Hello friends:) Once again (I am always saying this), it’s been awhile!
I have edited this blog post several times — I first started working on it back in April when the craziness of Corona had only just begun. Then, a month went by and I had to re-write a few things for it to be up to date… then, I walked away from my computer again and another month went by. Then another. Then another…
So here we are, starting the ninth month of 2020 — hard to believe right?! And while I type that, I know at times this year has felt soooo long. It’s been very trying for some, relaxing for others, and confusing for us all. For the most part, we have managed to stay sane and have kept chugging along despite all of the uncertainty around us. Thankfully, with children who are still very young, it’s easier to continue with the day to day without their little minds being affected too much.
Some highlights…
The Maddens came out for a visit back in March! Oh how wonderful it was to see them and have some much needed Madden family hugs. Unfortunately, the you-know-what hit the fan in the middle of their trip and they had to fly home early due to Ireland closing its borders because of Covid. It was a tearful good bye, but we were thankful that we got to spend five precious days with them when it likely could have been zero!
We had a BEAUTIFUL spring here — sometimes that *perfect* spring weather comes and goes too quickly and the summer heat sets in by May. This year, we enjoyed 70 -80 degree weather well into June which was wonderful and allowed us to be outdoors most of the time. My mom, sister and niece surprised me with a visit from CA at the beginning of June! I was shocked to say the least. We soaked up every moment and Méabh was so happy to have some one-on-one girl cousin time:)
I took the kids out to Santa Barbara at the beginning of August and let me tell you, having a two week break from this Georgia heat + humidity was pretty glorious. We were sad Niall couldn’t join us but he got in some golfing, fishing, and reading time while we were gone so he survived okay:) Seeing all the cousins together is sweet and I love that everyone still lives close to home so that we can see everyone whenever we visit.
We are coming up on our THREE year anniversary of moving to Georgia! Late on the evening of September 2, 2017: we landed at the Savannah airport and stepped out into the sticky, warm air of the beautiful South:) Niall and I always like to do something special on this day. Only the two of us will ever know the depth of the challenges we went through during that time. I know, that may sound dramatic … but moving to a different country with a ten month old and a two year old and having to start from scratch without knowing a single soul was really hard. Then, right in the thick of it all I had my second miscarriage and I just felt so alone. There were points I felt so low, I didn’t want to face the day. Thankfully, God gave me enough strength for each hour, and in the midst of those hard days there were moments that felt new and exciting. We loved walking downtown under the dreamy Spanish moss trees; we found a new favorite breakfast spot (food can be so comforting!); we felt the warm sunshine daily — something we rarely experienced in Ireland. We purchased ‘Big Bessie’ — yep, that’s what we named her and it has stuck! — I was instantly in love and became a very proud owner of a ‘soccer mom’ van;) We moved into our house which we put an offer on just two weeks after moving here — this big yellow house has become home and we couldn’t be more thankful. Georgia, you have really grown on us and we’re so thankful for these past three years!
Here’s a little trip down memory lane for y’all:)
Do I look awful, tired, pale (thanks Ireland) and worn out in the above pic?! I was. Lot of tears cried the previous day — this was our FIRST day here! We went downtown to lift our spirits. It was a Sunday. The breakfast spot we went to is, to this day, our favorite! It’s the little things in life:)
For the first few months we lived in a temporary apartment. We didn’t have all of our stuff (it took three months to get here by ship), so the kids were totally confused and bored. Méabh constantly asked me when we were going home. I held back the tears and it wasn’t until we moved into our house that I truly felt HOME. It was the best feeling in the world. I remember taking the pic below — I was putting my favorite coffee cup away in the cupboard — it was a big moment;) We have since painted all of our kitchen cabinets white so it looks really different now!
Literally the weekend before we got the keys to our house, Heidi came to visit. Friends are truly the sunshine of life! Only a couple of days before she arrived I had gotten a 10 week ultrasound showing a little baby heartbeat, but several complications that made the pregnancy not viable. Having her presence at that time meant the world to me. Friends who love you through thick and thin … there are few things more precious.
There was crap everywhere in the beginning, but we survived. Things were put away, tears were wiped, and Niall provided ample amount of his infamous Niall hugs throughout it all:) We were stronger and closer after those crazy few months and I can’t begin to say how grateful I am to adventure with these three! If you made it this far, thanks for reading:)
It’s September 1st and I hope you all are getting more fall-like air than we are — it’s currently 96 degrees out and don’t forget that lovely humidity;) We have a few more updates that I will post about soon — for now, this is long enough! Sending love to you all from Georgia. xxx
