Since You’ve Been Gone…

Matt and I went to a Kelly Clarkson concert last week. It was “epic,” if that’s a word people still use to mean awesome, spectacular, great and, you should have been there.

We tried so hard to get a nice selfie. I mean, a Kelly Clarkson concert is worth a selfie, right? Wait, is a selfie still a “selfie” if two people are involved? Halppp. #kellyclarkson #datenight

A photo posted by thehilljean (@thehilljean) on Aug 19, 2015 at 7:45pm PDT

I wouldn’t know if “epic” is still a thing because I haven’t written a darn thing in such. a. long. time. Well, not counting my book, that is. Yep, I’m writing a book. Maybe that’s why I haven’t blogged. My words are all used up in another realm. (If I ever talk about this again (the book) it won’t be for a long, long time.) Speaking of realms, the realm I mostly exist in is the one where I have three kids. Yes, this shouldn’t be a revelation to anyone, but holy crap. My three kids are wiping me out. That’s the other thing that’s happened since I last blogged: my older two kids started school.

Obligatory first day of school photo ?

A photo posted by thehilljean (@thehilljean) on Aug 18, 2015 at 9:55am PDT

We came full circle when Chaucer showed up at T-K with the same teacher who taught Coco for the two weeks she attended T-K (remember that?). I’m banking on Chaucer to prove that we’re not chicken parents and that “every kid is different,” a thing we tell everyone, but secretly HOPE is really true. Please, Chaucer, for the love of God, survive T-K.

Not that we’re unhappy with Coco. I adore that child. But now that I’m a mom of three kids I take a small comfort (and fear) in knowing that each of my children is different and presents a new set of problems. One size does not fit all. We have to learn, and modify as we grow.

And speaking of growing, Tenny is now a year old.

This is what it looks like when your heart is sitting right there by your feet ?

A photo posted by thehilljean (@thehilljean) on Aug 26, 2015 at 9:21am PDT

Yes. He had his first birthday, and guess what? We did nothing. NOTHING. This fact haunts me and riddles me with mommy-guilt. He was such a sweet baby (still is). He had such a violent beginning. Shouldn’t we celebrate his first year?

Well. The flu hit us the week of his birthday. We didn’t buy him a present, because, what parent buys their baby a present? We buy our babies things for ourselves, right? Anyways, there was no smash cake. No glorious celebration of the day he arrived and changed our lives forever. And for this, I hate myself. So we’re going to have to do a make-up birthday. He doesn’t have to know. It will be our little secret. That brings me to the next thing that’s changed since you’ve been gone: I got a job.

A part-time, very flexible job. Yep. As if I needed one more thing, right? But maybe that one more thing could be money and yes, we sorely need that. So yah, I work for Sole Serum, a company that sells luxury foot cream that essentially numbs the pain caused by wearing uncomfortable shoes. I would know a thing about this subject, given my nine foot surgeries.

But yah, I work for Sole Serum as a blogger, social media person, and sales rep. I am so thankful for this job because it gives us the ability to stay in a fast-growing, highly-sought-after community in LA. Ugh. For those of you who live in the MidWest, just be grateful for space, and cheap rent.

Anyways, that’s pretty much all that has happened since you’ve been gone. Or since I’ve been gone. I’m not promising anything big, but I’d love to open this space up again to write and reflect.

Sometimes I’m jealous of my husband. He has such a clear-cut vision for where he wants to be and he knows how to set goals accordingly. He just got his second paper published–a huge deal in the world of academia. I’m so proud of him. I know what it costs and How hard he’s worked to accomplish this. Tonight marks the second night of me working on a project long held aloft because it seemed too daunting. I’m writing a book. Yep. And it’s so flipping fun!! I know it’s still early days, but the words are flowing and it’s been a long time for this writer to feel like she has something to say, but I KNOW I can write this book. Also, it’s really cool to work alongside my rockstar husband and feel like I have a vision, too.

A photo posted by thehilljean (@thehilljean) on Jul 15, 2015 at 11:02pm PDT