Changing Plans

Hi there.

After three weeks of quiet, I woke up today itching to charge up my laptop and click all the keys.  It's been a nice break.  I didn't spend much time on any social media, which is my usual time killer.  Instead, I spent time reading and thinking and enjoying my family.  I ran and hiked and cleaned out closets.  We've had the best weather here in the desert, I even forgot to pull out Josie's Christmas dresses until right before the big day.  It's hard to think red and green when it's sunny and 70.

It's been a time of some deep reflection for me.  Our family, our marriage, has gone through some deep trials.  I've been grieving a lot of losses and feeling a lot of feelings.  It's been hard in a new way, but, here on the other side of it, I'm feeling glad at the results that are coming from it.

This year has been a doozy.

What started as a run of the mill trip around the sun took one drastic turn after another.  It's crazy to think that Gabe's heart surgery was only 7 months ago.  It feels like eons have passed between then and now. 

I'm feeling good.

Fresh, new, refocused.

But to get there, we have made some pretty huge life changes that I thought I'd better fill everyone in on before we get too far into them. 

For instance, I enrolled my kids in school.

I know.  It surprised me too.

Most of you weren't around when we first started homeschooling, but we kind of just fell into it.  I had never planned to teach my babies.  But when it came time for Josie to start, I just couldn't do it.  Our local school left much to be desired and I just felt like I could do a better job.  From there, we just kept going.  We knew we didn't want them in the local public school and the private options didn't seem worth the money.

And I loved it.  Even the hard days were full of amazing moments that I wouldn't trade for anything.

When we decided to move to Scottsdale, we started tossing around the idea of maybe putting them both in school.  At the end of the day we decided that it was just too much change in one year and that we'd keep them home at least another year.

Then, on Halloween, we met our neighbors and became fast friends.  And the more I talked with them about the local school options here, the more I thought that the kids would love it.

Our area does open enrollment which meant we had a huge pick of where we would send them.  We toured a few charter schools and a ton of the elementary schools and at the end of last month, I walked into a school that felt like home.  From the art hanging everywhere to the huge library and smiling kids in the classes that weren't even close to overcrowded, it all felt like a perfect fit.  Josie was so excited and really didn't want to wait until next school year so, after calling around and seeing what they were covering in the school right now, we decided that she would start after Winter break.

I'm a tiny bit anxious at how fast our school plan has changed, but also super pumped up for this new opportunity.  The school is so adorable, her teacher is amazing, and I know she is going to have so much fun.

Preschool and Pre K are different here than in Georgia so, for now, Gabe will continue to do preschool at home with me until he starts kindergarten in the Fall.  And, holy cow, my baby is going to kindergarten!

I'm not sure what exactly I'll do with all the time this will leave on my hands.

Part of me wants to go back to work, part of me wants to go back to school, part of me wants to sit on the couch in silence without a single person needing me.  I'm looking forward to getting to know myself again.  I never intended to be a stay at home mom that homeschooled her kids.  Like I said, I've never regretted it for a second, but to make it work I did have to put some of my life plans on hold.  I'm excited to brush the dust off of them and see what I can do with them.

So that's our big news.

My mind is feeling clear.  I'm making choices that have me feeling like I'm finding myself again after a long time apart.  The topics on Journey To Josie may change some.  There will still be cute, curly haired kids and more pictures than you'd probably care to see.  I want to share this new phase of life with all of you and I want to document every step of the way, just like I have since the first time I logged in to Blogger.

Our journey is changing course, but it's still the best trip I've ever been on.