Looks like we’re going to get a little of that storm today, but honestly it looks pretty sloppy and unorganized, so I don’t think it’ll amount to much, but it IS big, so we shall see.

I’ve had a really good day so far, though. Gary was still in bed when I woke up, which is so unusual for him. I woke him up just to check on him and make sure he knew he’d slept that late, but he said he just needed the extra sleep, so we cuddled up for another hour and didn’t get up until almost 10:30. Then he drove to Pensacola to grab my Sam’s order and picked us up lunch from Cane’s. And of course, every single time he has to go to Pensacola for anything, he brings me back flowers. He’s so sweet.

I know part of why he’s being extra attentive right now is because it’s the anniversary week of my mother’s, my brother’s, and my dad’s deaths. Usually this is a pretty somber week for me, but I feel okay this year. I think I felt okay last year too, honestly. I miss them, but it’s not like I miss them any more this week than I do any other week. I always miss them, but I love them, and I’m fine. I’m not fragile, and I’m not holding anything back.

I think that’s one of the good things about being with someone for sixteen years. By now there’s nothing you don’t know about each other, and you don’t have to hide your emotions. I never have, and I think that’s part of why we have such a strong marriage. He might be wondering if it’s all going to hit me out of nowhere, and maybe it will, I can’t say for sure. But right now I feel loved, I feel seen, and I really love my life.

That’s such a blessing, but you’re allowed to miss people. You’re allowed to have bad days. I just don’t have many of them anymore, because I know in my heart I’m going to see my mother again, my brother, my dad, and everyone else I’ve lost. Even our sweet dog we just buried recently. There’s something so sweet about knowing we’ll all be together again one day for eternity. I cling to that. I believe it as surely as I believe the grass is green or the sky is blue. There’s no wavering in that for me. We will all be back together again, and I look forward to that day.

Anyway, the kids are good, everybody’s happy. Gary surprised them today with new battery packs for their VRs, which now means they can stay on them even longer, ha. But they’ve earned it honestly, they’ve been such a big help around the house this summer, doing chores, loading and unloading the dishwasher, vacuuming, and Harper’s been folding and switching the laundry over. They’re just really great kids.

Gage had been asking for that battery pack for a while. It was actually on his Christmas list last year, but he got so much for Christmas we skipped it, and then he barely used his VR during the school year anyway. It’s just been over the summer that he’s wanted the extra playtime, and I get it, that’s just kid stuff.

It’s been rainy and spotty so we haven’t gotten in the pool much, which means lots of VR time for the kids. I’ve been reading, doing a little art, and bingeing TV, just enjoying these last couple weeks of summer before we’re back into back-to-school shopping and all that chaos next week.

That’s all my news for today!