A LOT has happened this month!

We'll start with the not-so-good:

(I guess "good" depends on which side of the party lines you are in), but.... for us, we were upset at the election results.  Georgia was a blue state in the last election, but somehow it went red in this election.

Trump beat Kamala Harris for presidency.  Unfortunately, he has a number of criminal cases against him. He spews hatred - which started to spread during his first term.  He lies and cheats in business (we personally know people that work in NYC and have been screwed over by him) and makes up random things / lies in the election.  He is not someone that we and our children look up to as a role model nor as someone we feel comfortable in running our country. 

The following diatribe was going around the internet.  I have not verified this list but in scanning there is so many things that I remember him doing that are on this list that were just not ethical.

I owe my Trump-supporting friends an apology. I’ve been critical of the Trump presidency and am still exhausted from the experience. But to be fair President Trump wasn’t that bad, other than: • when he incited an insurrection against the government, • mismanaged a pandemic that killed over a million Americans • separated children from their families • lost those children in the bureaucracy • tear-gassed peaceful protesters on Lafayette Square so he could hold a photo op holding a Bible in front of a church • tried to block all Muslims from entering the country • got impeached • got impeached again • had the worst jobs record of any president in modern history • pressured Ukraine to dig dirt on Joe Biden • fired the FBI director for investigating his ties to Russia • bragged about firing the FBI director on TV • took Vladimir Putin’s word over the US intelligence community • diverted military funding to build his wall • caused the longest government shutdown in US history • called Black Lives Matter a “symbol of hate” • lied nearly 40,000 times • banned transgender people from serving in the military • ejected reporters from the White House briefing room who asked tough questions • vetoed the defense funding bill because it renamed military bases named for Confederate soldiers • refused to release his tax returns • increased the national debt by nearly $8 trillion • had three of the highest annual trade deficits in U.S. history • called veterans and soldiers who died in combat losers and suckers • coddled the leader of Saudi Arabia after he ordered the execution and dismembering of a US-based journalist • refused to concede the 2020 election • hired his unqualified daughter and son-in-law to work in the White House • walked out of an interview with Lesley Stahl • called neo-Nazis “very fine people” • suggested that people should inject bleach into their bodies to fight COVID • abandoned our allies the Kurds to Turkey • pushed through massive tax cuts for the wealthiest but balked at helping working Americans • incited anti-lockdown protestors in several states at the height of the pandemic • withdrew the US from the Paris climate accords • withdrew the US from the Iranian nuclear deal • withdrew the US from the Trans Pacific Partnership which was designed to block China’s advances • insulted his own Cabinet members on Twitter • pushed the leader of Montenegro out of the way during a photo op • failed to reiterate US commitment to defending NATO allies • called Haiti and African nations “shithole” countries • called the city of Baltimore the “worst in the nation” • claimed that he single-handedly brought back the phrase “Merry Christmas” even though it hadn’t gone anywhere • forced his Cabinet members to praise him publicly like some cult leader • believed he should be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize • berated and belittled his hand-picked Attorney General when he recused himself from the Russia probe • suggested the US should buy Greenland • colluded with Mitch McConnell to push through federal judges and two Supreme Court justices after supporting efforts to prevent his predecessor from appointing judges • repeatedly called the media “enemies of the people” • claimed that if we tested fewer people for COVID we’d have fewer cases • violated the emoluments clause • thought that Nambia was a country • told Bob Woodward in private that the coronavirus was a big deal but then downplayed it in public • called his exceedingly faithful vice president a “p---y” for following the Constitution • nearly got us into a war with Iran after threatening them by tweet • nominated a corrupt head of the EPA • nominated a corrupt head of HHS • nominated a corrupt head of the Interior Department • nominated a corrupt head of the USDA • praised dictators and authoritarians around the world while criticizing allies • refused to allow the presidential transition to begin • insulted war hero John McCain – even after his death • spent an obscene amount of time playing golf after criticizing Barack Obama for playing (far less) golf while president • falsely claimed that he won the 2016 popular vote • called the Muslim mayor of London a “stone cold loser” • falsely claimed that he turned down being Time’s Man of the Year • considered firing special counsel Robert Mueller on several occasions • mocked wearing face masks to guard against transmitting COVID • locked Congress out of its constitutional duty to confirm Cabinet officials by hiring acting ones • used a racist dog whistle by calling COVID the “China virus” • hired and associated with numerous shady figures that were eventually convicted of federal offenses including his campaign manager and national security adviser • pardoned several of his shady associates • gave the Presidential Medal of Freedom to two congressman who amplified his batshit crazy conspiracy theories • got into telephone fight with the leader of Australia(!) • had a Secretary of State who called him a moron • forced his press secretary to claim without merit that his was the largest inauguration crowd in history • botched the COVID vaccine rollout • tweeted so much dangerous propaganda that Twitter eventually banned him • charged the Secret Service jacked-up rates at his properties • constantly interrupted Joe Biden in their first presidential debate • claimed that COVID would “magically” disappear • called a U.S. Senator “Pocahontas” • used his Twitter account to blast Nordstrom when it stopped selling Ivanka’s merchandise • opened up millions of pristine federal lands to development and drilling • got into a losing tariff war with China that forced US taxpayers to bail out farmers • claimed that his losing tariff war was a win for the US • ignored or didn’t even take part in daily intelligence briefings • blew off honoring American war dead in France because it was raining • redesigned Air Force One to look like the Trump Shuttle • got played by Kim Jung Un and his “love letters” • threatened to go after social media companies in clear violation of the Constitution • botched the response to Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico • threw paper towels at Puerto Ricans when he finally visited them • pressured the governor and secretary of state of Georgia to “find” him votes • thought that the Virgin islands had a President • drew on a map with a Sharpie to justify his inaccurate tweet that Alabama was threatened by a hurricane • allowed White House staff to use personal email accounts for official businesses after blasting Hillary Clinton for doing the same thing • rolled back regulations that protected the public from mercury and asbestos • pushed regulators to waste time studying snake-oil remedies for COVID • rolled back regulations that stopped coal companies from dumping waste into rivers • held blatant campaign rallies at the White House • tried to take away millions of Americans’ health insurance because the law was named for a Black man • refused to attend his successors’ inauguration • nominated the worst Education Secretary in history • threatened judges who didn’t do what he wanted • attacked Dr. Anthony Fauci • promised that Mexico would pay for the wall (it didn’t) • allowed political hacks to overrule government scientists on major reports on climate change and other issues • struggled navigating a ramp after claiming his opponent was feeble • called an African-American Congresswoman “low IQ” • threatened to withhold federal aid from states and cities with Democratic leaders • went ahead with rallies filled with maskless supporters in the middle of a pandemic • claimed that legitimate investigations of his wrongdoing were “witch hunts,” • seemed to demonstrate a belief that there were airports during the American Revolution • demanded “total loyalty” from the FBI director • praised a conspiracy theory that Democrats are Satanic pedophiles • completely gutted the Voice of America • placed a political hack in charge of the Postal Service • claimed without evidence that the Obama administration bugged Trump Tower • suggested that the US should allow more people from places like Norway into the country • suggested that COVID wasn’t that bad because he recovered with the help of top government doctors and treatments not available to the public • overturned energy conservation standards that even industry supported • reduced the number of refugees the US accepts • insulted various members of Congress and the media with infantile nicknames • gave Rush Limbaugh a Presidential medal of Freedom at the State of the Union address • named as head of federal personnel a 29-year old who’d previously been fired from the White House for allegations of financial improprieties • eliminated the White House office of pandemic response • used soldiers as campaign props • fired any advisor who made the mistake of disagreeing with him • demanded the Pentagon throw him a Soviet-style military parade • hired a shit ton of white nationalists • politicized the civil service • did absolutely nothing after Russia hacked the U.S. government • falsely said the Boy Scouts called him to say his bizarre Jamboree speech was the best speech ever given to the Scouts • claimed that Black people would overrun the suburbs if Biden won • insulted reporters of color • insulted women reporters • insulted women reporters of color • suggested he was fine with China’s oppression of the Uighurs • attacked the Supreme Court when it ruled against him • summoned Pennsylvania state legislative leaders to the White House to pressure them to overturn the election • spent countless hours every day watching Fox News • refused to allow his administration to comply with Congressional subpoenas • hired Rudy Giuliani as his lawyer • tried to punish Amazon because the Jeff Bezos-owned Washington Post wrote negative stories about him • acted as if the Attorney General of the United States was his personal attorney • attempted to get the federal government to defend him in a libel lawsuit from a women who accused him of sexual assault • held private meetings with Vladimir Putin without staff present • didn’t disclose his private meetings with Vladimir Putin so that the US had to find out via Russian media • stopped holding press briefings for months at a time • “ordered” US companies to leave China even though he has no such power • led a political party that couldn’t even be bothered to draft a policy platform • claimed preposterously that Article II of the Constitution gave him absolute powers • tried to pressure the U.K. to hold the British Open at his golf course • suggested that the government nuke hurricanes • suggested that wind turbines cause cancer • said that he had a special aptitude for science • fired the head of election cyber security after he said that the 2020 election was secure • blurted out classified information to Russian officials • tried to force the G7 to hold their meeting at his failing golf resort in Florida • fired the acting attorney general when she refused to go along with his unconstitutional Muslim travel ban • hired Stephen Miller • openly discussed national security issues in the dining room at Mar-a-Lago where everyone could hear them • interfered with plans to relocate the FBI because a new development there might compete with his hotel • abandoned Iraqi refugees who’d helped the U.S. during the war • tried to get Russia back into the G7 • held a COVID super spreader event in the Rose Garden • seemed to believe that Frederick Douglass is still alive • lost 60 election fraud cases in court including before judges he had nominated • falsely claimed that factories were reopening when they weren’t • shamelessly exploited terror attacks in Europe to justify his anti-immigrant policies • still hasn’t come up with a healthcare plan • still hasn’t come up with an infrastructure plan despite repeated “Infrastructure Weeks" • forced Secret Service agents to drive him around Walter Reed while contagious with COVID • told the Proud Boys to “stand back and stand by” • fucked up the Census • withdrew the U.S. from the World Health Organization in the middle of a pandemic • did so few of his duties that his press staff were forced to state on his daily schedule “President Trump will work from early in the morning until late in the evening. He will make many calls and have many meetings,” allowed his staff to repeatedly violate the Hatch Act • seemed not to know that Abraham Lincoln was a Republican • stood before sacred CIA wall of heroes and bragged about his election win • constantly claimed he was treated worse than any president which presumably includes four that were assassinated and his predecessor whose legitimacy and birthplace were challenged by a racist reality TV show star named Donald Trump • claimed Andrew Jackson could’ve stopped the Civil War even though he died 16 years before it happened • said that any opinion poll showing him behind was fake • claimed that other countries laughed at us before he became president when several world leaders were literally laughing at him • claimed that the military was out of ammunition before he became President • created a commission to whitewash American history • retweeted anti-Islam videos from one of the most racist people in Britain • claimed ludicrously that the Pulse nightclub shooting wouldn’t have happened if someone there had a gun even though there was an armed security guard there • hired a senior staffer who cited the non-existent Bowling Green Massacre as a reason to ban Muslims • had a press secretary who claimed that Nazi Germany never used chemical weapons even though every sane human being knows they used gas to kill millions of Jews and others • bilked the Secret Service for higher than market rates when they had to stay at Trump properties • apparently sold pardons on his way out of the White House • stripped protective status from 59,000 Haitians • falsely claimed Biden wanted to defund the police • said that the head of the CDC didn’t know what he was talking about • tried to rescind protection from DREAMers • gave himself an A+ for his handling of the pandemic • tried to start a boycott of Goodyear tires due to an Internet hoax • said U.S. rates of COVID would be lower if you didn’t count blue states • deported U.S. veterans who served their country but were undocumented • claimed he did more for African Americans than any president since Lincoln • touted a “super-duper” secret “hydrosonic” missile which may or may not be a new “hypersonic” missile or may not exist at all • retweeted a gif calling Biden a pedophile • forced through security clearances for his family • suggested that police officers should rough up suspects • suggested that Biden was on performance-enhancing drugs • tried to stop transgender students from being able to use school bathrooms in line with their gender • suggested the US not accept COVID patients from a cruise ship because it would make US numbers look higher • nominated a climate change skeptic to chair the committee advising the White House on environmental policy • retweeted a video doctored to look like Biden had played a song called “Fuck tha Police” at a campaign event • hugged a disturbingly large number of U.S. flags • accused Democrats of “treason” for not applauding his State of the Union address • claimed that the FBI failed to capture the Parkland school shooter because they were “spending too much time” on Russia • mocked the testimony of Dr Christine Blasey Ford when she accused Brett Kavanaugh of sexual assault • obsessed over low-flow toilets • ordered the re-release of more COVID vaccines when there weren’t any to release • called for the construction of a bizarre garden of heroes with statutes of famous dead Americans as well as at least one Canadian (Alex Trebek) • hijacked Washington’s July 4th celebrations to give a partisan speech • took advice from the MyPillow guy • claimed that migrants seeking a better life in the US were dangerous caravans of drug dealers and rapists • said nothing when Vladimir Putin poisoned a leading opposition figure • never seemed to heed the advice of his wife’s “Be Best” campaign • falsely claimed that mail-in voting is fraudulent • announced a precipitous withdrawal of troops from Syria which not only handed Russia and ISIS a win but also prompted his defense secretary to resign in protest • insulted the leader of Canada • insulted the leader of France • insulted the leader of Britain • insulted the leader of Germany • insulted the leader of Sweden (Sweden!!) • falsely claimed credit for getting NATO members to increase their share of dues • blew off two Asia summits even though they were held virtually • continued lying about spending lots of time at Ground Zero with 9/11 responders, • said that the Japanese would sit back and watch their “Sony televisions” if the US were ever attacked • left a NATO summit early in a huff • stared directly into an eclipse even though everyone over the age of five knows not to do that • called himself a very stable genius despite significant evidence to the contrary • refused to commit to a peaceful transfer of power and kept his promise Plus, he's a terrible human being!

I am honest, I am a bit nervous about the next 4 years.  Would Harris have been perfect?  No - but at least she abides by the constitution and does not vow to change it.  (Trump wants more than 2 terms.. wants to be a "life-timer" - has said he will change the term limits)   He's already announcing plans for his campaign promises -- about mass deportations, doing away with the healthcare that the Obama administration put into place (which will harm those with pre-existing conditions) and imposing tariffs on products from neighboring countries and China (which news reports are already talking about the prices of things drastically going up.  My heart also goes out to those in Ukraine.  It's about to get much much worse for them. 

~~~~~

I am really glad that we celebrated Isabella's birthday early!  Not only was it the last day for the Escape Room, but shortly after that, we had a visit to urgent care (for dizziness and body aches - flu test / covid test / strep all came back negative). Her BP was all over the place so the doctor suggested we go to the pediatric ER that evening for an EKG at our local hospital.  We were there for 5 1/2 hours. They did NOTHING except give her motrin for her body aches and said she had something viral.  We were super annoyed (especially after receiving the bill for that (lack of) "service" !!)  The only positive thing - there was a person who came in to check on her as a child comfort specialist.  She brought her coloring items. She said that she would come back and explain what an IV is -- if she were supposed to have one (like the person at urgent care said she may need to have). 

They did detect some irregularity and suggested she stay overnight for more observation. So, around 11 pm, she was admitted to a room... we got settled in and at midnight -- she turned 12 years old.  In the hospital.   She did not sleep pretty much all night... I didn't sleep much either.  

They tried to make it special.  They made a sign for when she got into her room it was there to greet her.

They personalized a message on her TV screen too.

I think she felt a little pampered - like at a resort.  "I'm going to order this  for breakfast.  We can watch movies on the tv.  And then let's see the dog."

The nurses told someone at the hospital that it was Isabella's birthday, so they brought in the service dog, Blanche, who has the same birthday (Nov 13th!) 

 

And, they also brought her some gifts from the giftshop. 

Later, we went to a "birthday party" for Blanche - where she got to eat snacks.  (They were giving away more presents to the kids -- not the dog, but Isabella already had some in her room / did not pick out another.)

We explored a bit and visited the outdoor area that was at the facility that we could see from our room.  

(Her room is almost all the way to the left side on the 9th floor.  She was in the 2nd from the last room on her hall.... and I could look down onto this plaza.  Isabella could not - as she was tied to the bed with cords and wires.)

This place had just opened about a month or so before her visit.   They said the top few floors were still being built-out / still under construction.  (You can see the floors under construction from the photo I took at night from her room -- the construction lighting was on, but from this vantage point, you cannot see the construction areas during the day because of the reflective glass)  

The building cost 1.5 billion dollars to build (Arthur Blank foundation donated 200 million of that).  It's a 19 story 446 bed state-of-the art facility... who's internet wasn't working!  (I couldn't do anything while staying overnight with Isabella!)

The room was huge.  My space was by the window -- a hard little couch to sleep on. I had a curtain to pull if I wanted some separation and my own TV too + a little desk.  If you were staying awhile I am sure those amenities would be nice.

They supposedly use AI (not sure how) and they have robots.  We saw these automated carts twice slowly driving down the hall to perhaps deliver something? ... apparently that was one of the two types of robots and they have separate elevators for them to ride on. 

There was a (weird) interactive screen in the main lobby - you walk by and these mixed-up animals jump out from behind trees on the screen and follow you around while you walk through the lobby.  I had to go get a badge from security.  It could track everyone and when a nurse walked into the room, it would put their name up on the screen -- who was visiting.   There were these boxes above each of the doors that would track.

It was nice. But....  

The doctor FINALLY came to see us. She had consulted with a cardiologist on staff to review her monitoring, blood pressure and previous EKGs. The initial thoughts was POTS (Postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome - a condition where an unusually significant increase in heart rate accompanies the action of an individual going from lying to standing.)  

She asked Isabella to hydrate more, eat more salt and wear compression socks.  She also asked us to follow up with a cardiologist outside of the hospital which we did the following week.  That doctor concurred, but also suggested perhaps something else called Vasovagal Sycope - which is accompanied by fainting.  (Isabella has not fainted yet, thankfully, just feels the dizziness.) 

Unfortunately when we were at the cardiologist's office, Isabella seemed "bummed" by the suggestion... the cardiologist went to her after the discussion and said -- your heart is HEALTHY.  You are going to be OK.  trying to reassure her.  

Back in September, she was dizzy for a couple of days. We went to Urgent Care back then and followed-up with her pediatrician. Who suggested hydration. Isabella was fighting that suggestion.  (Not sure why!) 

This picture has nothing to do with all of this, but I saw it online and downloaded.  Want to keep it (and break up all of this text!)  :)

So, we have had a hard time getting her to drink more. She has been wearing the compression socks (sometimes). Next step is diving into some root causes. (A colleague's friend has it and had to cut out gluten and it managed.  The young nurse at the hospital - her friend is also managing through diet.)  We just have a stubborn kiddo who either doesn't want to put the work in (says drinking more + salts isn't making her feel better)... or... who wants an easy pill to take to "fix?"   

Sadly, either the ER doctor or the follow-up to the cardiologist suggested that BECAUSE she stopped her activities (went from gymnastics to taekwondo then dropped the martial arts earlier this school year)... her heart is not as healthy.  The inactivity may have brought this on.  She was still riding horses as her only physical activity, however, the doctor said - nope - not as long as you're dizzy. The horse place agreed and was understanding.  So, that's the next thing to do -- to ramp back up activity... and get the heart healthier again.

~~~~~

Meanwhile... Mercer is happy that he GOT A CAR!  One weekend in November, we went looking at used Subaru's.  (They have good safety ratings)  Test drove some and bought one!  Mercer split the cost with us using his savings from his 2 summer jobs. 

We went to "celebrate" by going out to a unique dinner -- the car dealer was in a part of metro Atlanta that has a lot of ethnic restaurants.  We gave a try to Korean BBQ.  Have heard all about it, but.... I think Todd was the only one who enjoyed the experience.  

Isabella didn't love that the shrimp had eyes and were looking at her while they were cooking.  Mercer didn't like much of it. Honestly, I wasn't that into it either.  Some unique flavors and and an interesting experience cooking on the little stove in the middle of the table, but it's not on my list of things to go back and try.  

(I am always the photographer... so M grabbed my phone while I tried to take a picture of him. He, instead took a photo of me here to include in the blog to prove that yes - I was there.) 

We had to go pick it back up the next weekend as we wanted them to look at one thing for us.  So - back out to Gwinnett we went as a family.  

This trip was much quicker.  Sign a couple more things and drive home with the new used car -- which looks MUCH nicer than mine even though his is a little older!!  (I have been in the market for a new car too, but....)

During the Thanksgiving holiday break, we took him up to Blue Ridge GA to take his actual driver's test -- and he passed with a 90% (said he didn't do well backing into a parking spot / got a deduction).   He's now OFFICIAL!  

On Black Friday - he drove himself to the mall.  He said it was FANTASTIC not to go with a parent! ha ha!

EEK.  we were nervous!

During Thanksgiving break we did some other things too:  I took the kids + another Junior from our church to a college campus in a DESOLATE town called Clinton SC.  But the campus of Presbyterian College was just beautiful.  Isabella and I were not feeling well so we went back to the main building while the guys finished the tour.  

Both of them were interested in it as a possible school after graduation.  TOO MUCH "grown up" stuff going on with our oldest one.  Double EEK!  (Images pulled from PC's website's Virtual Tour)  Isabella was interested in this place too, although, she liked Oglethorpe better. 

During the annual drinking of bloody mary's at the top of the street while the Goggle Jog was going on... one of our neighbors recommended Georgia College in Milledgeville.  I guess we'll need to check that one out on another break!

(Here's a photo of all of the runners as they turn the corner to go down Pine Street & down by the community garden.)

Usually, Mercer and I are the only ones to go to the top of the street, but this year all 4 of us went up!

Todd said we should put up a sign here and make tee shirts that say the "Unofficial Gobble Job 4k This Way" -- as several of the runners take a short cut down our part of the street to cut off the Pine Street leg of the race!  ha!   

And a photo of a gorgeous tree in one of our neighbor's yards that always makes me very happy to see in the fall. 

Apparently this is a spectacular specimen of a Ginko tree -- one of the best in Georgia according to a Treekeeper guide who had a walking tour on our street a number of years ago.

Other (not so fun) things that happened in November:  

I rehabbed a piece of furniture at the beginning of break in preparation for a laundry room reno project.  (Isabella is burning leaves -- she did this for 2 days straight!)

And - she watched as a hawk ate his Thanksgiving dinner in our neighbor's yard (a squirrel that must've gotten hit by a car).  She was mesmerized by both the smoke and the entrails!  :) 

Todd cooked most of Thanksgiving day while I helped a little in between finishing the painting of the piece of furniture.  

Thankfully, mom had an invitation to the table with Uncle Eddie and Rhonda up in North Carolina.  Dad & Charlie hosted dinner down in Florida with lots of grandkids and even some great grand kids.  And - Rose Marie made it out of the hospital in time to dine at Tonia's in New Jersey... where she had a small gathering at her house this year.

Todd smoked a turkey & made a great pie. He and even saved a little turkey out to top off the dog's normal dinner.  They were happy!!

This unusual bowl is designed to slow down our voracious eating dog who may have been food deprived.  She has to work her way through all of the channels to get the last morsels of food.

Saffy has been such a sweet & fun addition to our family  - she is SO HAPPY and SO SNUGGLY.  She loves Todd immensely -a little rough) sits and snuggles with him the most.  But both kids love her intently.  Hip-Hop has been playing (sounds of growling and nipping occur, but, both of their tails are wagging).  

This is what we wanted - him to have a playmate.  But the kids smile so much with Saffy... they both say she's quickly become a loved member of our family!

Notice all of the different outfits she's wearing.  (Mercer says if dad (Todd) wanted to dress something up, we could have just gotten him a doll!)   --  and this was one of Isabella's gifts -- matching PJs!

~~~~~

So - Thanksgiving has come and gone. The transition to Christmas has begun.  Not really here in our house (we can't decorate 'til the laundry room reno is done and the piece of furniture in our living room that is sitting where the tree goes -- is moved down)

But just before break, my students and I made ornaments to decorate a tree up on the Marietta Square.  

We went as a family to put them on the tree and represent AIAS (American Institute of Architecture Students) for the high school.  (a tree is decorated by Marietta City Schools each year and our after school club was drawn out of a hat to represent MHS) 

That was a unique experience!  We'll likely never have the opportunity to be a part of the Festival of Trees on the square again!

I'm sure the next blog post will be Christmas related!