Happening Lately.

Can I have a moment for a heart dump?

The past few weeks have been a bit of a blur.

Stevie and I spent so much time gearing up for our trip to London - packing, planning, and preparing to leave Everett for the 5-day trip. It was an emotional process, especially for me, and I spent the drive to the airport bawling. Not like one cute tear. Like, questioning my life choices - "Why didn't we bring him? What if he feels abandoned foreverrrrr?!!! The ocean will be between us!!!!" That kind of thing. As it turns out, he did marvelous during our time away. He didn't just survive - he did wonderfully! It was such a relief to get the video texts from my sister, mother-in-law, and sis-in-laws, because those videos don't lie. He was really happy and I could tell he felt safe and comfortable around so many loved ones. I prepared a pretty mega itinerary for him for this particular trip, with a full-on meal plan and play dates, and I think having a set schedule and activities with lots of cousins and family made the difference for him. So thankfully, I was able to relax more on our trip when I knew that he wasn't in the fetal position howling for us.

And London! It was so so fun! I still have countless photos that I am going through and editing to share, which will continue on for the next few weeks. It was honestly just what Stevie and I needed, so as hard as it was to leave Everett, I feel more convinced than ever that it was the right choice for us. We needed that time away together to adventure just the two of us, because it helped us relax and really talk about things that have gone unspoken for a while. I just love that man and I am so thankful for who he is.

When we got home from London, Stevie found out about a work opportunity that would bring him up to New York for a month. This was something that had been on the horizon for a long time, so in the back of ours minds we kind of knew it was a possibility, but we didn't realize the turnaround would be so quick. I mean, we made the turnaround quick, because there are some commitments in September that we need to be present for. So we just decided, let's load up a car full of toys and books and oh yeah, clothes, and do this thing. We were home a total of 4 days between London and New York.

So here I am, in a furnished rental in White Plains, listening to the Metro North train roaring by, doing a bit of a therapeutic brain dump because I need it. I am so grateful for this opportunity to keep my family together for the month, but it's not all dreamy traveling fun. Last week there was definitely an adjustment period and I felt pretty lonely and unsure of what to do with myself and Everett everyday, while Stevie worked extremely long hours in the office. We've been figuring out a new routine in this place, the areas of town where its safe to get out and walk with a stroller and how to use the train and - oh my goodness - how to drive up here! The drivers are intense! It's been an experience, I'll say that. But I wanted to give this little update because I think that sometimes social media can create an unrealistic interpretation of what's happening. Obviously, we all post our favorite moments to social media and I am a sharer by nature for sure, but I also wanted to give the flip side of what this adventure is - it's still real life. We are figuring out what our budget looks like when none of our expenses feel normal and we are figuring out how to cook with like 3 kitchen utensils in this rental and we are figuring out how to get Everett to sleep a normal amount with this train zooming by his window at night. The truth is, I could look at this experience and say, this is so hard. Or, I could look at this experience and say, this is an exciting adventure, and opportunity for my family to make memories together. And I'm saying it's both. Attitude really is a choice, and attitude really does make the difference in the outcome of experiences. 

I'm thankful for this forum to share this myriad of thoughts. I love this blog so much and I love interacting with other families and mamas that read here. Thanks for listening and being such a wonderful, rich, honest community!

Over the next few weeks, there will be a mix of London and New York posts happening here, along with some more sponsored content that I'm super excited about. Actually, all the sponsored content you see is always stuff I'm super excited about - I don't work with any brands or products that I don't actually think are cool. Ha. And don't forget, I'm running a giveaway with Pink Blush Maternity right now - if you haven't entered to win, you totally should! Happy day to you, friends!