I am so excited it’s only 10 days to Christmas Eve!!
He said
It was inevitable with the recent switch to Orange (Restrict) and the increase in active cases that we would move to level Red (Control) in order to protect the public. That news came Friday. We’re hoping that works because the next level we go to in the response framework is Grey (Lockdown) which means we get back the place we were in March, April and May this year. Given that our numbers are higher now it makes sense, but we’re also testing a lot more people now too. I am hopeful this won’t get to total lockdown again, but only time will tell.
The close of the sale of the house on Vaubois went through this week, and for the first time in Mom & Dad’s adult lives, they no longer are home owners. Even though they spent more time in this house, my connection and feeling of loss of home was when we left the house in Wallceburg as that was my childhood house. This one while it will be strange to not collect there as a family, has less of that connection for me. Maybe I will feel that more next week while celebrate Christmas over FaceTime in our own homes, but that is more about the state COVID has put us in than anything else.
And back to the topic of COVID… like we ever got away from that? But with the change to Red it means only one primary caregiver for Mom & Dad, so Shawn is no longer able to be my backup and trade-off for them. It also means I now need to get tested weekly too—moving up from every 14 days. What’s challenging with that schedule is that I have gone from being able to expect results back in less than 24 hours is now taking 2-3 days to comer back, I am guessing because of all the testing that people are doing with the numbers going up.
Lastly this week we pretty much got the Christmas shopping buttoned up. There was a last couple of gifts for Emelia we were able to squared away, and the special gift I got for Danielle & Emelia arrived this week too. I think this was the earliest we have had everything all done and it feels great. Christmas will definitely be different but I also feel like it will be quieter, less busy feeling and we’ll be able to really focus on being together and enjoying each other’s company at a much a slower pace. And I am actually really looking forward to it!
She said
We are just about there, the last of the shopping is just about done. I have one more thing to order that should be delivered this week and then we are ready for Christmas. Next week I can start wrapping everything and then we can just sit back and be ready for the holidays. This year everything is different, no big family dinners, no holiday showcases for Emelia’s sports, no Christmas parties. It will be a different year for sure.
Things in the world of COVID as well. The numbers are out of control, we have outbreaks at both the major hospitals, outbreaks at schools and the numbers are rising at a rate that has meant that we are moving into Red zone restrictions. This means more restrictions in sports, inside activities, limitations in inside gatherings – all hoping that the numbers can slow so we aren’t in full lockdown for Christmas.
We did have some positive news events this week however, this week Emelia’s cheer gym did a video showcase for the parents so we could see some modified version of their cheer routine. Emelia did amazing, her skills are front and centre for much of the routine. We have been told that the coaches are really impressed not only with her skills but her strong work ethics. We are so proud of her and all the work she does. And we cannot thank her cheer gym enough, they have gone above and beyond the regulations to keep the kids engaged but safe and follow all the protocol. We could not be happier for Emelia. Emelia is so motivated and driven in cheer she is wanting to take on the next level skills so she can move up next year and take on even more. I love that about her.
That was our week, wrapping up the holiday ‘to do’ list, enjoying seeing our daughter in her element and making the most out of what has been a crazy year.