Just wow!

To quote my friend, "just wow!".  To say that the last 9 months have been wonky would be an understatement.  As things quiet down a bit, I look back and feel that I should document this adventure in some form or fashion…….so here goes.

Our life is always a bit hectic you could say.  However, the hectic has become our normal.  The last 9 months or so have been more than hectic, they have been magical, exciting and stressful all at the same time. 

9 months ago, my husband (we’ll get to that later) asked me to assist him in locating his birth mother.  He had already done some homework and just needed me to find the missing piece and reach out.  Reach out I did.  What an amazing phone call that was!  To give the gift of connecting with a child that a birth mother has given up for adoption is truly a life changing event.  From there the adventure began and relationships were beginning to form and more information was sought after.  A few weeks later, I located who we later confirmed with DNA testing, my husband’s sister on his biological father’s side!  Spoke with her and instantly felt a connection (and she is not my DNA).   

We would later travel to Maine (amazing area!) to meet her for the first time over New Years!  What a way to ring in the year. 

Shortly before that, I faced one of my worst fears and began tackling the extensive dental work I needed.  Dental anything has been my biggest fear most of my life therefore I did not deal with it the way I should have.  I won’t go into details but it’s a long road and I’m getting there.

During the dental extravaganza and the sister meeting, I was also working my internship for my Bachelor’s Degree with a hospice agency in the area.  LOVED my work with them.  Working full time, dealing with dental issues, setting up travel plans, completing schoolwork assignments as well as doing my work with the hospice agency, well, there was not much time for anything else. 

Wait, I forgot to tell you, I was also planning a bridal shower for my bonus daughter who was getting married in March.  I had a vision and worked hard along with the help of a few wonderful people to make that vision a reality.  The day was beautiful and I think the bride and groom enjoyed themselves too!

A few days after the bridal shower, we then took the kids back to Maine to meet their Aunt.  What a wonderful trip that was as well.  Beautiful scenery, fantastic company and overall an amazing trip! 

Let’s keep going – still interning, still completing homework assignments, still dealing with dental issues, still working full time, still helping the bride and groom with their wedding a bit, oh and being a mom to a teenage boy in addition to fostering relationships with newly found family members.  Life was crazy but wonderful! 

Now we are in March – wedding month!  We have birthdays galore in March as well as bachelorette party for the bride and the wedding!  Final dress fittings, shoe and accessory shopping, last minute details, all along with the above mentioned tasks.  March was a whirlwind and I wish I remembered more.  Pop in there the worst case of stomach flu something rather that I have ever had of course the day before the bachelorette party just added icing to the cake. 

Wedding day and I was elated to help my bonus daughter with her special day.  Our day started early and her and I arrived to start setting up for the bride’s bridal party to arrive for a day of hair, makeup, food and fun getting ready for her to say I Do.  We had a great group of people help make the reception hall magical for the bride and groom.  I was running around like a crazy person and so was the wedding coordinator and the photographer.  Advice to mothers of the bride – eat before the wedding and snack through the day because you will not get to eat or sit for a moment during the wedding!   LOL!  I would sit down and take a bite then someone would come grab me.  Take care of that issue and then boom someone else would need something.  The only thing I would make different about that is that I missed so much of the reception and did not get to talk to near the amount of people that I wanted to.  That being said, I wouldn’t trade being “that person” for my bonus daughter for anything in the world.  I had the chance to spend some time with her at the end of the night helping her change out of her gown and gather her belongings.  That time was just the two of us.  That’s how the day started and that’s how the day ended.  Beautiful moments and wonderful memories for me that I’m so grateful to have made with her.

Wedding over, now it’s time to ramp up intern hours because I’m almost done with my program.  So now I’m putting in 20 – 30 hours a week with the hospice agency, along with all of those other things I’m handling too.  Time is flying by so fast and I really don’t realize what I’m doing from day to day just getting things done.  May comes and I finish my degree!  On June 9^th it became official – I’m a college graduate!  I don’t get to wear the funny hat until August 12^th, however, that’s okay because it gives me time to bling it out! J 

June comes and now school is out for me as well as my son and my bonus son.  Interning is done, wedding is done, and things have gotten quiet.  Almost too quiet (knock on wood), yet I still can’t seem to find the time to sit on the porch or at a pool or the beach and just be for a minute.  Hopefully I get one day this summer…….time will tell. 

Oh, so the husband comment – yes my sweetie and I finally tied the knot.  After being together for 12 ½ years and living under one room for almost 11 of those years, we finally decided it was time for us to make it official.  We continued our tradition of being untraditional and asked my bonus daughter to get ordained so she could marry us and she said yes!  Very low key, just us and our kids and our son-in-law at a beautiful park on a Friday evening.  Exchanging of rings, saying “I do” and snapping a few photos to mark the day – that was it.  This is how we wanted it and that’s how we did it.  Now, we are officially husband and wife and I have to tell you, it feels really good. 

One of the topics I spoke often about on my blog (which I had to blow the virtual dust off of because it’s been so long since I’ve written) is my weight loss journey.  I have to say that I am truly disappointed in myself, however, part of the reason that I am writing this post today is because today I am determined to find my mojo again!  I had lost over 50 pounds and kept it off for a while.  However, dental surgery combined with an insanely crazy schedule the last few months has not been kind to my waistline.  Today I start tracking again, start getting off my duff again, start posting on here and social media to hold myself accountable.  I know all of those things worked in the past.  The one thing that is different this time vs. last time is my motivation.  I’m not sure where it went (if anyone sees it can they let me know? Thanks!) But I’m hoping and will work hard at finding it again.  I don’t like the way I feel, I don’t like the way I look or how my clothing fits.  So today is day 1 again.  I need to get back on the wagon, make good choices about what I put in my body as well as what I do with my body.  I want to at least get back down to where I was and maybe even further.  Today is the day!

Looking back at the last 9 months or so, it really is hard to believe that all of these events took place successfully!  Just in the last half of those 9 months, we married off my bonus daughter and gained a fantastic son-in-law, I graduated from college and completed my internship and I got married.  Just wow!  So many new pieces to my journey……..