I’d say this year has been fairly uneventful compared to other years, only because we’ve had a lot less travel. Turns out, staying in one place can be just as exhausting!

We (well, I) have been in Michigan since the last update. Last May Isaac needed to work in Chicago, but my grandma was sick so I wanted to check on her. When we were almost to Chicago, I split off and drove myself, Avid, and the baby up to Northern Michigan until Isaac could join us.

My first ever spring in MI was smooth sailing. My grandma did not have COVID (thankfully), but still welcomed my presence as I could assist her with things around the house and properties, and she could spend time with her great grandbaby. I also started working on cleaning out a single wide trailer she owns down the street. It sits empty all year ‘round until my family comes up in the summer. We decided to try out listing it on AirBnB, but it needed some major work as my grandma hadn’t been able to manage upkeep the past few years.

Isaac eventually drove the RV up to us, and we parked in our usual spot behind our house (next door to my grandma). Isaac had work out of state, as usual, so he continued his 10/4 rotation. I kept myself occupied with chores for my grandma, motherhood, personal and freelance projects, and trailer upgrades.

The July vacation approaches! We had one AirBnB booking in the trailer before my family arrived. The guests stayed for about 3 weeks, and it was kind of a disaster.

Because of where the weekend and holiday landed, also unexpected rain, we missed this year’s fireworks display. But there were plenty of other activities: the Traverse City Craft Fair, Manistee Forest Fest, family pictures on the beach, the family reunion, and a trip downstate. My sisters and I made major headway on improvements to the trailer—it was looking so much better with only the few changes! The niblings and pets made custom artwork to add personality to the walls. The creativity spilled off the canvas onto the driveway as we set the chalk aside and painted our annual goodbye drawings so they wouldn’t wash away with the rain (which happened EVERY year).

Events after the vacation weren’t so great. Thankfully I was still in town after my family left, because my grandmother started exhibiting some behavioral changes that ended up causing her to endanger herself. My uncle was able to take her to the doctor, and a blood test showed she had a severe UTI (which can cause the aforementioned behavioral changes). She was on medication for a few days, but she landed herself back in the hospital. Because of her erratic behavior and hospital visits (this hospital said she didn’t have a UTI and threw her meds away), social services became involved, and it was determined that my grandma wasn’t safe alone at her home. My mom (my parents had to drive up from Missouri) and uncle found her an apartment in a senior community downstate near my uncle, packed up whatever furniture and items she could bring, and drove her down to stay with my uncle until her place was ready.

Within the first couple nights with my uncle, my grandma began experiencing major abdominal pain. She was admitted to the hospital and diagnosed with sepsis (probably from the untreated UTI the other hospital said she didn’t have and subsequently discarded her required meds). Her sodium levels were dangerously low, causing her to enter a coma. Sodium levels can’t be raised too quickly, otherwise the brain could experience damage. My grandma had a couple seizures, and it was touch and go for a while, but she eventually woke up, was brought to a stable condition, and moved to the rehabilitation side of the facility. Thankfully, my uncle works at the same medical center, so he could frequently check up on her.

After a week or so in rehab, it was decided that she would not be able to go to the apartment as planned. The problems she experienced majorly affected her memory, so she wouldn’t be able to care for herself alone. She was moved to an assisted living facility (still near my uncle) where she is currently.

The move has definitely been an adjustment for her, and her memory comes and goes, but Isaac and I were able to visit a few times by the end of the year, and each visit she was doing better and better.

While all this was going on, Isaac and I were still parked at the house next door to my grandma’s, and Isaac decided now was as good a time as any to start the house rebuild. His brother Matt drove out to lend his expertise and help remove the existing roof. But Isaac also booked an anniversary trip to Hawai’i (October 15). So he and his brother only had a week and a half to prep the roof for the contractor to begin rebuilding (the contractor said he could rebuild the roof in about a week, can you believe that?).

We drove down to MO a couple days early to spend time with my family (we went to the pumpkin patch!), then departed for Hawai’i. Eirlys did well on our flights over (some women across the aisle took and occupied her for most of our flight from Seattle to Honolulu). We spent a week in Waikiki, a short walk from the beach. Hawai’i was the last state on our list: Isaac and I have now been to all 50 states! We went on bike rides, to a luau, snorkeling, and did all the trolley tours!

What was supposed to be just a day of travel to MO turned into two as our red eye was canceled. Lets just say, no, spending extra time in Hawai’i was not worth spending an extra day at airports and two extra sleepless nights with a 10 mo, on top of running out of formula during a formula shortage.

Isaac and I were at each other’s throats by the time we made it back to my parents’ house (for yet another bad night), but by morning we had recovered enough to get ourselves back on track. My brother and his family were in town also and were able to meet Eirlys for the first time.

Not long after, we set out for northern MI again, stopping downstate to visit my grandma. Isaac continued arranging work to be done on the house once we returned (the contractor did NOT finish the roof in a week, to no one’s surprise). By mid-November, we decided to move into my grandma’s house and relocate the RV to Delaware as it doesn’t fare too well in MI winters. It worked out well for all parties because my grandma’s house needed sorting. We didn’t want to have to wait until our next family vacation to get it in order as my uncle is too busy to do it and my mom lives too far away (and she just didn’t want to do it haha). So I took on the mountain that is the five bed, two bath house, with every closet, dresser (with a minimum of three dressers per room), and cabinet full of… just stuff. As my mom says. “She’s a tidy pack rat.” 

Isaac’s mom, sister, brother (Matt), and Avid visited at the end of December. Avid had been staying in DE while Isaac and I did our traveling (Eirlys and I accompanied Isaac to Denver for a week in September), so we were finally reunited! Isaac and Matt tried to push through on the house as Isaac was due to travel for work in Georgia starting January.

Progress on the house was slow, painfully so. Most of the winter consisted of trying to find people to work on our house, trying to get said people to actually show up, and trying to get the people who do show up to do the work well. During the months Isaac was in town, the time spent was mostly finding people to do the work. When people were found, they weren’t showing up consistently for various reasons (some good, some bad). When Isaac had to leave for work, people started showing up, but no one was around to guide the project. Timing has not been great, and there has been a lot of drama with contractors, threats of lawsuits, theft, etc. Let’s just leave it at that.

Matt came back into town in March, this time with a crew to jump start the house reno. The guys did more in two weeks than what seemed to get done in four months. The framing is up on the inside, plumbing and electrical marked for the most part, and the shingles are ready to be put on. There’s still a lot to do, but the house project is mostly paused for financial reasons.

Isaac finished his part of the project in GA and is in town for the time being. After housing a few rounds of people working on our house, we had to get the trailer back in order (that theft I mentioned earlier…) to continue with AirBnB. The weather is getting nicer, so we’ve already gotten a few bookings. My grandma’s house is mostly cleared out, barring a few closets, dressers, and the garage, which I’m leaving up to my family when they arrive. Now that the snow has melted, we have started tending to the lawn and garden (not much has been done since my grandma left in August).

We should be in Michigan at least until our annual vacation. After that, I’m not sure (per the usual). Find out next year, I guess! See you ’round!

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