Pop-Up Shop

Thanksgiving flew by in a moment. I had an amazing holiday week at my Mom's house. I thoroughly enjoyed just hanging out and helping her get ready for the Thanksgiving party. We were busy and it was chaotic, but it certainly wouldn't feel like the holidays if everything were calm and quiet. 

For the first time since Covid my Mom hosted the entire family. It was wonderful to see all of my cousins again. I hate that it has been so long! Timmy was particularly enthralled by meeting his cousin who is also 9. (They had met previously but it was too long ago for memories to have been formed.) The pair sat around their own little table for dinner and happily chatted about McDonalds and french fries. He was delighted to have a "secret cousin" who is his age and who also shares his love for all things potato. 

After Thanksgiving our attention turned to FlexyFriends. Scott and I spent Black Friday at the Francis Scott Key Mall selling FlexyFriends at our little pop-up shop. On Saturday Scott retrieved the kids from my Mom and returned to Virginia to get them settled while I stayed at the shop. On Sunday I worked the shop by myself. It was a little difficult packing everything up by myself but I got it done!

Today everybody returns to their normal schedule. After a week of fun and family adventures, it is going to be hard to get back into the routine. Have a great week!

 I love these kids!  Thanksgiving week has been a fun so far. We've played games, laughed late into the night and went to paint pottery.

Thanksgiving Ready

 I thoroughly enjoyed my last weekend off. The next four weeks we are floating a packed calendar, with FlexyFriend pop-up sales events scheduled throughout the area. For the past few years I have avoided malls during the holidays, but this year I will be parked in the center of one for most of the holiday season. Talk about a change!

Our first Flexy shop is scheduled for this coming weekend. We are exceedingly excited about selling at the Francis Scott Key Mall throughout Black Friday weekend. I hope that this event kick starts our holiday shopping (and selling) season.  I am a little weary about navigating the crowds but I am also looking forward to fully embracing the holiday chaos and hustle. 

But before we go into sales mode we get to enjoy Thanksgiving. Today I am packing up the boys and heading to PA. I'm looking forward to hanging out with my Mom and sister for the next few days. I know that Timmy and Robby are looking forward to seeing their cousins. The next few days will be loud, busy and hectic. In other words, it is going to be wonderful!

This truly is the most wonderful time of year.

Tree Struggles

 Happy Friday!  

Even though we didn't do anything out of the norm, this week has felt wonky and off. Thanksgiving vacation is definitely at the forefront of all of our minds and the excitement is building with each passing day. Timmy is ecstatic to go to his Nana's and to hang out with his cousins next week and Robby is looking forward to several late-night rousing rounds of Cards Against Humanity. I'm counting down the days until our Thanksgiving "Fun"cation begins!

Unlike other years, I'm not taking the Cousins overnight this year. Instead I have several day adventures partially planned and I will be able to tailor our itinerary when I know their work schedules. No matter what we do, I know that we will have fun.

Unfortunately, our funcation is still a few days away. I need to get through work today and Monday before the fun really begins. This weekend I am going to prep for Christmas because our tree is begin delivered the following Monday. This is the first year that we are not picking out our own tree in a field, but sometimes traditions need to change or end. Last year the boys (Scott included) all complained relentlessly throughout the tree farm experience and I swore I would never do it again.

Cutting down a Christmas tree has been my childhood tradition that I brought to my own little family. When they were really little both boys loved going to chop down the tree. As they have grown the dirt, sap, needle stabs and muscle exertion have outweighed the joys. Last year their bickering reached fevered pitch when they were struggling to bring the ginormous tree up the hill to the processing barn. By the time the tree reached the barn, I was nearly in tears and everybody was miserable. 

Getting into the car I declared that we would never do it again. That doesn't mean that I don't want a beautiful freshly cut Christmas tree. I discovered the best of both worlds. A Christmas tree farm in Massachusetts that delivers throughout the country. Straight from the farm to my door- I think this is going to be the perfect compromise!

Emergency Doughnut

 Yikes!

Despite having my countdown snowman out and happily illuminating the days until Christmas since September, I find Thanksgiving sneaking up on me. I can't believe Turkey Day is next week! The past few weeks have flown by and feel like a whirl. Between work, school projects and creating and selling FlexyFriends, my days have been busy and there hasn't been a lot of downtime. I have a feeling that trend will continue through the season. 

I had wanted to participate in the "Grateful Challenge" but I lost track of time. Sigh. Oh well. I guess it isn't too late to get started.

Today I'm grateful that the boys have settled into their school routines. Timmy now needs very little assistance and intervention from me during the day. With the exception of helping him locate some last minute supplies, he is logged in and interacting with his classmates during school.  The fact that I no longer need to sit next to him has been liberating!

On Tuesday I was getting him ready for school when I realized that he had colorful sprinkles embedded in the back of his hair. It looked like a colorful rat nest. Brushing his hair, I had to ask him how he got sprinkles in the mix. He looked at me with the straightest face and simply answered, "Oh, I had an accident and fell asleep in my emergency doughnut."

Emergency doughnut? 

This child is definitely my son!

 

20 years

 Over the weekend I celebrated my 20th Walking Day. Our celebrations this year were muted because we were at the mall selling FlexyFriends, but I did take some time to reflect upon how far I have come in those two decades. Out of all of the anniversaries and dates involved with my limb loss, Walking Day is my favorite because it celebrates a triumph rather than marking something that happened to me. 

Two decades ago I never would have imagined that I would be where I am today. I remember feeling so uncertain and scared that my amputated body would always feel foreign and uncomfortable. I was promised that it would become my new norm, but I don't think I really believed the sentiment.  

Two decades have passed and I can say that living as an amputee has become my normal. I am not saying that it is always easy. Nor am I saying that I don't have frustrations where I am either in pain or limited because of a prosthetic issue. But I am saying that I don't think about being an amputee throughout the day. When I first had my amputation, I was scared that what was cut off of me would somehow become my identity. 

I am more than my amputation. But I am the person I am today because of everything that I have gone through. Being an amputee has become part of who I am, but it does not define me. If you are new to limb loss, please know that it won't define you either.

Pop-Up Shop

I never imagined that it would be so enjoyable to sit inside a mall for three consecutive days, but I was pleasantly surprised by the experience. Not only was the FlexyFriends pop-up store successful, but I had a great time interacting with all of the wonderful families who stopped by to shop. Santa arrived at the mall on Saturday which definitely helped with foot traffic. Robby and I were busy all day!

Because our event was spread out over three days, we decided to divide and conquer. Scott went with me to help me set up on Friday but I finished out the day by myself because he needed to get home to take care of the Timmy. On Saturday Robby spent the day with me selling while Scott stayed home. On Sunday they switched and Robby stayed home with Timmy while Scott went to the mall to help me sell and clean up. As an added bonus, my sister made a surprise trip down to spend a few hours and help out on Sunday. It was wonderful to be able to spend a few hours hanging out, selling and chatting.  

After a busy weekend, I feel a bit frazzled starting the new week. I haven't had a chance to decompress and my at home to-do list is overwhelming.  Ready or not, I guess I need to get started working.

Have a great day!