for the short term.

I hope your Monday is going swimmingly :) I apologize for the barrage of posts today, but there is oh-so-much to share. I can't thank you enough for all the prayers and well wishes you sent this direction on Friday. My mom made it through surgery without issue--yay!--but the recovery process has now begun. We're taking it one day at a time, but I'm home until early December to help her get settled. 

That being said, this time in Indiana does throw a little long distance back in the mix...

Truth be told, {cv} and I will see each other during my Hoosier stint, but it doesn't make up for the fact that our "normal" isn't so normal right now. He arrives tomorrow from the Ocean State and will be helping me to prepare a Thanksgiving feast since my sweet momma cannot this year. {cv}'s visit to Indiana bridges the weeks I am spending here, so I cannot complain in the slightest. It did rouse a few memories from our years apart and got me thinking about surviving the "short term" long distance stints. 

Back in our true long distance days, I learned to cherish the minutes we had on the phone together. The same holds true in this shorter periods of long distance. I love hearing his voice on the other end of the line and treasure hearing little tidbits about "our" life in Rhode Island. The difference between the longer and the shorter stints is the perspective I have from those years we spent apart. If we can survive those, a few weeks here and there are no match for us. I count my blessings every day for that frame of reference.

It's weird to say, but as I get older {ew?!}, I realize more and more about how your past experiences really shape the person you become. {Note: I didn't say make you the person you become.} Life is truly a series of experiences that mold us into the people we're meant to be. I also think God is up there with His hands in all of it. Regardless of where you stand on that topic, it is incredible to look back and see how far you've come--whether you're 19, 26, or 37 ;) Have a great Monday, everyone--I'll see you back here tomorrow!

P.S. Two of my best friends in the whole world were born within two days of one another.

Crazy right?! Countless happy birthday wishes for {jt} + {ch}! I love you ladies :)