Nathan headed to UTSA in August (Mechanical Engineering is the plan) and Kelsey returned to St Edwards for her 3rd year (she finally has a major- Kinesiology!) Tones and I officially became "empty nesters"... I thought it was going to be sad, but we adjusted well, I started cleaning the house like crazy (apparently that is what empty nesting really is...) Enjoying the quiet, the clean house, and the time together. (Although with my schedule, teaching 15-20 classes a month, there are a lot of evenings/weekends Tones has time to himself!)
Kelsey turned 21 in October-- a major milestone for all of us! She chose to celebrate by welcoming family, friends, and neighbors to our house for a non-traditional 21st birthday party, complete with food, crafts and a bonfire. (She did eventually head out with a friend to go dancing, a more traditional celebration). I couldn't be more proud of the young woman she has become. She "nannied" full time this past summer and has matured so much... she's into health, nutrition, fitness, yoga, meditation. She loves her "hippie" clothes and style, heavily influenced by her India trip this summer with school. She lives with her roomie Tiffany in an off campus apartment (still funded by mom and dad) but has proven herself to be competent to run a home and manage school and a job! (Her dream job is walking distance from her apartment-- Thundercloud)
Our summer adventure this year included a road trip to the Great Smoky Mountains in Tennessee. We rented a "cabin" nearby-- really a house with over 2,000 sq ft, plenty of space for all of us to spread out, a full kitchen, game room, etc. We spent our week hiking in the mountains, exploring the area, bike riding, and enjoying the local cuisine (mountain trout!)
We "adopted" a friends dog who could no longer keep her. Honey is a white lab, now almost 9 years old, has been quite an addition to our family. She and Shadow are now great friends, playing and snuggling together. She's such a sweet, loving dog... we've had her almost a year now, and I couldn't imagine our household without her! We still have Milo the cat too-- Kelsey's kitty. I'm in charge of all the "leftovers" now.
As I look back on my life professionally, I feel thankful to all the families who invited me into their lives to attend their births, or to assist in their postpartum. Working with moms, dads, and babies gives me constant joy, and no matter how "bad" the hours sometimes get, the rewards are soooo much bigger. And I have such great doula friends, women who love the same work I do, and have such passion for keeping birth beautiful in our culture. I'm truly blessed to have this circle around me.
So goodbye 2014, hello 2015, I look forward to all you have to bring!
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