Summer Break Has Begun!

Offical word came yesterday that it seems summer break is officially here. It wasn't a surprise at all. But even though it wasn't a surprise, it hit me pretty hard.

At first, I laughed it off because we knew it was coming and went on upstairs to hop on the treadmill. About 1.5 miles in, I started crying. Not for myself.

I cried for the loss of normalcy for my boys. I cried because some day, they'll be telling their kids about how they had a 5 month summer break.

I cried because Karson is missing out on the end of his kindergarten year. This year begins such a big journey in life and honestly, it sucks that he won't be able to participate in the fun Rocky Hill spring kindergarten activities.

I cried for Jackson. He loves school. He loves seeing his friends.

I allowed myself a few minutes to wallow and then I did what I always do. I hit the start button and kept going.

What else can I do? Sit around and be mad at the world?

That's not how I want us to raise the children and it's definitely not what I want to see them do as adults.

I want them to understand that life can be hard. There is great joy in so many things and there will be pain at times.

I want them to understand that when life is hard, you have two choices. You can be mad and wallow in that anger or you can recognize that this is a difficult situation and figure out how to make the best of it.

And yes, it's okay to grieve our losses. It's okay to be sad. But always try to shift the perspective into making the best of situations.

There have been times in life when I was just mad. And you know, I didn't feel very good then. I am sure my physical health suffered and definitely my mental and emotional health.

So, I woke up this morning and the sun was shining and I know that we'll make the best of it.

The boys are attending Daddy School each day. Jackson and I are still running together. We finally get to play with the ridiculous amounts of Legos and toys in our home.

We tune in to Dave's Happy Hour each day at 6 PM and listen to fun music while we work puzzles.

The boys are developing a relationship that they may never have had otherwise. I'm not saying that they wouldn't be close but certainly, they are getting to know one another as friends as well as brothers.

Eventually we will be able to have play dates again. Eventually we will be able to go to a restaurant so I can yell at the children to sit down and have manners. Eventually we will have another new normal.

For now, it seems that summer break is here so we'll do what we do during the summer....boys will still be learning. The boys will play. And we'll spend time together as a family.

See you on the roads!

Giving Thanks in Challenging Times

Two weeks ago today, we were travelling back from Atlanta where we watched hundreds of athletes gut it out on a challenging course in challenging winds and cold temperatures. Out of the hundreds, six are heading to the Olympics.

If the Olympics move forward as planned.

Two weeks ago, that would have been a weird sentence to write. Not so much today.

We are pretty transparent about our lives. We make a point to showcase the good, bad and downright ugly.

I don't think I need to go in to detail about how ugly the last two weeks have been.

In my job, the first challenge was tornado aftermath and managing communications for the response to inquiries about blood needs and for our center in Crossville. We saw as many donors in one day that week as we have seen in that location in a month before. MEDIC staff were amazingly flexible and worked together to collect products during challenging circumstances.

Then COVID-19 literally became an outbreak. An outbreak not only in reported cases but an outbreak of information coming from all directions.

This virus has had a huge impact on both of our professional roles. You all know now that the CHKM has been postponed. We stayed up late every night after the kids went to sleep talking about ways to make it happen or alternatives if it had to be postponed/cancelled. We hope for a fall date but the stars will need to align as perfectly as possible.

People are frightened. This is unknown territory for all of us. That said, how we react to our fears is going to have a huge impact on the next several weeks and months. We need to be smart and we need to be flexible. And mostly, we don't need to be selfish.

News and officials are telling people to socially distance themselves from others. I don't disagree. We pulled the kids from camp next week. That's going to be a burden and we will need very creative scheduling and work days between us but we felt it was best.

We are following the guidelines of no playdates and not going out just to go out. We are hunkered down at the Altman house playing no-stress chess, Battlefront (Xbox game) and having time together that we wouldn't otherwise have been able to have.

That's a silver lining in this - at least for us. If CHKM weren't postponed, then Altman would be somewhere in the house with his head down and working away at sending emails, entering registrations and finalizing logistics.

There would be the tension that lives here in March every year knowing that race day is coming and we have to be ready.

Yes, I have worked a lot this weekend. I worked while the kids played Legos. I am writing this now while they play video games. But, we've gotten some quality time that we would otherwise not have on this particular weekend.

Who knows what the next several weeks holds for any of us. But for today, I am focusing on the silver linings and all the things we have to be thankful for.

I am thankful that we have a treadmill, bike, weights, TRX equipment, exercise ball and yoga mats that we use for our daily workouts.

I am thankful that we have groceries and that we have had toilet paper delivered for years via Subscribe and Save and that I am not scrambling to find it right now.

I am thankful that next week was already spring break so that Knox County didn't have to make the decision to close schools although I would venture to guess that the kiddos won't be back before April.

I am thankful that I have a laptop for work that allows me to work just as easily at my dining table as it does in my office. I am thankful that Altman works from home.

I am thankful for book shelves full of books for both boys and for their creative little minds that can sit and draw for hours.

The challenging times will continue. I will no doubt go in to work tomorrow to find that more drives have cancelled and our team will rally to try to fill those slots. No doubt that whatever happens with the CHKM, Altman will have a full week of navigating responses for refunds and the various questions he is receiving as well as planning for the future.

But, again, I am thankful for some extra family moments this weekend. And I will continue to remind myself of my gratitude when the children are fighting over the video game. :)

Friday........

I started a blog post last week about how TGIF isn't real. I was writing it because I was exhausted and still had mounds of laundry to do and a full weekend of refereeing children (after several days of solo refereeing the children) and at the time, Jackson had suddenly spiked a fever....

This life is a 7 day operation and there isn't a lot of time for the R&R that I keep hearing about.

I can't say that I agree with myself on this Friday.

I left work with the TGIF mindset. I turned on music and then turned it up and drove to pick up the boys without looking back.

The last couple of weeks have been overrun with challenge after challenge after challenge. Both at work and at home.

The littlest is still sick. He is still coughing and after 9 days on medicine, I don't think he is better. It looks like we will be heading back to the doctor next week unless he has an amazing recovery this weekend. He's seen 3 doctors in the last 8-9 weeks (since before Christmas).

Jackson has had some respiratory issues and I think we have them under control now but it's been a bit stressful for all of us.

When either Altman or I travel, it just throws everything off. This last week was no different. It will be weeks before full recovery. As a side note, to the hard working, single parents out there...you are amazing. Seriously. Bring your kids over sometime and I'll watch them so you can take a nap.

Work has been hard. I won't sugarcoat it. There are many challenges and we've undergone changes and while I believe we are moving in the right direction, I long for a day with no fires to put out and a few minutes to actually drink my coffee (I don't even care if I finish it...I just want to get in a few sips...)

Because of schedules, I have worked out very little this week. That is never good. I need my workouts. I need the runs to clear my head and the strength training to feel strong. And I knew that missing the workouts would make me less patient and more tired but I missed them anyway.

I'm taking this moment to acknowledge that I need a minute to just be.

The family room is a mess. There is laundry to be done. The kitchen needs to be cleaned up. But, I don't know that I am going to do a thing.

I think I am going to sit on the sofa and read. Or do nothing. The children are fed and waiting for me to give the green light to play the XBox. Altman is on his way home and he's an adult so he can take care of himself.

So maybe there is something to the TGIF afterall....if only for today.

See ya on the roads. Kristy