Y'all, that was a long blogging gap! I'm not making any promises, but I will be blogging more often.
Something about having the kids in middle and high school feels like they are settled in. I have a hard time putting into words why or how this feels....but I guess I finally feel like the girls are in their final years of school and are pretty self sufficient. They don't need help with school stuff, there's relatively little mom stress associated with them, they just kind of run themselves at this point. As for Myles, I finally feel at peace with knowing I've done all I can as a mom to set him up the best I can. Don't get me wrong, everyday is a new adventure, things change with him quickly......but as far as having to fight the school to get what he needs, de-stressing his life as much as possible, figuring out tips and tricks to make daily life doable for him.....for now, I feel a calmness knowing we have done our best and he's set up for success, now it's up to him to advocate for himself, speak up, and take advantage of everything that we've worked hard to get in place for him. I don't feel like I need to be at school as much as possible to make sure he's ok, volunteering or calling meetings or just worrying in general.
That said, it's hard to admit, but it's been a good 5 years since I've felt any real desire to get back into a running and working out routine. I'm a very 100% or 0% person, and when Myles started school and my focus had to change, the switch flipped to 0% and stayed there. I'm totally not blaming Myles at all. This is a ME problem, many parents handle stress and challenges in healthy ways, turning more to their personal time, making sure they keep up with their healthy outlets whatever that may be for them. I am not that person. I turned all of my energy into researching our new situation and all it involved from the health aspects, psychological aspects, education system aspects, to learning what occupational therapy, neuropsychology, and speech therapy were. When I wasn't figuring out my new normal, I was running around to the school, or appointments, or at home stressing out. Totally not a healthy way to handle things.
So here we are....6 years into our new normal, and it finally feels normal. Something about this year feels like things are finally calm again, and we've settled in to life. So I've been back out on the mountain. I've made a workout binder, thanks to Pintrest and me knowing what kind of workouts I like. Its going to be a long, slow road back to anywhere near where I was before as far as health and fitness, running, weight, etc., but at least the switch has flipped back. I have LOVED being back on the mountain! Brian got me my state park pass, so I have total access to the mountain. He also got me a new Garmin, which I didn't need, but it's nice to have new gear. Trail shoes are on the way to me as I type. I've been having some shoe issues, so hopefully I can figure it out soon.
As for Maui, Emma, Auntie Jill, and I are going for Emma's senior trip in September 2020. Last time I was there I was in super great shape. I ran every morning and somehow lost weight while on vacation. It was such a fun trip, and I WILL be back in shape by our 2020 trip. There are short term goals, too. I currently have no acrylic nails on, and wont put them back on until I drop 20 lbs...which is a huge deal for me! Silly I know, but I've worn them since I was 15 and can't stand not having them.
Anyhow, so there's an update on "real" life. I do plan on blogging more since there are actually planks and fartleks happening again!
