Elena 
Quick reminder, I’ve been nominated for the Sheenazing Awards under the categories of Best Lifestyle and Best Underappreciated! So if you’d be so kind, hop over to the Knotted Life http://www.aknottedlife.com/2015/ and vote!
1. Noah ran every day during the Christmas break. Every. Day.
He was running on the trail on the very last day of Christmas break, when he slipped and fell, banging up his elbow pretty good. So on the way back he ran on the side of the trail which has a slight incline to it and after about four miles he felt a pain in his foot. That pain stayed with him Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday until I could get him to see the sports doctor on Thursday. By then the foot didn’t hurt and the doctor cleared him to run. So he ended up losing only one week.
Anyway, he ran in his first tack meet of the season last weekend. He was one of the worst of the best – which I guess isn’t a bad place to be in the 3200, and not too bad considering he was coming back from an injury.
2. My baby turned 22 yesterday. He was 22 on the 22nd. Roe v. Wade day.
I miss him. His last few years of high school were so intense. I worked with him every day and tried to help him get ready to launch into adulthood. We were really working well together and I enjoyed our chats, discussions and just having him around. I even miss the band playing in the living room. I hardly ever see him now, even though he is only a five minute walk from the house. But he’s busy working during the day and performing and recording with his band at night, so I’m happy for that.
3. Noah and Rosie had their winter piano recitals last Sunday. They did well. Video to be up soon!
4. My son Calvin took me to the shooting range a week or so ago. This is a picture of my target – not too bad for the second time out!
5. I originally bought my gun because I strongly believe in the second amendment and I thought it was time give that more than just rhetorical support. Plus I think in this day and age it’s probably prudent to responsibly have a fire arm and know how to use it.
But I also thought that this would be an activity that my son and I could do together – something that we would have in common.
6. That however probably won’t work out because my son just got a job as a paramedic in North Carolina! He’ll be moving in March. And just to make it interesting – he’s getting married in July.
He’ll be making more money than he did in Ohio, have full benefits, AND he’ll be doing 911 calls – which has always been his goal!
To the nice anonymous lady who once opined on another blog about my son:
I will be surprised if the oldest passes the National EMT exam. Even if he does, the world is saturated with EMTs and the career will go no where fast.
Booyah!
7. It seems after the rough time this week, perhaps some soothing words from an earlier pope are in order. This is from Pius XII
It is very different from the serenity of spirit to be found in parents who are surrounded by a rich abundance of young lives. The joy that comes from the plentiful blessings of God breaks out in a thousand different ways and there is no fear that it will end. The brows of these fathers and mothers may be burdened with cares, but there is never a trace of that inner shadow that betrays anxiety of conscience or fear of an irreparable return to loneliness, Their youth never seems to fade away, as long as the sweet fragrance of a crib remains in the home, as long as the walls of the house echo to the silvery voices of children and grandchildren.
Their heavy labors multiplied many times over, their redoubled sacrifices and their renunciation of costly amusements are generously rewarded even here below by the inexhaustible treasury of affection and tender hopes that dwell in their hearts without ever tiring them or bothering them.And the hopes soon become a reality when the eldest daughter begins to help her mother to take care of the baby and on the day the oldest son comes home with his face beaming with the first salary he has earned himself. That day will be a particularly happy one for parents, for it will make the spectre of an old age spent in misery disappear, and they will feel assured of a reward for their sacrifices.When there are many children, the youngsters are spared the boredom of loneliness and the discomfort of having to live in the midst of adults all the time. It is true that they may sometimes become so lively as to get on your nerves, and their disagreements may seem like small riots; but even their arguments play an effective role in the formation of character, as long as they are brief and superficial. Children in large families learn almost automatically to be careful of what they do and to assume responsibility for it, to have a respect for each other and help each other, to be open-hearted and generous. For them, the family is a little proving ground, before they move into the world outside, which will be harder on them and more demanding.
