The last day of NoJoMo 2020

It's November 30th already and this is my third entry of November. That's a little disappointing, but it's fine.

As we head in to December, I think it's worth reflecting on this year.

We adopted three children from foster care this year. Our foster care journey started in April of 2019 when the first children arrived. It has been a very enlightening experience and also very draining. I definitely didn't expect anything that 2020 would bring. The pandemic resulted in me working from home (which I like) and also all the kids doing online school at home (which I like less). Overall though, the online schooling has worked out well since I have been able to correct certain behaviors that I may never have seen.

We went to Disney in August. We wore masks the whole time. Some people may say that it was a bad idea, but I will say it was worth it. I don't think you can coop yourself up and stay emotionally healthy. These kids needed a vacation. And frankly, so did Michelle and I.

The house has progressed. There is a garage now, and an asphalt driveway, electricity all over the place, renovated bedrooms. I feel like we've made a lot of progress. The yard looks entirely different now than it did at the beginning of the year. Looking back, it's crazy how much progress we've made. Sometimes in the moment it feels like we're at a standstill.

As this year ends, we will be half way through our financial goal of paying off the house. That is - half way through from a timeline perspective with a third of the house actually paid off. Over the next two years (2021 and 2022) we will pay off the other two thirds. This is a hefty goal, but so far we have stuck to it. Sometimes paying the house off at an accelerated rate makes us feel poor, but I like to remind myself that when the house is paid off we will feel rich.

Another great part of 2020 is BloopDiary's revival. It isn't where I want it to be, but it is going in the right direction. Having Mark and Beth assist with the duties of running this site has been of great value, and it's nice to see community engagement again.

This is probably one of my first 'real' entries in a long time. It feels good to jot things down. I'd like to post an entry next month of pictures from 2020, since we have so many.