It's a New Year Upon Us & There are Many Miracles & Struggles to Look Forward To

Welcome 2017!!! I anticipate some wonderful events, some challenging events, and some straight up shitty events coming this year. Which, I think is a fairly normal mix of expectations.
On December 23, 2016 Mark received notification that he meets the qualifications for SSDI. Considering he hasn't worked and brought any income into our household since mid-January 2016, we were both happy to hear this news, which is an odd thing considering this was not in my Life Master Plan: marry a guy who ends up receiving SSDI as his primary source of income. He's applied for Medicaid but because my employer offers insurance benefits to spouses, we'll have to wait the 24 months until he's eligible for Medicare. Mark will be 57 years old when he's eligible to apply.

Since college graduation and moving to Milwaukee, I've always been able to take care of myself. Well, maybe I need to backtrack a bit because I was SO codependent on my first husband, that I typed up every resume and cover letter for him to find a job in Milwaukee which because of my hard work, he eventually did. I have to admit that the two months I spent alone in Milwaukee after I started working in February and my first husband's job didn't start until early April 1994, was glorious. For those that don't know, on the night before our wedding, 12-03-93, I cried as I was arranging the boughs and gold brocade ribbons that were the pew decorations. Yes, the wedding was beautiful and elegant and several of my relatives told me during the reception that they thought it was, "So sweet" that I sniffled through the entire ceremony; little did they know that those were tears and sniffles of regret because I knew I was making the first biggest mistake of  my life.

But that was 25 years go...ok, wait. I got married for the first time 25 frickin' years ago?!?!? That should be illegal!! I was 22 years old and no one should be allowed to make such life altering decisions at that age!

Ok, back on track to 2017: as most of you know I received a promotion to School Based Mental Health Coordinator in October 2015. So I've had this role for a bit over a year and I've met my "deliverables" to my Director. I've developed new forms and documents for this program in an attempt to meet the documentation needs of the program. I've promoted this particular model to any community group that was willing to listen to me, which were many more than I anticipated. I was featured in the USA Today-Gannet newspapers across the state, which totaled ten papers running the same story about the PATH school based  mental health counseling program, which included a rather flattering photo of me in the hallways of Appleton East High School.

I know there are miracles coming because I've heard "rumblings" about some additional funding we may receive. The struggles I anticipate are some "rumblings" I've heard about my program being moved into another line of service, which won't be horrible at all because I have a pretty good idea who my new manager would be and SHE KICKS ASS!!

Every year brings its challenges and peace-offerings. It's always nice when they are in equal amount.
At the end of January, I have Trivia Weekend to look forward to; my time to spend time with friends have known me for so long, I don't have to explain myself to them!!

TRIVIA 2017!!

An Old Thanksgiving Tradition Made New

I'm not sure if my Grandma Krause ever used the 12 piece fine bone china set my father sent back to her from Vietnam for Thanksgiving (I never ever remember eating off of these dishes or watching the serving bowls and platters being used) but I've got all 12 place-settings in my kitchen this year, and tomorrow my husband and I will eat turkey from the dinner plates and eat Cranberry-Pear Crisp dessert from the dessert plates. I will serve the green bean casserole from one of the serving bowls and serve dinner rolls from a small serving platter. The gravy will be served in the china gravy boat. The silver we use will be my great-aunt Kootchie's which I spent several hours cleaning today and ended up looking like a chimney-sweep after this task was completed. While the green bean casserole and dessert were baking, I hand washed the china pieces Mark and I will use tomorrow by hand. This is serious china, people-there are finger bowls for Pete's sake! I decided to skip using them because explaining how to use them to Mark would be way too complicated. Neither one of us drink coffee or hot tea, so that negated the need to wash the teapot, tea cups and coffee cups-which are actually different vessels. Who knew?

Obviously this china cannot be washed in the dishwasher, so this evening I sat on my living room floor and hand washed the china and silver in one plastic-bin container, rinsed them in another and hand dried them. They are currently sitting on my kitchen table, ready for use tomorrow. 

Although it was initially an inconvenience that my mother "refused" to dine with us on Thanksgiving, this is actually the second year of what will now become "our Thanksgiving tradition." Moving forward, Mark & I will plan on a Thanksgiving dinner for just the two of us; sorry family, but there will be no invitations to attend Thanksgiving dinner at our home. We will dine on an amazingly cooked dinner by yours truly alone; just the two of us. No expectations, no disappointments. 

I just took the Cranberry-Pear Crisp out of the oven. It smells absolutely amazing and I'm sure its taste will match. To my family who has deserted this feast, you only have yourself to blame and no matter what you eat tomorrow, it will suck compared to the feast I create. You have no one to blame but yourself.