December 2023

We enjoyed having the holidays in full swing during December. Here is a link to all the photos and videos from the month, and below are more details.

Becky's Trip to Tucson/Sierra Vista

Becky: I flew to Arizona in early December, to visit my dad and also get in some time with mom, my brothers, and their families.  As I may have mentioned, my poor dad has dementia, so he doesn't always recognize me.  He lives in a nice assisted living facility.  The first day we walked around the mall and got a burger.  He knew who I was and it was a nice time.  The next day he was more tired and I'm not sure he knew who I was, but we enjoyed a nice walk and some Japanese food.  The third day he was back to recognizing me again and we enjoyed another couple days of outings.  The last day I was there, he wanted to stay in bed.  Eventually, he got up to eat lunch and we enjoyed a nice game of cornhole before I had to leave him to catch my flight.  I always hate leaving him.  He's just sweet and mostly chill.  He still gets jokes and laughs at them.  He has a hard time stringing words together, but on good days I think he follows a lot of what I say and enjoys listening.  

I'm really glad I got to visit.  I'm trying to get in as much time with him as I can while he's still relatively aware and communicative.  Unfortunately, my dad probably was getting sick because soon after I left he was admitted to the hospital with RSV and a UTI.  Because of his dementia, he tends to pull out his IV's and catheter so they had to restrain him to the bed.  My brother, David, takes care of him and it was really hard for him to see my dad struggling like he did for a few or more days.  Two weeks later, my dad is still in the hospital, but is more aware and feeling better.  I really wish we could live closer to him- so I could keep him company and give my brother and his family a break.  But I'm grateful he's in a nice place and has my brother.  

I also spent a few hours with my mom, which I always enjoy since we're pals that enjoy hanging out.  I had a mild sinus infection so my mom got me a health drink/smoothie that had a little too much ginger.  It was hard to drink (literally burned going down), but my mom just chugged hers.  I was impressed.  I couldn't really hang out with Sean and Qito (his boy) because they were both sick, but I spent plenty of time with Dave and Stacey (my sister and law).  They're great times- they seem cool with having to see A LOT of me since I crash at their place when I'm there.  

In addition to getting to visit family in Arizona, I enjoyed all the holiday festivities here at home, including our Christmas party with friends and our Christmas stay in a motel, which I'm sure Rob mentions below.  It's just really nice to have a month where you get to spend so much time with family and friends.

Getting Out and Getting Into the Christmas Spirit

Rob: We always look forward to Christmas and enjoyed pulling out the tree, etc. from storage and decorating accordingly. While Becky was in Arizona, Alex and I went to the ward Christmas Party along with a couple friends from church. The gym was totally transformed with Christmas decor, and we had some really good food along with a nice nativity from the Primary kids. Later in the month, we invited over some friends (Primary Presidency members Becky serves with and their families) for some snacks, dessert, and a white elephant gift exchange, which was fun. We enjoyed getting out this month to  Bear Mountain and Minnewaska state parks, Chuck E. Cheese, and other places we go to often too. The weather has been mostly mild this month, and I even had to pull a tick off me that I found the day after walking around the lake by our home.

Christmas Staycation and Holiday Break

Rob: On Christmas Eve morning, we had our usual 9 am church, but it was just 1 hour and included a lot of wonderful music and a reading of Luke. The heat was out in our building (which has a long history of heating and plumbing issues), so it was good that it was only an hour because the warmth of Christmas spirit can only sustain us for so long. We came home after church, made hot cocoa, and opened our presents (as they do on Christmas Eve in some European countries). For Becky and I, it was mostly practical things, and for Alex it was mostly some small toys. Becky got me a little window terrarium, and I got us a standing planter for an herb garden to try out next Spring (although it has yet to arrive). Our major present though was a little staycation. So, later that afternoon, we drove about an hour to Tarrytown where we booked a Marriot with a pool/hot tub and a very reasonable rate. We stayed two nights, and were lucky to get a room on the top floor that was right across from a lobby with tables to eat at and a TV (room 617 for future reference). Alex was excited to have some new surroundings, and it was fun for us too. Plus we had all the Christmas movies on the hotel TV that aren't on our streaming services. So that evening we just vegged at the hotel, we went swimming, Alex played with his game and his new toy airplanes, we watched Christmas movies, we chatted with family on the phone, and built Alex's Lego space shuttle that he got. And we dined on the finest microwave dinners that we packed with us to cram in the hotel mini fridge (not knowing what food options would be available).

On Christmas, we slept in and took our time getting up and going. Then we drove a few minutes to the train station in Tarrytown, and took that train straight to Grand Central station in Manhattan. Alex loved the train ride, he just looked out the window the whole hour-long ride. We got there by around noon, and by then it was already packed. I wondered if it would be less crowded on Christmas Day. That might be the case if you get there early enough in the morning, and if it isn't 50 F outside, but such was not the case for us. So, we pushed along through the crowds, with Alex in his stroller that he's getting too big for, and we caught glimpses of the the decorated windows at Sack's and the tree at Rockefeller Center (which this year was taken from a property very near where I used to work when we lived in the Binghamton area). We made it to Central Park, where we got some gyros, walked around a bit, and let Alex run around on a playground that he really enjoyed. Then we made our way back along 7th Ave. and 6th Ave., which brought us into Times Square and then near Bryant Park, before getting back to Grand Central and heading back to Tarrytown. So we just got a surface level experience of NYC at Christmastime and it was interesting how much that city does not shut down. Many major stores and restaurants were closed, but there were still some fancy restaurants open, and all the street vendors out in full force. Times Square was so overstimulating that it put Alex to sleep in the stroller. All together, that took us a bit more than 5 hours, so we had the rest of the evening to just relax at the hotel like the night before. We ate dinner in the lobby and there was a nice couple sitting at the table where we ate the night before. We were going to give them space and sit at another table, but Alex is a creature of habit and insisted on sitting at the same table again. Fortunately they were ok with that and we had a nice chat.

The day after Christmas, while Becky was packing some things up, Alex and I went to a playground nearby, and we checked out at noon and came home. Two nights was just long enough for a new place to remain exciting for Alex, while he was also excited to be home again.

The rest of the week I took off work, and worked on other things around the house. Alex had shorter days at school, and Becky did see a few clients. The weather was mild and so we enjoyed some outdoor walks and a hike to the waterfall at the state park nearby. I worked on a writing a story for Scenic Hudson about lake ice, and for that story I got to go out one morning to the famous Mohonk Mountain House resort to meet a researcher there from SUNY New Paltz who is studying a lake at that resort. He goes there every week to take measurements. It is a beautiful property that is very expesive to stay at, or even just to enter and go hiking. But it was so foggy that day, it was hard to see anything but I took some pictures anyway.

What Else Is New

Rob: As I mentioned before, I've enjoyed writing stories for a local conservation group called Scenic Hudson in the past year. Two of the five stories I published with them were in their top 10 stories of 2023 (a story about big trees, and a story about floating solar panels).

Alex: A couple months ago Alex suddenly stopped playing games on his iPad at home and didn't want it near him. Not sure why, but he just has these strong OCD aversions to things that he used to like sometimes, including some Pixar shows. This month he decided to start playing it again, and he has clearly missed it, especially the Sago Mini games. He is less bored now. He also started eating whole chicken nuggets again (for a long time he was only eating the breading, if that). So often we just have to be patient and wait for him to do things on his own terms. Also this month, his favorite phrase is: "skizzo, book, [squeak]". We're not sure what it means, but he says it at least a hundred times a day. Possibly related to "excuse me", which he has been saying after he sneezes, or some sound that one of his iPad games makes. And he still says "Dave! Dave? Dave!" several times a day, which we know is a part he likes from the Penguins movie.

Becky: I am currently reading 'A True Account: Hannah Masury’s Sojourn Amongst the Pyrates' by Katherine Howe, a historical fiction story that I am enjoying so far.