Mrs Reynolds

The vet called us at noon today with the results from Mrs Reynolds' blood work.  Everything was just a little off, with no clear indication of what is wrong or causing her pain besides old age. When I told the vet that the pain medication didn't seem to be making much difference (she's still laying down almost all the time and limping when she walks) and that she's pooped in her bed and then still layed there, the vet recommended it was time to say goodbye. We called an at-home service and scheduled an appointment for Friday morning. Then we packed up and headed home. I'm glad we had a little time with Nate's family, but we really feel like being here with Mrs is best for all of us. We're having extra snuggles and staying on top of her pain meds. It's been (and will continue to be) really, really hard for all 3 of us. She's been here through most of our marriage, through all of Korra's life, through 3 homes, 3 foster kids, and more job changes than we can count. She's been fiesty and ornery, stubborn and adorable, and now she's just so tired. Saying goodbye is going to be so hard. 

Oral Surgery Update

After repeatedly calling the oral surgeon and leaving messages regarding getting reimbursed, I finally decided to give them a terrible review on Google. Surprise, surprise, they called me the next day to see what they can do to "improve my experience." They asked me to come to their office to get my reimbursement put back on my credit card (one more inconvenience for me) but agreed to ask the doctor if they could write me a check. She promised she'd call me later that day. She didn't. I called this morning and had to leave a message with the rude receptionist. Thankfully the lady I talked to yesterday called me back immediately and said the check would be on the mail today. At no point did anyone apologize for all the inconvenience, delay, and frustration. Now I just need to wait to see if the check actually arrives. 

110 Books

Even though I technically still have all of today to finish one of the 5 books I started (but am nowhere near finishing), I'm going to call it and give my official total of books read in 2025: 110. Yep, that's my new high score which I attribute to a handful of those books being YA or upper elementary (preparing for the 4th and 5th grade Reading Bowl). It does not include all the picture books I've read, however. Here are some of my favorites:

The Dungeon Crawler Carl series. The audiobooks are masterpieces. They are hilarious and I can't recommend them enough.

The Change by Kirsten Miller. Perimenopausal women get super powers and use it to solve murders and kick ass. 

Yours Truly and Just for the Summer by Abby Jimenez. These are technically part 2 and 3 of the Part of Your World series. I read the first one last year and while I liked it, I LOVED these two. Fantastic contemporary romance. 

A Sorceress Comes to Call by T Kingfisher.  I've been kind of meh about fantasy lately (all the lore feels overwhelming and boring) so I was surprised by how much I loved this one. 

Sunrise on the Reaping by Suzanne Collins. The two Hunger Games prequels reignited my love for this series. As good as the first book. 

Margot's Got Money Troubles by Rufi Thrope. A pregnant teen reunites with her professional wrestler dad and starts using Only Fans to support herself. It's funny and insightful. 

Scythe by Neal Schusterman. I love a good futuristic dystopia and this delivers. Even better than Unwind, which I loved years ago. 

Allergic Reaction

This morning I went to get my allergy injections and after my 30 minute wait, I told the nurse my palms were itchy. They immediately gave me an antihistamine and rushed me to a room in the back where they listened to my breathing and hooked me up to a pulse ox monitor. After 15 more minutes, the itching had subsided and they let me go, but on the way home, I got the worst heartburn of my life. And then I remembered that I had really bad heartburn last week after my injections. I called the allergist's office and let them know. The nurse said she didn't know of heartburn being a symptom of allergic reactions, but she said she'd let the doctor know. It lasted for about an hour. Here's hoping it was a one time thing because now I'm dreading next week's injections. 

Korra the Cat Sitter

Over the past week, Korra took care of 5 cats in total for 3 of our neighbors. She made $200 (she was given some nice bonuses since she worked on Christmas). 

75 degree December

Yesterday Korra and I volunteered at the food pantry in the morning. We restocked and also filled bags. Afterwards, we met friends who were in town from Boston for lunch and a walk on the Beltline. The weather has been crazy- the high was 75 degrees!- but it made for a very enjoyable stroll. 

It was a good thing it was warm enough to have all the windows open because I thought Jiffy Pop popcorn would be a fun Christmas treat... The pan repeatedly dripped oil that caught on fire on the stove eye. Definitely not the Christmas activity I was expecting when I bought it. 

Garden Lights

We went to the Botanical Gardens holiday lights display this evening with Todd and Sarah. It was 65 degrees, even after the sun set, so it was really pleasant to be outside. We avoided the nightmare that is their parking deck by parking in the neighborhood across the street, which immediately made the experience much more enjoyable. The lights were as spectacular as ever. 

Christmas Dinner

Using butter that won "Butter of the Year" we made steak with sauteed mushrooms and onions, green beans, and mashed potatoes for our Christmas dinner. Delicious!

Muppets and Cookies

We're watching Muppets Christmas Carol and baking gingerdoodle cookies. Merry Christmas Eve!

High Cat

We took Mrs Reynolds to the vet today because she's been limping. They gave her some strong pain medicine for arthritis which has resulted in her staring at her food bowl for the last 6 hours. We keep moving her to her bed but she goes right back. 

She "declined" blood work today (she hissed at and attempted to bite the vet tech) but we'll try again on Monday with some meds in her system. We're checking on her kidneys- it's possible she has a UTI or kidney failure.  We just want her to be as comfortable as possible in her advanced age. 

Family Time

 Even though we couldn't all be there together the whole time due to work schedules and illnesses, we did have a wonderful time at a beautiful house. We played games and watched movies, cooked and ate and ordered way too much pizza.  We exchanged ridiculous mugs and gifts. We laughed and we cried. It was unbelievably hard to say goodbye to my sister and her family today because they're moving to New Zealand in 3 weeks. I'm so excited for them (and more than a little jealous) but I'm going to miss her so much.

Change of Plans

Nate's feeling sick (as he unfortunately has been for the past 3 Christmases) so we're delaying going up to see my family until tomorrow morning to give him a little time to feel better (and a little less time for him to possibly spread germs). 

Half Day

The last day of each semester is a half day, so after arriving to work late due to my doctor's appointment, I only had 2 hours to get some work done before dismissal.  Headed home in a few minutes to do some final packing before getting Korra and hitting the road.

Doctor's Appointment

This morning I went back to my GP to look over my lab results.  I nearly had a heart attack when the scale showed that I'd gained 21 pounds in the last 2 months.  Thankfully, a second try had me back at my normal weight.  

She prescribed me thyroid medication with a follow up in a few weeks to check on how it's going.  Fingers crossed the prescription will be ready today before we leave for time with my family.  

Insomnia

Several nights in a row, I've woken up repeatedly, sometimes for long stretches, and then been unable to go back to sleep way too early in the morning. Thankfully, I haven't been TOO tired, but I'm getting really frustrated. Tomorrow is my doctor's appointment about my hypothyroidism and I hope medication (and relief from this insomnia) is on the horizon. 

Please Don't Get Sick

The flu is going through our school.  So many teachers and kids are out (and plenty are still here and spreading germs).  I haven't felt this panicky about gettings since COVID-times.  I need to see my family this weekend.  Masking, washing my hands, getting extra vitamin C and zinc, and using my netipot.  I hope it's enough.

Kindergarten Meltdowns

There were 3 simultaneous meltdowns during my kindergarten class today.  One was breaking crayons and throwing them.  One was growling, crawling on the floor, and pulling books off the shelf.  One was screaming bloody murder and sobbing.  It was an intense and unpleasant 30 minutes.  I don't know how those teachers do it day after day.

Handmade School Gifts

I cross stitched bookmarks for a few of the teachers I work most closely with and Korra made friendship bracelets and melty beads for her friends. We both delivered our handmade gifts today and loved the reaction we received. Totally worth all the time we put into making them.  

One Step Closer

I've been fighting with our dental insurance and the oral surgery since the beginning of September.  Our insurance FINALLY paid the oral surgeon (honestly, it was more the oral surgeon's fault for submitting incomplete billing) but that means the last step is getting a reimbursement from the oral surgeon.  It would be the most wonderful Christmas present if we were able to get that soon.

Holiday Preparations

I made some Christmas cookies, went shopping for groceries to bring to our family gathering, wrapped presents, and finished cross stitching the bookmarks for my coworkers. 

I also had time for 2 naps, one book club brunch, a lunch with friends, and a movie. 

Korra and I are both healthy again and ready for this final week of school of 2026. 

Sick Day

I woke up with a terrible sore throat and an achey body. Spent most of the day in bed, but I was feeling much better by late afternoon. Well enough to do a bit of cooking- some oatmeal peanut butter cookies and I tried a new recipe for dinner that ended up being a flop. Planning to go to bed early tonight in the hopes that I've nipped this illness in the bud. 

Winter Wonderland

Last night was my school's holiday music performance.  It's exhausting that it was the day after Korra's school's holiday musical performance again this year.  While the end result is magical and beautiful (they cover the field in lights, every kid in the school comes and sings, all the parents sit on blankets and drink cocoa), it's super stressful to keep 400 kids calm, quiet, and safe in the dark when it's cold and they are both tired and amped up.  I love this event in theory, but in practice, I really hated it.

Poop in the Sink

Alex locked himself in the bathroom during the night. In the absence of his litter box, he pooped in the sink. Good morning to me. 

Kindergarten Cage Match

All of kindergarten (66 kids) were on the field for practice for tonight's school music performance. After they practiced, we let them run around for 20 minutes. It quickly started to have the feeling of a WWE cage match. There was so much wrestling and tackling, I almost expected someone to pull out a ladder or a folding chair. 

Band Concert

Tonight was Korra's band concert. It was also the orchestra concert and dance recital. Thankfully, it did not include chorus this year. It was long but this kid is worth it. 

Wood chips

Every day, the kindergartners come into the library after recess. During story time, they take off their shoes and dump wood chips out onto the carpet. 

Delicious Dinner Mash-Up

I made chicken pot pie but instead of biscuits or pie crust, I used mashed potatoes on top (like a shepherd's pie). It was very yummy and perfect for a cold, kind of dreary day. 

13 Year Physical

Korra had her annual physical on Friday. She's still in the 5th percentile for height- even with that growth spurt she's had. Apparently all the other 13 year old girls had the same growth spurt. She's just shy of 4 foot 10 inches. 

All State Band Tryouts

Bleh

And just like that my energy has left me.  It might be the cold, rainy weather.  It might be fluctuating hormones (I just learned I probably have hypothyroidism which would explain SO MUCH).  Here's hoping it's a temporary slump as I still have some Christmas presents I want to finish making.

Mae

Korra and Nate (along with Todd and Ryan) are at a Mae concert tonight. I love that Korra enjoys going to live music with Nate, especially because I'm too tired and it's too loud for me. 

62 degrees

The heat in the library is broken.  Yesterday we started at 55 degrees and moved up to 64.  This morning it's at 62.  It's less than pleasant.  The repair people are supposed to be here today.  I hope it's soon.