Where, Oh Where, Do I Start?

Wow…six months can bring a world of changes, hmm? 

I went into 2020 planning to return to the blogging world on a regularly schedule, only to have to stop.  THAT is another topic all together and one I probably will not be discussing but, alas…it has passed, and I can move clearly into my life…MY LIFE…beautiful words.

It almost seems as if so much has happened I should use bullet points!  I am not even sure where to start... 2020 began quietly with nothing special on the horizon, or so it seemed.

Then Covid-19 arrived.  Nope…I did not see that one coming!    

  
All the while Covid-19 was rattling the world, my dear, sweet baby boy was entering his last semester of high school and this crazy pandemic turned his world upside down. Right in the middle of what is usually some of the most fun and memorable moments of your high school career, he was literally and figuratively “grounded”… but not by me!  He and his friends were troopers, though, and social distanced and wore/wear masks and they made the best of not seeing each other for weeks on end.  

His college orientation weekend was canceled and rescheduled to be an online experience.  He didn’t get a last day of school, yearbook signing, goofy senior pranks, Awards Day or prom…but he did get graduation!  As May came into view our school made the decision to schedule graduation and it turned out different, but beautiful, and very special.  Though we celebrated with a limited amount of family and friends, it was still so nice to have something sort of normal!

When Covid-19 began making waves, I was working in a job I  liked, in an industry (Hospice) that I admire, and think is very important.  I must admit, working in the medical field, even outside of direct patient care, was quite unsettling as Covid-19 rolled in and shook everyone up.  Outside of my view God was at work in my world and He, out of the blue, presented me with a career that I had always wanted, working with a fabulous team of dedicated professionals and the opportunity to give back directly to MY community in a way that I had missed with my previous position in which I was traveling all the time.  It was a gift I never saw coming and I was excited  to be back “in town” and not being on the road so much!

 

So...I guess this is bullet point 1!  I will be back with bullet point 2 of 2020 soon!

Surprise, Surprise....

and I can't wait!  

Congratulations Class of 2015!

I guess the time always sneaks up on you and it did when  my oldest son graduated from High School a couple of weeks ago.  Some how I have been bombarded with memories of him as a chubby baby and growing into the young man I am getting to know each day.  He has come through some rough patches and I am proud of where he seems to be heading now.  It is always bittersweet at one of these milestones because you are so happy for them and their accomplishments but you miss that baby that used to sleep in your arms. 

He and I have had a hard time working out what our new life looks like together but I think we have finally gotten a groove that works for both of us.  He has helped me and taken care of me in ways I know he never wanted to have to do, but he stepped up and did it.  He has a big heart, but tries to hide it but I still get glimpses from time to time.  He is going to be a good man, a real man.

 I was so proud to be with him at his special day and celebrate his accomplishments.

 I love him more than he will ever know and am so very proud of him.

I think one thing I will miss most is the trail of boys that seem to wander through my kitchen on their way upstairs to watch TV or play video games.  Having them in the house this past year has kept it from feeling so lonely and I know that God has something special in store for each of these friends and I hope life allows them to keep their bonds.

 

 I can assure you these boys kept things lively and I never knew what silly, craziness they would come up with but I wouldn't trade it for the world!

 





Starting Out Southern

Starting Out Southern

I am going to take a moment to do a little Mommy Bragging!  My sweet baby girl (well, not baby really but you know what I mean) has started a new blog to share what she is experiencing as a new college graduate, working her first job, decorating her first home, getting her first puppy and all the other fun firsts coming her way!  I hope you will pop over and see what a GREAT job she has done on her first apartment.  She is a talented DIYer and totally gets working on a budget!!!  Starting Out Southern

Leaving her...

I have gone silent again on this blog, which I have come to realize means one of two things: either I am crazy busy with life in general or I am feeling a bit emotionally raw.  The last couple of weeks I have had both of those covered in full.  Two weeks ago we loaded up a U haul to the gills and moved our daughter to the Atlanta area.  I should say back to the Atlanta area because it is where we lived before moving here right after she graduated high school.  She is now a college graduate and has started her first real job.  I am so proud of her and her choices and admire her courage in taking on the world.  She is working in a job she feels passionate about and seems custom made for her...as if her whole life has prepared her for such a time as this.  She has her own apartment which she has decorated and it looks like something out of a magazine (and did it all on a very tight budget!)  She is looking for a little fuzzy room-mate now to keep her company and things are good for her....really good.   

But leaving her there, even knowing she was safe and happy, was one of the very hardest things I have ever had to do.  When our move is complete, week after next, we will be 8 hours away from her and that kills me.  I know others have children scattered throughout the world and 8 hours seems like nothing so I probably shouldn't complain....but it was like leaving the best part of me when I drove away.  She and I are like 2 sides of the same coin and I feel just a bit lost without her.  

It was hard when we left her at college the first time but I knew she would be home in a week or two...but this time I don't know when I will see her next.  I know she is too far for me to hop in the car and meet her halfway for lunch, or make a hasty trip when something unexpected happens, or to share in the little things that happen day to day.  I know she is surrounded by people who care about her and will take good care of her if she needs anything....but I am not there...and it hurts.  I am not sure who it hurts more...me or her.  

Of course, we still talk for long periods of the day on the phone and text continually but knowing there are going to be 2 states between us just fills me with anxiety.  We still keep the cell lines popping with photos of things we see during the day and I am learning to reuse the United States Postal Service as well...but....

Georgia Southern University, Class of 2013

Just a short 13 days after getting engaged, my DD graduated from Georgia Southern University with her Bachelor of Science Degree with a major in Public Relations, Cum Laude!  To say it has been a busy few weeks would be an understatement!

I am so proud of this sweet girl and really overwhelmed that we are at this fork in the road.  She is really grown up now.  How did it go so fast?

Here is where my blog post is going to veer to "Mama Bragging" so be warned!  My sweet girl managed to get her degree in only 3 years, with honors, all the while being active in Phi Mu, other campus activities and working!  The schedule she keeps always amazes me and how she thrived at GSU was such a huge blessing.  I want to be her when I grow up!!!!

It has been so much fun being able to "extend" my sorority experience through her!

This week, we are busy getting ready to move her to Atlanta to start her 1st "big girl" job in June.  She is so excited about all the opportunities and memories that are to be made in the coming season and I couldn't be happier for her!

Class of 2010

We made it through graduation!  My baby girl is now officially out of high school.  It was an exhausting week leading up the official event.  On Friday, as I was gathering yet more supplies for the celebration, I had to ponder...if it is like this for graduation, what on earth will a wedding bring? 

So, in never ending fashion, we are off to her college for Orientation and Registration next week!

Oh and then the next week the big move happens!!!

I need a nap.

One one week away...

Only one week until my baby girl graduates High School.  It has been a couple of weeks of Mama Drama as we have had some wonderful celebrations and events to close out her Senior Year.  I am not a big crier, but this last couple of weeks finds me weepy more than I could have imagined!  We started the "Senior Moments" with the Senior Banquet held by our church.  It was one of those evenings where you realize exactly where you are in this season of endings and beginnings.  That was followed by a fun day when the parents snuck into the High School and decorated the Seniors lockers and filled them with fun gifts (see the photo at left!).  This past Sunday was Senior Recognition Day at our Church, where all the Seniors wore their respective caps and gowns.  It was so neat to see how many different high schools were represented!   Then we had a Senior Parent breakfast which was a time to presented our Seniors with some special, sentimental gifts and letters written to them by special people in their lives.  The next day (and last official day of school for Seniors) was Awards Day and that wrapped up with the Junior-Senior Reception.  Of course, the next week seems to have some event or party planned every day to keep things hopping. 

I feel so torn and it is truly a bitter sweet season of life.  I am so proud of DD and all she has accomplished and excited for her to see what the future holds... but in all honesty...I am sad for me!  She and I are so close, I can't imagine that my baby girls is ready to fly!  I know she is competent to fly...I just don't think I am ready.  Y'all think about me this week...

I graduated....in case you need proof!

So my back to school experience has officially ended and here's proof...teehee.....

and even more proof....
Since the degree is in Management, I wonder if I can manage to get my laundry caught up?