Author: Allison Condry

I returned to work Monday from a mini Sabbatical which was much needed this year. I had one planned for the spring which got cancelled and I think this one changed about 3 times by the time it rolled around! There hasn’t been much activity this year, so it was good to get away and do something new!

I was able to spend a week in Oregon (and a bit in Idaho and Washington) with my parents and my Aunt Betty. They had already been there a week when they picked me up in Portland. Our main itinerary was heavy on the outdoors/nature, so COVID-19 wasn’t as much of an issue as the fires in the few weeks leading up to the trip. They witnessed smoking trees a couple of times, but by the time I was there, we didn’t have any issues. We were obviously grateful for that for our trip, but more so for those who live there and were greatly impacted by the fires. There was one hotel that was pretty busy because a lot of people were there who were unable to be in their houses due to the fires. Even though the fires have died down, there are still families hurting and rebuilding their lives that could use your prayers!

We traveled down the coast a bit, to the highest peak in the OR coast range, over to and up the Willamette Valley, and east along the Columbia River. We pretty much ended our trip with a jet boat tour through Hell’s Canyon, North America’s deepest river gorge, which runs between Idaho and Oregon/Washington. God makes some awesome stuff!!! It was refreshing to get out and see and do things especially in a part of the US I haven’t seen much of.

When I returned, I did Meals on Wheels. My dad knows all the streets in Abilene, so I was grateful for his assistance! He helped all but Friday when he does his normal route, so my mom helped that day. We had an easy route where most of the stops were in the same apartment complex, so I didn’t have to know too many streets! Back in January, when I submitted my sabbatical form, things were a bit different and I had planned on assisting with the Alzheimer walk as well. It was virtual this year, so I did my walk at the airport! Because of the shirt, I was able to have a little chat with a lady who does the walk every year in her city too.

I checked with AYSA to see if they needed my assistance while I was off. They didn’t, but I was able to go over there after Meals on Wheels and play games during their lunch break 4 days. I enjoyed having them housed at FD while their building was being built and have missed seeing their faces around the office. Aaron, Michelle, and I would play board games at lunch about once a week while they worked here, so it was good for the soul to get to do that again!

On Tuesday, I got my teeth cleaned and because I had to reschedule since my trip changed dates, I didn’t have my normal dental hygienist. This lady had the same name of my friend who use to be a dental hygienist, so I texted my friend. Turns out, she has covid! I was able to go to the store and then drop off groceries for her and then for her mom because she’s in quarantine. One of those things you can definitely see God’s hand in since I wouldn’t have texted her before my trip to HEB except for them having the same name. I also worked in a blood donation to the Hendrick blood center. They’re in desperate need right now and would love your blood! If you gave when the blood mobile was last at FD, it’s time to give again!

During my time off, I also read “The Road Back to You (an Enneagram Journey to Self-Discovery)” by Ian Cron and Suzanne Stabile. I’d become interested in the enneagram after hearing Ian Cron speak at a Leadercast event. This book helps you realize your core motivations and how to grow to live out your best life. As stated in the book, “It’s full of wisdom for people who want to get out of their own way and become who they were created to be.” What I like about the enneagram is that it’s not about putting yourself and others in a box and saying, “This is who I am and I can’t change, so deal with it.” They encourage you to see your strengths and weaknesses and grow in that spiritually to better assist yourself on life’s journey and in connection with and to have compassion for others. Even if you’ve never heard of the enneagram, I’d recommend this book. It gives a brief intro of the enneagram (which you should definitely read even if you’ve heard of the enneagram) and then goes through each of the 9 types. Even though you’re only 1 type, reading about the others gives insight into how to better interact with others not like you. When I returned to the office, I was discussing the book with Ryan Carlson and he gave me some other enneagram resources that I’m excited to look into!

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More photos of God’s amazing creations!

    Checked off another state visited and another state capitol visited!

The color of these berries is still blowing my mind! I’d never seen anything like it!

Multnomah Falls – the tallest waterfall in OR.

These grapes and the lavender smelled soooo good!

At the end of the Oregon trail one day and walking in the wagon wheel grooves on a different part a few days later!

Hell’s Canyon

Throughout the trip, we picked apples, prunes (Italian Prunes are a variety of plum often dried to make prunes), blackberries, grapes, and figs. I found the ripest fig I could find which wasn’t very ripe and tasted like grass, but I really wanted to be able to eat a fig right off the tree! 🙂

I just spent the last two weeks on a mini sabbatical and it was quite refreshing. I got to spend time in Michigan with my parents and Aunt Betty enjoying the cool weather, fall colors and God’s awesome natural wonders. Two of the four National Lakeshores are in Michigan and we got to visit both as well as seeing 3 of the 5 great lakes! My dad and I did a half marathon and my aunt did the bridge run in Sault Ste Marie. We ran across The International Bridge from Michigan to Canada at sunrise and it was beyond gorgeous! We also went across the Mackinac Bridge which is interesting because it’s the only way to drive between the upper peninsula and the mitten and stay in Michigan. When I returned to Texas, besides sweating, I delivered Meals on Wheels and helped at AYSA. MoW was shorthanded so it was a great week for me to be available. I met a lady and had an extended conversation with her on my last stop of my last day. Be praying for her as she’s staying in a hotel until her house has been cleaned of mold. She’s having a hard time since she’s been in that house 20 years and it’s what she and her blind dog, Rascal, know and love. Originally, I was scheduled to help Pregnancy Resources, but they didn’t need me. They were super grateful for my willingness and persistence to help, though! Because I wasn’t needed there, I was able to help Michelle and Aaron at AYSA. I helped organized shoes in their instant replay used sports “store” and then we made it a fun adventure to clean out, organize, and condense their attic. I’d show you progress, but we took pictures on a one-time-use camera we found in the attic. It “expired” in 2010, but hopefully we’ll get some photos of the memories we made. Thank you FD for an extended time to spend with family and help the community.

I started off my mini sabbatical minutes after leaving work on Friday by volunteering in the kitchen for “Night to Shine” – a Prom for people with special needs. I helped unload tons of food donated by Abilene restaurants which was amazing to see. Through the evening, I replenished food for the guests and watched them dance the night away. I also got my workout in by checking on the food upstairs in the respite room. Not only does Night to Shine love on the guests, but also their caregivers by providing a room with live music, massages, and food.

On Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday I delivered Meals on Wheels and volunteered at Pregnancy Resources of Abilene. I was able to pray for the babies and families while doing some organization (love it!) and numbering their “Life in Bloom” tickets. They also gave me a super random job that no one had time to sit down and do, but needed to be done. There were 9 trash bags full of stuffed animals wrapped in Christmas paper that had been donated, but needed unwrapping. It was a fun job and I was more than happy to take care of that for them! I ended up filing 2 bags with the unwrapped plushies.

I then headed to Peoria, IL with my parents where I got to meet my 3 month old nephew, Locke, and celebrate my niece’s 3rd birthday.

Wren chose to have a princess party which was most fitting since she loves pink and only wants to wear dresses! We got in early enough on Friday evening to help with cleaning and decorating and on Saturday I made cupcakes and assisted my brother in the kitchen. Wren insisted we each wear a “neck-a-lace” while party prepping.

The party was a success and while Wren napped off her sugar high, I made Brian build a snowman with me!

It had snowed all during the party and since we don’t see real snow in Abilene, I also made my dad build one with me!

On Sunday, we participated in a children’s Symphony event where Wren got to try her hand at the upright bass. We might even end up on Peoria public television!

On Monday evening, we were able to bless Brian and Sarah with free babysitting so they could go out. It was good to see family and to soak in all the kiddo snuggles since it’s rare to see them with the 1,000 miles between us. I’m very grateful for the time during the mini sabbatical to be able to visit!

On our way back, we stopped to see some sights including the Illinois and Arkansas state capitols (we tallied them up and determined I’ve seen 18 of the 50) and Lincoln’s tomb. We also stopped for a visit with my grandmother which was my first time to see her since she moved to a dementia care facility. She seems to have adjusted well and we discussed her many traveling adventures from when she was younger.

Funeral related fun facts I learned on this trip:
Lincoln had multiple funerals on his way from DC to Springfield and was finally buried 20 days after he died.

The card game, Uno, was invented by a barber and sold to a funeral parlor owner who mass distributed it.

I can’t believe I’ve already been back to work for a week!

I apologize for my lack of blogs, but I’m living in the dark ages and don’t have internet at home. It felt like my sabbatical zoomed by and was only 10 days instead of 30! Once I got back to work, I could tell I’d been gone for 30 days though- ha! Thankful for my coworkers pitching in, or I wouldn’t have made it through this first week back.

To recap, I spent my first week helping where needed at the Alzheimer Association. There were an array of tasks I helped with in preparation for “The Walk to End Alzheimer’s” fundraiser. My favorites were chalking sidewalks, baking cupcakes, and counting money! I’ve since heard that the bake sale alone raised $540 for the fight against Alzheimer’s with the total so far raised for “The Walk to End Alzheimer’s” in Abilene being $103,035.50! The next 2 weeks of my sabbatical were spent traveling the Seattle area with my parents. It’s been a long time since I’ve been with my parents for 2 weeks straight, but we had an incredibly blessed trip. The weather was gorgeous, public transportation was easily navigated, sights were seen, memories made, and attitudes stayed positive! My last week of sabbatical was spend recovering from vacation and taking care of little things around the house. It was good to get back to the gym and even though I’d walked all day every day for 2 weeks with a half marathon thrown in there, my legs could tell I’d missed a few weeks of Body Pump!

I also read a couple of books which I’ll get to in another blog post. I’m not good at summarizing what I learned, so I’ll work on that this weekend. Hopefully, I can give y’all the highlights and not retype the entire book 😉

Blessed? YOU BET! Everyone says it, but it’s true- what an amazing gift 30 days is!

I was beyond blessed to spend 2 weeks on an amazing vacation with my parents in the Seattle area. My dad is a planner (I come by it honestly!) and loves maps, so he had each day organized by area town. He also had all our public transpiration worked out which allowed us to spend as much time possible enjoying the sites and and not spending all our time getting there. The Chihuly museum was one of my favorite things we did in the city. He’s from Tacoma, WA which we were also able to visit. They have a public bridge there with some of his glass sculptures, so that was an added bonus!

After traipsing the city for 4 days my feet and legs were worn out! I was a little worried how I’d do with my 1/2 marathon after all the hill climbing we’d been doing. I never knew streets could be so steep! Thankfully, I had picked the flat (compared to the rest of Seattle and NOT Abilene, TX) Orca Half Marathon. It was about 5 min over my PR. However, it was 2hr 29min which made it under 2 1/2, so I was pleased with my results. I did not see an Orca, but it was by far the most beautiful run I’ve ever done! And later in the week I got to “ride” an Orca….

We spent some time enjoying God’s beautiful creations which was a nice change of pace from the hustle and bustle of the city. We visited Mt Rainer (a volcano!) and even though it was overcast and we couldn’t see the top, it was a beautiful day full of waterfalls and even a bit of snow. We enjoyed some coffee by a fire at a lodge in Paradise, WA while looking out the window at snow on the ground in September- that’s a memory to treasure! We spent a couple of days at Olympic National Park from mountains to the rain forest to the beach! Such variety and ample opportunity to see God’s creativity and to take a moment to rest in the quiet of nature. Even the roar of the ocean is a quiet compared to the hurry and buzz of every day life.

We made our way to Canada via ferry where we ran into friends from church! And while in Canada we met some people from Texas that knew a friend of my parents! Small world. Another highlight of the trip was having High Tea in a garden in Victoria, BC!

To end the trip, we got to go to church with Anna Robbins! We had lunch, saw her stunning view, toured her home town and learned about native plants! We also got to see Jyl Lopez on our drive back to Abilene after flying into DFW. It was wonderful to hug their necks and fun to see 2 remote offices 🙂

This was an all around amazing trip. I feel so blessed by FD for the time off and my parents for the memories. And best off all, I’ve had time to recover from vacation before returning to work. This period since the trip has definitely been a time of rest and it’s been incredible!

6 days in!

Here’s a quick recap by the numbers:

91 : approximately how many cupcakes I baked (for an Alz bake sale and a dinosaur birthday party) AND the age of the line dance instructor at the Rose Park Senior Center where I joined my mom for a few exercise classes. I want to be as spry as him when I’m that old!

                                                                        20 : the number of pieces of chalk we used! I enjoyed my week helping the Alzheimer’s Association in preparation for the walk which included decorating the path with sidewalk chalk!

95,000+ : dollars raised for The Walk to End Alzheimer’s!!! The goal was $93,000!

0 : the number of to do lists made. Ha that’s not true….

4 : how many power naps I’ve enjoyed. One of which happened while holding an almost full mug of coffee! I’ll work on longer naps during the rest of my sabbatical 🙂

5 : the number of friends/family I don’t get to see often that I got to love on with my extra time off!

2 : the dementia care facilities visited. My parents and I were able to visit a couple of care facilities as options for my almost 98 year old grandmother. She’s still living in the house my dad grew up in! It’ll be a hard transition, but one place seemed like a great option with lots of activities for her.

15 : the number of days I’ll be in Washington (Seattle area) and Canada adventuring with my parents! Starting Tuesday 9/19.

I’ll leave you with this quote from a book I just finished.
“I chose to. I can leave myself to rot in the past, spend my time hating people for what happened, like my father did, or I can forgive and forget.”
“But that’s not easy.”
“Oh, but my treasure, it is so much less exhausting. You only have to forgive once. To resent, you have to do it all day, every day. You have to keep remembering all the bad things. I would have to make a list, a very, very long list and make sure I hated the people on it the right amount. That I did a very proper job of hating, too: very Teutonic! No, we always have a choice. All of us.”

It’s all about God’s timing!

This week was not my original plan for sabbatical, but God had different plans. I wanted to do it in June and was going to do meals on wheels and help in the office at the Alzhimers Association. However, Alzhimers didn’t need me and I ended up having to move it up to May.

God knew what He was doing!

I ended up helping at Pregnancy Resources after MOW every day. Not only did I get to use my copy machine and hole punch skills, but I truly got to be a blessing because God placed me there THIS WEEK. They were short on volunteers THIS WEEK due to vacations and graduations and an employee was out a few days unexpectedly. I got to use a little bit of design knowledge and wowed them with a layout in Word. It was nothing to me, but a huge blessing for them that I “just happened” to be there to create these encouragement cards. Cards they needed THIS WEEK! To me, this is big- I got to use my love of baking, of all things, to bless PRA. One of their employees is heading overseas to do mission work and her last day was THIS WEEK. You can’t have a going away party without cupcakes. One lady said, “People want to know how to bless us and I always say, ‘money first and food second!'”

God has an interesting way of orchestrating our talents and passions to further His kingdom. Yes, even through baked goods!