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It’s been a lot of days since I’ve posted. We went to Church on Sunday, then breakfast after. I came home feeling exhausted and spent the rest of the day in bed. The next day I still didn’t feel well and ended up with the flu- vomiting all night and early Tuesday morning. Jesus was definitely with me through the night, and I slept until 4pm the next day.

Today is Thursday and I’m feeling way better! We even took the car into town to give it a good wash and vacuum.

My cousin Natalie dropped by with some design books I bought from her. I’m going to use them as inspiration for the duplex.

Adrian put a “Coming Soon” sign on the downtown building today. It’s getting a lot of attention and people are very excited. Thank you Jesus in advance for all the ways this building will bless others! Ditto for the duplex.

Good news- I’m getting better at knitting. Im about a third of the way done with a blankie for Pete. I asked Jack if he would wear a sweater if I knitted him one. He said “Um… I would have to try it on to see if it fit…” I think that’s a no!

I picked some mint form the garden and made tea. It was a little rough, but it inspired me to look into more teas and grow a tea garden. That will be tomorrow!

Sleepy today.

I walked around a little more. Got better at knitting, and watched too much TV. My tummy hurts so I didn’t eat much. Looking forward to feeling better tomorrow.

Jack asked me if I was still obnoxious. He meant nauseous. It was the highlight of my day.

The kids all said they had a 10/10 day at school. This evening they went swimming before dinner. Adrian made them steak and rice.

I spent some time reaching out to friends to see how they’re doing. I need to be better about this is real life, not just when I’m stuck in bed.

Feeling much better today overall, though coughing and moving are still very very painful.

Here is what I’m doing today-

Learning how to knit. I don’t think I have the right yarn for beginners so I’m going to ask Ava do get me different yarn when she gets home from school. I’m watching YouTube to reach myself. So far it’s not a success but hopefully with better yarn and more practice, I’ll get it.

Update- I have different yarn and it is a little easier but I still need a lot of practice

Listening to the Your Own Backyard podcast.

Fielding emails, texts, and calls, and directing them to the office.

Ava and I watched almost a full season of Anne with an E on Netflix. When she gets home from school tomorrow we’re going to watch the rest.

Rachel brought me flowers and a sweet card and Victoria brought me sandwiches. Both are wonderful women from my Bible study group, “Pack”.

My mom brought me lunch and we chatted for a bit. It’s nice to have her to talk to. She brought me my favorites from Panera bread… chicken salad sandwich and chicken noodle soup.

My pain has changed. I’m in almost no pain so long as I’m still. As soon as I get up to go to the bathroom I feel like my incision is ripping open. I’m so thankful that my pain while laying down has subsided. It’s going to be much easier to sleep tonight.

Surgery yesterday morning…

Adrian dropped me off and picked me up. Because of CoVid protocols he couldn’t wait in the waiting room, but he would’ve if he could. Instead, he waiting in the truck in the parking lot for the three hour surgery. My mom took the kids to school.

It was a good surgery overall. Everything went as planned. A lipoma was removed and hernia repaired on my left side. Mesh was placed in between my stomach muscle for support. My doctor and all the nurses I came across were lovely. I didn’t pass out with the IV or have any type of panic attack. As far as having surgery goes, it was a good day.

Danielle and Noah came to visit me at home. She didn’t know I had surgery but she stopped by after picking Noah up from school and it was the best surprise. While she was here chatting, my pain level went way down. It was a welcome distraction. From the moment I heard “Korrie Ann Inaba?” I felt better. She’s such a blessing in my life. And a world class nurse.

The kids had music lessons so my mom came over to keep an eye on me and Pete while they were gone. They played old school Nintendo and my mom made me soup and kept me company. It was another highlight for sure. I’m so grateful for my mom.

Erik and Karol Anderson sent me flowers from Buttercup, my favorite flower shop.

My Bible study Pack has been checking in and sending me sweet messages though text. I feel loved by them.

Ava has been a huge help. My saving Grace. She’s been bringing me snacks and finding the remote for me, and just sitting next to me in bed to keep me company. Love my girl.

Adrian is understandably overwhelmed… it’s good thing he’s not on a path to becoming a nurse because we’d have to redirect. He’s been really good about fulfilling my requests- which at this time mostly consist of helping me to the bathroom or getting a new ice pack. He’s made the kids lunches, got them dressed in the morning, and even does the boys’ hair. He’s a trooper stepping in to my mom duties to get the kids where they need to be.

This all happened yesterday, but I was in too much pain, too tired, and too out of it to write anything. Today I feel better.

I can tell fall is almost here because it stayed dark longer than usual. It was tough to read my Bible this morning without turning a light on. The sun sure looked beautiful coming over the mountains.

Adrian took the kids to school and I took a bubble bath before work. We had meetings all day and then Patty and I worked on some content for social media in the afternoon.

The girls did a cool chalkboard wall for our guest book at the Sunset Loft above the house. They did a time lapse video so for the progress- I can’t wait to see it. These are the things I get super excited about. This is what I would want to see on Instagram.

Tomorrow morning im having a lipoma tumor removed and hernia fixed. It’s scary but you know… good ol Jesus will be right there with me. Adrian is driving me to the surgery center and my mom is taking the kids to school. It will be a dance for a few weeks but we’ll find a groove. I’m blessed to have a comfy bed to hang out in for a week or so. I bought some knitting needles and also low key plan to write a book! Haha

My Bible study pack, family, and co-workers are praying for me. Ava asked if she could put me on the prayer list at school. I have prayer warriors all around. Plus, like I said, good ol Jesus to lean on. I say “Good ol’ Jesus” because that’s what Grammy Jane told me how she gets through being alone… she’s never alone because she has good ol Jesus.

Donuts. Coffee. Parade. Friends. Soaps. Cards. More coffee. More cards. My mom kicked out butts our butts at rummy. I love traditions, and this is one of my favorite. We’ve been coming to the Portuguese celebration in Pismo my whole life.

I remembered that during the celebration when Pete was one year old, he took his first steps. More like a full on stroll across the living room of the beach house. My friend Kelsey was over with her daughter, so we always joked that he took his first steps to impress her. Paisley was there again this year, and he came out of the house when she walked by to say hi and give her a high five.

When I got home, Adrian had started watching Seinfeld on Netflix. Neither of us have really watched it. We snuggled in for a few episodes before bed. Hilarious.

I’m having surgery on Tuesday. Ava’s vaulting instructor text me to tell me she’s praying for a successful surgery for me. Wow. It just made me feel so good, what a thoughtful thing to do.

You know it’s a great day when you wake up at the beach. We stayed at my parents’ beach house… we got in last night and hung out at a friends’ for dinner before all heading back to mom’s. Pete slept with me in the guest room, Ava and Jack on the pull out couch, and my mom in her room. Dad and Adrian are both working, but apparently went out for dinner tonight at a new restaurant in Tulare without us!

We played cards on the front patio the majority of the day. Ava, my mom, and I played Rummy. Mom taught us how to play years ago when we took Ava to Texas for her birthday for a really fun Waco girls trip. Then we played 5 card stud, black jack, and Texas hold em. Jack loved black jack and was surprisingly good! He won big when we were playing with all our spare change, and he took his winnings down to the arcade.

We headed up the hill to a couple yard sales which was really fun. I got a pottery barn quilt, some jewelry, and clutch purses. My mom got a few things as well, including a really old film reel from NASA.

I ran to an open house while my mom got lunch ready. I was excited to go, half expecting to fall in love and move here permanently, but it didn’t feel like home at all. It was small, dated, quirky, and needed a lot of work. But even with all the work, it was still on a small lot with not much room for the kids to play. I un-hearted it on my Realtor app, but gave the agent my card just in case she has any clients that want to do short term rentals.

We ate sopas for lunch, and actually ate all our meals outside today. That’s one of my favorite things- eating outside. Other favorite things include yard sales, open houses, sopas, playing cards, and the beach in general. So it was basically a day of favorites.

I bought Ava clip-on rhinestone earrings at one of the yard sales this morning. She loves them. It reminds me of some gaudy teal shell clip-ons I had when I was around her age. I wore them all the time before finally deciding to get my ears pierced. We’ll see if Ava gets her ears pierced now that she sees how she looks with earrings, and likes what she sees.

Also at the yard sale, I bought a box of knitting stuff. I don’t know what came over me but I decided to start knitting.

I laid down with cranky adorable Pete and he fell asleep so fast. He must’ve been exhausted. I just love him so much. All the kids have been really good and just really cute and funny. Can’t wait for another day at the beach.

Today is my sister in laws birthday! I dressed the boys up in matching The Well Coffee Bar tee shirts in honor of her bday, and we were actually early to school. On the way we sent her a voice recording of Happy Birthday, adding a dinosaur rawr between each verse.

We had coffee and cake and avacado toast downtown Tulare to kill a little time before meeting Israel, our go-to contractor, at the duplex we just closed on today. We walked the duplex and talked about design, budget, etc. It’s going to be a great before and after. I got to see some friends I haven’t seen in a while when they came by to pick up old windows I found in the back. One friend is going to use them in her chicken coop, can’t wait to see it! City of Tulare dropped off a roll off dumpster in record time. The renovation has officially started!

This evening we headed for Danielle’s house with her favorite soup, a bouquet of flowers, and a little gift I picked up at the Christian book store yesterday. We ate soup and then my niece Julianna gave me a makeover. It was so fun. I felt high fashion in my mostly-lipstick look. I got to hold baby Ellie and even got a few smiles out of her. Noah had some quick whips for Adrian, and we high fived at his ultimate comebacks. Danielle’s dad was there, too. It’s nice to see he’s doing well. Danielle. I hope today she feels as special as she is. I’m very blessed to have her in our life.

Before washing off my lipstick face, I went to the office to show the girls. They agreed I look like a high fashion model. Pete said he liked it, but then asked if I had a sun burn.

I took a long hot bubble bath, ate cookies and milk, and snuggled with Pete for a while before heading to bed. Adrian has Pawn Stars on TV, and it’s a little cooler to watch now that we’ve been there.

I keep thinking about, seeing, and typing the word “ground”. It’s weird. Also- I have a strong feeling that Adrian is going to win something. Pete even prayed that Adrian would be a winner and that he would keep winning. So those two things- ground and win- have really been sticking out. I’m excited to see if anything comes of it. It’s definitely a “Is that you, God?” or “Do I just really want to win the lottery?” type of moment.

Every once in a while, someone else offers to host coffee Wednesday. I called it getting hijacked, but I don’t mind a change of scenery at all. This morning we met at Maverick’s Coffee Shop, near my cousins house in Visalia. I dropped off the kids at school- it was Pete’s first day of pre school, and headed 40 minutes east to meet the gang. The coffee was yummy and the conversation was great. We laughed hard, especially about stories of my cousins putting their hands in the beans and snapping the peas in the big crates at our old grocery store. We joked that their mom left them there to play while she finished her shopping. After coffee, we walked next door to the Christian book store and browsed their selection. I loaded up on clearance books, grabbed a couple “tween” devotion journals for Ava, and wooden alphabet magnets for Pete. I’ll keep them in mind for Christmas shopping for sure.

We started filming and editing content for our social media outlets at Guest Equity. It’s not easy to stand in front of the camera and speak comprehensible sentences, but each time we film it gets easier. One day it will be easy. When I got to work after coffee, we had a short focus meeting on our marketing direction. We want to inspire, educate, and entertain. We want to be relatable to our viewers, and build trust in our brand. We decided we’re on the right track and we would keep moving forward in this direction. It’s easy to compare to some really loud voices in the short term rental market, but comparison is the thief of joy, as Teddy Roosevelt said, and I think honesty and authenticity is best.

We had a lazy afternoon, lounging around and watching Netflix, eating peanut butter and treats. I’ve been really drained and tired lately, so it’s been nice having quiet afternoons. The way the sun streams through the curtains of my bedroom window in the evening is so cozy and peaceful. I could soak in it forever.

The kids took baths and got their things ready for school. They’re really getting the hang of the routine.

Goals for improvement- go to bed earlier and wake up earlier, speak kinder words to my big kids, exercise more during the day. Less sugar… always less sugar.

Morning sunrise. Coffee. Hustle and bustle of the daily swirl before school. The kids fed the animals. Lunches were packed. We arrived at school without a minute to spare.

Pete and I decided to surprise Adrian at his downtown office, so we picked up a latte and a treat from the new bakery and coffee shop downtown and walked over to his office in the EJ Ryan building. We waited there for about 15 minutes, ate the treat and latte, and then wrote him a note and headed back to the car. Before we left the building, we ran into Adrian, who had been next door at our church building for the prayer meetings held Tuesday mornings. My guy. We decided to stay a few more limited before heading home.

My mom picked up Pete and took him back to her house to play with Chewy, the one-eared chihuahua, and so I could get some work done before school pick-up. Both new listings are ready, pending photography edits, and Patty and I filmed three very awkward videos for social media content. One of the videos was filmed upstairs, where Kate was cleaning after our long-time guests. Patty and I chatted with Kate for a while. I really love my job.

After picking up the kids, we hung out at my mom and dad’s for a while, drank coffee milk, and the kids ate spicy chips, which are actually BBQ lays. It’s my moms specialty. Some grandmas have cookies, this grandma has a Costco sized back of BBQ lays. That reminds me of my great grandma Lucy on my dad’s side. She lived on the dairy, and always had store bought iced oatmeal cookies in her kitchen. I would get one cookie each time I visited, and between that and the box of childproof medicine bottles she had for us to try to open (genius idea to keep us busy), I loved going to her house.

When we showed up to our first music lesson, I could tell the kids were really excited. Ava’s lesson was first- Piano. I could hear them discussing and laughing, and keys being played. She came out smiling from ear to ear. Her instructor took a picture of her standing by the piano sign with her piano book, and Pete had to get in the photo, too. Jack was next. I could see him through the glass door following his instructor on the drums. He looked focused and confident. When he was finished with his lesson, he was proud to announce he did better than most beginners. Jack’s new glasses came in the mail today, they’re glow in the dark, so he’s been having a fantastic day overall.

One of the best things about music lessons is that when we arrived a little early, an old friend’s daughter was finishing up theirs, so we got to catch up in the overlap. She told me how God has been working in her life, and through a career change she’s seen His guidance and faithfulness. It was wonderful to hear her story and see that she’s doing so well. It was a life giving conversation, and I hope we have an overlap next week, too.

We met Adrian for dinner at one of my favorite Mexican restaurants, played Ghost around the table, and had gumballs for dessert. Pete prayed that daddy would win a lot, because we really love daddy. I’ve been thinking we were going to win the lottery, so it looks like Pete and I are on the same page.