I’m blessed to have amazing grandparents in the lives of my kids and we just returned from a great family vacation. Three weeks of getting to do a lot of things we never would’ve experienced otherwise. The first vacation we’ve had in over 6 years. We were so passed due and getting to do it has been like a reset for my soul.
I got to unplug and actually relax. I got to reconnect with extended family, my kids, myself. Remember the kind of person I’ve always been inside but managed to lose. It was nice to step back from the always working, planning, stressing, and just simply play and enjoy the kids. I loved really sitting and observing how much my 14 year old now favors his father. He’s almost the same age as when we met and I wonder what he would think of him now if he hadn’t passed. He’s also turning into quite the golfer. I’m not looking forward to all the green’s fees I see in my future, but it’s nice to see him without his nose in a book or handheld device. Bean has no fear of water and will happily leap from the pool side whether anyone is there to catch him or not. We should harness his swimming enthusiasm somehow.
We love our country’s history and getting to be in Washington D.C. was an awesome first time experience for us. We’d love to go back and see more. It’s always incredible as a parent to see your kids wonder, explore and take everything in; to be able to share your knowledge and experience while learning along side them. We also got to see the 9-11 Memorial and New World Trade Center. It was extremely powerful to be there and going through the museum was like reliving that point in history. I doubt many leave without tears.
In addition to traveling and playing tourist with one set of grandparents we were able to spend a week with the in-laws. I can’t even begin to describe how healing it was to mend that branch of our family tree and remember how much they meant to us and see that one person’s failures do not imply a total familial dissection. In a lot of ways for that week I felt at home, like I belonged, like things had never changed. There were awkward moments making nice with estranged friends, knowing they think little of me, but pretending to be kind anyway. Reminded me that I have always been a forgiving person who tries to see the best in people, but somewhere along the way I’ve lost those pieces of me and it’s time to take it back.
Now we prepare to move and with our move there are lots of exciting changes for the shop. I will now have a beautiful new craft studio where all the magic will happen. The next few weeks of chaos and reorganization will be worth it. I have some exciting new ideas on the horizon and can’t wait to share our new plans with you. A fun 30 day challenge, a huge multi vendor scavenger hunt and more as a well rested mama gets back to work. Thank you all for your continued support! Without our fans and customers none of this would be possible.
