Boys Week in CHS - POSTPONED

 Today was supposed to be Day One of boys week in Charleston.  It was over before it began.  I was just logging into work, when Caz came down to the kitchen.  I thought he was up earlier than normal.  He said he didn't feel great and his ear hurt.  Being prone to ear infections, he decided, on his own, to go to Urgent Care to be checked out.

About an hour and a half after Caz left, he called.  He called from the parking lot.  He tested negative for strep. His ear didn't appear infected.  The other shoe dropped.  He tested positive for COVID.

That information took a moment to process in my brain.  That process felt longer, than it lasted.  Caz is smart.  He called from the parking lot on purpose.  We made a plan.  I clean and disinfected the house.  He came in wearing a mask.  He went to a dedicated bedroom.  I had created a dedicated bathroom for him.  I informed Coco what was going on.  We all hunkered down for the long haul of isolation and quarrantine.

Sunrise

During this stay at home period, I have been trying to get out every morning for a walk, a jog or a run.  I am trying to keep to a work week routine.  I get up at 5:45 am, M-F, to start my outing.  It is still dark.  The first hint of dawn is apparent as I walk out of the basement door.
     I walk out of the basement door to reduce the noise on the main floor, for the rest of the house who still sleeps.  I walk softly and slowly on the rocks, until I get to the wooden walkway.  I do my best to open and close the gate with little clanging of metal on metal.  I hit the driveway and look to the sky.  I choose my route by the light in the sky, the clouds or lack of clouds, the wind and the rain.  If I see a hint of red and orange on the horizon, I will head towards Sunrise Beach.  The morning sunrise is something I have really enjoyed during this period.  The colors in the sky are amazing.  Maybe is the newly cultivate meditation/mindfulness practice.  Maybe it is the new house in the new location.  But I find I appreciate a sunrise a lot more.  I watched the whole sunrise yesterday, from the time the sun first broke the surface of the water on the horizon, until the bottom of the sun cleared the darkness.  Time well spent for sure.  It does wonders for my spirit.  For that brief time, all is right.

House for Sale Part Duex

The house is now back on the market.  I will say that it is easier to keep clean and to maintain as an empty nest.  Less potential suspects to clutter it up.  Less of “it wasn’t me, it was him.”  Now the downsizing can continue.
     We are hoping for a better experience this time.  The story is that the spring season is starting early and that house buyers are out there now.  It would be nice to be able to move ahead.  We would like to get to NC, some time this spring.  A test run is definitely in order.

Offer Accepted

Our offer on the new house was accepted.  We had to jump through more than a couple of hoops.  Personally, I think it had more to do with the seller's agent, than the seller's.  I am fairly confident she wanted to stick it to us because we currently reside in Duxbury.  South Shore rivalries are real.
     It's game on now.  We had to secure a second mortgage as part of this.  Home buying is quite a process.  This is our first time through the "normal process", so this is all new to us.  The idea of a second mortgage is overwhelming, quite frankly.  It is causing me a bit of anxiety.  It is messing with my sleep for real.  I have had several nights in a row of waking up around 2 am and not being able to go back to sleep.  I am pretty sure that is the textbook definition of insomnia.  This is supposed to be exciting.  And it is.  But the financial aspect can make my heart stop.  The numbers are so large, they don't even seem real.  This is not Monopoly.  The money is not fake.  I can't run the bank.
     Maybe it is a control thing?  Like people who have a fear of flying.  I don't doubt that my own anxiety is a source of Coco's.  Genetics are a funny thing.  Not funny, ha ha.  Funny, strange. 

Griswolds' Vacation 2019

This year's vacation was epic!  Top 5 for sure.  It's funny, it didn't start out that way.  The idea of it rankled me from the beginning.  Personally, I wasn't happy that we had to go to North Carolina to celebrate our son’s high school graduation with that side of the family.  Over 20 years, we have requested them to be in one place, all together, at once, and by us, 4 times.  Two times at about each end of those two decades.  I was a bit sour about it.  But Coco didn’t seemed phased, so I just went with it.
     We started in Raleigh, NC.  In a 24 hour period, Demi and I went to three open house and caught up with old friends.  My college roommate, his wife (also a Colby alum) and kids have lived in Cary, NC for 15 years.  Demi’s high school friend and husband moved there 4 years ago.  The six of us had a great time out in Cary.
     Team Griswold drove out to Topsail Beach over 2 1/2 hours.  It was a straight shot.  Was the reward for that drive ever worth it!  Our first time using VRBO and we struck gold!  This beach house was amazing.  Three floors, a huge garage, fenced in back yard with an enormous deck for walking the dog, two front deck balconies with clear views of the ocean, great open kitchen and living space, all had our own rooms and bathrooms and private beach access.  What a HQ!
     I was in the ocean every, single day.  The water was warm.  The waves were huge but not overpowering.  One did need to beware of riptides.  I swam and floated in that ocean for over an hour at a clip on party day.  The beach was sandy.  Instead of hunting for beach glass, people were searching for shark teeth.  The weather was perfect.  Even at close to 100 degrees, we were happy.  There was one overcast day.  No rain.
     The party was a huge success.  We spent a lot of time with the family.  We had an amazing dinner at my sisters-in-law’s in Snead’s Ferry.  She did a shrimp boil for 30, with two sets of spices.  There was an incredible Vietnamese/Thai restaurant in Wilmington.  We got ice cream, then walked the riverwalk in Wilmington.  The highlight was the jet ski trip.  About ten of us cruised a 9 mile stretch of the Intercoastal.  The boys had so much fun they went back another day.  Caz had an ear to ear grin, permanently spread across his face the whole ride.  I saw dolphins twice, with one diving under my jet ski.  Forget swimming with dolphins, go jet ski with them.  Caz and Coco perfected their bodysurfing.  Caz was at it daily.
     A truly marvelous vacation.   The Griswolds won this one!

Mid Terms 2017

Coco had mid-terms all week.  I don't know when he studied for them.  I know he did some.  And I know he needed to crush it in Physics and Math.  He needs to pull up his second term grades in those subjects.  He also has to make up for his under performing freshman year.  Yes, it was related to his illnesses.  But he has the ability to make up ground.  As we know from Caz, junior year is tough.  It is the critical year for the college search.  The grades matter a lot.  Coco needs to exceed.  We don't want to put pressure on him.  It is a fine line trying to raise the bar on him but not invoke the anxiety.  There is no guidebook for this.  Demi and I are doing the best we can.  Every time we get a read on him, things change.  The same held true for Caz's ADD.  I probably feel more pressure than he does.  Which is fine by me.  I would rather shoulder the load, especially if that allows Coco to succeed.

First Shift

Coco first real shift.  It's not just watching training videos.  This is the real deal.  I am very proud of him.
     Coco reported back that he was told to grab a cart.  Then he was given a shopping list.  He had to run around the store and grab each item on this list.  Then they had to check out.  He had to bag each item correctly.  Then they had to put everything back.  What a great way to learn the store.  Coco was very upbeat after his shift.  Excellent start.

Managing Expectations

It is ok to modify expectations and goals.  I need to remind myself of that.  Things change.  Change is acceptable.  Even with things going well, there will still be ups and downs.  Good days and bad days. We adjust.  We move on.  Move forward.
     A return to football did happen the way we planned it.  Coco let his anxiety build for weeks.  Months maybe.  The conditioning was too much.  He anguished over saying anything.  But he was secretly miserable.  He let it consume him.  Demi finally got him to face facts.  He broke down while letting it gush out of him.  Demi cried while listening.  Fortunately, Coco had a therapy session that day.  Timing is everything.  Though neither said it, I feel like Coco was scared to tell me.  Demi used kid gloves too.  Honestly, I felt some anger.  Some frustration.  I felt like he was giving up on himself.  But the relief could be seen on him.  It was as clear as day.  That made it the right decision.
     However, we still wanted Coco active.  We wanted him part of a team.  Demi placed a call to Coach Calrissian.  He knows Coco from School and from helping Coco through his tough times.  He was a central part of his success last year.  Coach Calrissian offered Coco a spot as a team manager.  The team would work with Coco's schedule.  Coco could work and attend practices  and games.  It sounded like a great middle ground.
     Tonight is the home opener.  Coco was fired up for it.  I took him down an hour early to start helping out.  He seemed happy.  That is important.  He needs to be happy about this.  I truly think he is.  So now the expectations are different.  And that is ok.