When you’re independent and decide to secretly paint your toenails by yourself, but you “accidentally” miss and paint your face and bed instead.
#ThatsMySister
#NotAMurderScene
#2YearOldShenanigans
#JustAnotherDayInTheLifeofGenesee
On March 6, 2020, Papa was released from the hospital and sent home on hospice. This wasn’t the homecoming we had been hoping for. But once there, his furry female roommates showered him with kisses and we ordered him one of his favorite meals: Culver’s batter-fried fish dinner!
Papa made it home just in time because the world started to drastically change in the days that followed. A COVID-19 pandemic has caused hospitals to minimize or ban all visitors, stores and restaurants have begun shutting down, and even my school closed its doors.
Communities have been encouraged to engage in virtual learning and remote work, social/physical distance, wear masks, and quarantine if experiencing symptoms to flatten the curve of the coronavirus spread. Some people say it feels like the world is ending. And even though Papa’s diagnosis made it seem like our world was sort of ending before the pandemic struck, mom says it’s also important to find other perspective, like this one:
“When you go out and see the empty streets, the empty stadiums, the empty train platforms, don’t say to yourself, ‘It looks like the end of the world.’ What you’re seeing is love in action. What you’re seeing, in that negative space, is how much we do care for each other, for our grandparents, for the immune-compromised brothers and sisters, for people we will never meet. People will lose jobs over this. Some will lose their businesses. And some will lose their lives. All the more reason to take a moment, when you’re out on your walk, or on your way to the store, or just watching the news, to look into the emptiness and marvel at all that love. Let it fill and sustain you. It isn’t the end of the world. It is the most remarkable act of global solidarity we may ever witness.” – Author unknown
So, as we move through the tragedy of Papa’s failing health during a global pandemic, instead of only grieving the loss of what was, we also let ourselves feel what is indeed remarkable: love and solidarity.
2020 was off to a good start until we hit day 50; On Wednesday, February 19th, everything changed when mom had a feeling in the pit of her stomach after a phone conversation with Papa. He wasn’t well. So mom abruptly left work and drove across the state to find Papa in the Intensive Care Unit at the Milwaukee VA Hospital.
We were supposed to attend the Greater Milwaukee International Car & Truck Show that weekend with my car-loving Papa, but instead, Dad brought us kiddos to the hospital, too, hoping we might be medicine for Papa’s soul.
And while we did manage to bring a smile to Papa’s face, particularly when we took him for a spin in his new set of wheels, we were no cure for the diagnosis that Papa was suddenly facing: Cancer.
I don’t know much about that little word, but in the moment, it felt bigger than I could handle, especially as I studied my mom’s saddened face. And even though we were soon joined by loving family and close friends, I understood that this was not a happy reunion.
It was hard to see Papa like that, but it was even harder to leave him and return to school. Since my heart knew these moments were precious, I sobbed uncontrollably once he was out of my sight.
I left my heart in Jamaica… it’s likely sitting somewhere beside my $25 swim goggles that I lost there. Genesee fell in love with the beautiful island country too, after she got over her initial disappointment about the absence of Cheetos and ramen noodles on all of the menus.
It definitely helped that my parents expertly planned our trip so that we missed the earthquake and tsunami upon arrival in Jamaica and returned home just hours before the winter storm dumped 9 inches of snow across the roadways. Plus, the resort was only at 40% occupancy so we practically had the place to ourselves while watching the Super Bowl and celebrating Bob Marley’s birthday.
But, we also loved visiting the Moon Palace Jamaica Grande resort because it was different from our typical trips to the Moon Palace in Cancun. This resort was smaller and more intimate, which allowed us to make new friends, like Lyla and Conner from Toronto, and David and Marie from Minneapolis! Jamaica also provided lots of new opportunities like snorkeling in the ocean, kayaking with Dad, encountering dolphins, watching cruise ships dock every morning, consuming the best jerk chicken ever, and getting our first manicures and pedicures! It should also be noted that the bacon seems crispier in Jamaica, the brownies are more delicious, and Genesee’s hair bends into perfect little curls in that warm, humid air and liquid sunshine.
In Jamaica, I learned new words and phrases, like “Yah mon,” “Wah gwan,” “Respect,” “No problem,” and “One Love.” However, even with this expanded vocabulary, there just aren’t any words that can accurately capture the stuff that Jamaican memories are made of so I’ll let our photos tell the rest of the story:
Question: What do you get when you combine a 25-day-after-Christmas advent calendar, a silly & challenging escape-room-type mission, and Chelsee & Ernest shenanigans?
Answer: An announcement and invitation for the nautical adventure wedding of our favorite power couple!
Port of Departure = Port of Tampa | Destination = Mexico & Belize | Most excited guests of honor = Me & G
Congratulations on your engagement, Chels & Ernest! We can’t wait to get “ship faced and a little nauti” with you!!
On January 26th, Genesee became a 2.5-year-old.
These days, she weighs almost 29 lbs, measures just over 3 feet tall, sports a consistently-dry pull-up, and loves a good bag of Cheetos. Or Doritos. Or Potato Chips. Really, she’s a snacker of all things snacky and she’s still got that sweet tooth for the sweets too.
The 2.5 version of Genesee continues to adore OUR dad (even though she says he’s only her dad), but she’s also a faithful lover of Arlo, Mr. Levi, Cory, Papa, Grandpa, and the fictitious Mr. Grinch.
Sometimes we call her “GG” or “Pumpkee,” and other times we call her “naughty,” like when she gives us the evil eye or tries to beat me up. But, I still love my sister… quirks, and whines, and all. Because no one can demand “2 minutes on couch” before bedtime cuter than Genesee. And when she watches Madagascar on constant loop or fights Mom to wear Paw Patrol pajamas to school every day, my heart melts a little. Besides, she’s become a much easier back-seat companion in the car and it’s hard to not admire someone who can operate the iPad with her feet.
And so, to celebrate this milestone and honor Genesee’s growing independence, we removed the safety gate from the stairway in our house; there’s no stopping her now!
Well, they made us work for it, but at the end of a 30-day advent-calendar-meets-Escape-Room-shenanigans game of clue, we learned that Cha Cha and Ernest are engaged to be married!!
…On a… Wait for it…. CRUISE SHIP! Congrats C and E; This is going to be epic!
One of the best moments of 2019 was the final hours before the calendar struck 2020:
Hanging with Papa and his furry ladies, blowing our noisemakers, sporting those fancy-schmancy headbands, playing a competitive game of pool against the Boss Baby, and toasting to the new year with cheap plastic wine glasses of sparkling apple-mango juice.
It was simple. It was silly. It was everything.
Sometimes you have no idea how precious moments are until they become favorite memories.
A Jaeger Day was mom and dad’s best kept secret. They excitedly planned the whole thing without any of my input, but somehow created the perfect tradition that is all about me. Here’s how it works in case you want to try this at home:
Step 1: Drop Genesee off at daycare so I can have the parents all to myself!
Step 2: Book VIP lounge seats to watch Frozen 2 on the big screen. Popcorn and sodas are required even though it’s a 9:00 a.m. showing.
Step 3: Take a stroll through Riverside Park and feed the ducks.
Step 4: Enjoy a Hibachi lunch experience at Sho-Gun restaurant.
Step 5: Play ALL the arcade games at Shenanigans.
Step 6: Jump for joy at Jump Start Adventure Park and be extra careful so my worst-case-scenario mother doesn’t have a heart attack.
Step 7: Pick up Genesee because we have to.
Step 8: Stop at Build-a-Bear Workshop to make a new stuffed animal friend and randomly run into Ashlee at the mall! (A pleasant surprise addition to the agenda)
Step 9: Order a mint shake at the Culver’s drive-thru and fall asleep before it gets delivered to the window.
Step 10: Repeat annually for the unforeseeable future; consider making this a national holiday.
Christmas 2019: No captions or explanations needed.
He moves like Jaeger 