Throwback Thursday - June 21st

Welcome back to another weekly edition of Throwback Thursday where I look back at this day in my blog's history! You can click on the links to be transported back in time to read the different blog posts.

On this day in 2016 work had just begun on our new covered deck. We have loved that new deck so much and it has been a place of some of the best memories... I just wish my mom had been able to enjoy it longer. I feel her presence more on that deck than anywhere else in the house. She loved it so much. Since it's covered it's comfortable in all but the hottest days of the year. We had Cosette's 2nd birthday party out there... so this blog post makes me a little weepy, realizing that it's only been two years since they started rebuilding the porch... but happy that mom did get to enjoy it for awhile.

In 2015 it was a special "Reasons to Love" post but this time it was Reasons to Love Helen - my sister-in-law! It's been three years since that post and I could probably do a hundred reasons to love her now. We have the BEST text message chats! She posts the sweetest pictures of my nephew Finn! She is always concerned about how I'm doing and always asks about my kids and... we could not have chosen a better wife for Bryan. And now she's incubating another niece for me... quite possibly another red-headed niece... and I'm planning a visit to New York later this year to welcome the new Gant Princess!

I was really thinking deeply about our food choices in 2013 and what might be out there that really isn't good for us. I was also having a little trouble with the youngest kid and wondering when he'd step up to the plate (he has, trust me!) I was deep in the swamp with disability and all that fun stuff. Not my best post ever but it's good to see where I was on this day five years ago.

Oh goodness... what a mess was this time six years ago! Moving back down south... trying to sort Austin's situation out... not knowing if I was going to go back to work or end up filing for disability. It was just so much chaos. The important thing is that I survived it all! Moving in with my parents felt like the lowest of the lows at the time but of course, I didn't know then how little time my mom had left and how important it would be for me to be with her. I read this post now and think... Poor Heather just didn't have a clue. How different would we live our lives if we knew what lurked ahead? Lots. I'm telling you, we would live LOTS differently.

In 2011, I was blogging about Vacation Bible School and the pledges we used to make in the assembly every year. They don't do that any more... at least not around here... and I think it's important to learn those things. But it's more important to know why you believe what you believe. I'm still sorting that part out. When you pledge allegiance, what are you really saying?

I was back on the Weight Watchers bandwagon on this day in 2010 and was really encouraged about my food choices. We had also just recently been to the Fox to see the Little House on the Prairie musical, which was great fun! Somehow that particular day ended up being a double post day and I wrote about a customer who hit a bear with his car. You just never know what might happen here!

AND finally... in 2009 I was having a fabulous weekend watching old movies and staying indoors to beat the heat. I have a long history of hating Summer!

Hope you enjoyed this trip back in time on my blog! Happy Thursday!

Throwback Thursday - June 7 - what's changed over the years?

Time once again to look back on this day in Blog History... which also, as it turns out, is a flash back in Presidential history. The post I wrote on this day in 2016 expressed my concerns about the possibility of a Clinton vs. Trump election and how I felt about each candidate. I wish we could go back to the innocence of that Summer, especially of that time. There's so much division in our country now and it breaks my heart. Speaking of being divided, this post was written about a week and a half before Cosy was taken out of our life for two months... I was recovering from my hysterectomy... I compared the difference between Oliver and Cosy's approach to playing with dolls. There was such a bad storm brewing and I had no idea at that moment. It's important to embrace today because you don't ever know what lies ahead, do you?

I'm cheating by one day on my post from 2014 because I didn't post on this day that year and the post from June 8 is a question and answer post that was fun for me to look back on... I hope it will be for you. One question that I'll go ahead and include here for you to answer: what is on your Summer Reading List? I don't read enough. Partly because of migraines and partly because I'm a couch potato. What SHOULD I be reading? Tips? Suggestions?

In 2013, I was adjusting to being at home full time. On this particular day I was dealing with quite a bit of pain and I came to an epiphany about how being a chronic pain patient was going to change my life. At this point I was already two years into this rocky road and was STILL trying to figure it all out. Now, seven years in, I feel like an expert because I've gone through so much trial and error. I also realize that it's ok to ask for help, it's ok to do what you need to do to feel comfortable - it's not selfish, what's selfish is putting yourself in a situation where you're no good at all to anyone, yet it's also ok to take risks and stretch your boundaries at times. I've been to two concerts in the past six months WITH A WALKER! The key is to build a support network of people you can trust to help you navigate the difficult parts. The bulk of my support comes from three guys who are not by nature cuddly/maternal/emotional people but they all three love me enough to help me get through life. I'm talking about my youngest son, my dad and my sweetheart. They know how to help me because I TELL them what I need, I verbalize my concerns and I trust them to do what I need them to do.

This day in 2012, I found myself feeling particularly grateful for my internet support system... the people who read my blog every day whether they be "real life" friends or people I only know through the internet. I've been blogging off and on since 2004. I've been active on the internet since 1996. The people I've met online, even the ones I've never met in real life, have been constant and consistent and as real to me as the people who live right down the street from me. There's a group of ladies that I refer to as my Blogger Babes and Mother Hens who I know without a doubt are there for me when times get tough. You proved that to me again last Summer during my mom's illness. You sent me flower and texts and cards and messages and truly, just really sustained me during that time. Internet dating may have been a huge mistake for me but internet friendships are the staff of life for me.

Life was particularly difficult in 2011 because I was still trying to work full-time despite the pain that was literally ruling my life. I was trying to get Austin through high school. I was trying to keep the bills paid and the lights on and food in the refrigerator and it was hard. Somehow though, every day brought a real sense of purpose and little moments of joy. My life is so different now. I come in contact with only a fraction of the people I came in contact with at work. My opportunities to make a difference are fewer but now I have time to take with people. I can go at a slower pace. I can have a more deliberate impact. To everything there is a season. This season of life for me is about quality, not quantity.

For some bizarre reason this post from 2010 went relatively viral (for me). It got 840 views which... at that time I got about 60 views per blog entry. Now it's about double that. These numbers don't matter a HUGE amount but I wouldn't mind growing my readership enough to make a little pocket money every month. Social Security doesn't go far, trust me. It's a basically unremarkable blog post so I have NO idea why it got so many views but... maybe posting the link will bring me a few new readers. If you know someone who might enjoy my style of blogging and the topics that I cover (toddlers, living with chronic pain, dating at 50, etc), please share my link! I don't expect to get rich but doubling my readership would at least pay my pharmacy co-pay every month.

Life comes full circle for us. I was reminded of this while reading my blog post from 2009. I talk about a lady who was feeling a lot of bitterness toward her ex-husband. In one of the newer blog posts on this day in history, about two years afterwards, I think, I talked about her son and how he was such a big part of Austin's life. You just never know how the seeds you plant today might bloom in the future. You never know what bridge you might have to cross again.

That's it. I hope you enjoyed this look back with me. I'll have a Food Friday post tomorrow (hopefully) about a really awesome restaurant that Marvin and I visited on Wednesday. Love and hugs, y'all!

Throwback Thursday - May 31st

As usual I'm using Throwback Thursday to look back over this day in the history of my blog. You can click the enclosed links to read the actual blog post if you like. I really enjoy them and I hope you will too!

The most recent May 31st blog entry was 31-derful things about May back in 2013. The whole post is worth a re-read if you have the time, just click the link here. I'll repost the last thing because it is especially poignant to me:

31. I think that in the future I will look back on this season of life... as a 45 year old single, empty nested woman, living in her parents' basement/converted garage, wearing the same maxi-dress and hoodie and the side braid that seems to be my go-to hairstyle lately... and I will treasure these days. Despite the uncertainty of the disability thing, despite the pain, despite the whole hermit lifestyle, for some reason, these really feel like good ole days.

And they truly were.

In 2012, things were a little less settled for me. I was making the move back to Riverdale, to my parents' house and trying to find a job with just enough hours for me to get by financially. You can click here to read the whole blog but the part that is particularly interesting for me to read, six years later is

What I want is my little cabin in the woods and a job that will allow me the right salary that will allow me to work the kind of hours that my back can sustain and ... well, that's not gonna happen... so I'm just thankful for the right kind of job (lord willing) with the right number of hours... with the right amount of responsibility that will allow me to be around people I love, have the respect that comes from gainful employment but not PAINful employment.


Yep. I did find that perfect job but what I gained most from that job was the understanding that even in the most supportive employment environment, I was no longer going to be able to stay gainfully employed. They were so kind to me and allowed enormous flexibility but I found that even just an hour or two of sitting was more than my back could take. Even now... when I find myself at dinner that runs a bit long... or a social engagement that doesn't allow me to sit as comfortably as necessary, I still end up in a lot of pain.

In May of 2011, I was about four months into the struggle with back pain. I was still trying very desperately to work full time and keep our little household running so that Austin could finish school in White County. The pain and fatigue were overwhelming but I still kept getting up every day and trying. I really admire that girl from seven years ago. So much uncertainty ahead. I'm not sure I could have handled the truth of what was coming but I know that in those days of struggle, things were lining up just as they were supposed to be. I was supposed to stop working, move in with my parents and spend some precious, precious time with my mom. I was meant to be in that place, in that season of life so that I could be with her at the end. I'm ok with how things went, even though it was really hard at the time. I said in that blog that:

You can like the life you're living or you can live the life you like. I think I do the first one. I could change a lot of things... if I wanted... but there are a lot of things I can't change and I don't stress over them too much.

I just kept living and eventually, things sorted out the way they were supposed to be. You can click this link here to read my blog entry from this day in 2011.

My blog post from 2009 is here... it was a weekend recap from the weekend that my sister-in-law, Angie, threw her parents a 40th anniversary party. We didn't know then how soon her dad would be taken from us and so ... in retrospect... I'm glad they had such a wonderful party. I guess that's the biggest lesson I learn in these throwback blogs... how very precious these little events in life will be for us one day. Yes, we appreciate them in the moment but I think we appreciate them so much more when we look back.

That's all I have for this day in blog history. I hope you enjoyed this little trip back in time. Thanks for taking the journey with me! Love and hugs, y'all!

Throw Back Thursday - Blog Entries from May 17th

Just for the record, I'm total Yanny - until Marvin changed the pitch higher and then I heard Laurel. Honestly, I thought I had some kind of hearing loss... but anyways...

I thought it was so much fun looking back at old blog entries last week that I am going to do it again... let me know if you're looking back with me! Can you believe I did not post on this day in the past three years? But I have a nice long list prior to that if you'd like to venture back with me.

I wrote a nice long blog post on this day in 2014, giving a lot of detail about my life here and things I was doing. When I read it... it seemed like a lifetime ago but honestly, it was just four years.

On this day in 2013 I had officially stopped working for ... well, at least until now... and actually my disability just got extended by Social Security, I'll write a blog update at some point. I was juggling parenting Austin long distance and getting ready to make the move to the mountain house ... where I have lived happily ever after since.

In 2012 I was struggling to collect unemployment, wondering if I should go for disability instead (the short answer is no, that last attempt to work was immensely valuable in proving my disability case)... and feeling grateful for the things that were happening in my life.

May 17, 2011 had me learning to adjust to living with chronic pain... and dealing with chronic lack of child support. My life was one big logistical nightmare, balancing work with running a household and trying to handle my responsibilities when I was in terrible pain. I'm so grateful for disability (pay, not the actual disability) and having help around the house.

Apparently there was a time when I didn't work as hard to find Reasons to Love Monday. This post from 2010 just smacks of misery. Also... I'm eating those words about Obama taking the presidency seriously. Live and learn, chickadee.

May 17 was a Sunday back in 2009 and I churned out this literary gem... don't bother getting a snack first, it won't take long to read... Sunday, May 17, 2009

Tell me what makes this day special in your world!

Throw Back Thursday - Blog Entries from May 10th

Just a quick post as I'm hanging with my fella today...

Thought it might be fun to peek back in time two years ago when I was recuperating from hosting Cosette's first birthday party... You can click here to read the post

Also... another fun flashback was this day in 2015 when I did a baby clothes haul... Click here for all the cute stuff

I always set links up to open a new window for you, in case you're afraid you might lose your place here.

I had to go all the way back to 2011 to find another entry for this day in history. It's one of those "stream of consciousness" blogs that may seem irrelevant now but... that's part of the fun of looking back, right? Newsday Tuesday 5/10/2011

And believe it or not... that's all in the blog history for May the tenth! Hope you enjoyed our look back. Is there anything special about this day for you?