Life Update
Things have been more than a little crazy in my neck of the words these last few months.
Of course, tax season was more insane than usual (thanks COVID), and didn’t end in April like it was supposed to. Work took up too much of my time, and there was literally no time to write anything from January to May. I barely had time to sleep or see my kids!
Then in May, my oldest son officially left home. He enlisted in the Navy back in December. He was supposed to leave in June, just a couple of weeks after high school graduation. Well, he graduated early because he couldn’t stand the virtual school format, and he decided he wanted to change his job in the Navy. He got a call at noon on a Tuesday, there was an opening for the job he wanted, but he would have to leave by 11 am the NEXT DAY! He really wanted that job change, so he agreed. I went into full “mom-mode” and arranged a graduation/going away party on a freaking Tuesday night.
The day he left, I was able to pick up his cap and gown from the high school at 2 pm. Of course, he had already left at 11 am. So what do I do? I jump in the car, and drive to the Milwaukee area (where he is still at MEPS) to make him take picture’s in his cap and gown, and take him out to dinner one last time. Because when we leave Milwaukee, I have no idea when I will be able to talk to my child again.
Thanks to COVID, he was required to quarantine for 2 weeks before even starting basic training. Then it was just over 2 more weeks into basic before he could even write. I went a month with no contact with my child. It was probably one of the most difficult things I have ever done. Agree to let Xane take hormone replacement? No problem. Go an entire month with no contact with one of my kids? No thank you. I never want to deal with that again.
When he is finally able to contact us, we find out he lost the job he had left in a hurry for, because of issues within his unit.
Fast forward another month, and he seems to finally be okay with his new job. It’s definitely not what he wanted, but it will work. For now at least.
Then a chemical factory EXPLODES less than a quarter-mile from my mother’s house. So they were forced to evacuate (with their 4 dogs), and who is the nearest relative? Yep. That’s me. Sure. Bring over the dogs that I am crazy allergic to. Thankfully they found hotels to stay at overnight, but during the day, they were at my house. From Monday morning when the explosion happened until Friday evening when they were finally able to return home. No idea what kind of chemicals could have seeped into their property. Contaminating their well water. Who knows what long-term effects that fire will have.
Somehow, during all this excitement, I managed to FINALLY finish Dying to Fit In. It was released on my 7th wedding anniversary. Only about 2 1/2 months later than planned. Now I have moved on to the next book, but I am definitely not on schedule for an August release like I wanted. Maybe by fall if I am lucky.
Hopefully, life can calm down so I can get back to the work that I love so much!
