Sunday, April 13, 2014

Once Upon A Time...

Everyone has a story to tell. I've certainly weaved myself a tale or two over my 31 years of life. Specifically this last year and a half.

Most of us have this plan for our lives. At the very least a rough outline. Especially us Type A’s. I have a need for things like lists, plans, goals, to-do’s. I had my life plan all worked out since high school. Go to college, graduate, get a good job in my field, get a dog, get married, get another dog, buy a house, have a baby, buy a bigger house, have another baby, live happily ever after.

Well, I got halfway between buy a house and have a baby. Then things began to fall apart. Suddenly, my well-planned, well thought-out life, turned into a life I never could have expected.

Several posts will follow to tell my story. But here’s the basics. Wife (me) gets pregnant with (well-planned out) baby boy. Husband loves this idea until Month 7, then he rethinks the whole “family/marriage/baby” situation. Wife is shocked and hurt and panicked. Wife births baby. Husband decides he wants to separate. Wife takes 6 week old baby boy, quits her job, moves out of new house and moves back to her (teeny-tiny) hometown with her parents. There’s the cliff notes version.

You see, I used to have a blog where I detailed all kinds of aspects of my life. It revolved around my marriage, my life, my pregnancy. My last post was in November 2012, just a few days after the birth of my son. Blogging went down on the priority list. Plus, how was I to say that my great (or I thought) marriage went down the proverbial crapper right in front of my very eyes.

Here we are, over a year later. I’ve missed my blog. I’m a writer by nature. Partially by trade. Not writing in that capacity has created a hole in my life. But I couldn’t continue on with my old blog. That’s not my life anymore. My life is new. Challenging. Joyful. Chaotic.

So, here I am. Single, working mom, mid-divorce, raising a toddler, a sassy pug and living with my parents (but only for the next 2 months until we strike out on our own.) Although I’ll get serious every now and again, I’m not a serious person at heart. I’m a smart-ass. I appreciate the art of sarcasm and a well-timed pun. I try to keep things light-hearted.

I’ve learned that sometimes the best-laid plans don’t always pan out. That flexibility is a virtue. That happy hour(s) is the 2 hours after my toddler goes to bed and when I inevitably pass out from exhaustion. I try to find time to workout (semi) regularly, as I’ve lost 45 pounds since the birth of my son and I would really like to not let it creep back. Clutter makes me anxious. I like wine. My iPhone is an extension of my person. I hit snooze 9 times each morning.

It's a wild ride, this life. I'm trying to hang on and keep it all together.