Life’s Journey and Changes

If you haven’t noticed, the blog has been a little quieter than usual the past few weeks. Today, I thought I would share a peek into why — a few more details into real life at the Rowes. I’m learning that with being a “grown up” comes a number of unexpected twists and turns on life’s journey.

Life’s Journey and Changes…

Change is inevitable, it can be both happy and sad.  Recently, I’ve gotten a bittersweet taste of both. Let’s start with some of the harder changes.

-My Body and The Fall

Since migrating into my forties, my body seems to be throwing temper-tantrums on a regular basis. As you might know, last year I had rotator cuff surgery in January and later in the year found that I had plantar fasciitis.

Recently I fell down a flight of stairs and did a number to my right knee. I had x-rays done and an MRI. Apparently, there is a small fracture in my knee and a strained ligament. I was SO happy to hear that there wasn’t a tear in the ACL, meaning no surgery.

A couple months of limited use should do the trick; however, packing and moving didn’t really seem to help the healing process.  Seriously, such a nightmare… your prayers are greatly appreciated for a complete healing without further complications.

-Sydney Lou and Sad Goodbyes

Secondly, my twins sweet dog, Sydney Lou (what I called her), went to doggy heaven. I have NEVER experienced grief and sadness like that. My husband and I went to support my sister at the vets office.  It was AWFUL, but I wanted so badly to be there for my sis.  Sydney had kidney failure and was fighting the good fight; however, the time always comes when difficult decisions need to be made.

I was the one who brought Sydney home to my sister as a puppy, so she was like one of my own. 10 years doesn’t seem like quite enough time with her, but there’s officially no more sorrow or pain for our sweet girl. Since I worked from home, Sydney spent many days with me. I miss her every day.

I’m crying as I type this. I’m not only mourning the loss of Syd, I’m also mourning the loss my sister has had to face too.  I wish I had a magic wand to fix things and make her sorrow go away. She’s having a hard go of it and I can only imagine how difficult it must be.

I was honored to snap the picture of the two of them (see above) shortly before she left us…  Whew.  It was very hard to edit and post this picture, this Thursday it will be one month since our loss.

I am learning to trust the journey, even
 when I do not understand it.” -Mila Bron

-Parker Posey and Confusion

Last, but certainly not least, in the arena of not-so-happy news is in regards to our sweet Parker (maltese).  Unfortunately, he is losing his eye sight. This has also had me in tears on many occasions. There is a new normal in our home (wherever that may be at the time), as he can no longer go up and down stairs and finds himself a little lost and confused on occasion.  It’s heart breaking.

We had tests done (spinal tap and MRI) by a neurologist and everything came back “unremarkable.”  Two grand later and no answers.  Of course we were happy that nothing devastating was found, but we were hoping for some news on a few things that have been going on.

He’s ten and there’s a lot of skepticism that it’s just a part of his aging process.  Parker has been on steroids for several years due to being diagnosed with white dog shaker syndrome several years ago.  I consider every day with him a blessing.

I have to say that his resilience is remarkable though, he hasn’t let it stop him.  Food and treats still continue to excite him more than ever.

Who knew these sweet fur babies of ours can steal such a big piece of our hearts? I was never a dog person growing up. We had an outdoor lab and I think I threw him a treat every once and a while. Today, I can’t imagine life without my sweet boys.

Of course I know that losing them is inevitable, but man… I never expected to feel this much sadness in watching them age and eventually leave us. Phew. The thought takes my breath away.

I know not everyone is a dog person, or a pet person – but if you are, you can relate. I remember the hype of getting my sweet Parker. The puppy stage is so cute and as the years pass you realize they won’t be here forever. Why is it that we NEVER think of the end? I’m not sure I could do this all over again. It’s gut wrenching.

Excuse me while I get a tissue…

Sniffle. Okay, I’m back.

Man, all of this sad news is depressing. I don’t want to talk about depressing things anymore. However, as we all know, life isn’t always easy and what doesn’t kill us — makes us stronger.  Can I get an amen?

-Good News and BIG Changes.

Moving onto some good news… if you subscribe to my weekly newsletter, you might already know. (If you aren’t a subscriber, what are you waiting for? SIGN UP TODAY!)

WE SOLD OUR HOUSE!

Aaaaaaaaaaand we’re moving out of town!!

Gosh, saying that felt good. I even squealed. Yes, this is some pretty freaken exciting news. Why? Well, St. Louis has been one of our least favorite places to live, so we’ve been wanting to make a change, but the timing needed to be right.

In January, the hubs got a new job working from home and can work remotely from anywhere.  Now that we both work from home, we had some serious flexibility!

When we were dating, I lived in Springfield (SGF) and he lived in St. Louis. There weren’t any comparable jobs in Springfield for Steve at the time, so I moved to St. Louis.  The truth be told, we both loved SGF and would’ve loved to stay there. Sometimes things just don’t work out the way we’d like them to.  However, God knew.

We hoped to go back one day and talked about it on occasion. Do you see where this is going? Yeah? Whelp, we’re moving back to the Springfield area. We’ll be about 10 miles outside of Springfield, in Rogersville, MO. We’re downsizing and building a ranch home. We hope to be moving in towards the end of October, early November (Lord willing).  I couldn’t be more excited, friends!

Plus, my parents recently retired there!  I’m super duper excited to be closer to them, we’ve lived thousands of miles apart for YEARS.

So, we packed up our house into two of the largest pods we could get and they’re being stored until we close on our new home.  Our fingers are crossed that we packed them well enough and everything will remain in tact.

Before we officially moved out, we also held a large indoor moving sale.  I still think we were a little insane to do that, but it ended up being a huge success.  95% of the items sold.  Hallelujah!

We’re currently staying with my sister in her one bedroom apartment, then we’ll be dog sitting for a couple of weeks for my parents.  After that we’ll be in an Airbnb for October and November.  I’m praying the time goes by quickly, but I’m super excited we’ll be in our new home for the holidays.  Yay!

Soooo, as you can see, things have been a wee-bit crazy for us.  Although I’m tired and trying to recuperate, I’m feeling blessed beyond measure.  The future holds some exciting adventures for us and I can’t wait to see them unfold.

Be sure to stay tuned as I share some of the fun along the way.  Here’s a peek at the home we’re building…  my favorite part of this picture is the water tower.  Ha ha! Rogersville currently has a population of a little over three thousand people.  Love it!

As you can see, we’re downsizing by about 1000 square feet and I couldn’t be happier.  A ranch with an open floor plan and no stairs.  Small and cozy sounds just about right (wink).

I recently saw this quote and found it to be fitting for our circumstances,

“Honor the space between
no longer and not yet.”
-Nancy Levin

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