Orelove Family Blog: 2023

Sunday, November 12, 2023

Falling Into Stillness

And here we are back on the page....a beautiful fall morning greets us and daylight savings "gives" us an extra hour to enjoy. Family is visiting from Indiana and a flurry of activity surrounds and is omnipresent. Laughter, chatter, yells, scampering footsteps...sounds of merriment and togetherness.

It has been a while, and more people have left this realm of life and have moved on to whatever is after this mortal coil. Grandpa Ted passed in August from a few complications, all stemming from stomach cancer. Eden and I were fortunate enough to be able to fly and get to him in time to say goodbye and spend a few final hours together. He will be missed terribly by his entire family and many friends...words still cannot really do much justice when attempting to capture Ted and all that he means to us. I will do my best moving forward to share more stories and memories of Ted.

My father, Joel, passed shortly after in early September. While it was not completely a surprise, with his failing health, it still was devastating. We rushed to have his body buried in Juneau, and I am thankful to my family, especially my wife, my sister, and my Uncle Fred. They were all instrumental over the years for the care and management of my father over the last several years.

And now we find ourselves in this new territory of life...unsupervised by my parents and elders. It is quiet here, with glassy waters. There are no obvious directions in which to head, and only the whispers of voices past to bring me guidance at this point. Life is finite but at least I know this and appreciate it, and will always have this in the back of my mind, pushing me to do more with whatever time is given. While this isn't an awakening on par with It's a Beautiful Life, I am reminded daily now just how little time we actually have to be here with our family and friends on this Earth....on this level of consciousness with one another.

So I relish in the simple things. The hot cups of coffee on a quiet Sunday morning. The little hugs and giggles with my children. The dog walks and the laughter around the dinner table. Here are some pictures from this past period of time that will hopefully serve as a reminder of how lucky we truly are to be a family and share this time.

Luna gives zero personal space.

A visit from Davey last week!

Birthday cousins

Sam waiting to hand out candy on a blustery Halloween

Audrey not happy with how close we are sitting for her evening concert.

Audrey and her section at final band performance and celebration

Sam with a pumpkin on his head!

Family birthday celebration in Indiana.

Dad and Sam being silly at Audrey's band competition.

Sam and Dad finish building Elsa's Frozen Lego Castle over a 5 day period!

Sam and the Band Tiger.

In Juneau for Zayde's funeral.

Rainbows in Juneau!

At Audrey's Band competition!

Cousin Jonathan visited (and Pam) for a day, and it was wonderful. I now own a gorilla suit!

Audrey at the fall dance.

Violet the dinosaur rider!

Ted and Lisa.

Louis and Jake in Juneau walking the Flumme after Joel's funeral.

Monday, August 7, 2023

End of Summer

I woke up this morning with the feeling that summer is over. Last night we had some intense winds and storms and it all felt like the crescendo to our summer. While there is still a little time remaining until school begins again, my time and thoughts will be dedicated to preparing for it all, rather than forgetting about it.

The last week has been in the mid-to-high 90's, with temperatures "feeling" like 110 degrees. This time has been spent almost completely indoors with lots and lots and LOTS of screen time and naps and ultra-low attempts at anything other than resting. It has been nice but also sad that we lost a week in July to do much.

Now, however, on this Saturday morn, it is raining and the birds outside my window are enjoying the bugs and a refreshing shower. The coffee is hot and the dogs are resting near the open window, enjoying some cool(er) air and fresh scents. Summer is over, and while we are still "on break", there is a sense of impending business that fast approaches. School supplies and lesson plans await our attention instead of books, movies, and playtime. Responsibilities are popping up in the back of my mind where once it was calm.

For now, though, I am enjoying one of the final weekend mornings free, listening to the rain fall. It reminds me of growing up in Juneau. It is not a hard rain, but a gentle one that is constant. A typical day, really, in Juneau.

--Monday continue--

So now I pack my computer bag and prepare for my first trip out to school for a few hours, hoping to get some semblance of an idea of what my classroom should look like. It is exciting and bittersweet at the same time to truly accept that summer is over. Sigh.

-a

Tuesday, July 18, 2023

July Anchorage Adventure

This past winter, I made plans for a summer adventure in Anchorage. I returned home this morning from five days in Anchorage visiting my childhood friend, Louis, and his wife and daughter.