3 years and a pandemic later

3 years, an elementary age kid, toddler twins, 2 job changes, and a global pandemic later... and here we are. When I started blogging, I thought it would be a cute way to share a sneak peek of our lives with the world... a reminder for someone out there and maybe for myself, that certainly we are not alone in the craziness of life. This space was created to share a few stories, get a laugh or two, say something hopeful, and serve as a place to put my own worries, thoughts, celebrations and reflections. 

The last post I made was in September of 2019. Y'all, that was a lifetime and a pandemic ago and it would be silly to try and catch up on what has happened since then... but, in the essence of "keepin' it real", I figured it may be time to capture the circus in retrospect - they say hindsight is 20/20. Our kids are a few years older now.. Will is 10 and in 4th grade, the twins are 4.5 and started their last (maybe?) year of preschool. Over the last two years, we are not unique in the experiences we each have shared living through a global pandemic - life kept going, just under different circumstances. Our kids experienced isolation from their friends and our family, the twins have only ever known going to daycare with face masks, Will's introduction to grade school was clouded with words like "e-learning, quarantine, isolation, and socially distance", we parented through the first few years of grade school virtually, Chris and I adapted our schedules - as we all did - and found ourselves home with our kids and each other way more than we were used to - often times bumping into each other in ways we weren't used to. Anyone else? Even more, I found MYSELF getting in my own way of surviving, let alone thriving - the pandemic... and let's be honest, just LIFE... but that may be for another day. 

As I type this, I know that we are not alone in any of these experiences over the last few years. I also know that our survival was and continues to be reliant on the tribe of people we surround ourselves with that supports each other, our children, and our family - and boy, did our tribe get tapped, nudged and practically dragged through the circus trenches.  

So why start it back up? Why continue to write and share and word vomit life for unsolicited readers? Writing has always been cathartic - a place to catalog my memories and thoughts and worries, and now more than ever it has helped so much, especially during particularly crazy seasons of life. 

Maybe by sharing, it will bring one smile, one laugh, one sigh of relief, one reminder that we aren't alone and that together we can do all of the things. I have been the beneficiary of many people carrying pieces of me and my family over the last few years when I didn't feel like I could. This space continues to be the place I come to reflect on that kindness and the kindness, resilience and power of doing things together. So here I go... 3 years and a pandemic later, in a continual pursuit to share our stories honestly and authentically with you. Where should we even begin?