Friday Favorites {02.16.24}

I started to write this post early in the week. Since that point in time, you may have seen that there was a mass shooting in Kansas City at the Super Bowl parade celebration. Harrison & I were at the parade with my sister, her husband, and my niece. Many of our friends were at the parade and rally with our kids. Everyone that I know personally is ok. But 20+ people were injured in that shooting, eleven of them children, and at least one person lost their life.

We had the most fun celebrating our Chiefs, and another Super Bowl victory. It breaks my heart for what transpired after the rally – for the families hurt, the trauma that no doubt many of us will now deal with resulting from yet another senseless act of violence.

What had started as such a fun day that I will cherish forever turned into a somber reminder of what a broken country we live in. Whatever the events leading up to people pulling guns and firing into crowds, I quite frankly don’t care. I don’t particularly care if we blame mental health. Or the guns. Or any other number of things. Our country is so broken. And it makes me want to scream and cry all at the same time. It destroys me to have a child who was already waking up from nightmares about guns, and now to have this on top of it. That I can’t tell him that it’s going to get better. That this won’t be the type of world that he will live in forever.

And instead to have to reassure him he’s safe in our home…and in my mind to have to wonder how safe is he really when he leaves this home.

As I sit here with tears streaming down my face having to grapple with this issue yet again, and this time so close to home, I wish I could tie this up in a pretty bow. But I’m just completely broken up.

While I was already feeling overwhelmed before the events in KC just with too many balls in the air right now, I’ve now reached a point where I know I need a break. I need to step away for a week or so and try to re-center myself. To allow myself time to process, check a few things off my to-do list, and just right this ship.

So, I’m going to share some favorites from the happier times lately, because there are reasons to celebrate and smile, always. But I’m going to give myself a pause after today until I can process some things for myself.

I’m sorry for such a sad note, but I’m not one to pretend like everything is fine when it’s not. Take care of yourselves, friends, and hug your babies.

We are celebrating my favorite, number one guy this weekend! His birthday is on Monday, but our little family is celebrating him this weekend.

This guy is my everything, and I just cherish him and the relationship we’ve built more than anything. He cares so deeply about our family, about providing us the best life that he possibly can. Supportive like none other of dreams, girls nights, and our little boys’ passions. Always down for supportive eating of a nightly bowl of ice cream or a glass of bourbon. I’m just beyond blessed. And I love any opportunity I get to celebrate him.

When your parents take your lawn mowing & tractor loving boy to the John Deere store, and he gets to sit on every lawn mower, tractor, and gator in the yard. These pictures of their adventure have my heart.