2015 Year in Review
January:
I get a brand-spanking-new cable box. Oh, all the new channels.
Winter does its best to prevent me from going to work.
My dad randomly fixes our utensil drawer in the kitchen so that it actually works.
Band starts prepping for the Texas trip in July, and we get a scary Russian piece with super high notes.
The family's lactose intolerance reaches a new level. (On the plus side, I did eventually take that bottle of hand sanitizer; it's in my purse. It came in handy over the summer.)
The beginning of the grandfather saga: He gets a release date from the rehab place, where he'd been since October 2014.
I learn the Beadhive is closing, and make one final visit.
My post about the new tags I'd added while I had a pseudo-paid account.
I discover my childhood school potentially will be consolidated with other Catholic schools (which does happen later in the year, which goes into effect for the next school year).
Dad causes a commotion when he replaces the water softener, and our water temporarily changes colors.
I return for a second year of Mr. C's solo contest.
We end the month prepping for a blizzard…along with everyone else at the grocery store.
February:
My grandfather gets released from the rehab place… on the day of the Super Bowl Blizzard ( which ended up being the fifth-largest snowfall in our history).
The house across the street sells and we get new neighbors, who are Olympic-caliber athletes.
Getting my car washed becomes an ordeal.
My busy Saturday included solo contest (first at Mr. M's schools), nearly getting into a bar fight, and seeing my goddaughter's birthday tattoo in person.
I discover I might become a band librarian.
A squirrel makes a particular deposit on our deck that will bring amusement in the future.
March:
We get a new iron at Costco.
My cousin's daughter T performs in the honors vocal recital.
We fix the broken dial on the washer.
I finally get my car washed.
I cease being the Token Irish Girl at work (although that coworker isn't there any longer…hmm…).
My search for decent gym shoes comes to an end.
We have ducks on the deck.
Grandfather saga: He leaves his house on his own foot for the first time since returning from rehab. (Also, the pool situation I mention regarding my grandma? I've now found pictures of that care of my grandfather.)
Laura and I *finally* get together for our birthdays, and I meet her fiancé--but miss out on an earthquake.
Last month's squirrel deposit attracts a couple of birds.
I was prolific with my beading.
April:
My grandfather misses Easter, completing the cycle of missed holidays, and my mom gets fresh with me.
I buy nail polish for the first time in decades.
Tornadoes hit DeKalb County, and Fairdale temporarily becomes a household name.
I try my hand at poppyseed roll.
The neighbors behind us get a new dog… and we learn that their old dog, Buddy, passed away.
We start looking into getting our roof replaced.
Cardinal George passes away, and his funeral procession takes him past our old neighborhood.
I help my coworkers move.
We get a new cable box and lose a clock at the same time.
We don't duck away from natural excitement in the yard.
May:
We start learning more about the trip to Texas, and at one point have a disastrous rehearsal with what's supposed to be our showpiece song-- which ultimately gets cut.
A goose gets curious about me.
The neighbors' new puppy figures out how to get out of their yard.
I meet with Laura, who gives me exciting news that I can't share for months and months (and is not even hinted at in the post).
We officially commit to getting a new roof and siding on the house.
We spend Mother's Day cleaning my grandfather's house, which would end up being the last time I'd see him there. It's also amazing how true the third to last and second to last paragraphs ended up being. Later in the month, he calls 911 late at night.
Construction starts at Fabyan and 38 in West Chicago, as well as the Warrenville Road bridge in Warrenville, making my commutes just that much longer.
Mom celebrates her birthday at Dave & Buster's.
My coworker finally has enough of the lake at our job, and something actually gets done about it (at least temporarily).
A late-night wind storm makes me wonder if something is caught in the walls of my room.
June:
The storm in May did take off some shingles, plus our storm door needs a fix itself.
Our gardening gets put on hold due to our (still) impending housework, but hanging baskets ahoy!
We have a Triple Crown winner! And, my grandfather concedes he can't live on his own. He ends up spending his 86th (and final) birthday in the hospital. (At least mom got her wish--he never set foot in his apartment again.)
We witness the fall of Denny Hastert.
It rains. (And we have to scramble to patch up the roof…which is still the old roof.) And it rains.
I make my piccolo debut in an actual band concert. (And it rains.)
The Hawks win! A hawk loses! (And it rains.) (And delays the Cup from getting to the UC.)
Work FINALLY starts on the house. (And it rains.) I also get reminded to call the police department when you have to park on the street overnight. My dad isn't thrilled by the job they do, to the point of making himself ill--and speaking of ill, we get a date for when my grandfather will move into a nursing home. (And it rains.)
I apparently kill an inchworm.
My band's conductor celebrates an important milestone. (And it rains.)
Are you surprised to hear this was the wettest June on record?
July. Oh, good lord, July:
I finally post about the firewood stealers.
I make my piccolo debut on "Stars and Stripes Forever" for the 4th of July concert.
We finally plant our garden on the 4th.
I celebrate my first Kirby-versary without her.
The week after the 4th was a doozy:
-- My dad gets sick, and my mom gets an unusual bump on her hand.
--I learned my friend Erik (zentiger) passed away.
-- My work schedule temporarily changes owing to a coworker's vacation, and my adjusted time at home ends up getting spent dealing with camp crises.
-- My grandfather officially moves to the nursing home.
This year's Windmill Fest brings us the flavor of alligator--and an amusing moment at Bird is the Word.
It's finally time for Texas! One extra rehearsal. (There were more, but they didn't get written up in July.) Packing for my first flight in 20 years-- which I actually start to look forward to. Trying to stay sane while planning two trips simultaneously. Then, finally…I return from being deep in the heart of Texas, and I discover for myself that there is no basement at the Alamo. Our performances go okay as well.
My pseudo-paid account expires.
I return from Texas only to have the heat still on me regarding camp, which I may not have mentioned, but owing to Mr. C's illness, I spent a TON of time planning this year in the weeks before it happened, hence part of why I was so tired and stressed.
August:
July redux: Two Sundays in a row that I'd missed writing about in a timely fashion included Erik's memorial service in Rockford (at the end of the crazy busy week) and then a family first birthday party and a rehearsal on the same day, miles apart (plus a bonus discussion of my grandfather's first few weeks at the nursing home). (I'd honestly considered doing a backdated post to get all the July happenings at least mentioned in July, but I suppose this will suffice.)
I survived camp, though I wasn't sure some of the staff would. We kept active, at least. I kept VERY active taking pictures, easily the most ever (like, more than multiple years combined). We had actual eggs this year, and pop in 2-liter bottles. We also had taffy, which was something special from Texas as well. And, of course, we had special little children to deal with.
I get reminded that I was made a band librarian.
The month ends with a visit to the nursing home, which would be the last time my father and I see my grandfather.
September:
My grandfather gets a new room. Later in the month, we discover he needs a new phone. (By the way, if I never mentioned it, I'd typically call him when I reached Indiana on my way to camp. I couldn't call this year because his phone had just gone through the wash and he was without one for a time. This was the replacement for that phone.) By the end of the month, we have permission to dispose of the apartment (goal date: December 1st) (Ha!) and he's on antidepressants.
Computer issues start taking over my job.
I finally finish uploading my Texas pictures.
Band library sessions start; commence sorting hundreds of pieces of music. By the third session, I use a face mask so I'm not breathing in mold and crap. Also, I have my first indoor piccolo rehearsal for band this fall.
Work progresses on my camp pictures, and I officially start a YouTube account for the first-ever videos I've taken there.
I run into Avery's friend Rita and we have a ladies' night for Avery's birthday. (Funny how I'm finally getting around to this and it's two days after the final performance of the show mentioned in that post--not that the entirety of this post will be posted today.)
I make my first batch of tomato sauce.
October:
We now have a diverging diamond interchange in the area.
In honor of Laura's impending wedding, we have a girls' night out in the city. (And how I got there is also memorable.)
I discover I have something in common with Marie Kondo.
The Cubs make it into the playoffs (and into a batch of sauce?). Yes, even I caught Cubs fever. And…I found out my dad started off life as a Cubs fan. I'm still not over it.
The frost comes, putting our garden out of its misery.
Laura gets married, out of state, during a week where other things happen.
November:
I get to be the crazy bird lady at work, for a good reason.
We finally make it back to my grandfather's to sort through his things and start clearing out the apartment (and get a bonus health update). However, due to a funeral and then a snowstorm, we are thwarted in going back the next two Saturdays. We also find out that his health has brought him to certain care choices.
Laura's combo wedding/baby shower brings a needed moment of joy to the month.
My quiet birthday at home involved baklava and a "blizzard."
And then the bottom drops out: My grandfather passes away, two days after my birthday and two days before Thanksgiving. (At least he timed it right.) I finally explain some of what had been going on in recent weeks, though I don't believe I ever mentioned that the fall, while probably helping lead to his demise, was otherwise unrelated to his death. (His ultimate cause of death was congestive heart failure and I believe kidney failure, and we think he had a heart attack after the fall. The list of secondary causes was so long it takes up four lines on the death certificate. He was not a healthy man.) Thanksgiving itself still went on. The next few days were spent prepping for the memorial.
A bit of levity: What our new speakers and old TV have in common.
December:
November rewind: Memorial service part 1 and 2.
We start our Saturday visits to the apartment to clean it out. And sort through stuff. And clean. And sort. And clean. And clean. (And clean.)
Meanwhile, mom deals with her own fun with her dad's death.
The construction project at 38 & Fabyan finishes up, at least for the time being. By the end of the month, the Warrenville Road bridge reopens.
August rewind: I finally post pictures of camp.
I spot a coyote on the way to work.
Laura has her baby.
Christmas at least goes okay.
And that was 2015, or at least what I posted about it during 2015. My goal was to get this done by the end of January; I made it by a few hours, at least. And, for 2016, I've made myself a note to start it at the beginning of December, since inevitably I end up reading all of the posts. It takes a while.
I get a brand-spanking-new cable box. Oh, all the new channels.
Winter does its best to prevent me from going to work.
My dad randomly fixes our utensil drawer in the kitchen so that it actually works.
Band starts prepping for the Texas trip in July, and we get a scary Russian piece with super high notes.
The family's lactose intolerance reaches a new level. (On the plus side, I did eventually take that bottle of hand sanitizer; it's in my purse. It came in handy over the summer.)
The beginning of the grandfather saga: He gets a release date from the rehab place, where he'd been since October 2014.
I learn the Beadhive is closing, and make one final visit.
My post about the new tags I'd added while I had a pseudo-paid account.
I discover my childhood school potentially will be consolidated with other Catholic schools (which does happen later in the year, which goes into effect for the next school year).
Dad causes a commotion when he replaces the water softener, and our water temporarily changes colors.
I return for a second year of Mr. C's solo contest.
We end the month prepping for a blizzard…along with everyone else at the grocery store.
February:
My grandfather gets released from the rehab place… on the day of the Super Bowl Blizzard ( which ended up being the fifth-largest snowfall in our history).
The house across the street sells and we get new neighbors, who are Olympic-caliber athletes.
Getting my car washed becomes an ordeal.
My busy Saturday included solo contest (first at Mr. M's schools), nearly getting into a bar fight, and seeing my goddaughter's birthday tattoo in person.
I discover I might become a band librarian.
A squirrel makes a particular deposit on our deck that will bring amusement in the future.
March:
We get a new iron at Costco.
My cousin's daughter T performs in the honors vocal recital.
We fix the broken dial on the washer.
I finally get my car washed.
I cease being the Token Irish Girl at work (although that coworker isn't there any longer…hmm…).
My search for decent gym shoes comes to an end.
We have ducks on the deck.
Grandfather saga: He leaves his house on his own foot for the first time since returning from rehab. (Also, the pool situation I mention regarding my grandma? I've now found pictures of that care of my grandfather.)
Laura and I *finally* get together for our birthdays, and I meet her fiancé--but miss out on an earthquake.
Last month's squirrel deposit attracts a couple of birds.
I was prolific with my beading.
April:
My grandfather misses Easter, completing the cycle of missed holidays, and my mom gets fresh with me.
I buy nail polish for the first time in decades.
Tornadoes hit DeKalb County, and Fairdale temporarily becomes a household name.
I try my hand at poppyseed roll.
The neighbors behind us get a new dog… and we learn that their old dog, Buddy, passed away.
We start looking into getting our roof replaced.
Cardinal George passes away, and his funeral procession takes him past our old neighborhood.
I help my coworkers move.
We get a new cable box and lose a clock at the same time.
We don't duck away from natural excitement in the yard.
May:
We start learning more about the trip to Texas, and at one point have a disastrous rehearsal with what's supposed to be our showpiece song-- which ultimately gets cut.
A goose gets curious about me.
The neighbors' new puppy figures out how to get out of their yard.
I meet with Laura, who gives me exciting news that I can't share for months and months (and is not even hinted at in the post).
We officially commit to getting a new roof and siding on the house.
We spend Mother's Day cleaning my grandfather's house, which would end up being the last time I'd see him there. It's also amazing how true the third to last and second to last paragraphs ended up being. Later in the month, he calls 911 late at night.
Construction starts at Fabyan and 38 in West Chicago, as well as the Warrenville Road bridge in Warrenville, making my commutes just that much longer.
Mom celebrates her birthday at Dave & Buster's.
My coworker finally has enough of the lake at our job, and something actually gets done about it (at least temporarily).
A late-night wind storm makes me wonder if something is caught in the walls of my room.
June:
The storm in May did take off some shingles, plus our storm door needs a fix itself.
Our gardening gets put on hold due to our (still) impending housework, but hanging baskets ahoy!
We have a Triple Crown winner! And, my grandfather concedes he can't live on his own. He ends up spending his 86th (and final) birthday in the hospital. (At least mom got her wish--he never set foot in his apartment again.)
We witness the fall of Denny Hastert.
It rains. (And we have to scramble to patch up the roof…which is still the old roof.) And it rains.
I make my piccolo debut in an actual band concert. (And it rains.)
The Hawks win! A hawk loses! (And it rains.) (And delays the Cup from getting to the UC.)
Work FINALLY starts on the house. (And it rains.) I also get reminded to call the police department when you have to park on the street overnight. My dad isn't thrilled by the job they do, to the point of making himself ill--and speaking of ill, we get a date for when my grandfather will move into a nursing home. (And it rains.)
I apparently kill an inchworm.
My band's conductor celebrates an important milestone. (And it rains.)
Are you surprised to hear this was the wettest June on record?
July. Oh, good lord, July:
I finally post about the firewood stealers.
I make my piccolo debut on "Stars and Stripes Forever" for the 4th of July concert.
We finally plant our garden on the 4th.
I celebrate my first Kirby-versary without her.
The week after the 4th was a doozy:
-- My dad gets sick, and my mom gets an unusual bump on her hand.
--I learned my friend Erik (zentiger) passed away.
-- My work schedule temporarily changes owing to a coworker's vacation, and my adjusted time at home ends up getting spent dealing with camp crises.
-- My grandfather officially moves to the nursing home.
This year's Windmill Fest brings us the flavor of alligator--and an amusing moment at Bird is the Word.
It's finally time for Texas! One extra rehearsal. (There were more, but they didn't get written up in July.) Packing for my first flight in 20 years-- which I actually start to look forward to. Trying to stay sane while planning two trips simultaneously. Then, finally…I return from being deep in the heart of Texas, and I discover for myself that there is no basement at the Alamo. Our performances go okay as well.
My pseudo-paid account expires.
I return from Texas only to have the heat still on me regarding camp, which I may not have mentioned, but owing to Mr. C's illness, I spent a TON of time planning this year in the weeks before it happened, hence part of why I was so tired and stressed.
August:
July redux: Two Sundays in a row that I'd missed writing about in a timely fashion included Erik's memorial service in Rockford (at the end of the crazy busy week) and then a family first birthday party and a rehearsal on the same day, miles apart (plus a bonus discussion of my grandfather's first few weeks at the nursing home). (I'd honestly considered doing a backdated post to get all the July happenings at least mentioned in July, but I suppose this will suffice.)
I survived camp, though I wasn't sure some of the staff would. We kept active, at least. I kept VERY active taking pictures, easily the most ever (like, more than multiple years combined). We had actual eggs this year, and pop in 2-liter bottles. We also had taffy, which was something special from Texas as well. And, of course, we had special little children to deal with.
I get reminded that I was made a band librarian.
The month ends with a visit to the nursing home, which would be the last time my father and I see my grandfather.
September:
My grandfather gets a new room. Later in the month, we discover he needs a new phone. (By the way, if I never mentioned it, I'd typically call him when I reached Indiana on my way to camp. I couldn't call this year because his phone had just gone through the wash and he was without one for a time. This was the replacement for that phone.) By the end of the month, we have permission to dispose of the apartment (goal date: December 1st) (Ha!) and he's on antidepressants.
Computer issues start taking over my job.
I finally finish uploading my Texas pictures.
Band library sessions start; commence sorting hundreds of pieces of music. By the third session, I use a face mask so I'm not breathing in mold and crap. Also, I have my first indoor piccolo rehearsal for band this fall.
Work progresses on my camp pictures, and I officially start a YouTube account for the first-ever videos I've taken there.
I run into Avery's friend Rita and we have a ladies' night for Avery's birthday. (Funny how I'm finally getting around to this and it's two days after the final performance of the show mentioned in that post--not that the entirety of this post will be posted today.)
I make my first batch of tomato sauce.
October:
We now have a diverging diamond interchange in the area.
In honor of Laura's impending wedding, we have a girls' night out in the city. (And how I got there is also memorable.)
I discover I have something in common with Marie Kondo.
The Cubs make it into the playoffs (and into a batch of sauce?). Yes, even I caught Cubs fever. And…I found out my dad started off life as a Cubs fan. I'm still not over it.
The frost comes, putting our garden out of its misery.
Laura gets married, out of state, during a week where other things happen.
November:
I get to be the crazy bird lady at work, for a good reason.
We finally make it back to my grandfather's to sort through his things and start clearing out the apartment (and get a bonus health update). However, due to a funeral and then a snowstorm, we are thwarted in going back the next two Saturdays. We also find out that his health has brought him to certain care choices.
Laura's combo wedding/baby shower brings a needed moment of joy to the month.
My quiet birthday at home involved baklava and a "blizzard."
And then the bottom drops out: My grandfather passes away, two days after my birthday and two days before Thanksgiving. (At least he timed it right.) I finally explain some of what had been going on in recent weeks, though I don't believe I ever mentioned that the fall, while probably helping lead to his demise, was otherwise unrelated to his death. (His ultimate cause of death was congestive heart failure and I believe kidney failure, and we think he had a heart attack after the fall. The list of secondary causes was so long it takes up four lines on the death certificate. He was not a healthy man.) Thanksgiving itself still went on. The next few days were spent prepping for the memorial.
A bit of levity: What our new speakers and old TV have in common.
December:
November rewind: Memorial service part 1 and 2.
We start our Saturday visits to the apartment to clean it out. And sort through stuff. And clean. And sort. And clean. And clean. (And clean.)
Meanwhile, mom deals with her own fun with her dad's death.
The construction project at 38 & Fabyan finishes up, at least for the time being. By the end of the month, the Warrenville Road bridge reopens.
August rewind: I finally post pictures of camp.
I spot a coyote on the way to work.
Laura has her baby.
Christmas at least goes okay.
And that was 2015, or at least what I posted about it during 2015. My goal was to get this done by the end of January; I made it by a few hours, at least. And, for 2016, I've made myself a note to start it at the beginning of December, since inevitably I end up reading all of the posts. It takes a while.