Hi! This morning I woke up feeling inspired to write a life update because a lot has been going on in our world the last few months. It’s been a long time since I’ve sat down and wrote a long blog post from the heart, so today I figured I would do just that! When I first started blogging, I would share occasional life updates like this, but recently those have found their place on Instagram instead of the blog.

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ONE

Callie was hospitalized for a few days with a severe kidney/bladder infection.  The infection came on suddenly, almost overnight she had pain in her abdomen, an upset stomach, and a general feeling of ickiness.  I’m so glad we listened to our gut and took her to the emergency room instead of waiting for an appointment with our pediatrician.  They immediately started her on IV fluid and antibiotics but ultimately with her complex medical history, they felt it would be better to be hospitalized to have a complete care team to monitor her.

We were admitted to the same hospital that she spent the first 3 months of her life in (which did a definite number on my PTSD) and spent 4 days there.  Thankfully, she was allowed to go home and we’ve spend the last ten days on a strict antibiotic regimen trying to help her regain her strength.  She lost a ton of weight, her endurance is still very low, and she is pretty exhausted BUT she is on the mend.

This has been the first “emergency” type situation we’ve had to deal with in a while but it was a jarring reminder of how quickly (and frankly naturally) we can step back into that world.  Navigating ambulance rides, illness diagnosis, sleep disruption, medical trauma, and the works.

TWO

Callie has been doing SO well with archery lately.  She placed third in her last tournament and it came down to a one arrow shoot off–which as her mom, was nerve wracking!  Most importantly, she is a great sportswoman.  She is courteous to her competitors, encouraging to her teammates, and respectful to everyone at the events.  It’s those qualities that we are most proud of her for and are thankful to all of her coaches for their continued support.

She was able to meet Paralympian archer Jason Tabansky who took gold at the Summer Paralympics.  Needless to say, we both geeked out.

THREE

Callie had a blast at Homecoming. She looked so cute and had such a fun night with her friends.

FOUR

With everything that has happened this year, I have been reevaluating our life and what I want it to look like moving forward. We have made massive moves with wellness in our family; I honestly could not be more proud of that.  From eliminating plastics, to avoiding unnecessary fragrance, to eating organic and locally sourced…..we FEEL better and I think that’s allowing us to DO better in the world. There has been a shift and I don’t want to say a downshift; but definitely a calculated move toward intentionality.  I want our life to feel good and feel like us and that means removing things that don’t align with how we want to live.  I’m saying no to things a lot more, protecting our free time, and making sure that we are doing things that fill our cup (and not simply checking off something on someone else’s to-do list).

I am definitely in a season of transition, I know something good is coming and I am just patiently waiting for whatever it might be.    I am exploring new creative hobbies, doubling down on my blog, and dreaming of new ideas.

That’s all. Thank you for always supporting this blog, my family, and our dreams. You have been there with me for the most beautiful and challenging parts of our life. Recently I’ve just been feeling so thankful for this space and this life that I never could have imagined for myself.

So just thank you for being here.