My Own Little Corner of the Internet

You know how flight attendants tell you to put on your own oxygen mask before helping others? I haven’t always been very good at that, but I’m trying to do better. I get tired and I get stressed, but somewhere along the way I’ve sort of learned how to take a deep breath and manage. That still didn’t stop Mt. Vesuvius from popping up on my forehead today.

Lately, I’ve felt like I needed an outlet. I think, for now, that’s what this will be. I’m not trying to reinvent the wheel here, just opening the door to our crazy life and my attempt to balance it all. My own little corner of the internet to share what’s going on with us, but also some of the past—even if I’m just writing down these experiences to preserve them for my kids one day.

No matter what happens, each morning I wake up, make my bed, shower, and press start on the coffee pot. The start of a new day. I sip and savor my two cups of coffee before the chaos begins. That’s my “me” time before things really take off. I’ve realized how much I depend on routine, partly to help my own ADHD, but also because of my husband Jeff’s brain injury. He needs that consistency as much as, if not more than, I do.

Jeff’s coming home this weekend after a month away addressing a traumatic brain injury that has been part of our daily lives for nearly 14 years. His TBI has become our normal—it’s a gift that keeps on giving.

While Jeff has been going through treatment, we’ve had a lot of conversations that have stirred up memories about how we got here. There’s so much that happened over the years that I’m not even sure how much I remember. Some of it I think I’ve simply forgotten, and some things I may have subconsciously blocked out.

I’ve found plenty to keep me busy while Jeff’s been away. We have three kids (that alone is enough) who started back to school the same day he left. We now have three kids in three different schools—elementary, middle, and high school. Not sure how that happened. They also went right back into their busy afternoon schedules of soccer and dance.

Sometimes I go a little unhinged, so I’ve spent a lot of time doing my own form of therapy: shopping. (Retail therapy is a thing!) I started redecorating our entire house—another victim of the Ralph Lauren/Nancy Meyers aesthetic. I also couldn’t resist new fall and Halloween décor even though it was only August. Decorating for each season is such a big part of who I am.

One new thing I’ve started doing for myself before the kids come home from school is sitting down for a good cuppa tea—a favorite little ritual I brought home from our recent trip to England.

I’m not really sure where any of this will lead because life has already given me so many unexpected surprises—good and bad. I didn’t know where to start, but I guess I had to start somewhere.

So that’s here.

Whatever comes next, I’m glad you’re here too.