Pandemic Weeks 145-146: Merry Christmas and Goodbye to 2022!

Christmas Morning

 The holiday season is winding down and it is time to say goodbye to 2022.  We spent a quiet Christmas at home, which is becoming our regular tradition since the pandemic.  Anna sang in the choir for Christmas Eve mass.  We had our traditional Christmas Eve seafood dinner (for those of you who are wondering, we had cod wrapped in prosciutto with a lemon butter sauce - delicious along with shrimp cocktail).  There was no snow, but the weather was frigid - one of the coldest Christmas Eves on record.  Here were some of the holiday happenings from Virginia:

• Anna is enjoying two weeks off for holiday break and has spent lots of time hanging out with friends, reading, crocheting, and watching movies.
• We enjoyed Christmas morning with lots of gifts.  As always, we are reminded that Grandma and Grandpa are the real Santa Claus.  Anna got lots of makeup items and her traditional lego set, which she immediately put together.  Everyone got new books to read, which is truly a favorite family activity along with some new games to try.
• Theresa had the week off between Christmas and New Year's.  She is thankful that Congress left town after passing a budget and she did not need to contend with a government shutdown (that always ruins the holidays).
• Anna got lots of driving practice in, including driving on I-66 at night.  She drove to the Bull Run Lights show one night, which was a good way to log some night driving hours and enjoy the holiday lights. 
• Anna did a major cleanout of her room and she and Theresa also cleaned out the Anna items in the basement.

  

  Christmas Eve Dinner

• After a frigid Christmas, the weather warmed up to 60 degrees by the end of the week.  Joe and Theresa used the opportunity to winterize the lawn mower and enjoyed a lovely afternoon at Burke Lake.  Theresa and Anna spent one warmer evening at Meadowlark Gardens enjoying the holiday lights.
• Anna and Theresa got together with the Girl Scout troop for a holiday dinner and catch up.  It was great to see the group.  The major topics:  driving and college visits.

One of the more memorable events of the break was Anna's passport renewal. Theresa realized it is expiring in July.  This is important as Anna is planning to go on a school trip to Japan in June.  The renewal process involved a scramble to get an appointment (Anna had to go in person with a parent), printing off the forms and filling them out in black ink (because the State Department has not digitized this process), getting a photo (that required a trip to the UPS Store as the State Department has very specific requirements) and gathering all other documentation.  When Joe and Anna showed up at the local post office for the 11 AM appointment time, the very unfriendly clerk informed them that only a check could be used to pay the fee (because again the State Department has not updated its process).  Cash was also not acceptable.  This required a frantic call to Theresa to speed down to the post office with the checkbook in hand before the 11 - 11:15 appointment window ended, or Anna would need to make another appointment.  Theresa made it with 2 minutes to spare.  Does anyone else find this process ridiculous?  

We here at Anna Grows are very happy to bid adieu to 2022.  We look forward to new beginnings in 2023 and hope to change the title of the blog posts in the coming year to remove "Pandemic Week XX."  Will the pandemic be declared over in 2023?  Only time will tell.  Happy New Year!