Merry Christmas...and to 2020 a good night!

Dear 2020,

Let’s never do that again. On the brink of a new decade, Google said nothing about trending keywords like “lockdown,” “work from home,” and “toilet paper.” I remember we were on our way back home from a mini-vacay to Kansas City in March when news broke about COVID-19, and both Kyle and I received messages from work to ‘stay home.’ At the time, we never imagined we’d still be here – working from home in the middle of a world-wide pandemic. When we think about this year, there’s certainly been a lot of shockers (many of which have to do with the letter “C” for some reason), but we also experienced new traditions, new perspectives, and learned how to slow down just a bit. Here is our family’s COVID

Chronicles…

Celiac – After almost two years of Norah having ongoing tummy issues after eating, we finally pushed her doctors to do more testing. A simple blood test showed an elevated Celiac marker, and a biopsy at Omaha Boystown Children’s Research Hospital confirmed it. Her doctors were very serious about Norah being placed on a strict gluten-free diet for the rest of her life, so we began learning and living the gluten-free life at home. We are forever grateful to the many friends and family who were a resource or immediate source of support for us. The hardest part about this disease, besides finding any restaurant in town that’s safe to eat at, was educating others about the difference between an autoimmune disease and a gluten intolerance, and hoping they’d help support Norah when we can’t be around her. So, we’ve learned a lot about where to shop and eat, and we’ve baked and taste-tested several new foods this year (Norah’s favorite part). Since the changes, Norah has become stronger (even her tooth enamel), taller and feels so much better. Other than this one big hurdle for Norah this year, our little, sassy, seven-year-old 2nd grader enjoyed crafting, building forts, baking sweet treats, reading, video chatting with her friends and family, and playing UNO. She also made the tooth fairy very happy this year by donating four teeth, and she was able to participate in a few of her favorite activities for a little while: gymnastics, dance and Girl Scouts.

Chalk – I mean, I could’ve put “COVID-19” but “chalk” just sounds better. When I think about last Spring and the onset of remote schooling, one bright spot was all the artwork our kids bestowed upon our driveway during that time of which we call

“outside P.E. so mommy and daddy can have a conference call.” Cousin Shelby came over to help, and her artistic chalk talents were quite impressive as well. In between the kids’ schoolwork and tantrums, many flowers, bees, body tracings and maps came to life on our driveway!

Cancer – Well if COVID-19 and Celiac weren’t big enough news for our year, behold…Kyle was diagnosed with testicular cancer in May. We were floored – but also extremely fortunate for his ultimate outcome. Kyle was diagnosed and had the tumor removed all within three days. And, because it’s 2020, let’s throw in an emergency appendectomy 2.5 weeks later while he’s at it. (He asked for a punch card at the surgery center, which they didn’t think was as funny as he did.) In all seriousness though, both scans since his surgery showed him “in the clear” and we are grateful and optimistic. Kyle remained his usual strong, humorous self through it all (I mean, the type of cancer alone lent itself to some light jokes, as you could imagine.) He’s now in his 17th year at Talent Plus as the Director of Recruitment where he has the option to work from home or go into work. Kyle also started a fruit, veggie and herb garden this year – we had a good turnout of our pumpkins, melons, onions, peppers and brussel sprouts, and the strawberry patch and basil took off. The kids loved picking, eating and sharing the “harvest” with others. Kyle also did some solo deer and coyote hunting this year.

Cats – What do you do when you’re stuck inside together watching Moana for the 14th time? You get in the car and rescue some kitties! In May, we welcomed two kittens, brothers Oreo and Taffy, into our home…where they ironically stayed. We

never had the best of luck with outdoor cats, so we kept these cuties indoors. Their favorite activities include napping, looking out windows, scratching anything except the scratching post, laying in the middle of most highly-trafficked areas, and insisting on more food even though they have plenty. Oh, and stinking up the house – we’re still working on that one.

Celebrations and Cancellations – Jaxon hit the double-digits this year and turned 10. Since he’s never had pop (that we know of) we had family drop off different types of soda pop from all ages for him to try on his birthday. His favorite so far? Orange Shasta. Jaxon was a pro at remote-schooling early this year, participated in a virtual coding class, and he enjoyed connecting with his friends on Facebook Messenger Kids. During the summer and early fall when restrictions let up, Jaxon also participated in some baseball, football and joined the Boy Scouts. He also earned a purple ribbon for showing one of his pigs at the fair. I (Beth) turned the big 4-0 this past June. Kyle and I both had surprise trips planned for each of our birthdays to Greece and Napa, but those would have to wait. Kyle pulled off a memorable surprise celebration weekend for my 40th filled with drive-bys and a socially-distanced outdoor gathering. I’m in my 4th year at Assurity as the Manager of Creative Marketing Services. My headquarters is now my home address, and I’ve really enjoyed finding a new balance to my work and life. I took a pause on teaching figure skating this year, but hope to pick things back up soon. I’m also enjoying doing more with my wine business on the side…including ordering more wine (follow me on Instagram at @weneedwineforthis).

And like everyone, we enjoyed tackling some home reno too. With the help of a family friend, we renovated our second bathroom into two – gotta create room for the impending teenage years. And we inherited a hot tub from my parents, which

we now relax in on the regular – and it’s paired really nicely with all the wine we’ve purchased.

We wish all our family and friends so much love, blessings and good health this holiday season. 2020 was not what we expected, but it taught us a lot about how we connect, work and protect one another. Our hearts go out to those who have

lost loved ones during these tough times too. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year: 2021, we are so ready for you!

Kyle, Beth, Jaxon (10), Norah (7), Dasha (dog), Oreo and Taffy (cats)