A Brief Update On My Absence And The Crazy In My Life
Hey guys! It has been a hot minute since I published anything on here, and while I feel terrible for it, life has simply gotten in the way the last couple of weeks. Honestly, 2019 seems to have delivered a swift kick in the ass to me and mine and some of its blows have left me reeling.
While it has been crazy, I feel that the events that have occurred have helped me grow in ways I didn’t realize I needed to. I have been forced to slow down and smell the roses, even when I really didn’t see the point. And you know what? It really has been for the better that my business was put on pause for a few minutes during this time.
Therefore, for those of you who so closely follow my blogging journey (as well as those of you who stumbled onto this page by accident and have not figured out how to get the heck outta here) I have put together this brief(ish) recap of my last couple weeks.
I will warn you, it sounds a bit like an episode of Days of Our Lives. Even I am still trying to process it all, but here goes.
Following my ectopic pregnancy nightmare, the hubs and I elected to move our Disney Vacation up a few weeks when the other family we were originally going with wound up not being able to go. Therefore, on May 23rd we jumped in the mini-van and set off for the Sunshine State.
After a small stay in Destin (where the beaches are AMAZING), we set off on the 25th for Orlando. We arrived in our condo, settled in, and prepared for the week ahead. On the 26th however, we received the call that a loved one had suffered a stroke. Over the next few days, it became apparent that this event was not one that would be recovered from, and plans were made for my husband to fly out of Orlando to Houston, TX to be with loved ones.
Thus, on May 31st, my babies and I loaded up in the minivan and hit the open road bound for Texas. Over the following sixteen hours, my kids saw 5 states, over 900 miles, and more of Interstate 10 than I care to admit. We crossed bayous, took an underwater tunnel, and drove over a bridge I will never find myself on again if I can help it.
There was an abundance of coffee, enough snacks to feed an army, and more “Are we there yet?”’s then I can count.
Yet, my kids freaking ROCKED it.
We arrived at our destination around 9:45 pm that evening and to say exhaustion had set in would be an understatement. My little family was all together again, and while it was still 1,000 miles from home and we were in the middle of immense grief, it was bliss.
On June 1st, we lost an amazing individual. A person who has helped to mold my husband into the man that he is today. A soul who would give you the shirt off his back, even though you didn’t ask.
The world slowed down that day. It was not the way I had envisioned our vacation ending; however, it quickly became apparent that this man had one more point to make.
My family needed a chance to breathe. A time to reflect upon the support we have by those loved ones who surround us, even from hundreds of miles away. The point was made and received that even though the world is dead set on being balls to the wall 100% of the time, life still has the ability to be simple. All we needed to do was stop for a minute.
I can hear him now. “Just breathe baby. It will all be ok, just rub a little dirt in it.”
Point taken Danny, God knows I am going to miss you.
In the midst of grieving and making arrangements, my family received more news we were unprepared for. A loved one back in Indiana was ill and had been taken to the hospital. The outlook was less than great and left me in a crazy place. I wanted to be home and supporting my family, but I needed to be supporting my husband too.
This adulting thing really is rough sometimes.
By the end of the week, my family was worn and tired. We were (and are) so very thankful for the family and friends who poured out support during this time in the form of kind words, food, entertaining my kids, financial help, and so much more. But honestly, we were ready to be back in the Hoosier state.
Thus, we set off on the next 900+ mile journey home.
Three tired kids, an overly full van, some Texas dirt, Florida sand, sunburns, and so many more memories than we could have imagined, and our vacation was finally coming to an end.
We arrived home June 9th and headed straight to be with family. I was able to visit my grandmother who was feeling MUCH better, and finally talked to my mom face to face (It is funny how your mom can take all the crazy away, right?)
And now, well now, we are FINALLY finding our normal again.
It has been a crazy couple of weeks, to say the least. While I again apologize for the lack of posts, I can assure you that 2019 is DONE kicking my butt. You will be seeing more of me in the months remaining, and it is going to be fantastic.
Talk to you all soon,
Chelsea
