Gratitude & Re-Entry

Oh my heavens, I really do think I’m having one of my favorite Thanksgiving seasons I can remember—and it’s all due to random, little things accumulating to a lovely, unexpected whole.

I’ve been grateful to decorate a new home.

I’ve been grateful to finally feel the restorative effects of a change of weather.

I’ve been grateful to have an October/November of stronger family health than in years past (and now I’ll be struck down by the lymph nodes o’ mine that are already swollen and ready to take me down and contradict said gratitude).

I’m grateful for such a late Thanksgiving, calendar-wise, that extends the season a bit and makes it feel less rushed.

I’m grateful for seasonal projects and nesting that help us continue to make new—holiday!—memories in this house.

I’m grateful for the aging of my children (for once!) that has allowed for a greater understanding of their life blessings in comparison to those less fortunate, so that we can really make the focus of this season about giving and thanks.

And...I’m oddly grateful for no hosting duties—that I’ve chosen to spin as a positive by focusing on other activities, opportunities and emotions.

Namely, that gratitude, gratitude, gratitude that I just can’t keep obnoxiously raving about, ha.

And maybe because of that gratitude and peace and slightly stress-free November vibe, I totally did something insanely wonderful and pulled the trigger on a spur-of-the-moment, 48-hour trip to Florida to see my dearest friend this past weekend.

And I’ve never been so happy to not think about a decision more in my life.

It was such a gift of a weekend.

The gift of time. With one of the best human beings in the world. That I’ve been grateful to have in my life for a decade now. During which we’ve maintained such a beautiful, constant flow of communication despite moves and children and life changes. 

She is a blessing to me. And yet another reason why I’m feeling that—you guessed it—gratitude this Thanksgiving season.

And as if all of that isn’t enough to make me feel a sense of peace this evening, my absence from our family life and house for such a brief weekend had the added bonus of making me so much more loved-up and appreciated when I returned home!

I mean...Saturday night, my hubby sent me this text that truly made me cry a li’l bit (and I can totally post this because it reflects nothing but positively on the good man I married, but he also doesn’t read this here blog, so he can’t complain, ha):

I mean...wouldn’t the world be such a better place if we could all literally put ourselves in another’s shoes on a regular basis?? Particularly someone we loved.

Just as I would be unbelievably more appreciative of the work the hubby does to provide for this family if I had to go to his office for a couple of days (now wouldn’t that be a hilarious Freaky Friday kind of event??), he was so kind and thankful to me while I was away, and when I came home, because he looked at my “job” in a whole, new light.

I mean...poor dude was up and scribbling Little Man’s bathroom floor (unexpected and rare potty incident, ha) before 7 a.m. on Saturday (photo cred goes to Chica, tehe).



Then he dealt with a sticky ball that was launched and stuck to the playroom ceiling.

And a bowel incident with Chicklet that required a conversation with a doctor.

And a hauling of kiddos to a birthday party...that ended up being on a different day, ha.

I mean, he was a champ. Powering through activity after activity, keeping our babies totally entertained, but putting in some serious Mr. Mom hours, ha.

So imagine my surprise to have them all show up at the airport on Sunday, loving me up so fully in that way they do on Mother’s Day, that Little Man kept hollering, “Happy Mama’s Day!” because it was just that kind of welcoming love fest, haha.

A little change-up is such a good thing, peeps. :)

And so is my beautiful, crazy family. 







So...the moral of this obnoxious post (for anyone who is still with me): I’m feeling the gratitude this November, for so many reasons. And after the year we’ve lived through, I’m fall-on-my-knees happy to be in that place and not somewhere far more jaded.

So here’s to living up this last week before Thanksgiving travel and hoopla is truly upon us!

And here’s to hoping I can maintain my exhausted but positive vibe when I make it through the 2,174 loads of laundry I have to tackle tomorrow, after spending the evening bringing our kitchen island from this...

To this...



I mean...how does that mess even accumulate in a single day???

Deep sigh.

As a send-off, enjoy the teeny tiny handful of pics I managed to take while away—including a jungle animal-themed turtle sculpture, the foxtail palm tree variety that is apparently my favorite and I never knew it, and...the beach and LISA.

Happy Monday, peeps.

Over and out.