Holla Back!

I have learned over and over in my life that sometimes to clean up a mess, you just have to make a bigger one! At the start of the summer, one thing was for certain: my life was a mess! There were SO MANY changes going on that I felt like a desperate bystander with my fingers and toes stuck in the spouting holes of the Hoover Dam! I was overwhelmed at the very least. We were tackling exciting things... a newborn, a new marriage, a new family, a new house, a new career... and brought on one at a time most people wouldn't think twice about 'dealing' with the stress that comes with each one. However, brought on all at once, my go to response was intended to be a pleasant optimistic one. Unfortunately, I lasted about 6 months before it turned into 'flip the f*ck out'. No kidding! I lost it for quite a few weeks this summer. 

We finally went on vacation and I got a chance to stand back and look at my life and figure out what needed to be done to make us more stable and get us to a place where we could enjoy the changes rather than stress about them. I started seeking peace. Well, honestly, I just started seeking... I was lucky that I found support and guidance. When I got home, I hit the ground running and threw myself into the projects that mattered most to me... and I made a bigger mess. I pulled everything out of the closet and started sorting it. Now that I had a chance to see everything laid out in front of me, I gained perspective and direction and control. It has been a few weeks since and we have been working non stop in the right direction and it feels good. 

*insert vacay photo here*

Suttons Bay, MI

I am extremely blessed to have gotten the opportunity to take a step back and recollect my dreams and goals and happiness. That being said, my perspective has become more like I am a 17 year old girl again looking forward to her future of endless possibilities and experiences! I love it. Quite frankly, Chickadette's 'gone country'. Ever heard the Alan Jackson song, "Gone Country"? Yes, I'm going 'back to my roots'. My next video you'll even hear my southern accent a little more distinctly. I've spent years covering it up.

As far as the blog goes... I am looking forward to sharing all of the awesome happenings that are going on! We are starting a farm, Homie. A forrealsies one with goats and chickens and dirt and tractors. I have 2 boys in school and one on my hip. We are cleaning and renovating our dream home... my husbands childhood home. 

This is what it looked like when he brought me to see it. Mind you, I was 8 months prego and had been told that we could 'have his dads house... if we cleaned it up'. Talk about a diamond in the rough! The poor beauty had been lived in and loved... built by his folks in 1972... and then left and forgotten for quite a few years. After MONTHS of work, the outside is coming together:

Of course the day I decide to take an 'in progress photo' we have just acquired our new doors and stored them on the porch, ha! Speaking of which, it's time to get started on that project. 

So, yes, I miss you all terribly and I have been keeping tabs... just as a silent reader. I'm looking so forward to catching up with all of you!

Peace,

Ashley Marie