I Am Thankful For:
Allergy medicine
My dad bringing over lunch
Candy corn
The last day of summer
Talking in the car with my son
Getting a text from my uncle
Finally, Autumn
Homemade soup
Hugs from my grandson
Lunch with my husband
Teeny tiny kitten paws
A morning walk with my husband
Sunflowers
My husband making chili
Planning more trips
I Am Thankful For:
That fresh out of the shower feeling
Spending time with my daughter
Halloween costumes
New pajamas
Soup and grilled cheese
Hints of fall weather
Finding what I was looking for
My husband in a new suit
Holding hands in the car
Waffles with real maple syrup
Football Sunday
A perfect fall-like day
Nail biter Monday night football games
Cute tops for fall
Getting a lot done
A clean house
I Am Thankful For:
Smooth travels
Traveling to Canada for the first time
Dinner with my dad and his wife
Meeting my relatives
Hearing stories about my biological grandmother
My Canadian cousins
A big family dinner
Heading home
Being able to text people while stuck at the airport
My husband talking to me and calming me down when I'm freaking out
Finally getting home
A much needed afternoon nap
My husband taking care of dinner
Maple coffee
The start of football season
My youngest grandson started crawling
Back to my routines
Coffee Crisps
Peaceful mornings
Texting all day with my cousin
My One Word for 2023 is Explore. In the spirit of exploration, I made the decision not to stop at one word this year - but to also have a word for each month.
For August that word is: Family
My husband is very into genealogy and over the years we tried to find any information about her, without any luck. He even bought me one of the Ancestry. com DNA tests several years ago.
Flash forward to a few months ago where I am DNA matched with a woman as being first or second cousins on my paternal side. And there's my biological grandmother's name in her family tree. I think it's fair to say that I was in a state of shock and needed to just sit with that information for a little while.
Finally, the Man of the House convinced me to contact her. I explained my story and asked what she could tell me about my grandmother. She quickly responded that was her grandmother and that knew her grandmother had given a child for adoption while she was in the camp in Austria. The child's name was my father's name. I immediately started crying and told the Man "It's her!" I messaged back and forth with this newly found cousin for the rest of the evening.
The next morning I texted my dad and told him that I had information about what happened to his birth mother and asked him if he wanted to know what I had discovered. He asked if he could come right over!
I was able to tell him that she had immigrated to Canada in 1949. Unfortunately, she had passed away in 2008, but he has four younger siblings - three brothers and a sister. All still living in Ontario. His mother had never made a secret of him and had tried to find him over the years through the Red Cross with no success.
My father was able to start communicating with some of his siblings, and last week we made the trip to Canada to meet all of them! He and his wife drove, while I flew up and met them there.
It was a wonderful, amazing, crazy, and emotional few days! Honestly, since the very first moments - this has been like living out the plot of some movie.
It's incredible how much my father and his brothers look alike. They have the same hair and eyes. They even have some of the same mannerisms. There seemed to be an immediate connection between all of them.
It gave me so much joy to see him discovering this missing piece of his story. To get some answers to questions he has always had. And to start building a relationship with his siblings. I'm so thankful to have been able to play a part in giving that to him.
I have also had the pleasure of meeting my aunt, my uncles, and cousins. They were all so welcoming and kind. I enjoyed hearing stories about my grandmother. It helped me to feel closer to her and to get to know her from those who knew and loved her.
And I'm happy to say that the cousin I was matched with to start this whole journey and I message, email, and text each other regularly. I now consider her not just my cousin, but also a friend.
And that's why my word for September is Family.
I Am Thankful For:
Ordering new pajamas
One more cup of coffee
Craft shopping with my daughter
My grand son's mischievous little smile
Soft fall tops
Cut thumb wasn't as bad as it could have been
Bagels
Trips to Sam's Club
Long showers
The blend of colors in my hair - even the grey
Grilled steak dinner
Three day weekends
Slow, lazy mornings
Going to bed early
Happy Labor Day!
Did you know...
The first Labor Day celebration was observed on September 5, 1882 in New York City, when the Central Labor Union organized a parade to recognize and honor the many contributions of American laborers.
Oregon was the first state to pass a law recognizing Labor Day as a holiday in 1887.
On June 28, 1894, Congress passed a law officially making the first Monday of September a national holiday.
I hope you are enjoying your holiday. Be safe and have some fun!
Finally... September! After the long, hot days of August - I am hoping for some cooler days and nights and seeing the leaves start to change colors. But let's be honest - here in North Carolina, September can feel more like a continuation of Summer instead of the first days of Autumn.
I'll be doing a little solo traveling in September. I'm incredibly nervous and excited about this trip. And while I don't want to discuss details about it right now - I look forward to sharing the whole story with you later this month.
Football season begins this month. And that means lots of Sunday afternoons in front of the television, relaxing and rooting on our favorite teams. As much as it pains me to say it - I'm not expecting much from my Carolina Panthers this year. But I will still enjoy watching games. And we're looking at plans to see a game at another stadium later in the season.
This month is slow when it comes to celebrations. One of my nephews and a brother in law each have a birthday. But mostly, for us, it's a quiet month.
I plan to continue doing some "mood reading" through September. I enjoyed the relaxation of just reading whatever stirs my interest or curiosity. And it gives me time to plan some spooky reads for next month! (Suggestions are welcome)
Speaking of scary - but also exciting - I'll be making some big decisions and changes in regards to my Etsy business over the coming weeks. I don't have any details to share right now. But those plans will be coming together and going into action sooner rather than later.
My Goals for September:
