Sometimes, not as often as I’d like anymore, I reach the end
of my day with my task list completed by the time the kids go to bed. This used
to be something that I was proud to say happened every night. The thought of my
house being unkempt, my kids looking messy and chores left undone made me
anxious. Well now life has changed these last few months and I have embraced
that my house often looks “lived in” as I like to call it and Lacy’s hair
frequently finds itself in a ponytail due to me not wanting a fight to brush
it. I think this is normal now, but then again what do I know about normal. Normal
to me is Devon being gone all except an hour a night for dinner, staying up
until midnight to clean and prepare for the next day and being in a constant
state of zombie like tiredness. Is that normal? I hope it isn’t the normal I will
be embracing for the rest of my life, but maybe for the next few years, but
what do I know?
Anyways, these last 2 weeks I have really come to appreciate
what has become my family’s “normal”. The kids and I planned a long trip to
Washington for my cousin’s wedding and to spend time with family while Devon
prepared for his second medical school exam. The first was crazy, probably
90-100 hours of intense study time in one week that left the kids and I both
wanting to see more of him, so I resolved it with a trip to Washington. I knew
it would be hard, but in the back of my mind I guess I thought it would be a
break. This break came with 2 kids catching a cold from the airplane, an
intense climate adjustment for the “first fall storm” in Western Washington and
one moody toddler. After the first week and a rough transition for Lacy we were
able to get out. It was nice and filled with family and friends, probably one
of the busiest weeks as a parent in all the traveling we did, but it was
wonderful. My child transitioned well, we were able to visit friends and family
and I was able to attend a wedding. I love weddings. Well, during these two
weeks I was given 3 breaks from my children, this is more than I have had in
months. One for 3 hours to go shopping, and spend time with one of my best
friends, one for an hour to grocery shop for my parents and one for an entire
afternoon and evening for my cousins wedding. It was a welcomed break, but
during the moments when I was alone I found myself missing something. I missed
my kids a little, which is crazy when I think of how often I am with them but
what I really missed was being a family. My sweet, sweet husband that I never
see was absent. I realized how much I had taken for granted before I left
Vegas. I only see my husband a few hours Monday-Saturday, but so what? I have
him available anytime I want to talk to him, bring him lunch, or if I needed
him. Shoot, I get all day each Sunday with him! We get ready, we make
breakfasts, he plays with the kids and even lets me take a nap if I want one!
How incredibly lucky I am to stay up late to make his lunch, so that he doesn’t
need to take the time away from his studies so he can do better to provide for
our family in the future?! Ah, life is sweet. I have learned to treasure the
moments I have with my little family together because I never know what will
happen next or when we’ll be apart again. I am blessed and my family is blessed.
I love our normal, I love being here every day to experience it. I love my
house clean, but I love that my kids are able to make messes too. I love that
normal is me being completely exhausted by giving everything I have to my family,
and yet, somehow our Father in Heaven loves me and guides me through it. And
even more than that I’m sometimes led to accomplish everything and given
moments like these, to sit, relax, and have my eyes opened to the blessings I
have been given.
