Today is my thirty-something-kinda-ish-but-not-really birthday and I want y’all to come along with me as I take a glance back at the past year. Thinking of what all this past year has held blows my mind. Honestly, it’s been one of the most blessed years ever! Though trying at times, I am overwhelmed with joy to see all that I experienced in the last 12 months! So let’s go for a little time-travel and reflect on my journey.

August was filled with lots of canning. Visiting a few amish farms. School shopping. Spending some time with a sweet couple that our littles sure miss like crazy. And spending as much time with my littles as I could before school started. And then, sadly, sending my oldest off for the first day of his senior year. And the ending of my sadness.

In September I focused a bit on the importance of embarrassing our littles. We went to the truck pulls and to my class reunion. Tuesdays held Ladies Bible Study at church, sure enjoy my time with those lovelies!

October held 9 senior sessions, 3 family sessions, 1 engagement session and 1 newborn session. And our own big family photo session. Football football football. Ladies bible study. Lotsa photo editing. Yeah, October was a bit ridic. It also held me having one of my biggest messy mascara days! And of course, pumpkin everything!

My November was spent being thankful for oh so many blessings in my life. Putting our tree up. Black Friday shopping. Christmas crafting began. And I finally addressed my anonymous blog commenter.

In December I was over-the-moon to have my Christmas spirit back, it felt magical! But I felt it important to tell others it’s okay if Christmas makes you sad. It also held a surgery for me, but this one was close to home! Baking cookies at church with the teens. Christmas caroling. Making our Christmas cards {one of my fav things!}. We had an amazing, blessed Christmas.

In January I shared my journey. And I shared about a hard topic to talk about, intimacy in marriage.

Oh February, the month of love. I also wrote on of my fav blog posts, 10 Truths for Every Teenage Girl. And I tried my hand at incubating eggs, and hatched out one!

March was filled with hatching more new babies. A trip to Cleveland to visit my Dr. And trying to wrap my head around when a situation only leaves you with sadness. I also shared what I wish I had known before I got chickens.

In April we were busy. I had another surgery in Cleveland. A fun teen group girls sleepover here at our house {aka…lots of giggles}. Easter. A new car. Spending some times with my bests. Ice skating. And talked about how to guard our hearts.

May was full of fun! Coffee with an amazing sweet soul. Baseball pictures for daysssssss. A new short haircut. Senior Prom. Mother’s Day. Joe’s birthday. My baby turned 18, what?!  I voiced my opinion in the Duggar situation with no casting stones here.  And I told women, all women, that’s it’s okay to just love yourself.

In June I had 3 weddings. Joe and I celebrated our 19th wedding anniversary, which prompted a post of 19 things God has taught me in 19 years of marriage. Time at camp visiting family we only see once a year.  A week of Bible school, and sharing a classroom with my oldest. Father’s Day.  And I wrote a letter to my boy on his graduation day.

July held the best family vacation ever. EVER. It was epic. My baby girl turned 16, and I wrote her a letter.  My little miss went to TLC (Teen Leadership Conference} at Summit University, where God really worked in her life!  Being eternally thankful for my God-scripted love story.  And lotsa lotsa lotsa pictures.  Also a little post on my baby girls conviction to save her first kiss.

I have four weddings to edit, countless other sessions as well, an uncooperative leg, a boy in school, a girl wanting her drivers permit, an egg eater somewhere in my coop and 3 sassy roosters that flog daily.  To say this week is stressful it putting it lightly. If there is one thing I could use right now, it’s a good laugh. So, let me take y’all back a few years…

My grandma was a patient in the hospital and I was staying overnight with her. She had a nice little sweet-as-pie roommate who we will call “Edna”. Edna was 91 years old and she was so sweet and soft-spoken. On this evening, Edna started getting a “new” IV antibiotic which made her start acting a little off. I should have thought something was up when Edna asked me if the yellow things on the floor were off the trees but…I let it go {mistake #1} I mean, if your 91 and you want to say a few CRAZY things I think you are entitled to.

Grandma fell asleep around 10, hallelujah.  I was sitting in the chair by the bed reading a magazine. Edna woke up and started crying so I scurried over to help her.  I wanted to help her and keep her from waking Grandma back up.  She didn’t know where she was or why she was there, which broke my heart. She was so super scared and asked for a drink of water. I walked around the bottom of the bed and poured her some water {mistake #2} When I went to hand it to her she screamed “get out of my house” and punched me in the face. Seriously, is this even real life?

During the day, Edna couldn’t hardly walk.  She certainly couldn’t walk on her own and had to use a walker.  She didn’t need her walker then, geesh, she chased me like she was a 20 year old spring chicken.

She chased me while yelling for the police, saying I was stealing her jewelry and money. Some where along the way she picked up her bed pan and hit me in the head with it. Repeatedly.  It was empty, thankfully.  At least I hope it was.  I kept thinking “a nurse is going to come running in and rescue me any time now“.  Nope.  I’m convinced they knew it was happening, but it was so entertaining they just hated to break it up. 

She chased me clear out into the hallway and a little ways down the hall.  Then the nurses came and got Edna, she kept telling them about the woman in her house stealing her jewelry and money. And I stood in the hall and cried my eyes out. I’m sure the nurses laughed like crazy about that one. Eye roll. Me, not so much of laughing. 

My clothes were soaked.  We’re going to say from the water she threw on me and not the other option, because I know that bedpan was empty.  Just go with it and humor me.  I had to go call my husband to bring me clothes.  So I go outside and call.

me:  Joe {sobbing uncontrollably}

him:  What’s wrong?  Is Grandma okay?

me:  Her roommate just hit me {more sobbing}

him:  What?  What roommate?  Edna?

me:  Yes, she thought I was stealing her jewelry or something.  She hit me with her bedpan.  And punched me in the face.

him:  Silence.  And quiet laughter.  

Then I thought I’d call my Mama.  Because you know if you want sympathy, you call your Mom!  Except that call went just about the same way.  And it ended with her saying “You know a 91 year old woman just kicked your butt”.  

Joe brought me clothes and Edna, bless her heart, was moved to a different room that was private.  And I settled into my chair-bed for the night and slept with one eye open.