2013 Reflections

Obviously, I'm a little behind with posting this since we've now been living in 2014 for an entire month!  But, time has been a precious commodity lately and I just haven't devoted the same energy to my blog that I used to.  I guess you could call it priorities.  Nevertheless, here is a look back at 2013 and all that it held for us.

2013 has come and gone and I must say, I am NOT the least bit sad to see it go.  Although there were some great highlights and exciting times for our family, overall it was not a year I ever wish to repeat.  There were ups and downs, highs and lows, but mostly I will remember it as a very difficult year for several reasons.  

I took a look back over my blog posts for the past year and gathered some of my favorite (and least favorite) memories from each month.  In doing so, I realized yet again just how very blessed our family truly is.  Despite our heartache and trials over the past 12 months, the Lord still showed incredible grace and mercy on our family and He was faithful to carry us through.

January

We started the year off fresh and anew, in our new town of Jackson, TN!  After living in Charleston, SC for 4.5 years, Matthew's job offered him a promotion to Jackson and we gladly accepted the opportunity!  Packing up a family of 3 and moving across the country during the holidays was not ideal, but we survived and quickly settled into our new life as Tennesseans.

I watched in horror an amazement as our entire lives were professionally packed into this moving truck by perfect strangers.  As the truck drove away from our home in SC, I said a prayer that it would all make it in one piece to our new home in TN a few days later!  It's a strange feeling to watch everything you own being driven away by a stranger....

Thankfully, all of our belongings made it here, to our new home in Jackson!

Matthew quickly jumped into his new position as the Jackson Terminal Manager and he knew right away he was going to love his new role!

Also in January, I proudly stood as a bridesmaid next to my cousin Carrie as she and Justin began their lives together in a fairytale wedding, which was filmed by TLC's "Say Yes to the Dress"

February

February brought exciting new changes, as Kyndall began part time pre-school for the very first time at our new home church, Englewood Baptist.  It was absolutely one of the best decisions we've ever made and Kyndall immediately began to thrive both socially and academically in her new environment!

It's hard to believe this picture was taken less than a year ago.  Look at that baby face!  She's changed so much since then.....makes me a little sad.

We celebrated Matthew's 32nd birthday on February 8th and as always, I was thankful for another year of life with this wonderful man!  

March

In early March, my parents made their first trip up to Jackson to see our new home and our new town.  We enjoyed showing them around and and taking them to our new church.

March officially marked 2.5 years old for Kyndall and it was around this time that she really began developing her own little personality.  Her language skills soared to new heights and suddenly my little baby who had previously been in speech therapy was talking in full sentences and keeping us in constant laughter with the things she said!  She became more independent and with that also came a strong will.  In general, she just seemed to go from being a baby to a true little girl around this time and Matthew and I enjoyed seeing her transition into this phase.

April

During a trip back home to Tallahassee in early April, Kyndall caught a terrible flu-like bug and we ended up in the ER for the very first time.  It was NOT a pleasant experience for any of us and I pray to God that we never have to repeat anything like that ever again!  It's one thing to be in pain yourself, but to see your child helpless and suffering is a completely different kind of heartache.  Don't even get me started on the whole IV stick, which was just as traumatic for me as it was for her!  Awful memories!

Back at Grammy's house, Aunt Kelly bought her a prize for being so brave--Her very own doctor kit!

A much more pleasant first for Kyndall came a few days later when she took her very first trip on an airplane, from Florida back to Tennessee.  She was SO excited and did really well on the flight!  This would be the first of many "airpwane wides" that we made over the next few months.

One of the most difficult days of the entire year came during the month of April.  After getting a second opinion and a follow up scope with my new doctor at Vanderbilt, it was confirmed that I did in fact need the surgery to remove my large intestine.  Although I had first received this devastating news in December, just before we moved to TN, I wasn't making any final decisions until I met with my new doctor and received another professional opinion.  Sadly, he agreed with the treatment plan, as he too found several pre-cancerous areas of great concern during his scope.  So, with a very sad and reluctant heart, we scheduled surgery for July 2nd, and started making plans accordingly.  However, it was at this time that I began receiving the first of MANY, MANY blessings from friends, family members and strangers all over the country.  The outpouring of love and support that I received (simply by sharing my story) completely blew me away.  Letters, cards, phone calls, and care packages began coming in droves and didn't stop for several months!  The Lord always has a way of turning our sorrows into dancing, and He certainly did that for me during this time.  I've never felt more loved and supported than I did in the months and weeks leading up to my surgery, as well as those following it.

My 3rd grade teacher whom I haven't seen in 20 years heard of my news and had her entire class make cards for me.  I still have every single one of them, as well as every other card that was sent over the few months surrounding my surgery. I love looking back at them and gaining encouragement from the sweet words that so many wrote to me.

On April 26th, Matthew and I celebrated 5 years of marriage!  Definitely one of the happier memories of 2013!  I truly don't know how I would make it through this life without this guy!

He surprised me with a kid-free overnight trip to Nashville to stay at the Opryland Hotel

We also had our very first Grand Ole Opry experience and it was so much fun!  

May

On May 11th, my baby sister married the love of her life in a beautiful ceremony in Tallahassee.  I was honored to stand next to her as Matron of Honor and Kyndall was a very proud flower girl.  The day was perfect and happy and exactly what Kelly and Michael wanted!  

The very next day, we celebrated Mother's Day.  It was my 3rd Mother's Day and my Mom's 30th!  I was reminded of how very blessed I am to have such a wonderful Mother and also how thankful I am to have been given the opportunity to be a Mom myself! 

We celebrated with a picnic at the park

June

June was by far one of my favorite months of 2013!  We made so many great memories this month, starting with a trip to the beach, thanks to our sweet friend Mrs. Doris who so generously allowed our family to use her condo in Destin for the week!  She knew that I would be facing surgery the next month and wanted our family to have some time to relax and make wonderful memories together before we faced what was to come.  It was exactly what we needed and we are so thankful for the time we spent together.  The only thing missing was Matthew, who couldn't join us due to work obligations.  =(

While we were in Florida, Kyndall and I took the opportunity to spend a week with my Grandparents in Two Egg, soaking up precious time with my Granddaddy who had been unexpectedly diagnosed with aggressive cancer just a month prior.  I will never forget that week as long as I live.  It was some of the most wonderful time I've ever spent with the greatest man I've ever known.

During that week Granddaddy celebrated his 82nd birthday.  It would be his last, but I was so glad to be a part of it!

July

Unlike June, July was absolutely my least favorite month of the entire year.  It was the month I had been dreading for a very long time.

On July 2nd, I had surgery to remove my entire large intestine which would in turn leave me with a permanent ileostomy.  The days following my surgery are hazy and filled with lots of memories that I wouldn't mind forgetting, to be quite honest.  I had some pretty serious complications just a few hours after being released on July 5th, and ended up having to be taken back to Vanderbilt by ambulance just a few hours after I returned home to Jackson.  But, the Lord saw me through and I am alive to tell about it and that's really all that matters at this point.  

Saying goodbye was by far the hardest part!!

My unsung hero, my biggest cheerleader and the one who spent every single night with me in the hospital, sleeping in a chair and tending to my every need.  Love him.

The moment I had waited for finally came and all was well when I kissed this sweet face!

The rest of July was spent resting, recovering and getting used to my "new life".  I faced some VERY dark days during this time, but I'm thankful for all of the love and support that was shown to our family through calls, visits, cards, meals and of course prayers.  Though I would love to forget the dark days, I NEVER want to forget how very loved we felt during this time.  My Mom stayed with us for about 7 weeks after my surgery until I was able to function on my own and then the true test of my will began!  Returning to my "new" normal life wasn't an easy transition but slowly we got back into the swing of things and life went on.

8 week check-up with my surgeon at Vanderbilt, where I received great news on my recovery!

First Sunday back at church with my family!!  Of all the things I missed during my recovery, this was what I missed most!

Slowly, I began spending more time with friends and getting out and about and enjoying my favorite things again

August

August brought an exciting new school year for Kyndall, as she moved up into the 3 year old class at Englewood and also began taking her very first ballet class!  

September

I really challenged myself in September, by agreeing to go on a girls get-away beach trip with some of my Englewood ladies.  It was my first trip back to FL following surgery and also my first experience away from the comforts of home with my new way of life.  I was nervous, but I had a GREAT time and it was exactly what I needed in order to show me that I can still enjoy LIFE and all it has to offer!  I'm so glad I went!

Love these girls!!!

On September 20th, our sweet Kyndall turned THREE years old!  We didn't have a party this year, but she did get a very big surprise in our back yard!

We traveled home to Tallahassee so that we could celebrate her big day with our family

On the morning of her birthday she received her very first haircut, by none other than Mary who has been doing my hair for as long as I can remember!

We celebrated as a family with dinner, presents and cupcakes!  It was a fun day!  Still can't believe my baby is 3!

October

October is a month I wish I could just erase all together.  On October 8th, I got the call that I had been dreading for five months.  My sweet Granddaddy had taken a turn for the worse and I needed to leave Jackson immediately and head to Florida.  I have never packed so fast in my entire life.  I tossed Kyndall into her car seat and we were off, driving as fast as we possibly could in a race against time to see Granddaddy one more time.  Sadly, I didn't make it in time.  About halfway through my trip, my Mom called and said that my precious Granddaddy had gone to be with Jesus.  I was the only Grandchild not there as he took his last breath.  I will never forgive myself for that.  I should have left sooner.  I was heartbroken that I didn't get to say goodbye.

We celebrated Granddaddy's life with a beautiful service, where I was honored to speak on behalf of the Grandchildren about what an amazing man of God he was.  People came out in droves to pay their respects to him, and it was more obvious to me than ever just how many people loved and adored my sweet Granddaddy.  I had never been prouder to be his first born Grandchild.

Granddaddy's legacy, his Grandchildren

Though I was still grieving my loss and tending to my broken heart, we managed to make Halloween a fun time for Kyndall's sake.  She requested to be a super hero, despite my begging and pleading for her to be a ballerina, a princess or a fairy.  At least I was able to find a PINK super hero costume!

November

November was truly a month of thankfulness, as Matthew and I became home owners for the very first time!  After almost 6 years of marriage, we both felt that we were ready to settle down here in Jackson (at least for a while!) and buy our first home.  We are so thankful to the LORD for his blessings and his provision.  We are so grateful for His favor in our lives!

We celebrated Thanksgiving with our families, though it was very different this year without Granddaddy there.  It was the first time it really felt like he was missing, and that was hard.  But, we carried on his tradition of gathering around the table sharing what we're thankful for and I know that made him proud.  

December

On December 3rd I mourned celebrated my 31st birthday.  I'm more thankful than ever for another year of life, but I just can't believe I'm 31 already!  How did I get here so fast??  

We celebrated a little early over Thanksgiving weekend with our families and Kyndall helped Nonie make a very special birthday cake, complete with my favorite color

We traveled home for Christmas and spent two wonderful weeks with our family and friends!

It's funny how God works sometimes.  On Christmas Eve, just one week before we closed the door on awful 2013, He threw us a great surprise with the announcement that my sister and brother-in-law would be expecting their first baby in August of 2014!!!  I was finally going to be an AUNT!!  Hearing this wonderful news and sharing in their joy was exactly what our family needed to round out 2013 and end it on a positive, happy note!  We are so thrilled for Kelly and Michael and we are now looking forward to what 2014 holds for our growing family!  I am now convinced that all of the horrible things we went through over the past 12 months was absolutely worth it just to get us to that moment on December 24th, when our hearts were made whole again and we truly rejoiced over God's amazing blessings in our lives!  He is so good and His timing is so perfect!

Though 2013 wasn't all bad, it will definitely go down in history as the most difficult year of my life thus far.  However, 2014 isn't looking so promising either, with my upcoming liver transplant and all of the challenges that we'll face with that.  I hope that this time next year I'll be able to reflect on 2014 as a GREAT year, in which we saw miracles take place and health restored.  My prayer is that 2014 will be the first year of true health and happiness for our family!  It's been too long since we've had either one of those things!  

Bring it on, 2014---I'm ready for you!!!