Hello, October

I have looked forward to October arriving for a long time. It is one of my favorite months. The leaves are changing; our schedule is usually stable and working; we have two birthdays to celebrate; and it marks the beginning of the holiday season for our family. This year October arrived with a good dose of crazy as well. Why not, after all, it is 2020! COVID-19 has struck the White House, as the entire world knows, and it has struck much closer to home within our dance studio. One of Anne's friends now has COVID-19. She got it on an airplane returning from a memorial for a family member who died from COVID-19. Her entire family is sick, with her mother being the sickest. We did not see them after they were exposed and they are in quarantine. It appears that the spread was contained to their family and hasn't spread through the dance studio. Our prayers are with them. 

My husband sent a photo of his newest look at work. He now has two microphones that he wears most of the time, one for Zoom meetings and one for phone calls. I don't know how he keeps them apart in the rush of the day. Working in a hospital is not for the faint of heart these days.

Anne still doesn't like driving, but she is doing very well. Dear husband was her teacher on this particular day and I was riding in the back seat. This week she has dealt with a bear crossing the road, three fire trucks, lots of water in the road, five different cars running red lights, going off the road into the grass to get around an accident (with police guidance) and a crazed homeless man who was throwing plants and planters into the street at all of the cars. City driving always offers challenges.

Timothy went to Hinds Feet Farm (the brain injury day program he attends) for one day this week. This was the first time he went since mid-March. They have been open for a few months now on an abbreviated schedule with many rules. Tim has multiple health issues and didn't feel comfortable going until this week. He wanted to see a retired staff member who had returned for a visit. Tim said it felt pretty safe and he may go back two or three times a month when they are doing something fun. Because of coronavirus restrictions, the program can't go on any field trips at this time, which is his favorite thing about the program.

The adult dance company did interpretive dance with the WAKE sculpture, created by well-known sculptor Mel Chin and UNCA students. They all really enjoyed dancing with the ship bones. It is a pleasure to watch my daughter stretch and grow. 

Elijah seems to be stuck in a bit of a rut right now. He sleeps late, does his chores, plays video games, goes outside for just a bit, attends family time and plays more video games with his brother. This pandemic has afforded him a real break between graduation and being a working adult, but now it is time to move on. He really needs a job and I am not sure how much longer my patience is going to last with the extremely slow Vocational Rehabilitation process. He hasn't been taken out once yet. First thing Monday morning I am going to have to start greasing the wheels. I really need to see some momentum. 

Blessings, Dawn