Mindy's Non-Adventures

Good evening, friends!  So, I'll just jump right into it. Last week was emotionally exhausting and complete with a couple of milestones. First, Tommy started his very first job, AND he got his drivers license. I still can't come up with the right word to describe what it feels like to watch your child drive away by themselves for the very first time. It's a mixture of terror, pride, sentimentality, freedom, and "what if". Whatever word covers all those feelings, that's what I felt. Then there's the job. Tommy started at Dunkin Donuts on Friday. Yeah, I know. It fits with my new addiction nicely. Basically, Tommy has had a big week.  I admit I became a little EMOTIONAL about it all (um...you might have seen my Facebook oversharing), but please don't think that I'm in any way unhappy with things. I'm thrilled that he has a job and that he's driving. Okay, he's not actually driving much on his own because we need a third working car. That...

Hello, friends. So. We all have that thing or two that is our signature trait; the thing that people identify us with. I have two, but only one is applicable for today because someone said it to me this morning, and then I exhibited it this evening. People tell me that I tell the truth. Bluntly. Or that I say the things that they wish they could say. Some people admire it, but really, I just lack a filter. I see it as more of a fault, but there ya go. The thing is, I don't share nearly enough for me to feel all "transparent" or whatever the new buzzword is for today. I generally feel like I hide most of the things we're all supposed to hide. And then I'll say something like I said tonight, and I think to myself "Oh. Yeah. That's why people say I'm blunt." This evening as I was talking to another mom, she asked me about homeschooling. She admitted she didn't know very much about it and it seemed overwhelming. Then she asked about testing and...

Two days in a row you say? Why yes! Part of pulling myself out of hermit mode means I can think about other things. Today was a surprisingly big day for me. I've had a project slowly going on in my home since March, and today, I finished it. Like, completely and utterly finished. Why did it take me seven and a half months to finish? Well. I will tell you. First, I'm slow with these kinds of things. I know, it's anticlimactic, but there it is. Design is not my strength so it takes my brain a long time to visualize how to get the result I want. Second, it was a personal project that had some emotions tied to it. Earlier this year I brought home a dresser that had belonged to my grandparents. Once my grandmother passed, her belongings had to be dealt with, and I received this dresser. Originally, I planned on using it as a dresser since we actually needed a new one. Once we moved it across the state and up the stairs into my bedroom, I quickly realized that was not going to ...

Hi friends. It's been almost two weeks since I've posted anything, and that can only mean one thing. I have begun to hermit. Yes, I use hermit as a verb. I think it most aptly describes what I do when I'm figuring out how to handle a thing that feels overwhelming. And so friends, let me invite into my mental hermitage for a few minutes. If it were a real room, it would look like a hobbit hole, dimly lit, covered with books, and with a giant, cozy, cushy chair in the middle of the room. There's a fireplace with a low fire and a window, but there are flowers growing on the outside so no one can look inside. See, it's not depressing...just quiet, peaceful, and private. Hold on. Before I describe why I'm hermitting, I just realized it might be weird to have a room in my head. Does anyone else do that? Like, is it normal to have mental places you go to think. My hermit hole is where I go when I need to work through a big thing. When I'm stressed, I go to the la...

Happy Sunday, friends!  Let me start off by warning you that I've had a headache all day, and I've decided to switch up my music choices so I have no idea what this will do to my ability to proofread. In case you're interested, I'm going back to Switchfoot to see if it will work as background music. Okay...now then. If I spoke to you in person last week, I might have seemed a little off. I basically questioned all my homeschooling choices and might have told you I was considering quitting all the things. Friends, I am not quitting all the things. What I was actually doing was coming down from the hurricane. Yall. Hurricanes in Charleston are a three week event for some of us. Nope. Can't do Switchfoot. I'm back to Kings of Leon. Anyway. Week one of a hurricane involves increased vigilance for our chosen weather resources. Small talk is centered around the potential storm and whether one will stay or go if the need arises. We buy extra water and snacks at the s...

Okay friends. So I just finished writing up a delightful little thing about our past week, but we all know how the week went. Our lives came to a screeching halt, and we've tried to keep ourselves busy until this massive and slow as ketchup coming out of a Heinz bottle storm did its thing. You all get it. I don't have to rehash it. We are all so over Florence. Instead, I'll tell you about this other thing that happened! First, I need to explain something to you about myself. When I'm thinking through an issue, I have to look at it from every possible angle. I will read a position on said issue and internally argue against every point I read. Then I'll read something else coming from the opposite angle and argue every point they make. I will argue all the points in my head and sometimes out loud until I either get to a point that I cannot refute OR I realize there's no way to definitively know the answer. At that point, I'm okay with making a choice and hol...

Happy September everyone! Summer is in its final throes and fighting back hard against autumn. It's a valiant effort, but I think we're all done with 90+ weather in September. In my heart, I am pulling on my cozy socks, sliding my cocooned feet into my boots, wrapping myself in scarves, and twirling in the blowing leaves with a hot apply cider drink in my hand. Alas, today will be in the 90s again so I will put my sandals and tank top on with bitterness. Hot, sweaty bitterness. But anyway. I have settled into a happy place. After rereading some of my posts from earlier this year, I can tell how far I've come. The beginning of this year was chaotic and sad. I've since eased into a nice season of calm and boring. I can take a deep breath without the tightness that accompanies the anxiety of too many commitments and worry over whether or not we're already behind with our school work.  Unfortunately, some of my people have stepped into a more difficult season of...