Hey Y'all It's Me Michele... I'm Back!

March 15, 2020 ~ Well, y'all it's been nearly 2 years since I have posted anything on my blog. 2 YEARS, you guys! How did time pass so quickly? How did I never come back to blogging? You guys, these are questions I ask myself constantly. While life certainly hasn't slowed down I find myself coming back to something I love which is writing and storytelling. My blog was a place I could do this and keep my thoughts in a journal so to speak.

The last 2 years have been full of adventure and changes. I'll try to highlight the top items that are on my mind as I hope that I will be more consistent in my writing. I will do my best to give enough information to bring you up to speed in future posts so they make the most sense. 

Brandon and I will be married 23 years in September! We started dating when we were 16 years old and somehow we just blinked and 28 years have flown by! (23 married plus 5 years of dating) We are having fun and while I still want to wring his neck I wouldn't change "us" for anything in the world! 

My last blog post was March 27, 2018 and was the Baby Adams Gender Reveal of my sister and brother-in-law. It was a boy and I still laugh at Ashley's reaction because she wanted a little girl so bad but my bother-in-law, Greg and my nephew, Jaxon's reaction was pretty good too! Obviously, our little family grew by one more little boy who arrived on September 19, 2018 and they named him Asher Gregory Adams. He's funny, loves his big brother and although he looks a lot like my sister except he has blonde hair! A perfect mix for our family! 

Asher is a mess! At 18-months old he certainly keeps us on our toes!
He reminds me of "Spanky" from The Little Rascals and a mix of Chris Farley!

Asher and Jaxon playing a game together earlier this year! 

My Momma still has cancer. She is doing great and her last doctor's appointment showed that her blood count was down to 11,000 from a high of 17,000! This is completely normal and her cancer doctor told her it will fluctuate from time to time but this was the first time it's gone down! I have a lot of people ask me how she's doing and for the most part, she is good. She just gets tired easier and not sure if that's from age, cancer or perhaps both. 

I have tried to take her with me on some travels to spend some quality time with her! I always love our time together and also love it when we get Brandon to go with us. We have made some good memories that I can't help but smile when I see pictures pop up on my social media! 

I started Midway Mercantile Co in February 2019! After taking several glass classes with Cindy Lou's Glass Studio I fell in love with this craft and decided to take a leap of faith and start my own business! It's been full of many emotions because while it's exciting it's also scary! I know I can do anything I set my mind to and I am not afraid of work, but the idea of doing something I have never done before like this terrified me! It's been an interesting journey and one I truly enjoy! I sell my items on Etsy as well as 4 retail locations in Missouri! I will talk more about this in a blog post just about Midway Mercantile Co so stay tuned! 

Pops turned 69 in February and Momma will turn 68 in April. They were both diagnosed with cancer when they retired and was an eye-opener for all of us. The biggest lesson is that you have to enjoy every single day with those you love so we have made a point to do things with them! Just recently we stopped by (they only live a few houses from us) and went for a RZR ride with them. Nothing fancy but quality time together for sure! (Of course, we try to make sure we get my sister, brother-in-law, and nephews together as often as we can!) Family is so important to me especially as we get older. I don't want to look back on life and wish we had done more. We are doing more now and taking pictures along the way! 

Our little diva cousin and her hubby had a baby too! Nixon Royal Secrist was born on December 26, 2018 and it's so much fun having the "babies" together! Since they are about 3 months apart it is always fun watching their little personalities come out! (There are 3 grand-daughters on the Crews side of our family. Myself then 5 years later came my sister, Ashley and 5 years later came our cousin, Stephanie. While we are cousins I feel like we are more like sisters and remain tightly connected which I love.) We all live here in Midway except Stephanie, Justin, and Nixon as they live in Kansas but come home fairly often. 

I think the biggest change over the past 2 years has been me. I am not the same person I was previously. Don't get me wrong, I am still fun, enjoy making others laugh and my OCD shows through the same but as I get older I am becoming more sensitive. Things bother me that I would have normally let roll off my shoulders. I am extremely sentimental. I have always kept things that have been from someone special to me but I find myself looking at photos reflecting on memories or looking at an item and figuring out how I can re-purpose into something I will use in our home. I bite my tongue a lot! I am not one that likes conflict but if I need to stand up for myself or someone very close to me then I will gladly say something. As I get older I find myself asking if it's worth it. Is it worth the energy to argue? Is it worth me getting worked up over something that I should just let go or walk away from it for my own peace? 

The majority of my life I have tried to make others happy and anyone in my very close circle would know I would do anything for them. I have found that over the years more people will take advantage of that and I have decided to protect my heart. I have been disappointed, taken advantage of, hurt and used. I have never put my own family first and yet they were always there when I needed them. It wasn't fair to them and I have made a point that will never happen again. 

Brandon is my first priority followed by my family and then my tight circle of close friends. I want to make a positive difference in this world and think you can accomplish so much when your priorities are in line. Every year I look at the things I am involved in and make sure those things align with my passions and if they don't then I simply step back and allow someone else to step in. I think the same holds true for people you are around (business life and personal life) that they make you feel important and loved. Remember actions speak louder than words! 

Life is all about learning and y'all... I'm still learning! I am not perfect and have many faults of my own but I am working on being the best version of me I can be.