays. Since it was Groundhog Day we stopped by the groundhog display for a picture.

2:30 pm

We attend a special screening in the planetarium of a movie about the planets.

3:00 pm

After the movie we realize that we won’t have enough time to see everything in the museum so we prioritize the dinosaurs, primates and the animals of Africa. Annelise had very little interest in exhibits about people.

5:15 pm

The museum closes at 5:30. So we head the the gift shop to get a magnet and ornament (the two things we pick up from the places we travel). Annelise is exhausted and I regret not stopping for a full lunch.

We leave the museum and start walking to the restaurant where I had made reservations.

5:30 pm

Our reservations were for 6 pm, but the restaurant was practically empty so we were seated right away. I ordered Ravioli alla salvia and it was incredible. Annelise ordered chicken and mashed potatoes, but they mistakenly brought fries instead. Before I had a chance to bring it to our server’s attention she had started in on the fries and declared them the best fries she’d ever had.

After our meal we had cake and ice cream for dessert.

6:40 pm

We leave the restaurant and head back toward Central Park.

7:08 pm

There is a very brief snow flurry. Annelise saw it too, so I know it wasn’t my imagination.

7:15 pm

Arrive at Wollman Rink. Get our tickets and skates.

7:28 pm

Hit the ice.

We skate until they announce that they’re getting ready to close.

9:12 pm

Head out of Central Park to get hot chocolate.

9:10 pm

Stop by this interesting statue for a photo.

9:28 pm

Arrive at Serendipity 3. I’ve always wanted to visit here and thought post ice skating hot chocolate would be the perfect time. It was good. But I think they are a little over hyped. Glad we tried it, but probably won’t go back

10:13 pm

Leave the restaurant and catch the subway back to the hotel.

10:27 pm

We arrive back at the hotel. Annelise is exhausted so it doesn’t take much to convince her to get ready for bed.

10:56 pm

We both climb into bed. We turn on the TV, and scroll through the channels. Groundhog’s Day is on. Annelise doesn’t think she’ll be awake long enough to watch it. So we settle on The Big Bang Theory. I set the sleep timer for 90 minutes, but we didn’t even make it through one episode.

So that was our Groundhog Day. Obviously not a “normal” day. Maybe next year will be more mundane.

Previous Groundhog days…

• Groundhog Day 2022
• Ground Hog Day ’21
• Groundhog Day 2020
• Groundhog Day ’19
• Groundhog Day ’18
• Groundhog Day ’17
• Groundhog Day ’16

6:30 am

Well, It’s Groundhog day again. I’m still working overnights, but didn’t work last night, so I get to wake up at home. My alarm goes off at 6:30. I hit snooze and get another 9 minutes of shut eye.

6:39 am

I get out of bed. Head to the kitchen and put a tea kettle on the stove to boil water to make instant oatmeal, then I go wake Annelise. I’ve learned to just wake her and then leave and wait for her to appear at the breakfast table. Any attempts to help her get ready or encourage her to move a little faster are met with rage. I just try to wake her early enough that even if she dawdles a little we won’t be late.

6:50 am

Annelise is dressed and at the table eating breakfast, while I get her lunch ready. I use to try to eat breakfast with her, but trying to get everything done in the morning and have us both ready to sit at the table at the same time proved to be too difficult.

7:00 am

After breakfast, Annelise heads to the bathroom to brush her teeth, while I finish putting her lunch together and then get dressed to walk her to the bus stop.

7:08 am

We’re walking out the door, after a last minute announcement from Annelise that she needed a new expo pen at school. “Seriously, do you need it today? Why didn’t you mention this earlier?” “I forgot.” I dig through my box of extra school supplies, but there are no extra dry erase markers. I tell her to just grab one from a home calendar collection and I’ll get her one for school the next time I’m at the store. Even with that little delay we still make it out the door on time.

7:10 am

We make it to the bus stop with time to spare. The bus is scheduled to arrive on our corner at 7:12 am. We wait a view minutes and the bus arrives at 7:14.

After Annelise is on the bus, Lulu and I take a walk through the neighborhood. While walking I try to plan out my day. Annelise will be in school until 3ish, then she has dance for two hours this evening. I’m “on-call” for work. Which means I may or may not be working tonight. I make the 5th nurse, so it’s a toss up. I’m torn about whether I want to get called in or not. We need the money, but I also need the time at home. I’m also exhausted. I didn’t sleep well last night, and if I do get called in it could be another 24 hours before I get to sleep. I’m tempted to crawl back in bed when I get home, but that feels so lazy. But then if I have to work, that extra sleep would be extremely helpful.

8:00 am-ish

After our walk we return home and I get her breakfast. It’s just Lulu now. We lost Kikapu to heart failure in July, which was expected she was 15 years old. I took her to Michigan and had her euthanized there. She’s now buried next to Izzy on my sister’s property.

We lost Callie and Moe unexpectedly. Moe had a bowel obstruction. She had surgery to correct it but the damage was too great. She died at home. I didn’t have time to get her anywhere so she died in my arms on a Sunday morning in September. It was horrible and I’m still traumatized by it. Callie passed a few days before Christmas. She had Polycystic Kidney Disease. Over the course of a week, she went from being fine to barely holding on. I took her to the vet to have her euthanized as soon as I realized she was looking for a place to die, and after Moe I couldn’t do that again. Their ashes sit in my room. I’m still heartbroken over losing them. They were so young. We’ll eventually adopt another kitten, but I’m just not ready yet.

After feeding Lulu, I eat a small breakfast of banana and cranberry juice. I throw a load of laundry into the washer, and then give in and head back to bed. I have so much to do around the house, but I haven’t felt great lately, I’m exhausted, I’m stressed and I just want to rest, so I try to be gracious to myself and allow myself to ignore the housework for awhile and get some rest.

Noonish

I wake up from my morning nap feeling slightly better and decided to take on some of the house work. I switch the washed laundry over to the dryer and then throw another load in the washer. I have several baskets of clean laundry that need to be folded. I seem to have the time to put the laundry in the wash, but when it’s done I don’t have time to fold it.

Before tackling the laundry, I jump in the shower and then fix myself lunch. After eating a frozen pizza, I sit down and do some “house keeping.” I responded to some emails, filled out some forms, put my work schedule in, and made a couple of phone calls.

2:00 pm-ish

Finally focused in on the laundry that needs to be folded and put away. Lulu follows me from room to room as I put things away and in general try to straighten things up as I go.

2:50 pm-ish

Lulu’s waiting patiently for Annelise to come home.

And here she is…

3:15 pm

We use to have Kikapu stand in for the Groundhog, but without her Lulu got promoted to Stand in Groundhog. I hadn’t planned to do this, but when Annelise caught me taking her picture coming home from school, she remembered that “today’s the day you take pictures of everything.” She felt we needed to carry on the Groundhog tradition and as the only pet, it was now Lulu’s job. Sitting still was very hard for her. And she didn’t see her shadow (that’s a good thing, right?)

3:30 pm

Annelise has dance tonight. Jazz/Ballet at 4 pm and Hip Hop at 5 pm. We need to leave the house at 3:45 pm in order to be there on time. That means that Annelise needs to start getting ready now. It’s always a challenge to transition from sitting on the couch playing on her iPad to getting ready. I get it. She just got home from school, wants to sit and chill for a little bit and as soon as she gets comfortable I’m telling her to change her clothes.

3:45 pm

We make it out the door on time, and we arrive at dance on time. This is rare for us. After Annelise heads inside, I stay and chat with some of the other Mom’s in the parking lot (due to COVID the lobby is closed).

4:45 pm

Head home to get some things done while Annelise is still in class. It’s also time to start watching my phone for any messages from work telling me to come in. Back home I continue working on the laundry and contemplate what to fix for supper. Nothing I have on hand sounds good, and it all feels like too much work. I’m regretting eating the entire frozen pizza earlier. I like to fix meals for us, but I finds that it helps to be slightly hungry. It makes the reward worth the work. I’m not the slightest bit hungry, so everything just feels like work.

5:30 pm

This is the cut off time for me. If they want me to be to work at the start of the shift I need to know by 5:30. Nothing from them yet.

6:00 pm

Still haven’t been called in. I pick up Annelise from dance. And since I still haven’t come up with a plan for supper, I ask her if Grace’s will be okay. We use to eat at Grace’s every Saturday night, but now that my work schedule has changed and I’m working almost every weekend we try to squeeze in a “Grace’s night” every now and then. It was the perfect night for Grace’s.

7:00 pm

Still no call to come in. I’m starting to feel hopeful that I’ll have the night off. Tonight is “Reading Night.” Annelise has taken over doing the monthly calendar. After we put on all the things we have to do, we add some special nights. Tonight is reading night, we just spend an hour reading. Next week is a game night and we have a date night coming up.

Before we start our reading night we take care of a few things that need to be done. It was Annelise’s birthday last week, but we didn’t measure her because the board had fallen of the wall. One of the things I managed to get done today was getting it back up, so we measured her.

4’4.5 inches. Two inches this year.

7:30 pm-ish

We start reading. The rules of reading night are that whatever you read can’t be for school or work. It has to be something just for “fun.” Reading night is dangerous for me. More than once Annelise has had to wake me up part way through.

8:40 pm

We wrap up the chapter were in and then I send Annelise off to brush her teeth and get ready for bed (she was already in her PJs). I still haven’t heard anything from work. Technically, I’m on-call the entire shift, but I’ve never been called in past 1 am. I figure 2 am is a safe time to assume I won’t be going in. We pack a bag and have it ready in case I have to go after she’s been put to bed. If I am called in I’ll wake her up and drive her to the sitter. I’ve found this is the best way to do it. I hate to send her to the sitter only to end up sitting at home. I’ve only had to wake her up a few times. Typically if I need to be called in it will happen at the beginning of shift.

9:00 pm

With Annelise is in bed, I should get the rest of the house work done. There are folded clothes that haven’t been put away yet. I would like to continue reading, but I know that would make me too sleepy. I could just go to bed, but then it would really suck if I have to get up and go in. I settle on the couch and work on my temperature blanket while watching TV. This is one of the projects I’m working on this year. I’ve assigned a color to 10 different temperature ranges, and then crotchet a row each day corresponding to the temperature that day. I’m about a week behind. See the two nice warm days at the beginning of the year? It’s been cold ever since.

11:08 am

Still working on my blanket, watching reruns. I decide my clothes are too uncomfortable and change into my pajamas. The chances of getting called in are pretty low. If they needed me, they would have probably given me a heads up that they were expecting admissions.

11:59pm

Wrapping up Groundhog day. Lulu’s attempting to stay awake with me. I still haven’t been called in. I’ll give it another hour and then had to bed. (Spoiler alert – fell asleep on the couch a little after midnight, woke up at 2:30 am and went to bed, was never called in).

So that’s it for another Groundhog day. Not the most exciting day, but pretty average. We’ll be back next year with another day in the life, and maybe I’ll get a chance to drop in before then.

I can’t believe this is the 7th Groundhog Day post. There are links to the previous years below.

So….

An attempt at catching up.

For the first time in literally years I don’t have something else I should be working on. I graduated from Nursing School (BSN) in December, took my NCLEX exam in February (pasted in 75 questions) and took my Certification in Clinical Sleep Health exam this week. So for at least a year I have nothing to study for (I’m eligible to take my exam for Certification in Pediatric Nursing after a year on the job). I don’t think I’ve quite adjusted. I still have this nagging feeling that there is something I need to be working on.

Let’s see, apart from the yearly day in the life posts, it’s been three years since I’ve posted. Let’s see if I can sum up what’s been going on in our lives.

I bought a house in the Spring of 2018. While I wanted to own instead of rent, I didn’t expect to be ready to buy so soon. And I didn’t expect to get the house we did. I figured I’d start out with a “starter” house while I was in school and then when I was done find our forever home.

Since coming back to Virginia I had been stalking the Zillow listings. We went through this one on a whim on a Sunday afternoon because it was empty and my friend is a realtor. And I fell in love, which is a huge mistake when you’re trying to buy a house. But it checked every single box for me; the must haves, the wants, and even the it’d be nice. It’s in the neighborhood I wanted to be in and Annelise could stay in her school. I’m paying a little more than I initially wanted to but it’s our forever house. Annelise will grow up here, and it’s even set up so I can retire here (single level living if needed).

So just like that, I’m a homeowner.

And because Annelise has wanted a “fetch dog” since we lost Izzy, as soon as we closed on the house we got a puppy.

Meet Lulu…

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She’s a Chocolate Lab. She’s a little crazy. And she’s huge! (Over 100 lbs now).

After Lulu, came the cats. Annelise has always been a dog person, and has never wanted a kitten. But our house is over 100 years old. Old houses have mice. I didn’t want mice, so I got cats. Initially it was just going to be one. But then I figured two would entertain each other. Our first summer in the house we adopted two kittens. Annelise and I each got to pick one out. Meet Callie and Moe…

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Callie, because they are calicos and Moe, because calicos are genetic mosaics. Annelise turned into a cat person pretty quick.

Kikapu would have preferred to remain the only pet. She tolerates the cats, but she despises Lulu. Lulu wants nothing more than to play with her, but Kikapu doesn’t play. She’s almost 16 years old, so I let her just hang out in my room and hide from the other animals.

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I’m contemplating another big-ish dog at some point, so that Lulu can have a friend, but I haven’t had the time or energy to take on another.

We’ve spent three Christmas in this house. The neighborhood goes all out for Christmas. When I first moved in almost every neighbor I met would ask if I knew about Christmas? Our block is a popular destination for viewing Christmas lights (my house is at 1:36).

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And Annelise has had three birthdays in this house.

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There have been three last days of school…

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and three first day of school in this house.

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Annelise is nine and in the third grade. That just doesn’t seem possible. She’s a pretty amazing little person. She’s definitely her own unique self. And it has been so fun watching her personality develop. She’s not a girly girl, but also not a tom boy. She definitely has her own sense of style (or lack of one). She refuses to wear dresses. I manage to get her in one for the first/last day of school each year (we use the same one to help us see how much she’s grown). And she’ll wear one to weddings. But that’s it. Nothing with ruffles or lace or that is “too fancy.” She lives in leggings and T-shirts.

She loves school and learning in general. She likes to have me explain things to her. Yesterday we had a very in depth conversation about taxes. When I was taking classes online my last semester she’d often sit in on the classes, and she sat through all my virtual training when I started my new job. She’s a little sponge. And then she pulls out random facts at the weirdest times. This year she was invited to attend our districts gifted program. I was really torn. I love having her attend a neighborhood school, where I walk her to school and her classmates live in the neighborhood, but I also wanted her to have the opportunity to attend a school that will challenge her. We decided to at least try the gifted program. I’m glad I did. She actually has gone yet because she’s been virtual for over a year now. And their program seems to be more organized and consistent than the traditional. She’s loved being virtual. And I’ve loved all the extra time that it has given us.

She’s not really an athlete. She was on a bike team for a little while, and she gave basketball a try last year, but she’s not very competitive. She’s been doing dance for several years but refuses to audition for the studios company team. Even when we play board games she prefers cooperative games. She tried gymnastics for a month, and then refused to go back (the gym was loud, chaotic, and smelled). About the only thing she gets really excited about is theater. She loves to be on stage. I remember taking her to her first musical when she was two and how excited she got. We’ve continued to go to all the local high school products and she has attended theater day camps on school break. This past Spring Break they did Mary Poppins. She has dreams of being on Broadway. She loves to put on shows for me. Sometimes she’ll write plays and musicals for her stuffed animals to act out.

In addition to wanting to be on Broadway, her current career ambition is to be a writer. We went from paleontologist to veterinarian, to “maybe I’ll work in a coffee shop and be a person who writes stories.” A friend reminded me that she only needs to write one best seller. I’m just afraid that one best seller will be about her crazy mother.

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Annelise and I took one trip (other than quick trips to Michigan) during the summer of 2018. It would be the last vacation before I started school full time. She had developed this fascination with Abraham Lincoln and wanted to see his “statue” so we took the train to Washington D.C. We did the museums and monuments. She had a particular fondness for the fountains.

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After a couple of days in D.C. we got back on the train, but instead of heading home I surprised her by taking her to New York. We visited the Statue of Liberty, hung out in Time Square, and the went to see The Loin King on Broadway (the reason for the trip).

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That has been are only real vacation. We’ve made several trips to Michigan to visit family. We try to go every summer. The summer of 2018 my niece got married, then in 2019 it was my nephew, and last summer during the pandemic it was my sister (I’m still waiting for someone to decided to get married this summer, so we can all get together and dance). We snuck up to Michigan twice during the pandemic. The first was while I was furloughed. It was right before my birthday. I thought I would be going back to work, and when I found out I wasn’t I just felt really depressed. I called my Dad and asked if they would be okay with us visiting. Then I bought tickets and we hopped on a plane the next day so I could spend my birthday with my Mom. We went up again at the end of July for Bethany’s wedding. I had just gone back to work, so I had to isolate for 2 weeks after we came back. But it was worth it. I love it when Annelise can get together with all her cousins. We had planned a celebratory vacation once I graduated (Disney World and a cruise), but the pandemic squashed that idea. We are making lists of all the things we want to do and places we want to go once it’s safe. Chicago is at the top of the list. She’s never forgotten our trip to the Field Museum and keeps asking to go back to see Sue. We’re also planning another D.C. visit. We spent last summer studying the Revolutionary War. She wants to visit Mount Vernon (we missed it the first time) and Washington’s and Jefferson’s Monuments again. And as soon as Broadway reopens we’ll be going back. Not sure what we’ll see, but she has became interested in music theater and has dreams of being on Broadway someday.

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In the fall of 2018, I finished up my last prerequisites and then in January of 2019 I started full-time in the Jefferson College accelerated BSN program. School was hard. I still can’t believe I made it through. Full-time job, full-time mom, full-time student. Annelise was incredible. She was so flexible and tolerate of my ever changing schedule. Summer 2019, I sent her to stay with my parents. I swore I would never do that, but I figured she would have a better time with them, then bouncing between sitters and summer enrichment programs. Besides every kids needs a Michigan summer. It was hard to be away from her for that long, but it was so good for her to have that time with my parents.

Then because student/mom/employee wasn’t challenging enough, the pandemic hit and suddenly Annelise was at home and I got to add teacher to the list of things I needed to do. My classes moved online, and after a month I was furloughed from my job as we were no longing doing in lab studies. With all elective procedures on hold there was an over abundance of workers and no work. Being furloughed was a little scary, I was able to get unemployment, but it was less than I would have made working. I didn’t have to pay for childcare so things somewhat evened out. I was out for almost 3 months. Turns out the pandemic gave me more time at home with my daughter than maternity leave did. Things didn’t get hard for us until I went back to work. I was no longer able to get unemployment benefits, but I also wasn’t collecting a full paycheck because there just wasn’t enough work. I think it was into November before I was getting regular hours again.

I finished up my last semester of school last fall. It was probably one of the most hectic times of my life. I was working, taking all my classes online (thankfully), and doing my clinical practicum (basically working a second job at the hospital). There were some weeks were I was at the sleep lab 3 nights and at the hospital 3 nights. Annelise was also doing school virtually so she was at home and I had to stay on top of that. Thankfully she likes school and is extremely responsible. She worked so well independently while I slept or was in class. I finished in December. There was no graduation or pinning ceremonial. Just an email saying congratulations and good luck. I took my nursing exam to get my license in February. I passed in 75 questions (the minimum number to determine competence, basically meaning I aced it, which I am extremely proud of because so many people told me I wouldn’t be able to do it). I accepted a position as a Pediatric Nurse at the same hospital I was working for as a Sleep Tech. It took a little bit to negotiate. The starting pay for Nurses is lower than I was currently making as a Sleep Tech. I did end up having to make a small pay cut, but I think it will be worth it in the end.

I am so glad I decided to do this. I look back at the last five years and everything I did to try to make this happen and all the times I had doubts and it was so worth it. First, I love my job. I’m excited to go to work. I feel like I’m doing something meaningful and I’m good at it. Right from the first day, it felt like I was doing what I was meant to be doing. And second, I feel like I can finally exhale a little. My earning potential has increased, along with the likelihood that I’ll always be employable. The last few years have been rough and we aren’t out of the woods yet. Being out of work last year and the expense of school has really set me back. But even with that I feel like we’re going to be okay.

So that sums up the last three years.

I can’t guarantee I’m going to be a better blogger. A lot of the reasons I blogged have changed. Annelise is old enough to have her own memories, so I don’t have to hold them for her. I’m more selective in what I share about her. And I’ve returned to old fashion journaling. Annelise and I are both keeping journals now. I encourage her to write everyday even if it’s just a sentence or two. Sometimes she shares it with me and other times she wants to keep it private. But I do enjoy going back and seeing how things use to be, so I’ll try.

12:00 am

Another Ground Hog Day.

So much is the same but also so much is different this year.

My day starts at work. I’m still at the Sleep Lab.

Tonight I have two patients, a diagnostic study and a retitration.

12:30 am

Everything has settled down from the set ups. The diagnostic study is quiet but I am having a very difficult titration. I typically eat around midnight. Tonight it’s an “adult lunchable and a coke.” I have soup but I don’t think I have the time to heat it up and eat it while it’s warm.

In addition to my difficult titration I’m still finishing scoring from my last shift.

1:15 am

Added a back up pressure to my titration and have made several trips into the room to fix mask leaks.

2:00 am

Switching my patients mask due to leaks. Still working on finishing up my scoring.

2:20 am

Finished my scoring. It’s a rough night. I didn’t sleep much during the day, so I am struggling to stay alert.

3:00 am

I usually eat again sometime between 2:00 am and 3:00 am. I’m not really feeling hungry so I just have a coke and a snack bag of popcorn.

4:00 am

Too tired to study (which I try to do most nights). One of my patients indicated he usually gets up around 5:30 am, so I start staging and scoring the studies I’m running so I’ll have less to do in the morning.

5:30 am

All caught up with my studies. Now just waiting for my patients to wake up. I check my email. Finally received my offer letter for the position I’m transferring to next month. This transfer has been a long process. I think I applied for the job in October. Interviewed in November. Got my first offer at the beginning of December. Didn’t accept that one. They came back with a second offer in January which I accepted and was just waiting for the offer letter before officially resigning from my Sleep Tech position.

5:40 am

One of my patient’s wakes up. I end his study and go in to disconnect him.

5:50 am

My other patient goes into REM, so I won’t be getting her up anytime soon, so I go back to my email. I reply to the recruiter and then type up a letter of resignation from my current position.

6:30 am

My other patient comes out of REM, so I end the study and get her disconnected. Then start cleaning my wires.

7:15 am

I get a text from Annelise’s sitter that they are out front. She drops Annelise off at the Sleep Lab on her way to work, and then Annelise hangs out until I’m done.

7:40 am

Finishing up my studies, and putting away my equipment. Find a nice note from one of my patients.

7:50 am

Punch out. Starting to regret not eating more earlier as I am really hungry. Convince Annelise to let me go through the drive-thru and get a biscuit. She doesn’t eat a lot of fast food and sometimes judges me when I do.

After the drive thru we head home.

8:15ish am

Get to the house. Annelise’s first online class is at 9:00 am. She is 100% virtual this year. If we get home before 8:30 am, I try to take Lulu for a walk. She seems to have better days when we walk before I go to bed, instead of just playing in the backyard. Annelise likes to join us so I try to get us home on time in the mornings so that we can all go for a walk together before she starts her first class.

8:40ish am

Back home from our walk. I start a pot of water to boil pasta for Annelise’s lunch. Then start the process of feeding animals and packing Annelise’s lunch. I also start to get her ready for the day. Each day her teacher emails a “to do” list and then I copy that along with other useful information onto a white board above Annelise’s desk.

8:50 am

Annelise logs onto her computer and gets ready for her first meeting (she prefers to call them meetings instead of classes).

9:00 am

I take Kikapu outside for her yearly impersonation of a ground hog. Unlike the official ground hog, she doesn’t see her shadow. So we’ll see who’s correct.

9:15ish am

Finish assembling Annelise’s lunch, deliver it to her room, make sure all the animals have food and water, throw a load of dark clothes into the washing machine and then start getting myself ready for bed.

9:30ish am

Crawl into bed. Kikapu spend the day in my room with me. She still spends most of her time sleeping in my laundry basket.

I hear the wind outside, it’s rattling my window and I start to wonder if it’s going to blow something off my house. I hear the cat’s chasing each other around the house. And every few minutes I hear Annelise run from her room to the living room, get a piece of candy out of the candy jar on the bookcase and then run back to her room. She doesn’t think to just grab a handful instead of making numerous trips. Every time she enters the living room the security camera notices and sends me a message. I put my phone on do not disturb so it won’t ding every time there is movement and I’m pretty sure I’m asleep before 10 am.

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At some point during the day (I’m pretty sure it is after lunch). Annelise opens the door to my room and asks me a question. I don’t remember what the question was or if I gave an appropriate answer, but I briefly recollect talking to her, which is more than I can say for some days. The other day I woke up and discovered that she had eaten an entire sleeve of Thin Mint Girl Scout cookies. When I asked her why, she said that she had came in and asked me if she could and I had said yes. She got mad at me one day because apparently I had agreed to something while I was sleeping but then said No once I was awake.

4:50 pm

I wake up a few minutes before my alarm goes off. Being able to sleep past 2 pm has been one of the best things about going virtual for the school year. I think I’m getting more sleep during the day than I have since Annelise was born.

As I’m laying in bed, I hear Annelise jumping around her room. I then hear her chanting and realize she’s practicing her dances.

I get out of bed and go check on her and the animals. Let Lulu out. Take the wash out of the machine and throw it into the dryer. I try not to dawdle because we need to leave early for dance so that I can go to the store before work.

5:30ish pm

Jump in the shower. Get ready for work. Make sure Annelise is packed for the sitter tonight, and that she has the right dance shoes in her bag (tonight is ballet and tap, tomorrow is contemporary, jazz and hip hop), help her get into her tights and leotard, pack my work bag, make sure all the animals have had the opportunity to go out and that they all have supper and fresh water.

6:10 pm

My goal had been to leave by six but ten after isn’t too bad.

We stop at Kroger. I just need a few things. Annelise attempts to hide from me sot that I won’t take her picture. Last year she was into having me document our day. Now she doesn’t want her picture taken.

She says she’s going to walk behind me so I can’t take her picture.

6:30 pm

I drop her at Dance and then head to work. Her sitter will pick her up from dance and keep her overnight.

6:45 pm

Punch in at work and start getting ready for the night. I have one pediatric patient scheduled. When I have a pediatric patient I like to set up my room early and I color coordinate my wires so that I don’t have to look at the box when I’m setting them up.

7:30 pm

My patient arrives. I show them to their room. Go over all the paperwork and allow them to get settled before I start the set up.

9:00 pm

Finished with the set up. Return to the monitoring room. I haven’t eaten since the drive thru this morning so I fix myself a meal and then sit down score my studies from last night. I check my messages to make sure that Annelise was with the sitter. I also check my emails and see that I have a bunch of stuff I need to do related to my transfer. I complete as much of that as I can and then go back to my studies from last night. My pediatric patient falls asleep quickly and I can’t help but admire how pretty the study is (especially for a peds patient, they’re not known to leave wires in place).

10:00 pm

Just scoring my studies.

10:45 pm

The lab phone rings. It’s one of the HST patients with a questions. “The lights on the machine went out, is it still working.” YES!! This is the most common question from the HSTs. I’m sure every tech goes over it in set up but form some reason patients always get concerned when they don’t see lights.

11:59 pm

This concludes another Ground Hog day. Again not very exciting. But pretty much an average day in our lives.

For previous Ground Hog days…

• Ground Hog Day 2020
• Ground Hog Day 2019
• Ground hog Day 2018
• Ground Hog Day 2017
• Ground Hog Day 2016

I know it’s been over two years since I’ve had anything other than a Groundhog Day post.  I have good intentions to write more often but life has been very busy.

This Groundhog Day is special.  The date is a palindrome.

It’s also Super Bowl Sunday.  But we’re not that into football and I have to work anyway.  Unlike in years past I didn’t work last night and actually was in bed before midnight so my day actually began at a normal time.

8:20 am

Sunday mornings usually begin with Annelise creeping into my room to ask if she can get up.  With the exception of last week when she had friends of and they were up early she is usually never in my room before 8 am.  Her next question is always “Can I get on my iPad?”  This will usually get me another hour before she’s back in my room looking for breakfast.

Annelise heads off to the living room to watch Netflix and I fall back to sleep.  Of course she left my bedroom door open so I soon have company.

8:45 am

Seriously think about getting out of bed.  I have a lot to get done today.  I’ve been sick for a couple of weeks (spent the night in the ER last week), so I’ve been doing the bare minimum housekeeping.  But I have company coming this week and need to get the house presentable.

9:15 am

I hear Lulu barking and know that if I wait much longer Annelise will be in asking about breakfast.

9:25 am

I’m finally out of bed.

Annelise is in the living room playing with LEGOS and watching “How to train your Dragon.”

I start the rounds of letting animals out and filling food bowls.  There is a specific order to how it is done.  The dogs can’t go out at the same time because Lulu will pick on Kikapu.  Lulu also won’t go out until she’s gone through the house and said good morning to everyone.

While Lulu runs around the house I let Kikapu out.  I go out with her so she can do her annual impression of a groundhog.  She once again disagrees with Phil, sees her shade and predicts 6 more weeks of winter.  Well she would have seen her shadow if she had turned around.

After Kikapu goes in, Lulu comes out.  While Lulu’s out I feed the rest of the animals (if Lulu is around she’ll attempt to eat every ones breakfast.

The cats are always particularly vocal about their desire for breakfast.

After all the animals are fed, I get started on breakfast for the humans.

10:00ish

Annelise and I sit down to a breakfast of cinnamon rolls and grape juice.  Sunday morning cinnamon rolls have been a family tradition since my grandpa fixed them for my dad.

After we eat, we do our “memories.”  Ever Sunday morning we write down our favorite thing from that week or just something that happened that we want to remember.  And then we put them in a jar to be read on New Years Eve.

After memories, Annelise gets “paid.”  She has a variety of chores that she can do to earn money, along with keeping track of the things she needs to do like homework, reading and practicing the piano.  We add up what she’s done for the week and she gets her allowance.

She wasn’t satisfied with her take for last week so she’s going to amp up the number of chores she does this week.

10:40ish

Time to tackle the housework.  Sunday is usually the day I tackle this stuff.  I use to do them on Saturday night but since I’m not taking Nursing classes this semester my weeks aren’t as hectic and Sunday is usually a good day.

We start with the laundry.  Once it’s sorted, I can pop loads in while I’m working on other stuff.  Laundry is one of the tasks that Annelise can earn money for so she’s eager to help out.

With the laundry going, I tackle the kitchen.  The rest of my morning goes something like this… wash a few dishes, let Lulu outside… wash a few more dishes, let Lulu back in… wash a few dishes, let Lulu out.  I’m seriously considering a doggy door because she cannot decide whether she wants to be in or out.

Annelise plays quietly in the living room, trading her Legos for blocks and then her blocks for crayons and coloring book.  She is very good at entertaining herself.

11:30 am

Random cat laying in the hall looking innocent.

I have no idea where the other cat is.  Kikapu is hiding in my room pouting because the laundry hamper is empty.  And Lulu is still going in and out.

Noonish

I take a break from cleaning to focus on homework.  I have a reading assignment and a one page paper based on the reading assignment that’s due at midnight.  I remind Annelise to get her piano and reading done and then head to my room to work on my schoolwork.

I get my lap top and books and stretch out on my bed.  Callie quickly sees this as an opportunity to spend quality time together.

I do a really good job of staying focused for about an hour.  And then I’m distracted by Facebook and Instagram and Postsecrets.

1:15 pm

I manage to finish the reading and start my paper.  I get about two sentences typed and then I’m distracted again.  This time researching local pools.  I’m thinking of getting a membership for the summer and I definitely need to sign Annelise up for some sort of lessons.

I can hear Annelise practicing the piano and she calls out to me to see if I want to come take a picture to document that she played today. (She’s starting to catch on to the Groundhog Day thing).

1:59 pm

I receive a text message from our guests asking if it would be okay if they came on Monday instead of Tuesday.  Sure.  No problem, except the guest room is filled with all the Christmas decorations because the attic is cold and I haven’t wanted to go in there.  It shouldn’t take to long to move everything over.

2:00 pm

Since I’m not getting my schoolwork done, I decide to take a break and focus on getting lunch ready.  Since we eat breakfast late on Sunday we also bump back lunch and call it slupper (and then we have a light snack in the evening or she eats with her sitter if I’m working).

I grab a couple of pork chops out of the freezer and toss them in the Insta-Pot and then put some potatoes in the oven.

Annelise is in her room reading.

I let her know there are several jobs to be done while lunch is cooking if she wants to earn some money.

While I work on lunch, she folds some of the laundry that is done, dusts, waters the plants and sets the table.

 

3:00 pm

We sit down to a meal of pork chops, potatoes, green beans, mangos, and rolls.

Lulu, worn out from being outside most of the morning passed out in the kitchen while we ate.

3:30ish

Annelise asks to be excused from the table and heads back into the living room where she is working on the LEGO sets she got for her birthday.  I just sit at the table for awhile.  Just chillin’ and procrastinating cleaning up the kitchen (again).

3:40ish

I peel myself up out of my chair and begin clearing the table.  Annelise has discovered that if she turns her iPads camera around she can make little videos of herself.

She entertains herself making little LEGO videos while I put away the food, do the dishes, continue working on the laundry (total of 5 loads today) and of course serve as a doorman for Lulu.

4:15 pm

Done in the kitchen and the last load of laundry is in the dryer.  Annelise and I set about folding the clean clothes and getting them put away.

4:45 pm

All the laundry is folded and put away.  Annelise goes back to her LEGO projects and I clean the bathroom.

5:05 pm

After finishing up in the bathroom, I call Annelise to get her bath.  She still needs help with her hair so after washing it I leave her to play (and wash) while I go back to my schoolwork.

5:30 pm

Annelise is done with her bath.  I got half my paper done while she was in there.  I help her get out and send her off to her room to get dressed and pack her bag for the sitter tonight.

Lulu is outside making a lot of noise so I yell at her to come in.  All the animals start following me around because they know it’s almost time to eat.

5:50 pm

Realize that I hadn’t confirmed with the sitter.  Quickly texted her to make sure she was back in town and planning on Annelise.

Sitter is planning on her.

6:00 pm

Climb into the shower.  At this point I’ve done five loads of laundry, washed dishes and Annelise has had a bath so I’m not sure how much hot water is left.  I try not to waste time (I still have to finish my paper).  But it feels so good to just stand in the shower.

6:25

Finish up in the bathroom and get dressed for work.  Kikapu is happy when I toss my dirty clothes in the basket.  It’s been empty all day so she hasn’t had anything to sleep on.

6:30 pm

Text the sitter and make plans to drop Annelise off at the CI since they are there watching football.

Do the rounds of putting food down for the animals and letting the dogs out for one last potty break.

Quickly throw together a lunch for Annelise for tomorrow. Gather up my work things and finally leave the house.

6:42 pm

Drop Annelise at the CI.  Literally, pulled up to the curb and had her hop out with her overnight bag.

6:50 pm

Stop at Kroger to pick up a box of pasta for Annelise’s lunch for school on Monday.

6:59 pm

Arrive at work to discover I have a 7:00 patient. I swear I had checked the schedule and there weren’t any early pediatric patients.  I drop my stuff at my work station and hustle to get my room and equipment ready.  Thankfully the patient is running late.

7:20 pm

I’m finished getting things ready.  The patient still hasn’t arrived so I start working on my studies from Friday night.

7:45 pm

Patient arrives.  I get them settled in their room.  And start to gather my supplies for the set up.

8:35 pm

Set up complete.  There were a lot of tears and we had to leave the cannula out but everything else was on.  Start study and wait for him to fall asleep so that I can put the cannula in.

8:45 pm

While I’m waiting for him to fall asleep I pull up Google Docs and finish my paper.

9:05 pm

Patient is in Stage 3 sleep so I slip in and attempt to place the cannula.  He wakes up and rips it off. Even with mom’s assistance we are unable to get it in place. We try socks on his hands and that doesn’t work.

9:30 pm

Call the medical director and request permission to use NoNos.

9:38 pm

Patient is sound asleep.

9:45 pm

Put the finishing touches on my paper and then submit it.  Start working on the ISR.

10:30 pm

Finish ISR.  Work on scoring.

11:00 pm

It’s a little earlier than I like to eat supper but I’m hungry so I get a light snack and a soda.  I have Annelise’s iPad with me so while I’m eating I watched the videos she had been working on while I was doing dishes this afternoon.

These are great…

 

11:30 pm

Have a brief moment of panic thinking that I didn’t submit my paper.  Go to blackboard and double check.  It’s been submitted and is waiting to be graded.

11:59 pm

Groundhog day is about over.  I still have about 8 hours left in my day.  When I get off in the morning I’ll move the Christmas decorations out of the guest room because I never got around to it today.

For previous Groundhog Days…

2016

2017

2018

2019

See ya next year! (and hopefully sooner).

I don’t think I could have picked a more boring day to follow this year. I almost forgot about our yearly play by play.  February snuck up on me.  I still have partially written Christmas and Birthday posts that need to be published.  Maybe this will get things rolling with the blog again.

12:00 am

Once again my Groundhog’s day starts out at work.  I don’t typically work Thursday nights, but I had the opportunity to pick up an overtime shift and we could really use the money so here I am on a Thursday night working.  I had hoped it would  be an easy night, but unfortunately I had two difficult patients.  I had them both set up and lights off on the studies by 11 pm, but since then I have been up and down, and back and forth to their rooms several times.   Some studies you can just run.  These both needed me to be very diligent watching them and making adjustments.

Most nights I take my break shortly after midnight, but tonight I knew I wasn’t going to be able to slip away.  For the next couple of hours I focus on my studies, in between adjustments and trips to my patient’s rooms I some how manage to score two home sleep test.

2:00 am

By 2 am, both of my patients are asleep and relatively stable, so I take the opportunity to slip away for my break.  We have a room set aside with a couch and some exercise equipment that the techs can use for breaks.  I crash on the couch and set my alarm for a half hour.

2:30 am

After my quick nap I head back to my work station.  My patients have been restless but still mostly stable.  I need to leave on time in the morning so I need to stay on top of my scoring and paperwork.

3:00 am

I’m caught up on my staging.  My patients are settled so I start to focus on scoring.  I turn on Hulu and start watching old episodes of “er.”  One of the advantages to this job is that you can watch things on your phone.  But trust me we’re not sitting there watching TV.  Mostly you need to pick something that you don’t have to necessarily watch.  I usually pick shows I’ve seen before, or documentaries that have a lot of commentary.  But when you’re sitting and staring at this all night you need some sort of background noise. (Image pulled from internet, not one of my current patients, neither of my studies were this pretty).

I spend the next couple of hours working on my studies.  Both studies were very involved so I didn’t have a lot of down time.  That’s can make the night go fast, but also make it exhausting.

4:40 am

One of my patient wakes up and calls out.  They feels that they won’t be able to go back to sleep and wants to go.  I double check to make sure we’ve collected enough study and then go about ended the study.  I go in to disconnect them and they says that they slept better than they have in a long time.  That somewhat makes my stressful night better.

I take the used equipment down to the cleaning room and start the belts soaking than return to my work station.

5:20 am

My second patient wakes up and sits on the edge of the bed, so I call in and tell them we’re going to end the study (we typically start getting people up at 5:30, so this is close enough).  They aren’t quite as eager to get up and didn’t sleep as well as my other patient.

After disconnecting them I take the equipment to the cleaning room and set about cleaning all my equipment.

6:30 am

Both patients have left.  I’ve cleaned all my equipment and returned it to the rooms.  Now I just need to finish scoring my studies and completing the paperwork before I can go.  I would like to leave as close to 7 as possible.

7:23 am

Completing my studies took a little long than expected.  I punch out at 7:23 am and head home.  On the drive home I swear I see a snowflake hit my windshield.  Maybe snow today?

7:30 am

Arrive home. Love the short drive. Annelise stayed the night with the couple that we are living with.  She’s dressed and finishing up breakfast when I arrive home.  If we walk to school we need to leave at 7:30.  Since we still have to brush teeth and fix her hair we’ll be driving this morning.  But we still need to hurry, the late buzzer rings at 7:45 am.

7:35 am

We finish getting ready for school.  When you’re running late this is the longest two minutes ever.  I love that she has an electric tooth brush with a timer, but sometimes that two minutes seems soooo long.

7:40 am

Finally walking out the door.

7:43 am

Made it with two minutes to spare.  There were definitely snowflakes swirling in the air at drop off.  We decided that this would be a good day to go to the coffee shop after school (something we typically do on snowy days).

Annelise heads into school and I head home.

8:00 am

I take Kikapu out for her morning walk.  It’s chilly so I put her jacket on.  Typically we do an impersonation of the groundhog, but I promised Annelise we would wait until after school so she could be there.

After her walk I fixed myself a bagel and cream cheese for breakfast and then went up to get ready for bed.

8:30 am

I set my alarm for 2:00 pm, and then crawl into bed and read on my phone for awhile.  I fall asleep sometime before 9 am.

1:45 pm

I wake up before my alarm goes off.  I need to leave to get Annelise by 2:10.  Waking up a little early gives me time to get a shower before heading to the school.

2:10 pm

I leave to walk up to the school.  It’s about a 10 minute walk and takes me through our neighborhood and Grandin Village.  I love walking through our little village to the school.

2:20 pm

Possibly my favorite part of the day.  Students that are “walkers” meet their parents on the playground.  Everyday as soon as she sees me she runs to give me a hug.

If the weather is nice she’ll often play on the playground for awhile before we walk home, but today is chilly and she’s eager to get to the coffee shop.

It’s a short walk to the coffee shop.  Where we get hot chocolate and chocolate chocolate chip muffins.  We go to the coffee shop after school about once a week.  Annelise loves to play the Scrabble Jr. game that they have there.  She picks it every week.

After our snack we continued our walk home.  It always takes awhile to get home because we have to avoid walking on cracks and occasionally stop to kick pine cones.

3:30 pm

Once we’re home we take Kikapu out to do her impersonation of a groundhog.  She definitely saw her shadow.

Annelise took her camera out and caught it on video.  It’s very poor quality, but I thought it was cute.

 

After our groundhog reenactment we went inside and Annelise went upstairs to play and watch TV while I clean out her lunch box and review the notes in her communication folder.

4:00 pm (ish)

I head upstairs to the sitting room that Annelise and I have sort of taken over.  Annelise is watching Llama Llama on Netflix.  I talk with Kathy (our friend who has taken us in until we find our own place).  We got through her stash of knitting, discuss projects we’ve started and haven’t finished.

4:10 pm

Annelise sets up a puppet show in her room.  She and Kathy give me a show about puppies that get lost in the store and are rescued by the PAW Patrol.

Then we go downstairs where there is more room so she can “dance.” (she’s pretending to be a dog).

4:45 pm

I need to start supper, so Annelise asks if she can watch Llama Llama.  I say sure and then send her upstairs telling her I’ll be right up to start Netflix.  She heads upstairs and I can hear her playing so I “forget” to go up and start Netflix.

5:10 pm

Annelise realizes that I haven’t come up to start Llama Llama so she comes down to get me.  I never started supper and spent the last 25 minutes just sitting and relaxing.  I go up and start Netflix and then head to the kitchen to start supper.

5:45 pm

I get supper on the table.  Pasta, peppers, garlic bread and apple slices.

After supper Annelise goes back to finish watching the episode of Llama Llama that supper interrupted while I clean up from our meal.

6:30 pm

Exciting Friday night around here.  I had thought about going out, but it’s cold and not worth delaying her bedtime, so we have a game night.  One of our favorites is Hoot, Hoot, Owl.

7:00 pm

We’re a little late getting ready for bed.  I like to have her in bed with the lights out by 7 pm, but we’re just getting ready.  After PJs, and teeth brushing we crawl into bed for a story.  Annelise has been sleeping in my bed since before Christmas.  She had been occasionally sleeping in my room when we needed her room for other guests, but around Christmas she just started sleeping there every night that I’m home.  When I asked her why she says because my bed is so cozy and we can cuddle.  I know that at 6 years old the cuddle days might not last much longer so I’m okay with it for now.  She says that when we get our own house she’ll start sleeping in her own room.

Annelise is learning to read, so at night she now reads to me.  For her birthday she got a beginner reader PAW Patrol book.

After reading, I lay down with her (another habit that we’ve started).  We chat for a little bit and then I must have fallen asleep (another bad habit).

7:45 pm

I wake up.  Thankfully I was only asleep for less than half an hour, the other night I slept for 5 hours in my clothes before waking up.  Annelise is quiet (I assume she’s asleep) so I slip out of the room.  I grab my laptop and phone thinking I’ll get this post up yet tonight and head down to the sitting room.

8:00 pm

I hear Annelise calling for me and head back to the bedroom.  She’s upset and crying.  One of her “boos” smells like sauce and its bothering her.  At supper she had accidentally got pasta sauce on it.  I had cleaned it off, but apparently the smell of pasta sauce was too much for her.  She wanted me to wash it right then and get it back to her.  I said tomorrow would have to be soon enough and if it was too bad to sleep with she’d have to use just one boo.  Thankfully “holey boo” was okay (that’s the favorite).  She was crying. I could tell she was very tired, but also very restless.  This is unusual for her.  Then I remembered the hot chocolate and double chocolate muffin.  She has had very limited caffeine.  She’s never had caffeine soda, and the most chocolate she gets is chocolate chips in cookies.  She eventually settled down and I went back to the sitting room.

8:45 pm

I check on Annelise.  She’s sound asleep.  And taking the entire bed.

I head back to the sitting room.  I really don’t feel like doing anything.  I work on a knitting project while watching old CSI reruns.

11:30 pm

I keep drifting off.  I’ve missed most of the current episode so I decide to call it a night and head to bed.  I know that if I don’t get into bed soon, I’ll fall asleep in the chair and be there most of the night.

Another Groundhog day in the books.

For other Groundhog days…

2016

2017

As I look back on the pictures from our fall adventures, September seems so long ago.  It feels like so much has happened in such a short period of time.  I guess moving will do that.  For those who may not have heard we are back in Roanoke.  It wasn’t something I planned and hadn’t been pursuing.  But when I got a message back in August that a night shift position was opening up, and asking if I would be interested in coming back I had to do it.  My first reaction was actually to say No.  To stay in Michigan and on the course I had mapped out for school.  But I realized if I turned this opportunity down it might not come up again, and if I didn’t take it I could never complain about how much I didn’t like it in Michigan.

So I tried to shut out all the “what if’s” bouncing around in my head, and went for it.  It hasn’t been the smoothest move.  We’re still homeless, and staying with friends. All of our belongings are still in Michigan.  I’m not sure how long we’ll be without a place of our own.  I’ve decided that since we left and came back, this is obviously where we want to be, so I’m getting my ducks in a row to buy us a house.

My school plans are only delayed.  I start back up again next semester.  It will take me a little bit longer.  But that’s the difference between my paying for it and someone else paying for it, so I’m okay with slowing down a little.

Annelise has adjusted very well.  I was very nervous about her starting a new school part way into the year, but she is doing wonderful.  She made friends easily, and is doing great academically.   I love that I’m able to walk her to and from school everyday.

We are back in Grandin Village, about two blocks from our old house.  We love being back in the neighborhood.  When I was pregnant and while Annelise was an infant on warm days I would have the windows open and could hear the children on the playground.  As I imagined school for her, Virginia Heights was always the school in my mind.  So while we aren’t in our little house any longer, I love that she’s at that school.  In the afternoons I stop to get coffee on the way to the school and then sit on the playground while she plays with her friends.  When we walk home, we peak in all the shop windows like we use to do when she was a baby.   I’m not sure if I’ll be able to afford to buy in this neighborhood and right now there isn’t a lot on the market, but I’m trying to be patient and hoping that just the right house becomes available.  We’d love to stay.

The other big event this fall was the start of Kindergarten.  Even though she has been in “school” since she was an infant, actually starting Kindergarten felt like a big deal.  I guess this is when it starts to count.

Ever since Annelise was a baby I’ve debated how I would handle school…  public school, private school, homeschool?  In the past year I really started to feel convicted about having her in public school and decided that she would go to whichever school we were zoned for no matter which school that is (I do have one exception though but hopefully it will never be an issue).  I feel very strongly about supporting our public schools and the best way to do that is to have her in one.

I was nervous about her starting in one school and then switching to another.  I kind of felt like she was getting robbed of a “normal” Kindergarten experience, but so far everything has worked out well.  She made the transition from one school to the other very well.

 

 

We had one big trip this fall.  We traveled to New York state to attend a retreat for SMC (Single Mothers by Choice) families at a YMCA camp.   Single Mother’s by Choice is a national organization and there are several organized groups throughout the country.  I’ve never lived in an area large enough to be active in one but in some of the larger cities the groups are quite large, meet regularly and plan activities together.  The Frost Valley trip is one of those activities that mainly New York SMCs have done for several years and others have joined in one.  I had heard about the trip in the past and it sounded interesting  but I never imagined it was something we could manage.  As the plans were being made last winter there was a message in one of the groups I’m in that there were two rooms left in one of the lodges.  I had just dropped my winter class so I had some extra funds so I decided why not? and made us a reservation.

As it came time for the retreat I almost cancelled.  We were in the middle of a move, I was dealing with a lot of stress, did I really want to drive over 12 hours to a camp in the middle of nowhere, where I wouldn’t know anyone, for a weekend?  I wavered on going several times, but in the end we went and I was so glad that we did.

Annelise and I have never been around another SMC family.  And being a SMC, I’m an outsider in most mommy groups.  I can’t really relate to moms who have partners, but I’m also not a traditional single mom.   I don’t have any baby daddy drama and we aren’t a single parent family due to loss.  And no matter what mommy group I’m in I have to keep complaining to a minimum, because there is always someone who wants to throw the fact that I chose this in my face.  I thought this would be a good opportunity for both of us, for once to be among a group of people where we were “normal.”   And while there were never any conversations about our shared unique status, it was nice to be among women who when they said “I know” you know that they actually do.  And that when Annelise was off playing with friends I didn’t have to worry if the “daddy” question would come up and how she would handle it.

We both had a great time, made some new friends and tried some new things.  I wasn’t sure what I expected, but there were daily activities for us to choose from.  We did arts and crafts, archery, canoeing, horse back riding, high ropes, made apple cider and took a hay ride.  On our last night we had a fire and made s’mores.  We crammed a lot into a weekend.

Before we left for Virginia we had one more visit to Lewis Farm Market for all the fun fall activities.

Once we got settled in Roanoke we got busy getting ready for Halloween.  I missed out on the trip to the pumpkin patch (had to work) but I know Annelise had a wonderful time with Kathy and Richard (the couple we’re staying with) and she picked out a pumpkin for each of us.  Annelise had a difficult time deciding on a costume this year but eventually settled on a lion, specifically Simba from Lion King.  She was very adamant that it have a red mane.  I bought all the material and pattern to make it, but when we found one at Target I convinced her to get it.  She said that it was okay that it’s mane wasn’t red, but I knew that was important to her so I scurried at the last minute and added red yarn to make it more like Simba.  I knew it was successful when we walked up to a house and the lady asked specifically if she was Simba.  I loved trick or treating in our neighborhood.  It felt like the way Halloween should be, lots of homes were decorated and it was easy to go from house to house.

We’ve enjoyed on extended Fall being here in Roanoke.  There were still many days in October and into November where the weather was warm enough to ride bikes and run around without jackets.  We’re developing new routines and traditions.  Every Sunday we go to Sweet Donkey for cinnamon rolls, and every Wednesday we have supper at the Community Inn.  When the weather cooperates we ride bikes and play at the park.  There are several parks within biking distance of where we are staying.  We are close enough to school that we walk everyday, although I’ve discovered that the bus stop is in front of our house.  The walks to and from school our my favorite, and on days I don’t have to work we stay late and play on the playground with her new friends.  When asked what she likes most about being back in Roanoke she says it’s being able to see John Henry.  We love being near our friends again.

 

While Annelise has been attending some form of “school” since she was 7 months old and we’ve always had a summer break, something felt different with Kindergarten looming at the end of this summer.  I think mostly it was just knowing that school starts to count now, and for the next 13 years our plans will be at the mercy of the public school system’s schedule.  Annelise is already starting to worry about what happens next year as she’ll most likely be attending a school that starts mid-August, and that will interfere with the County Fair.  I’ve told her that if it is that important to her I’ll take her out of school for a day or two to attend the fair (someday she’ll figure out that the Oceana County Fair is not that big a deal).

When I was a kid my summers were book-ended by the Asparagus Festival and the County Fair.  That’s basically been the case for Annelise.  We missed the Fair when she was an infant, but even when we were in Virginia our two summer trips back were during those times.  And while we’ve been living in Michigan they’ve continued to be the unofficial start and end to the summer.

I still had classes until the end of June, so our summer mostly consisted of July, and August.  Due to our many illnesses over the winter, I didn’t have any vacation time, so we were limited on trips we could take, but we made the best of it.

We took three trips, that were the highlights of our summer and then filled in the rest of the time with outings to the beach and the  park, bike rides, picnics, and hikes.  I worked really hard to get us out of the house as much as possible.  The thing I hate most about our current living situation is that we are on the upper level of an apartment building.  I know a slamming screen door is suppose to be an annoyance, but I would give just about anything to hear one as Annelise moves freely between the indoors and outdoors. She did get to spend quite a bit of time with my parents in Hart.  Typically she was there for at least two days a week while I was working and sleeping.  That at least got her out of our tiny apartment for a little bit each week.

Overall it was a wonderful summer and I think both of us are disappointed that it is coming to an end.  Annelise is excited to start school (she can’t wait to learn to read) and we’ll both be embarking on new adventures soon.

 Our Summer…

Asparagus Festival

The Asparagus Festival usually falls close to my birthday.  This year my birthday was mid week and due to work and class I didn’t even get to see Annelise on that day.  She spent the week in Hart and then I joined her for the weekend.  We celebrated my birthday with a bike ride to the Brown Bear via the rail trail, and then participated in all the usual Asparagus Festival activities, the craft fair, parade, and Fly In Breakfast.  We also enjoyed dinner and strawberry shortcake at Open Hearth.

 

Fourth of July

We had two opportunities to watch the fireworks.  Oceana County typically has three nights of fireworks.  In Hart on the second, Pentwater on the third, and Silver Lake on the fourth.  We went to both the Hart and Pentwater shows.  In Hart we rode our bikes to John Gurney Park.  This was Annelise’s first real night ride and she was very excited to use her lights.  We convinced Grandma and Grandpa to join us for the Pentwater fireworks on the beach, where Grandpa gave her a lesson on harbor lights.

 

Chicago

In the spring Annelise came to me and said that she didn’t think dinosaurs were real because she can’t find any fossils.  So I decided to take her somewhere to see fossils that have already been found.  Technically a trip to the Field Museum could have been done in a day, the train leaves Grand Rapids at 6 am, and the return train leaves Chicago at 6:30 pm.  But I figured that would be too long of a day for a five year old so we turned it into an overnight trip.

Everything about this trip fell together perfectly.  I ordered a couple of new books to surprise her with on the train including Dr. Scott’s (her paleontologist hero) “You can be a Paleontologist.”  Our hotel room turned out to be a suite the size of our apartment, the weather was perfect and the museum had a temporary exhibit called Jurassic World, which was basically Jurassic Park brought to life.

We had to get up early to catch the Amtrak train out of Grand Rapids.  I let Annelise sleep in her clothes so it would be easy to get her out of bed and ready to go.  I was hoping that maybe she’d fall asleep on the train but she didn’t.  We had breakfast on the train and then read stories (she was very excited about the new Dr. Scott book) and then she watched some videos while I knit.

I love travelling by train but I was a little nervous about this trip.  This was the first time I had gone anywhere with Annelise without our vehicle.  I felt a little insecure without having control direct control of our transportation and also limited by what we could carry in our suitcases.

Once we got to Chicago, everyone was extremely friendly and helpful as I relearned how to navigate the subway system (while hauling our luggage and trying to keep track of a preschooler).  My biggest fear was that we would somehow get separated and I fully prepared Annelise for how to get help if that happened.  But we did fine and arrived at our hotel without any problems.  By the end of the weekend we were public transportation pros.

We arrived in the morning but check in wasn’t until mid-afternoon.  I went to the hotel anticipating checking our luggage before heading out into the city, but when we got to the hotel they said our room was ready.  It was so nice to be able to unload, and relax for a bit.  And our “room” was incredible.  It included a kitchen, dining area, living room, separate bedroom, and bathroom with a Jacuzzi tub.

After getting settled we walked around the city, got lunch and did some basic site seeing.  We didn’t do a lot.  Annelise was very anxious to get back to the hotel so she could swim.

After we got back to the hotel we swam in the pool.  I fixed Annelise supper of mac and cheese in the room  and then ordered room service for myself.  We went to the pool one more time and then had popcorn in our room while watching the traffic below our window.  After Annelise went to bed, I finished off the leftovers from my gourmet meal, got a drink from the hotel bar, and soaked in the tub.  It was heavenly.

The next morning we headed to the Field Museum.   As soon as we arrived, Annelise headed straight toward Sue (a T-Rex Fossil).  While we were checking out Sue a museum volunteer approached us and asked Annelise if she would like to hold some fossils.  She gave her a couple of fossils and a magnifying glass to look at them.  This could have completed our trip.  Annelise was in awe of Sue and so excited to touch real fossils.  But of course there was more to see.  After visiting Sue we went to the Evolving World Exhibit (which included a lot of cast of dinosaur fossils).  And while that was only a small fraction of the museum that was all we saw.  She really wasn’t interested in seeing anything other than dinosaurs and fossils.  I figure there will be more trips in the future and we’ll eventually branch off into other exhibits, but for now I’d follow her interests.

The Jurassic World exhibit was pretty incredible (and a little terrifying for Annelise).  I think for a little bit she truly believed that they had brought dinosaurs back to life.  Thankfully I had brought her Boos and earphones.  The earphones blocked some of the stimulation and the Boos comforted her.  There was some clinging and maybe even a little fearful crying, but we made it through.  At the end they had several interactive activities that she enjoyed.

After Jurassic World we had a late lunch and then watched a 3D documentary on the discovery of Sue.  I wasn’t sure it would hold Annelise’s attention but she said it was her favorite part.  It chronicled the steps that where taken once Sue was found, it followed very closely and used the same terminology as her Dr. Scott book, “You can be a Paleontologist.”   After the movie we went back to see Sue again.  Annelise was very fascinated with her (and her head, which is kept separate).

Our train left Chicago at 6:30, so I made sure we had plenty of time to get back to the hotel, collect our bags and get to the train station.  I again thought she would sleep on the way home, but she stayed awake until about an hour before we pulled into our station.

Overall it was a wonderful trip, and even before we were home we were making plans to go back.  We going to add the aquarium next time.  Annelise has also decided that she wants to work at the Field Museum once she is a paleontologist.

Virginia/FloydFest

Our next trip was to Virginia for FloydFest.  My GPS gave me different directions than it usually does taking me south through Kalamazoo and then into Indiana (usually we go over to Ann Arbor and then down into Ohio).  At first I was going to just go with what we usually do, but then saw that would be fairly close to where my Grandparents use to live I decided to take a side trip and show Annelise the house my mom grew up in.  It also gave us an opportunity to visit my Grandparent and Great Grandparent’s graves.

I loved my Grandparents house and spent a lot of time there as a child.  I have so many fond memories of spending time there.  It was sold after my grandpa died, and I openly admit to stalking the new owners online.  They’ve totally redone it and it looks amazing.  I don’t think I want to see what it’s like inside.  In my mind it’s still the way it was when I would visit.

The last couple of years when we’d go back for FloydFest, we’d take extra time and spend about a week in Roanoke either before or after the Festival.  This year that didn’t happen.  Due to my lack of vacation time and commitments back in Michigan, we arrived the day before FloydFest and returned to Michigan straight from the festival.  So we had one day in Roanoke and that was it.  We had just about enough time to have coffee at our favorite coffee place, visit our favorite shops to update my fall wardrobe, visit the Star and have breakfast with a coworker.  Then it was off to FloydFest.

In all our years of going to FloydFest, I have never managed to take decent pictures.  I think it’s mainly because my phone which also functions as the camera spends most of its time off, or left in the tent.  I try to carry as little with me as possible, typically just my cup and some cash.

This year’s FloydFest was a little different.  It wasn’t roasting hot and it was rainy.  It always rains at some point, but this year it rained a lot and when it wasn’t raining it was colder than usual.  It was actually a nice break from the heat.  It seems like every year we’re just trying to find some relief.  It was nice to throw on a light jacket and feel comfortable.

This year the kids were also much more independent.  They could be trusted to play in Children’s Universe without direct parental supervision.  It was nice to be able to sit in the campsite and send them off to do their thing or to be able to go off by myself to get something or hear a band.  This was our fourth FloydFest.  I made the comment to Annelise that she’s been to almost every FloydFest since she was alive.  One morning we were walking back from the bathrooms and someone commented that it has been so nice watching the kids grow from year to year.

Upper Peninsula

Our last trip was to Michigan’s Upper Peninsula.  I camped in the UP when I was a kid, but haven’t been back in probably 20 years.  While we were living in Michigan there were several things I wanted to do with Annelise and one of them was a camping trip to the UP.  Since I didn’t have any vacation time, I shifted my schedule a little and we took a long weekend.  We had three days and I had three things planned for us to do.  We didn’t do any of them.  I again followed my daughter’s agenda. A laid back, no plans weekend was probably what I needed too.  Since we were so iffy on our plans I didn’t make any reservations and instead we just bought a map, picked a campground and headed that way.  We camped at the mouth of the Two Hearted River.  It was a rustic State Campground right on Lake Superior.  It was quite a ways out of the way, down dirt roads, and beyond cell coverage.  On the way up I really began to feel like we were in the middle of nowhere.  I had to drive through an area that had burned in 2012 and still looked pretty desolate.  The road was rough and at times I couldn’t go faster than 10 mph.  It felt like we were all alone, but when we got to the campground it was practically full.  Turns out its quite a popular spot.

We set up our campsite and that’s when we decided we were going to stay put instead of going out everyday.  The area was beautiful.  Annelise was immediately off on her bike.  There were several other families in the campground and it wasn’t too long before she found kids to play with.  There was a wide variety of campers.  A lot of them were there to ride ORVs on the trails in the area.  There were some solo campers that were hiking or kayaking in the area.  And some were just campers that came back year after year because they liked the area.

The first day we went back into town (an almost hour and a half trip) for a few supplies that we forgot.  On the way back we stopped at a Bear Ranch.  We had the opportunity to pet a bear cub and see the 40 bears that they have there.

We spent the rest of the time in and around the campground.  We rode bikes, hiked on the trails in the area, played on the beach, and collected rocks.  At night after supper we would play cards at the campsite until the sun would start to set.  Practically everyone in the campground would walk out to the beach to watch it.  Then Annelise and I would make s’mores, play a few more games before crawling into bed.  After reading to her, I’d usually slip back out of the tent and sit by the fire to do a little reading before turning in myself.  Our last night after it was dark I took her on a night hike.  We went back down to the beach and laid in the sand to look at the stars.  When I pointed out the big dipper, she exclaimed, “Wow, the big dipper is real!?!”  One afternoon we sat on the beach and watched a kayaker attempt to enter the mouth of the river from the lake.  This piqued Annelise’s interest in kayaking.  I didn’t make it happen on this trip, but next time we’re going to do some kayaking.  One of the things I had wanted to do was to see Pictured Rocks.  We would have had to do it from a ferry.  But since we didn’t make it, it’s still on our list of things to do, and maybe in a couple of years she’ll be able to do by kayak.

On our way home we stopped in Mackinaw City after crossing the bridge to stock up on fudge.  We had a picnic in the park near the Fort.  When I explained to her what it was she expressed an interest in seeing it.  We didn’t have time this trip, but I think in the next couple of years we may plan a Mackinaw vacation.

 

Those were our big vacation type trips.  The rest of our summer was filled with…

Dirt Dawgs

This was Annelise’s third summer riding with the Dirt Dawgs.  She moved up to the pedal group, which meant that I didn’t need to tag along on their rides.  Mondays became one of my favorite days of the week as she would ride with her team, I would ride by myself.  It was so nice to be back in the saddle again.

Annelise also had her first race on a pedal bike.  She wasn’t sure if she wanted to do it.  She’s not very competitive.  I told her that we were going to go and cheer on her teammates and if she decided to race she could.  She decided to race and did a great job.  She ended up finishing third.  She was so proud of herself.   She told me she was glad I signed her up and then she’d say, “Mom did you know I was the third fastest girl?”

Swimming Lessons

Annelise took swimming lessons through the YMCA this summer.  She is still in the most very introductory class.  She can float on her back, but still struggles to put her face in the water.  She’s signed up to take classes into the fall and I figure we’re going to keep doing it until she’s swimming independently.

 

Children’s Museums

We visited both the Grand Rapids Children’s Museum and Sandcastles in Ludington.  I preferred Sandcastles, it seemed better organized and less chaotic.  But it was nice to have the option of either.  Whenever we went to Ludington we’d also go to the House of Flavors for lunch and when we were in GR we’d go to Buffalo Wild Wings.  I tried to save the museums for rainy days; fortunately we didn’t have too many of those.

Lewis Farm Market

The Farm Market is always one of our favorite summer activities.  This year we made a little goat friend.  He always seemed to be out and wondering free while we were there.  Of the all the goats there he was the only one to figure out how to escape.  Last year Annelise refused to go into the Aviary.  She didn’t like the birds.  But now that she knows that birds can be classified as dinosaurs she was very eager to go in and study them.

John Ball Zoo

There was a day at the zoo with cousins.

Beach Days

We had several beach days in Pentwater and at Kirk Park.  Annelise loved to play in the sand building castles and digging holes.

Parks and Picnics

This would definitely be the summer of picnics.  We hit up several parks, did some nature walks and took picnics every opportunity that we could.  I think one of the easiest ways for us to get outside was to ride our bikes to a park and have a picnic.  We discovered some new parks, one with some nature trails, and another with a splash pad.

County Fair

Annelise got an overdose of the Fair this year.  Typically we go on Children’s Day, but my work schedule got in the way again.  I took her on Entry Day for a preview.  She went with her aunts and cousins on children’s day while I was working and sleeping.  And then on Saturday I took her.  Since it was just the two of us I needed to go on the rides with her.  Thankfully she told me that Aunt Charity had taken her on the Ferris wheel the day before because she knew it scared me.  Repeats on the Tilt-a-whirl did a number on me and I suddenly felt very old.  She won another fish to go with the two she won last year.  We toured the barn several times. She was very into the animals this year and got attached to a particular calf named Chomper.

 

Tomorrow she starts Kindergarten.  We’ve spent the last official weekend of summer being lazy and just hanging around the apartment getting ready for school.  I had contemplated one more camping trip but I think we both needed some down time.  There’s barely a break before fall activities start up.  Dance begins this week, and swim lessons will resume next week.  Our next adventure will be a trip to a YMCA camp in New York to meet up with other SMC families.  We are very excited about it.  In addition to connecting with other families like ours, I’ll get to meet some friends that I’ve known for years, but never met in person, and the Catskills in early fall should be beautiful.