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Highlight of the Week
We have a new patio area in our backyard!! It’s something we’ve been talking about & contemplating, envisioning & planning for months now. And this week, I just decided to do it. My Dad had already brought over large cement patio stones a few weeks ago, I just needed to dig up the grass & lay them out – a project I figured I could complete in an afternoon.
That is, until I realized that I physically could not lift the stones. Who knew that they weighed like 300 lbs. a piece? Since Derrick was still at work & I didn’t want to bother him with it when he got home, I texted my little brother. That was honestly the smartest decision I’ve made all week! Steve came over & not only helped me dig up the grass but laid & leveled each stone. It took a little more than one afternoon (mostly because we came up short a few pieces & needed to get a few more from my Dad), but now it’s done!
I love it! It’s perfect & I cannot wait to get a few more items to “decorate” it up a bit!
I’d be remiss if I didn’t specifically thank my brother though! He worked for several hours making my patio better than I could have ever done by myself (whether I had enough muscle or not). Thank you so much, Steve, for your help, your attention to detail, and your dedication to seeing the job through to the end!!
Yes, This Happened
- I wrote about how Braelynn got a black eye 2 weeks ago at my Mom’s house (go back & read that story here) and just as it’s healed up & disappeared, she went and got another facial bruise. This time, she was visiting over at Meme & Grandpa’s, and was bouncing around excitedly, and bounced right into the corner of a table. No black eye this time, but she has had a bruise across the bridge of her nose & cheek. Poor kid!
- My friend Larissa invited me to do a 30-day yoga challenge. I was confused at first because we don’t live close enough to see each other on a regular basis, let alone practice yoga together! But, then I realized it’s all online! It’s all based on a set of YouTube videos, and after completing that day’s assignment, you hop into her Facebook accountability group to check in that you’d done that day. I have always been curious about yoga, completed a few videos once upon a time, but nothing consistent. It has been so much fun this week! I’ve really enjoyed it! More than any other exercising program I’ve done! I’m excited to continue (which is weird, because I’ve never felt this way about anything exercise-related!) I mean, I know people always say: find something that you actually enjoy doing – I just didn’t think that that actually existed for me! I hate running (did it consistently for a while and hated it every day), hate 15-minute workouts, hate the gym – but yoga – I think I might actually get into this! Fingers crossed!
- While we were driving back from Derrick’s parents last weekend, we drove over a stretch of road that was all torn up due to construction (so think rough & bumpy). From the backseat, we suddenly hear an exclamation of: “Daddy! Stay on the road!” We laughed so hard!
Feeling Blessed
I have two things on my heart this week that are making me feel super blessed:
- I was paying attention this week & it dawned on me how much my siblings love my daughter. I absolutely love how much Ellen, Amy, Emma, Steve, and Ruby love Braelynn. And Braelynn adores each & every one of them. A day rarely goes by that we don’t talk about each of them. Braelynn constantly wants to Facetime Aunt Amy, asks if Aunt Ellen is going to bring D’Artagnan over “today”, sneaks back to see if Aunt Emma or Uncle “Cheese” are home whenever we’re at my Mom’s, and well, Aunt Ruby is her favorite. It’s so sweet and I love it. I couldn’t ask for anything more.
- I also haven’t talked about Derrick too much lately. This guy constantly surprises me. He works hard at his job, then comes home and is (usually) super willing to jump into helping me with anything I need at the house (dishes, laundry, dinner). He’s constantly composing new music and working on his roller coaster projects. He & Braelynn seem to be getting even closer – she loves to sit up on his shoulders & chase him around the yard. It’s funny to think that Derrick used to love playing video games & watch movies – two things that rarely happen anymore. Don’t get me wrong: he still loves those 2 things, but they’re more of a special treat than a daily habit. It’s so fun to do life with him and I love being his wife (even when I feel like my own day is spiraling out of control – sidenote: life with a toddler while running a full-time business is HARD) So, I just wanted to give him a shout-out & tell the world what an amazing man he is.
