Keep your family close, and your enemies far, far away

I've never been more grateful to be near family. There is so much that I needed to do this past week, and there's no way I would have kept the motivation going without them. I know I was a wreck and a great big meanie, but they sure hung in there with me.

I drove down to Florida last week after members of the Staunton PD came on their day off to load my moving cubes. They made this last stretch of my mood so stress free that I was able to get in the car and drive off the second they were finished. Bless them and my friends for helping me out (including all of you who live a full day's drive away and STILL offered to come, you rock my world), because I certainly wasn't going to get any help from anyone else.

I drove through the night, napped at a rest area, and made it to Florida late in the afternoon. It was sunny and warm, and I walked in the door of this beautiful house, then immediately fell asleep on the new carpet. I slept most of the day and all of the night, and woke up still exhausted the next morning.

My grandma came on Friday, and my aunt on Saturday, and they stayed here with me. We shopped, filled cars to the top with food, random decor, and chairs. They kept me moving forward, kept me shopping, kept me accomplishing what needed to be finished before they left with their roomy vehicles.

I was, of course, surly and stressed out, not to mention snippy. I'll admit it. So when the moving company told me they could deliver my things a week late so I could have a whole weekend to unload, I took it. It means I have some time to sleep and search out my sanity.

So, I guess the short story is that I'm here. Ginger is settling in fantastically, spending a ton of time on the patio, sunning herself. She loves all the space in here. As do I. There are new chairs lovingly built by three very goofy women. And I'm comfy on my big air mattress, waiting for all hell to break loose. Until then, I have chairs and beer. And leftover grandma food. Life is truly wonderful.

And Happy Anniversary, honey. Maybe next year we'll actually get to spend it together. Thank you for making these the easiest two years of my life, despite the Army throwing wrenches in our plans. We could be stranded on a desert island, and you'd still find a way to make my life sweet and simple. I love you.

Today's lesson: You can never know how much you need real family until you spend time without any. Thank God for my family. I am so happy to have finally made my way home.