Dana Daily

Tonight was the annual band-o-rama in our school district. All three bands in the district are combined into one for an evening. Each school, elementary, middle, and high school play individually and then as a group. It's fun for the kids, and Emmy couldn't stop talking about how good the high school kids play. We reminded her that high school is only 2 more years away for her. Sal had work to do for his master's classes and Sarah didn't want to go (siblings!). I decided to leave Seth at home because he's had a cold and doesn't need to be out running around. It a fun night out for me though. I really enjoy jazz bands and both the middle and high schools have one. That's Emmy posing with her friend, Natalie, also a flute player in the upper left image.

Sal had a chance to get together with a couple friends who also served as groomsmen in our wedding. I believe this was the first time all three have been together since 2013. We had a fun night out, and a delicious meal at Theo Yianni's in Weiron, West Virginia. We took Seth's class mascot, Hawk, with us as well to document his adventures with us.

Not only did Sal have to report for jury duty this morning, he was picked. This trial could last up to two weeks, and he's still waiting to hear from the transplant coordinator when his testing is scheduled. He probably should have submitted a medical excuse to remove himself from the pool, but I think he actually wants to sit on a jury. We shall see. I told him he shouldn't have participated in the court hearing in Williamsburg over the summer. He jinxed himself. It just feels like there's a lot going on.

Sal completed all of the required testing for his eligibility for a kidney transplant just before Christmas. The nurse/coordinator presented his case to the transplant team, and there are two areas of concern that require further testing. There's an outpouching on carotid artery, although she said it's not aneurysm. They need to find out exactly what's going on with a CT scan. There's a nodule on a vessel in his lung. I believe that will require a chest x-ray. I've been one big ball of worry since all this started going down in October so I don't think it's possible to worry more . I don't know what any of these means. In the middle of all this, Sal received a summons for jury duty, and has to call tonight to see if he has to report tomorrow.

Seth has graduated from the preschool swim classes, and also skipped Level 1. Level 1 is for kids who are a little bit older, but have never taken a swim class. His session is now 50 minutes, instead of 25. He was starving afterwards, despite having had breakfast beforehand. We stopped off at Dunkin.

It is with great trepidation that I turned the calendar to 2020. It sounds like such a cool number, and it's been sort of mythical year for as long as I can remember. When I was a kid, by 2020 we were supposed to be flying around in self-driving cards turned airplanes. I usually like the idea of starting fresh, wondering what kinds of adventures we'll have, and what we'll do in the new year. However, I have no idea what 2020 will bring for us. We can't make long-term plans, pay off some debit, draw up a will, and take care of a few other things that are just hanging out there. There are so many unknowns. I picked up this new year pretzel yesterday, and when I took a look at it this morning, I mentioned to Emmy that I just hope 2020 isn't as messy as the icing is. Fingers crossed.

We had a wonderful Christmas. Emmy made her wishes known, and I think she received everything she asked for - lots of clothing. Sarah had wanted a wool coat earlier in the season, but with several jackets to her name already, it was impossible to justify as anything other than a Christmas gift. Seth's big gift was a bike, but he's been just as into all the other gifts he received - more train tracks, books, an umbrella. I got Sal a duffle bag he requested and a Browns golf shirt he can wear to school. I had asked for a Kindle Paperwhite (and I love it).