Sigh. Family. This is a difficult one to write because I know where I have to go with it. I’ll take my time…

I am so over the moon in love with where I live. Moving to Tennessee was one of the best decisions I have ever made in my entire life. Sharing waterfalls and country living with the love of my life and my babies could not be more of a dream come true.

My husband and I are almost always reading each other’s minds and no matter how many amazing people I meet or places I’m invited, I feel like I’m happy just to be somewhere laughing with him. Despite not being a builder or handyman in any sense of the world, he made a beautiful 3-in-1 animal coop out of a crummy detached porch. The man is helpful and he can cook and apparently now, construct things. He’s seriously a jack of all trades, I’m always so proud of him! I don’t know how I could possibly love him more than I do right now because my heart is bursting at the seams. This man is my soul mate and I am eternally grateful to God for bestowing him upon me.

My babies, my precious babies. They all have these special moments that melt my heart. Singing to the baby every night brings her so much joy and I hope she never ever forgets it. I love the way they all just randomly snuggle me throughout the day or they get so excited to tell me about something they’ve done. I love our family nights and seeing the glimmer in their little eyes. Do they have their moments where they talk back and leave fruit snack wrappers on the floor? Absolutely, but every second of the good is worth any of the bad.

I guess I have to get to this part. My mom is my best friend in the entire world. We have our inside jokes and we mess with each other, doing our best to embarrass one another. We laugh so hard at things I’m not sure that anyone else would even get. It’s hard to move away from your mom. We used to have every Thanksgiving with her and now it’s video chats and well wishes for the day. Every new thing that happens in my life, I want to share it with her. We talk on the phone just about every day. Friendsgiving this year was difficult because it’s incredible to have new friends that we love like family, but nothing will ever replace my mommy. Scrolling through my mom’s pictures of her Thanksgiving, I was happy for her, but I also wanted to cry. I miss my mom SO much, especially during all of the big events like holidays and birthdays!

So much of my heart is still with people in New Jersey. My dad and I had only just reconnected a few years ago so it’s rough to be so far away when there are so many years to make up for. Still, I’d like to think that we do a good job of staying connected. I text with my stepmom very often, chit-chatting about life and the oodles of things we have in common. Our kids and their kids chat and play games their fun online games together, like the newest craze, Among Us. We all hop onto phone calls and make sure to update each other on our lives. My kids will talk to their Grandpa and you’ll know it by the fact that they can’t stop laughing. My grandma sends me recipe suggestions and always checks in to see how we are.

I am so thankful for all of our family members, close and extended, the ones in New Jersey and everywhere else, the biological and the in-laws, the ones we talk to regularly and even the ones with which we’ve lost touch. I have been truly blessed with a family that makes me happy and I don’t take that for granted, not one bit.