The Week In Review

I'm reminded on week's like these why my blog is called Accepting Change. There have been so many changes in my life in the last couple of years, and I'm still learning to accept that life can change from one minute to the next. It's been a busy week full of changes, but I'm thankful that it's been good. It's been really good.

I started training for my new job this week. I'll be working in sales/customer service. The training this week has involved mostly learning about the company, what it stands for, what the processes are, etc. We had orientation on Monday in person, then we were given our computers and equipment and have been learning from home since. There's a lot of computer stuff to learn, which is what we'll be doing this coming week, and I'm excited to learn more. The team is great, the trainers are happy to answer any questions no matter how trivial...it's just a good environment. 

The big adjustment has been figuring out what's going to work for me as far as scheduling my week. I'm Type A; I like my lists and having everything very organized. Whenever I wasn't working I did everything during the week: yardwork, errands, everything was scheduled on the weekdays, and I rested on the weekends. Working 9:00 - 5:30 changes things. I thought I would have to do everything over the weekend now, but this past week I was still able to mow the lawn during the week. I just worked for about an hour or less on Wednesday and Thursday, and on Friday I finished what was left in about 15 minutes, so I didn't have to do yardwork all weekend. I'm hoping I can do that on a regular basis, but it really depends on the weather. We are smack in the middle of rainy season in Florida, meaning it often rains on a daily basis. My grass loves it, but it means I have to mow the grass every week. Yes, that's right, every week. In one week's time the grass will grow back to where it was, and if I don't take care of it I'll have a jungle on my hands. If I can do a little everyday it makes the task more manageable, but that will only happen if it isn't raining in the afternoon. I'm gonna have to play it by ear.

What I did on the weekend was laundry, vacuum, groceries, and a little food prep for the week. My job gives me two 15 minute breaks and a 30 minute lunch break. Now, I'm not the type to eat something small at lunchtime and then have a big supper. I cook one meal at noon, and I make enough for lunch and supper. Well, I can't get a full meal done and eaten in 30 minutes - even Rachael Ray doesn't do that - so I've been meal prepping and freezing meals to make my life easier. The Instant Pot and slow cooker are getting a workout! On the weekends I try to get as much done for the week ahead so I don't have to stress. For instance, tonight I grilled some chicken tenders, then sliced them and put them in the fridge. Tomorrow I'll boil some fettuccine noodles and we'll have chicken fettuccine Alfredo. I've prepared some ground beef, meatballs, and two meatloaves that are frozen, and I've got more chicken ready for the instant pot for teriyaki chicken. What I've been doing is getting it all set up during my morning break so that at lunchtime all I have to do is warm it up. It's worked so far.

Today my son and I got our second Covid shot, and this one hurts way more than the first one did. About 10 days after I got the first shot my arm started itching. The next morning I awoke to a hot, swollen, red, blotchy arm that freaked me out. I went back to the pharmacy where they'd given me the shot, and they explained that it's a phenomenon called Covid arm. The pharmacist told me it's very common and lots of folks get it; the internet told me it's rare and uncommon. Regardless, my arm was swollen for about 3 days. It's a "mild" allergic reaction, which didn't surprise me since I have sensitive skin that breaks out easily, but it was no fun and now my arm is so sore I can barely move it. I'm hoping the pain doesn't last.

So, that was my week. Work training and yard work. I have a strong suspicion it's gonna look like this for awhile. Until it changes. Because life is like that, always changing. Have a blessed week.

The Week (And a Half) In Review

I was gonna post a week in review earlier this week but events took a turn and my mind was on anything but my blog. You'll soon understand why.

Last week I kicked my job search into overdrive, knowing that J was no longer employed at the company he'd been working at for over 25 years. I knew that, even if he had another job getting paid more, he would want to do everything possible to cut my alimony payments. I prayed and asked others to pray with me and for me. I was especially moved by the pastor of the church we're now attending, who reached out and asked for my resume in case he knew of any openings anywhere. Tuesday I had a virtual interview with a local company. It was unlike anything I'd done in the past; there were assessment tests, but also recording myself on video answering questions on different customer service scenarios. I recorded myself as best I could and sent it in. I also applied to several other companies over the next couple of days, though I didn't hear from any of them.  

My daughter started feeling sick around the weekend. She's been working at a preschool over the summer and is scheduled to start teaching elementary art and Spanish this school year. One of the children in the preschool was clearly sick. The mom said he'd tested positive for Covid but was asymptomatic. Within days half the faculty was sick as well as several children, and my daughter tested positive. A couple of days later her husband began feeling the symptoms and also tested positive. It was breaking my heart because they both felt terrible, but she was especially affected with coughing fits and was starting to have trouble breathing.

My son-in-law works for a doctor who advised them both to get the antibody infusion. Saturday they went to the local hospital for it, and by Sunday my son-in-law was a bit better, but my daughter was not. Her oxygen levels were low. Monday morning he took her to the hospital where she was quickly admitted. My poor son-in-law called me in tears. She hadn't slept because of all the coughing, and now because he tested positive he wasn't allowed inside the hospital. I was heartbroken as well; driving down was futile because they put her in isolation so no one can be with her, and I couldn't stay with him because he's Covid positive. I waited a couple of hours while they ran tests and x-rays. The dreaded news came later that morning: she had pneumonia. 

I began texting and emailing everyone I could think of that would pray for her. Churches, bible study groups, friends, family, all my prayer warriors were put on high alert. The hospital immediately started her on antibiotics and oxygen; thankfully she didn't have to be intubated. By God's grace her fever was gone by the next day, and while she is still in the hospital receiving treatment she seems to be getting better by the day. The infectious disease doctor gave her a good prognosis. She doesn't have anymore Covid symptoms; if it weren't for the pneumonia she'd be cleared to go home. I know it'll be a long road to recovery but I'm trusting God to bring complete healing.

In the meantime, E and I went and got our first vaccine on Sunday. I know it's controversial, and I believe each person needs to individually decide if the vaccine is right for them. We got it because my daughter begged us to, and I didn't want her stressing over it. I'll say this, my arm was in pain for days. Man I hate getting shots :-(.

With all that was going on I had trouble focusing on anything else, but I got a call from the company that had done the virtual interview. They wanted to interview me in person. I went in on Wednesday and again had several assessments along with the interview. I was glad that the company is only 15 minutes from my house. The interview seemed to go well, and the interviewer told me he'd give me an answer by next Friday since there were several others he needed to interview. The very next morning I received a call with a job offer.

To say I was surprised would be an understatement. I'd been applying for jobs for months whenever we were living in the townhouse and I only got one interview. I knew right away they weren't interested. It was like God didn't want me to get settled there because He had other plans for me. I've now been in Central Florida for 3 months and I've landed a full-time job that's not only close to home, it's currently remote, so I won't even have to leave my house. The company will provide whatever equipment I need to do the work from home until they're ready to come back to the office. 

Even in the difficult, trying circumstances of life, God shows me that He is good. When I'm in need, He provides. When I'm hurting, He comforts and reassures. He puts people in my life that stand in the gap for me. I say as King David said, "Yea though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for Thou art with me. Thy rod and thy staff, they comfort me." (Psalm 23:4). I can be secure in His love because He is always faithful. If you're reading this, I hope you have a relationship with Jesus Christ. If you don't, I hope you will reach out to Him now. He is waiting, and He is good.

Week In Review

The saying "Never a dull moment" certainly described this past week. 

Monday was a pretty good day. My back was feeling much better, and I was able to go grocery shopping and get some errands done. My daughter, who hadn't been feeling too well, stayed home from work. The previous week she'd had a stomach bug which no one else in the family caught, so it might well have been food poisoning, but now she had a stuffy nose and sinus congestion. Not unusual for this time of year; it's pollen season in Florida and allergies are running rampant. Others at her job were also sick so she wasn't entirely sure it was just allergies so she decided to stay home. She hadn't slept very well either, thanks to all the congestion. We all figured some rest would do her good.

Tuesday morning she was still all stuffed up and still hadn't slept more than a couple of hours. She decided a trip to the minute clinic was in order; Mucinex didn't seem to be enough. Since she works at a school she also went to get tested for Covid just to be safe. The week before, with the stomach bug, she'd gotten tested twice and both times tested negative. The doctor at the minute clinic told her she had a lot of fluid in her ears and nasal passages, common with bad allergies. He prescribed Zyrtec along with the Mucinex and a round of antibiotics to kill any bacteria that could cause infection. Then she got both the rapid and PCR tests for Covid and came home. About an hour later she got the rapid test result: Positive. Can y'all say panic?! I hate to admit it, but my first thought was, "I'm closing in 10 days, we can't get Covid!" I know I should have been worried for her first, but the truth is she didn't have fever, loss of taste, breathing issues (other than her nose was stuffed up), all her symptoms indicated a simple head cold, not a pandemic virus. The only reason she got tested was because she works at a school. If she'd worked anywhere else she wouldn't have bothered because she'd tested negative twice just a few days earlier. 

Within a couple of hours she got a call from the health department to take down her information. Since she'd also gotten the PCR test which, according to the CDC, is a more accurate test, she asked if it was possible for the PCR to come back negative. "No", she was told, "you can get a false negative but not a false positive. If you got a positive result it's because there's something there and the test detected it." So the quarantining began. We all stayed far from each other, she stayed in her bedroom with a mask, and the three of us went to get tested. All our tests came back negative, praise the Lord. She called her boss, while I emailed my realtor. We prepared for whatever might come.

Wednesday I went back to our old neighborhood - not the one we just moved out of, the previous one. My son has his favorite barber there, and I wanted to go see some friends and the new sanctuary that our church recently inaugurated. I had coffee with my best friend and realtor, then went by our old house to see our neighbor and catch up. It was such a nice day, but the Covid thing was always on the back of my mind. I was praying that my daughter's next test would come back negative even though she'd been told it was unlikely. I also prayed that neither my son E nor I would catch it.

Thursday morning I awoke to glorious news: her PCR test did in fact come back negative. Praise Jesus! I was over the moon thrilled! She was more confused than anything. She called the health department and asked how it was possible that she'd gotten a positive rapid result but a negative PCR. They told her the PCR was the more accurate test, so if it came back negative then the first test was a false positive. She argued that she'd been told she couldn't get a false positive, but this person told her that information was incorrect. Then she spoke to a doctor who said she should get tested again because one of the tests was wrong and the PCR might be the false negative. Honestly, I don't think anyone really knows what's right and what's wrong. By Thursday she was feeling 95% back to normal thanks to the meds the minute clinic doctor had given her. I'm still of the opinion it wasn't Covid; it was a head cold or really bad allergies, and either way it's gone. She's back to her old self, none of us has gotten anything, and we are just thankful that God spared us. Can we still catch the virus? Of course. But I don't dwell on that. We are happy and healthy and for that I'm grateful.

The next few days were project days. I wanted to help my son-in-law out with some to-do's before I left. Thursday and Friday we worked on the laundry room refresh that I posted about last week. Then Sunday I helped him put up window blinds in the dining room. They'd had some old vertical blinds that had yellowed with age and didn't look good at all. The new bright white blinds not only look better, they make the whole room look bigger and brighter. I'm so happy I could do this for them. They've been so good to us, it was the least I could do.

This week is the big week. Lord willing, we close on our house on Friday. I have a virtual walk-thru scheduled for 9:00 am. Since I won't have a mortgage, I can sign all the documents online and send them in via email. Within an hour I can be done and on my way to our new house. My, how times have changed! It's so much easier now to do things, what with the internet and all. I'm not gonna lie, I'm excited, nervous, and sad all at the same time. Excited to be moving in to a new house; nervous because I'm a planner and I keep going over everything, trying to make sure I have all my ducks in a row; and sad because I know how much I'm gonna miss my daughter and it hurts my heart that she won't be a 3 minute drive away. This move is bittersweet for that reason, but I know God has a plan and a purpose for everything, and that He works all things together for good for those who love Him. I'm resting in that knowledge and praising him along the way.