Missing

Now that the holiday season is in full swing I can't help but feel like somethings missing, or rather someone. My mom is truly my best friend. She is always there when I need her and even thousands of miles away she seems to always make me feel better.

Last year my mom made a choice to move back to her hometown in Arkansas to be with her high school sweetheart. At first I did not support her decision. How could she just leave her kids like that? We still need her! It took some time for me to calm down and realize that she was doing something for herself for the first time in a long time. I needed to support her.

This was the second time without my mom here for Thanksgiving in my whole life. It still has not quite sunk in that she's really not here. She's thousands of miles away in a different time zone. But, she's with her now husband, on a beautiful land with chickens and fishing everyday. She's living the retired life with her love and I can't help but smile. She's happy.

Some days I miss her being here so much it hurts. I miss her hugs and our shopping days. I miss her coming over to my house and re-organizing everything! I miss how she smells. I know to some of my readers this may all seem childish. But when it comes to my Mama, I'm okay with being a 27 year old baby. I deal with pain everyday, some days are better than others but the days where I can't get out of bed are the days I just wish she was here to take care of me.

Last year while my husband was gone training. I spent almost every weekend with my mom. She helped me move twice, held my hand when I had to deal with the "day before" of my first colonoscopy, took me to all my hospital visits, and was there for me when my husband couldn't be there on my birthday or those days that I missed him so much I couldn't function. She was there. Always.

I know that she's still here. Just not physically here. Sometimes that physical time with a person means so much more. One thing to look forward to is having her here around Christmas time. She's still not sure if she can be here Christmas Day, but just having her here means the world to me.

This is all part of growing up I guess. People move away and go in different directions. One thing I'm hoping for in the next year or so is that wherever my husband and I end up living, that it's close to my Mom. She loves to drive and travel and I know the closer we are the more I'll be able to see her. Crossing my fingers and praying that it all comes together.

For now I'll just be counting down the days until I see her again. Waiting for the day to get a hug from my Mama. <3

What I've Been Up To

It's been a little while since my last post. I thought I would just give a quick update on what I've been up to lately.

We celebrated Halloween by staying home. I know, it was not ideal but I made the best of it. I had a doctor's appointment that day and got prescribed new medication. I felt so much better after taking it and was able to do my makeup and feel pretty for the night. My husband went to work out with a friend and came home too late to do anything. So here's a little glimpse of my "devilish" looks that night:

 

I originally took this picture to send to my husband and later realized it was the only one I took of that night! Muah!

 

After eating my little brother-in-law's candy :), we settled back into normal life. Next up was the Presidential Election! My husband and I are usually completely opposite on our political views but this Election was honestly very difficult for me. I chose not to share my candidate with anyone. It's my choice and I don't really feel like getting into debates with people who have strong opinions. It gets pretty nasty this time of year. So we headed to the polling place on November 6th and I could honestly feel a weight lift off my shoulders when I was done. I was so happy it was all over! Lol. Here are some pics I took of that day.

 



Now onto recent events. Yesterday was Thanksgiving. My Mom lives in Arkansas and my sister lives in Colorado so they both decided to celebrate the holiday in Colorado. My two little brothers flew out there to spend the holiday with them. It was just left to my Dad and I to make sure we had a great holiday. My husband made his absolutely delicious orange glazed ham and my in-laws chose to spend the holiday at my Dad's too. It was so nice for my Dad to feel like he still had family to cook for. I am so blessed that my in-laws and family get a long so well.

With my injury, it's been very hard to help as much as I would like to. It's so painful to be in the kitchen for long periods of time. Since my Mom and Sister were not in town this year, I took on making my Mom's wonderful homemade cranberry sauce. I know she would've been proud :). I also made the family's favorite holiday cookie, Pumpkin Glazed Cookies. It was so hard to get through it without being in pain but I made it through. Thanksgiving morning I also made French's Green Bean Casserole. As exhausting and painful as it was, I was so happy that I was able to contribute something to our family holiday. It gives me confidence to know that once my husband and I move away from family that I can carry on these recipes in my own home.

This year's Thanksgiving carried so much meaning for me. I have never asked for so much help for just every day things as I have this year. I truly could not have made it through this year without my loving husband and wonderful parents. This was my Facebook status from last night:

 

I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving! <3