Update: Totally forgot to publish this after writing. Better late than never. ☺

This is going to be a great week. Work is going well, and I’ve been able to start connecting to some local organizations that seem pretty amazing. One of my goals this year was to expand into my local community, and I’m making progress. That feels amazing.

I’ve also been talking to someone extremely knowledgeable in navigating some of the things that Gavin needs help with. It’s so incredibly helpful to have a conversation about this and walk away with a fresh perspective, as well as a plan of attack. I’m going to be reaching out to our local DD board and finding out what I have to do to have Gavin re-evaluated. I think there were some issues during his first go-through that I can resolve with a different approach. I’m feeling pretty good about this, and I think it’s the best move at this point. Getting Gavin involved with DD and securing a waiver will open so many doors for him that are currently closed.

I’m seriously grateful for the help.

Gavin is currently spending the week with his grandparents. He and the boys were getting on each other’s nerves, and he needed a little break. He may come home on Friday, or he may stay longer. It’s up to him. His grandmother and I feel like it’s a good opportunity for him take on some change, while he’s working in moving out.

This same person also had some helpful insights on ways to help Emmett and Elliott with managing their social anxiety. I feel like I’m armed with knowledge and I’ll take that any day.

Elliott is celebrating his six-month anniversary with his GF, and he’s excited. I took him shopping today and picked up some things for a picnic. It’s good to see him happy after years of being miserable.  Like any parent, I just want my kids to be happy and Elliott’s happy.  I’m going to place that into the win column.

I had every intention of hitting the gym today, but I ended up cleaning the basement and going to the grocery store instead. I’ve been feeling pretty good this week. While I missed the gym today, I’ve been going regularly, and I’m proud of myself. It’s been a journey to get here, but we’re moving forward in life, and I’m so grateful for that.

I’m also starting to focus on things that enrich my life and make me happy. I’ve been hiking more, working out, and even writing. Life is good. It’s not without its challenges, but I’m in a better place to navigate them.  This week I’m going to be putting together a plan to start tackling some of these projects around the house. I have a ton of interviews scheduled, and I need to get my office back together. I need to look at some furniture and soundproofing, but that’s kinda exciting. It’s something I’m looking forward to.

I was chatting with Elliott, and he’s interested in recording a podcast episode talking about social anxiety and what it’s like to experience it.  I’m hoping to get that out by Friday. Anytime someone is willing to talk about something they struggle with openly, it can be an excellent opportunity to gain insight and learn something.

While I still have things I need to accomplish, when I look back at where I’ve been, I can see how far I’ve come. How far we’ve come.

I’m going to leave you with this.

The other night, I took the boys and the dogs to Quail Hollow for the evening. Ruby was super annoying as always but we all had fun. Happy, has a thing for sticks. He wants every stick he sees and the bigger the better. This was him as we were trying to leave….

I feel like I should be approaching life the way Happy approaches sticks. He sees a stick and he doesn’t care how impractical it is, he tries anyway. You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take.

Have a fantastic week. ☺