Whirlwind Of A Week

This past week has been quite a whirlwind!  Sometimes this crazy little thing called "life" kicks into into high gear & you just gotta hold on & enjoy the ride!  It's been a ride alright, but I'm survivin' & thrivin'!  Here's our whirlwind of a week!

It all started on Tuesday morning when Jared left to go out of town on business, leaving early Tuesday morning & getting home late Thursday night.  It doesn't sound like much, but it was three days of just Jett & me, & by the third day I was pretty much over doing the whole "single mom" thing.  Day one- no problemo.  Day two- started to get a little frazzled.  Day three- after getting puked on {which ran down into my shirt & smelled like rotten milk}, I was done.  D-O-N-E.  Stick-a-fork-in-me.  DONE!  The house looked like it was hit by the Tazmanian Devil himself,  I looked like a monster truck had rolled right over the top of me, & I was in need of some serious adult interaction {& a shower}!  I have to take a moment to give major props to all of the moms out there who do it ALL on their own from sun up til' sun down.  I am most certainly not one of those women.  I am used to a husband who walks in the door, drops everything he is doing, & helps me out in any way that he can, whether it be playing with the little guy, taking over the bedtime routine, or picking up the toys that are strewn all over the house.  It is amazing how much those little things can bring so much relief & how much that help is missed when you're used to it & don't have it! It's hard having to take care of every single daily activity, & by the time Jared walked in the door Thursday night, I couldn't decide if I wanted to kiss him or yell at him!  Don't worry.  I kissed him first.

On friday, my sister {in law} turned the big 3-0 & we spent the evening at her house with the rest of the family celebrating her special day!  She handled her big milestone with confidence & ease, & I have to say, thirty looks pretty darn good on her!  It makes me a little less frightened of joining the "30's club" next month!

You know the kind of friends that no matter the distance between you, or the amount of time that passes by, {or even all the drama you've been through together}, the moment you spend time with them you literally pick up like you never missed a beat?  Well, I've got a few of those friends & on Saturday evening I had the pleasure of having dinner & catching up with them!  Courtney & Brooke are two of my girlfriends from college & it was long overdue that we spend some time together!  We sat in a corner booth at M&S Grill well into the night sharing our "mommy wars"& reminiscing about old times from our college days, such as Sigma Chi toga toga parties & life at "Vogelville".  We shared laughs & shed tears.  We poured out parts of our hearts that had been broken, & paths along our journeys that been rugged.  I watched as each one of us overflowed with pride when asked about our own families & simply glowed when we got the opportunity to dote on the joys of our hearts--our sweet children.  The evening was really easy.  It was comfortable.  Like we'd never missed a single moment of each other's lives.  It wasn't all surface stuff.  It was real life, real hearts, real friends.  I could have sat at that table all night long listening & sharing about all the different facets of our lives, where we've been & what lies ahead for each of us {& probably would have if we weren't being kicked out because it was so late}, but clearly the night was closing, & it was time to say our good-byes.  We hugged each other & promised that we would do this more often, & I will see to it that we do!  It was such a precious time & I left feeling like I had inhaled a great big breath of fresh air!  On the drive home I kept thinking to myself how neat it had been to sit with friends that I could still see small glimpses of the girls they once were, yet could also see sitting in front of me, the beautiful strong women that they have become .  They are amazing women, wonderful mothers, & friends that I admire so very much.  I am truly blessed to have them in my life.

On Sunday, my parents came for the day to get their dose of the little Jett man.  Not too much time can go by before they go through withdrawals, complete with "the shakes" &  have to hop in the car to come & satisfy their addiction to our little guy!  I'm not sure that Jett will ever truly grasp the magnitude of the love he is surrounded by, but I'm tellin' ya, it just about knocks me for a loop every time I witness it.  He has two sets of grandparents, four individuals who absolutely explode with love towards him every time his name is even mentioned, let alone when they are near him!  He realizes that they are just smitten with him & that he can work their heartstrings to jump at his every whim!  To be his momma & see someone else love him with the same  "I could just eat you alive" kind of love that I have for him... well, there just aren't words.  But it's more than amazing.  I can tell you that.

Ya know, I'm a structure/routine kinda girl, & I always feel better when there is a schedule in place, but sometimes whirlwinds have their place, too.  Sometimes it's fun living life when it's kicked up a notch.  Where the moments are crammed full of friends & family & love & energy.  When we don't have time to stop & count our troubles because we are too busy focusing on the stuff that really matters!  This week I will happily slow our lives down.  I will embrace the moments that we aren't scrambling to get out the door, & aren't running here & there & everywhere.  But I do have to say, that when another whirlwind of a week decides to drop in on us, I'll gladly grab hold & enjoy the ride!