If you haven’t noticed, I have been rather absent from the blog over the last three months. To put it bluntly, the last half of 2011 has been a clusterf#&k, filled with extreme highs and some lows. For starters, in July, we welcomed our second son, Callahan James. A sweet boy with strawberry blonde hair and blue eyes. See more about Cal here. Having one kid is fun…two is no joke.
Three months later, kind of on a whim, we decided to put our first home up for rent and purchase a new one. We found it over Labor Day weekend. Saw it on a Friday, put in an offer on a Saturday and they accepted on that Monday. It was in need a lot of updates, but we kind of like doing that sort of thing, so we delved head on into home improvements. We moved in over Halloween weekend, and here we are, January 1 and there are still plenty of boxes that need unpacking. It has been crazy, hard and stressful, and sometimes I wonder if we made the right decision, but I keep reminding myself that it will get better and we are very lucky to be able to do what we did.
The kitchen was the most work, but the most exciting part of the renovation. We knocked out a wall, got new appliances and countertops and refinished all of the wood floors throughout.
But the bathroom is my favorite of all. Scalamandre Zebra wallpaper in Masai Red and hexagonal retro tiles. Every time people see it, they ask, “how did you pick that paper?” Royal Tenenbaums. My favorite movie. Watch it.
We did take some time off and took Campbell on his first “trip,” that wasn’t Grandma and Papa’s cottage. We spent a few days on Mackinac Island. We drove over the bridge, threw rocks in the big lake, rode bikes around the island and saw LOTS of horses. It was a great escape!
My career high of the year…THANK YOU Heather Lee and the rest of the crew at Brides Magazine. You make a little stationer from Michigan feel pretty special!
The health issues of our family members have been the hardest thing to deal with this past year. My mother was diagnosed with the very early stages of breast cancer. She has since had the cells removed and went through radiation without too much discomfort and her first mammogram came back clear. Matt lost his Grandmother this spring, and I lost my Grandmother over Thanksgiving.
My Grandma Helen, my kindred spirit…she was small in stature, but one tough, determined, Irish lady. She taught me the importance of working hard and getting a good education, so that you would never have to rely on others, to stand up for your convictions and be proud that you are a member of the Campbell clan. She lived to be 93 and had a full and happy life, surrounded by many that loved her. In her own words, “I am ancient, but I am blessed.” Rest peacefully Grandma. I think about you every day.
2011 was NUTS. Both good and bad. I think I have never been so unorganized in my life! BUT there is no time like the present and I fully intend to OWN 2012. Starting today, with this blog. I promise to be more current. Check back this week to see our birth announcement/moving announcement/Christmas card that just went out last week…waaaaay overdue but better late than never.
Happy New Year and I hope to see more of you in 2012!
