Blissful Chaos

I titled this post "Blissful Choas" because that describes exactly what our lives have been like for the past few months.  We've been in non-stop, go go go mode for as long as I can remember and, I love it. 

 I am tired and my house is messy and my laundry is piled high and I'm slightly stressed and my to-do list keeps growing and growing and I haven't cooked a "real" meal in quite a while now......but I love it.  I couldn't be happier than being BUSY.  You know why?  Because being busy means I'm here.  It means I'm able.  It means I've come a very long way since this time last year.  I am thankful.

So what have we been up to (besides the things I've already blogged about) over the past few months?  A little bit of everything, and of course most of it is documented with pictures because that's just who I am.

Back in September our family was honored to be asked to film a commercial for Lifeline Blood Services in order to promote blood donation.  It was a fun experience but I don't think the 3 Hughes will be moving to Hollywood anytime soon! 

You can see the full commercial at the bottom of this post

We wrapped up cheerleading for the year with our very last football game.  The Titans didn't make it to the playoffs and as much as I enjoyed watching Kyndall cheer, I was happy to finally have our Saturdays free again!

Kyndall is second from left

We "pinked out" for the month of October to show our support for breast cancer awareness

I won't miss working the concession stand, twice a week cheer practices or having my Saturdays all tied up....but I WILL miss seeing my sweet friend Susannah and her adorable little Bennett each week!

 Cheerleading ended and hunting season began.  I'm not really even sure what to make of this picture.  At least we can say she's well rounded.

Ready to go put out corn with Daddy

Amidst the chaos we took time to smell the roses.....uhh....er....feel the cotton.  We live in the country and we are surrounded with cotton fields.  Back when the cotton was in full bloom, Kyndall begged me to stop and let her feel it so one day I finally did.  Shhh...we even took a piece with us!

The Tennessee life is a good life.

Matthew has been traveling more than usual for work lately.  My BFF Julie's husband travels a lot too.  When the Dads are out of town, the Moms and kiddos will meet for dinner and ice cream. 

And games of checkers at Cracker Barrel

Kyndall and I had our 6 month dental check ups and both got great reports.  Dr. Glenn continued to beg me to get my Tennessee license in order to fill an opening for a hygienist that he currently has.  I told him I would think about it.

We've had some goofy moments, like this one when Kyndall called me into the room and said "Look at Daddy...he looks fab-uh-lous!"  My response:  "No, he looks like Mr. T".

He's a good Daddy.

We had an encounter with Rainbow Dash in Target

I continue to spend much of my time here, watching this cuteness....

Kyndall found a new love for Sun Drop.  And I found out it contains grapefruit (not allowed post transplant)....AFTER I downed an entire bottle!  Oops!  Won't make that mistake again.

I've made three or four trips the Vanderbilt over the past few weeks for various things.  On this particular day I was getting an infusion.  I had to sit for over an hour but thankfully I had a beautiful view of downtown Nashville to help me pass the time.  

This is the road leading into our neighborhood and I absolutely loved the way it looked in early fall as the leaves began to change.  Living in Florida most of my life, we never had true seasons and I never saw the leaves change like this.  I wish it could stay Fall forever!

Sweet Mrs. Pam Burleson has been our stand-in Grandmother for the past three years when Kyndall had her Grandparents' Day Tea at school.  I love this collection of pictures that adorns the side of our fridge, documenting each year.  We love the Burlesons!

I've managed to squeeze in a few girls nights for dinner and what not which means Daddy is in charge of the bath and bedtime routine.  Bad things happen when Mommy is not around......bad things....

I've lost count how many trips home to Florida we've made, but on one of them Kyndall finally agreed to try a cheeseburger.  (She's never cared for meat of any kind, so burgers were never an option)  Perhaps it has something to do wit the fact that we were in Alabama at the time and stopped at my beloved Whataburger.....but nevertheless, she tried a cheeseburger and LOVED it!  Ladies and gentlemen this is HUGE.  I had to take a picture just to prove it to the family.

My child finds favor with people wherever she goes.  People are just drawn to her for some reason.  They always have been.  Even when she was a tiny little thing, sitting in the cart minding her own business people would come up and want to talk to her.  Maybe it's her sweet smile or her tender personality that attracts people, but whatever it is I love it.  I love that she's a people person and that she's friendly to everyone.  On this particular day we were sitting in Sam's sharing a pretzel and an Icee (our usual treat) when the man you see behind her came over and handed Kyndall a dollar.  He told her that if it was ok with me, he'd like her to go buy herself a cup of ice cream.  Kyndall was so gracious and thanked the sweet old man over and over.  As I began making small talk with him he told me that his wife had just passed away over the summer.  He told me of her gift for cooking and that since she's been gone he's not had a real home cooked meal in a while.  Not because he can't afford it but because he hasn't found his new normal yet and doesn't quite know what to do with himself.  So, he comes here to eat and get himself out of the house.  After he walked away I had to wipe tears from my eyes as I watched him sit alone eating his lunch, knowing that his heart was broken.  But in the midst of his brokenness he brought joy to another with a simple gesture.  I wish I had gotten his name.  I'd love to cook him dinner.

On a happier note, I found some "me" time (not really since my sidekick tagged along) and finally got my hair "did".  It had been a while.  I snapped this picture to send to my sister and it wasn't until later that I noticed the tiny photo bomber in the background.  Sneaky little thing, she is.

I was asked by Tennessee Donor Services to speak to a group of high school students here in Jackson a few weeks ago about the importance of organ donation.  I always love doing this, especially when I have such a captive audience.  It was extra fun having my good friend and fellow liver transplant recipient Ashlie join me.  We may have freaked them out a little when we told them all of the things we have in common.....our name, our birthday and of course our transplant stories just to name a few!  Working with TDS is something I have really enjoyed and I hope to make time to do more of it.  As funny as it is, I've actually been asked by TDS to be a part of "Team Tennessee" in the upcoming Transplant Games which will take place in Cleveland in June.  It's like Olympics for transplant recipients and donors and each state brings a team to the games.  It sounds like a lot of fun but I'm not sure I have much to offer in the way of athletic abilities!

Me and Ashlie with Steven of Tennessee Donor Services

One of our many 10 hour car rides to and from Florida....sleeping like a lady

On Boss's Day we made a special visit to Matthew's office to surprise him.  Pam ordered this cake and let she let Kyndall deliver it to him.....

Dinner with some of my favorite girls at Trinity's Heritage Banquet

New season calls for cute new clothes!

We packed a shoe box for Operation Christmas Child and Kyndall's class won the grand prize for bringing in the most boxes!

Rainy days call for hats....

I was pleasantly surprised when I was walking through our mall and saw that they finally put in one of those play areas like so many other malls have.  Even though I think it's a giant breeding ground for germs, it's a nice bribery tool when trying to get some shopping done!  

More cute Fall clothes.....this outfit cost me a grand total of $10!  If you know me, you know that I am a serious bargain shopper and I love a good deal.  Kyndall may have 3,485 outfits currently hanging in her closet, but I can guarantee that none of them cost more more than $20 max.

Last weekend our friend Morgan flew in from Tallahassee for the weekend.  It was so good having her here and Kyndall especially enjoyed her!

If you visit us, rest assured we are going to take you to Rhodes Diner.  It's simply our favorite.

Bon fires and s'mores.....a Hughes Family favorite!  

Our family got hit with that awful stomach bug that was sweeping through town.  It first got Kyndall, then me then on the day of our ONCE A YEAR family pictures, it also got Matthew.  Whyyyyyy oh why on the ONE day of the year that's most important to this Mama?!  Thankfully my family loves me enough to suck it up, throw on some smiles and roll with it.  However, I have a feeling this is how they actually felt about it....

Stomach bug??  What stomach bug?

We had a very special visitor come watch Kyndall during ballet last week.  Our sweet Lindy has been dreaming of all things ballet related for a while now so her Mama (my friend Bethany) asked if they could come watch Kyndall dance.  This absolutely made Kyndall's day!  I didn't tell her who was coming ahead of time, but instead let it be a surprise!

Another day, another dance class.  This day I believe we were headed to jazz....

Another trip to Vanderbilt, this time to meet with my GI doctor.  I never grow tired of visiting this place because in a weird sort of way it feels like I'm coming home.  This is the place where my miracle happened.  Lots and lots of memories, emotions, feelings and sometimes even tears come over me when I walk into this place.  I said goodbye to two major organs here in just a year's time.  As funny as that sounds when I say it, that's heavy to me.  My heart will always be at Vanderbilt, no matter where life takes me.

This particular day happened to be my 14 month anniversary.  Kyndall and I stopped by the 7th floor to say hello to our favorite nurses and one of them took this picture on our way out.  I've lost count how many of these I have now but each one of them represents a new season of life for me.

One of her favorite things to do is take her purse along on our trips to Vanderbilt so that she can carry her spare change in it.  She loves to stop by the vending machine and buy a bag of M&Ms on our way off the transplant floor.  I feel sure that when Kyndall looks back on her childhood and recalls memories of days past, visits to Vanderbilt will be among her fondest.  She too feels at home in this place and knows that it holds special meaning for our entire family.

This hair.  This hair shall soon be gone if I have my way.  I have a very strong love/hate relationship with it.  Nearly every morning tears are shed because of the massive amount of tangles I have to deal with after this wild child thrashes all night long in her sleep.  It hasn't even been trimmed in close to a year because she just wants it to keep growing.  If and when we cut it, we will most definitely be donating it.

I got a pretty good report from my GI doctor.  I'm having a few issues which may need to be addressed with a revision surgery but I will know for sure in January after I have another scope and meet with a surgeon.  

We decided to make a day of it and had lunch in downtown Nashville at Chuy's. Their chips and salsa are my favorite.  And apparently hers too.

New goodies from my trip to Vandyland!

Kyndall found her way around the Toys R Us Christmas catalog as we were driving this week.  She promptly circled everything she wanted for herself, as well as everything she wanted for Wyatt.  She could have saved herself some time by just simply saying she wanted everything in the entire book.

One of the first things I do each morning is look at my Time Hop app.  It's my favorite app and always gives me a chance to reflect on years past.  A few weeks ago this popped up and immediately I stopped just to take a moment to remember.  To remember where I was this time last year.  God has been so good and so faithful to me and my family.  May I never forget what it was like to be the girl on the left, unable to walk or dress myself and having my mind filled with thoughts that I had just made the biggest mistake of my life and wondering if I would ever be "normal" again.  Yes, indeed....God has been GOOD.  

May I never forget what it was like to lay in a hospital bed hooked to IVs and monitors, longing just to be laying next to my sweet girl as she drifted off to sleep at bedtime.  God has reminded me to be thankful for the little things.  He has taught me that the little things really aren't so little after all.

Girls night out to the USJ Holiday Mart this past Friday night.  I love my crazy crew!

I have never in my life put up a Christmas tree before Thanksgiving.  But, this past weekend was now or never.  We are about to head full force into even more craziness as our weekends from here until after the first of the new year are completely packed with no time to spare.  It was important to me that we put the tree up as a family so this past Sunday we did just that.  I took this picture as I sat on my couch scrolling through social media looking at everyone's pictures of their pristine, beautifully decorated trees.  I found myself drooling and even becoming jealous of their Christmas trees!  Say whaaat?!  Yes, it's true.  I found myself feeling embarrassed of our tacky tree, despite the fact that prior to seeing theirs I was just fine with it.  Oh, the power of the mind is very real.  Then, I snapped out of it and had a moment of reflection and decided to proudly show a picture of our family's tree on Facebook with the following caption.....

One day we will have one of those big, lovely, seemingly picture perfect trees complete with white lights, burlap bows, matching ornaments and all that jazz. But for now it's ALL about the little 5 year old girl who thinks that "rainbow lights", tacky tinsel and mismatched home made ornaments on a "skinny tree" make for the most beautiful sight she's ever seen. She's in awe and I am in awe just watching the magic of Christmas through her sweet little eyes. I hope "one day" never comes because one day I will miss our tacky tree and the little girl who was so proud of it.

Each year my Mom gives all of us a special ornament which has meaning for that particular year.  For example, the first year Kyndall took ballet, my Mom gave her a ballerina ornament.  The year we moved to Charleston she gave us a South Carolina ornament.  You get the point.  Anyway, all of my ornaments are very special to me for this reason.  They all represent something significant in our lives.  This one, however is by far my favorite of all.....

 And these four are just for fun but I say they sum up who I am pretty well!

I told you this girl finds favor with people everywhere she goes so you won't be surprised when I tell you that while in line to check out at Wal-Mart a sweet elderly lady in front of us quietly asked me if she could buy these rainbow tic tacs for Kyndall.  Of course I said yes and I watched as they both got great joy out of the moment.  A simple act of kindness shows there are still good people in the world after all!

This last picture is probably one of my favorites that has ever been taken of me.  Not because it's particularly flattering but because the pure JOY you see on my face is something that can hardly be explained.  These babies and the time I am able to invest in them each week is precious to me.  I have wanted to volunteer in the nursery for a very long time but it wasn't until this past October that I felt I was finally well enough, strong enough and dependable enough to do so.  This was a huge milestone for me and though many encouraged me to back out due to the risk of infection, germs, the onset of flu season, etc. I just couldn't do it.  I had waited too long and hoped too hard for it.  God calls us to go beyond our comfort zone for the sake of ministry and these little people are my mission field.  I can't lie.....when they come to me with their snotty noses and slobbery kisses I do get a little nervous but I know that this is where I am supposed to be.  I look so forward to seeing these sweet smiling faces on Sunday mornings.  In a time where I am longing for another little one of my own but unsure of what the future holds, this is just what my heart needs to fill that void for now.  

By the way, this is only half of my crew---there was another cart full just like this!

That brings us to this week, which is filled with anticipation as we get ready to embark on our very first trip to Disney World!!  We have been promising Kyndall since before my transplant that we would take her as soon as I was able to go.  We are finally at that point and making good on our promise.  Our entire family is joining us, for a total of ten people.  Alison Weaver of Kingdom Concierge here in Jackson has been an absolute lifesaver and I would highly recommend her to plan your Disney Vacation!  I simply told her what I wanted and she did the rest, even down to renting the perfect stroller for Kyndall and Wyatt to ride in!  

Once we are back we will hit the ground running with even more things to do as we lead up to Christmas!  We have several Christmas parties to attend as well as two Christmas plays for Kyndall, a weekend long "just because" trip to Nashville to see the Christmas sights, plus all of the other typical holiday obligations.  Somewhere in there I also turn 33.  As much as I hate to see that number getting higher, at the same time I am thankful to be seeing it.  Another number means another year of life and that's something we should ALL be thankful for!

Happy Thanksgiving!  I will return next week with a bazillion pictures to share from our big trip, including a recreation of this picture of me and my Dad from 1986-ish!  It's gonna be great!  =)