Megan turns 17

 I love this girl so much and I wish her so many good things. 

Being sixteen in a pandemic was hard. It was hard to have nothing planned and no activities to go to. It was hard to see teenagers socializing on social media and want that too and also know that because of the pandemic that wasn't the right thing to do. It was hard to do class online and have blank screen after blank screen instead of classmates to commiserate with. It was hard to have events canceled, no SWE competition, or school dances, no volleyball games, or school plays. No camps or leadership opportunities, no service in the community or cousin gatherings. No hanging around in groups in the school halls, no cafeteria moments, no just hanging out with peers. All of those high school things we took for granted were missing. There was a void and some days it was hard to face. It was hard to see Megan struggle this year.

Megan coped by diving into some things and avoiding others. Megan would immerse herself in a project, usually one that had a visual beauty, something tangible, something that she could control, including the occasional hair cut. She did these with a regular sound track of Harry Styles, Niall, Liam, Zayn, and Louie and various singer songwriters from previous decades, Billy Joel, Whitney Houston, Ella Fitzgerald. Johanna loves to listen to Harry Styles with Megan and Megan is amazing at sharing that love with her little sister. She made bracelets based on themes, bucket hats, collages, and line drawings. Megan and Bridget like to share new creations, and an online design app and a little Animal Crossing. Megan redid her wall and built towers of seltzer cans. She spent a fair bit of time on TikTok and scrolling videos she exchanges with Emma. 

Megan reluctantly finished her driver's ed driving sessions, and she is not eager to get on the road but the freedom of a license is tempting and will hopefully call more loudly.

I delighted in having her around. She is fun to watch Downton Abbey with or This is Us or HGTV house shows. I value her opinion and eye for interesting beautiful things. She is fun to talk to and do puzzles with. Megan is fun to dance with in the kitchen and listen to music with, and sip coffee with. Megan has become a coffee drinker and likes hers sweet. She has been great company for me, I know really she wants to be out with people her age but I am so glad she has been home. It is bittersweet as it feels like stolen time: time I shouldn't have with her and that has come at a high cost. I treasure it too.

Her birthday was on a Friday and she had no classes because it was the end of finals week, so she got to sleep in. We brought her yogurt parfait in bed and cappuccino. She chatted on the phone and then went to a vintage shop with a friend. Emma came over and took her to Ellicott City to walk around and visit shops. She had a hard time deciding what she wanted for dinner. And finally landed on Taco Bell with chocolate cannoli for dessert. 

Megan and I went out in search of Shirley Temple supplies and Taco Bell. It turned out our local Taco Bell was closed for renovations so she queued up some tunes and we drove a little farther out. Once home we played cards and ate tacos around the dining room table. Jim and Rachael were working but were able to join us later. Megan opened gifts and was happy to see that the custom Converse hightops she designed turned out great. Rachael gifted her with 17 cans of Iced tea, both appreciated and funny. Megan and Rachael bond over visits to 7-11 and the snacks therein. Emma gifted Megan a bunch of cool sewing patterns. 

Megan set up her blankets on Johanna's top bunk and Johanna went to bed in anticipation of a sleepover. Emma had to head home because she had an early shift but the rest of us gathered in the living room to watch Mama Mia. After the movie Megan climbed onto the top bunk. It was a really fun upbeat day of smiles and simple joys. It was an easy good day.

Happy 17th Birthday Megan. I am so glad you are alive!

Good Bye 2020

 New Year's Eve

Some years are harder than others, but in my lifetime 2020 has been the hardest for our country. Collectively we were ready to say good-bye. Our annual New Year's Eve party wasn't even a consideration this year but we still wanted to celebrate and start the year off in a memorable way. Jim had to work but we expected him home in plenty of time to ring in the New Year.

I was having a hard time thinking about NYE, it has been focused on hanging out with friends for so many years. It doesn't have the religious celebration, or gifts or food focus that Thanksgiving or Christmas do and I was feeling sad about it.  

Megan asked everyone to dress up, so we did. She set a beautiful tone and I was glad to follow her lead. She wore a fun black velvet dress she found at a thrift store over the summer. The rest of us found fun dressy outfits. We put on makeup and got out our high heels. It felt special. We made some of our NYE party standard foods. Rolo walnut pretzels, and artichoke bread, plus meat slices, cheeses and crackers. It wasn't a proper dinner in any way but it was fun and yummy.  I got supplies to make the sherbet punch and pulled out Grandma Claudia Jauquet's wine glasses. Johanna and I made an Apple Crumble. 

We had 6 hours to fill, so we got to work on a new puzzle of Cat singing a Christmas Chorus. The girls and I played cards (James Bond) and we took photos in our fancy outfits. We sipped from our crystal and chatted and played music.  It was a ton of fun.

Jim got home and joined our fun. He put on a dress shirt and we soon played a Kehrman 2020 themed game of charades. It made me laugh and reminisce. Despite all of the lost things this year we had a lot of be thankful for. Some clues were global, like the Australian fires, and some political, like the fly on VP Pence's head during the debates, but most of them were family focused like Megan's clue of Girl Scout Camp day, and Papa's building the Lego tree.

We turned on the TV to watch the ball drop and then went unto the front porch to loudly greet the new year. Megan grabbed the vuvuzela and Hanna grabbed a party horn. Some neighbors up on the hill had quite the fireworks display. We welcome 2021 and pray for a year in which all things can work toward God's Glory.

Happy New Year!