Sara Ellie MacKenzie's Blog, page 3

#BehindTheScenes 52 - Gardening

It's been a while since I've talked about something totally new about myself. This #BehindTheScenes goes into another hobby I love: gardening. It oddly began with family and it is ending up being a way to survive.

Growing up, I mainly saw my mother's relations. My father was estranged from his mother and one of his brothers. We saw his other brother maybe a couple of times a year because of his work schedule. My mother's family was mainly in the New Britain area. They immigrated there from Europe during the 50s and 60s and settled, like many immigrants, in the same neighborhoods. They stayed in the same town for 95% of their lives after leaving Europe.

The first years of my life were spent in the same apartment my parents rented from my grandmother years before. The next phase of my life was in a house across town (still in New Britain), which was predominantly white on our street. The other side was what my father called "The Projects", where the low income people of color lived. Sometimes, they hopped our fence to get to our street instead of walking around the block.

That house was one my grandmother owned. She moved into another apartment building (the same house she died in actually, just two months ago) and kept helping my parents out with this house. The place had a huge, fenced backyard, with raspberry bushes and a tilled plot on the other side.

That garden was the beginning of a new kind of education.

Even though my mother was first generation American, she still retained the same skills my grandparents had when they lived in Europe. My great-grandparents (maternal) were still alive when I was born. They owned a house and had a small garden, mainly tomatoes, raspberries and blueberries. When my grandmother moved into her apartment, she too turned her yard into a small farm, with blueberry bushes and cabbage.

To be honest, it also gave us some responsibility and it was a life skill I appreciate, even today. Our garden had rhubarb that grew every year. My mother let us choose some seeds and we grew vegetables for the summer - carrots, radishes, cucumbers, tomatoes and more. During the summer, we were always bringing in our crops and ate them for dinner. We had so many raspberry bushes that my father would freeze bags of them and use them in fruit shakes, cobblers and other desserts.

My Eastern European heritage is quite innovative because of the amount of times we've had to survive with nothing.

My mother told me that having your own veggies, whenever you need them, is convenient and cheaper in the long run. And like playing with tarot, I am quite good at it, without much fancy equipment. While I have failed to get my outdoor summer garden started (fibro has been keeping me down and I am still working on it), I am excited about this year.

Why, you ask?

I actually have a few things to plant!

I have a carrot, two kind of lettuce and a flower that Calvin gave me for Mother's Day last year. After I pull up the natural garden I had last year (for the bees), I plan to uproot all of them and transplant the ones I have grown indoors. Soon, I am planning to start another plant. I think a tomato or cucumber would compliment the garden.

It does not have to be a huge plot. Like chronic illness, I think I do what I can to make it easier. My mother-in-law has an indoor greenhouse in her office and different variants outdoors in the summer. My mother always had a yard plot. So did my grandmother and her parents. A few pots work for me when I can't stick my hands in the soil.

I also think of this.

My zodiac sign is Taurus, the bull. In the pagan beliefs, there are four/five elements, depending on what you believe in (air, earth, fire, water and spirit) and each zodiac is associated to four of the elements (sans spirit). Taurus is an earth element and described as loyal, stubborn and down-to-earth.

Coincidence? Maybe. But I don't believe in them. When you believe in yourself, knowing the divine in within you daily, anything is possible.

Taking care of four plants is enough to wind me, though. They're almost like children. But every morning, I am thrilled to go to my office and check my plants out. Like my son and our fur babies, I marvel at their growth, what they did and see if I need to do something different to nurture them properly.

Namaste, everyone. Have a great day!

#Hobbies #SaveMoney #Gardening #Greenhouses #Veggies #Heritage #AboutMe

#FindOutFriday Answers 29

#TriviaGame answer time, everyone! How do I reference these ideas/people in my books? Which ones did you get right? Comment below!

Child Marriage - It is an unfortunate part of our world today, as it was in the novels. While most of the US does not allow children to marry, it is still used in/for manipulation, abuse, money and trafficking. In the world of Enos, the Christians often have children married by age twelve. As the years pass and the war continued, though, the age for marriage is lowered to ten and then eight years old. Like today, the idea is considered outrageous and not as beautiful as it was portrayed.

Grace O'Malley - The Irish pirate queen was my inspiration behind the character of Annette Sasha (who is met initially in Through the Meadow and becomes more prominent in Revolution). While the fictional pirate queen headed a worldwide organization and was known for her scandalized behavior, the historical figure had few sources about who she is. Grace O'Malley was only mentioned in English records, pushing for the freedom of her brother and sons. The connection between the two is in the written character - strength in conviction and a strong sense of personal justice.

Alcoholism/Generational Trauma - It is not obvious at first since Revolution was told in the POV of a parent who experienced PTSD from war and tragedy. You are going to see it more in From Across the Sea, which is told by the POV of Victoria, John's daughter. Generational trauma from various tragedies - the deaths of children, the murder of his wife, the war he experienced, family arguments and more - placed John in a position of not only being a single father, but an ignorant man. While his concerns for Victoria are sincere, he passed on his coping mechanisms and emotional immaturity. Add in the rage of her mother, Victoria was given little examples of regulation, with disastrous results.

That's it everyone! Have a wonderful weekend and stay safe!

#TooYoung #ChildMarriage #ChildrenHavingChildren #Abuse #Cycles #PassingItOn #BadExamples #Regulation #Meditation #History #Ireland #Pirates

#BehindTheScenes 51 - Other Authors 3

I figured it was time to circle back to what other authors I love and have been inspired by. Of course, none of them are THE favorite, but one of the many pieces that made me. What are your favorites? Comment below!

Zora Neale Hurston - What got me hooked on Zora Neale Hurston was her most famous book, Their Eyes Were Watching God. The character of Janie is running from the same things her mother and grandmother experienced...and ends up twice married, abused and finally defeating a charge of murder. When I moved on to her other works, I saw the struggles of African-Americans and other authors who picked up her torch. It led me to another author named...

Alice Walker - She was also inspired by Hurston. The first book I read was The Color Purple, of course. It made me rethink the African-American experience. It was fraught not only with racism, but with rape, murder, poverty, sexism and more. Alice Walker made me also realize the inner feminine power, and her poetry discussing that reflects her personal belief in womanism (as she calls it).

Linda Porter - This author is an historian who focuses on English history, from the Tudors to the Stewarts/Stuarts. I love the emphasis that she puts the women in her stories, from queens to mistresses. The sixteenth and seventeenth centuries were dominated by females, as she reminds us, and it was shaped by the religious and social upheavals that happened because of it. The Tudor books are especially exciting, weaving history like it was a novel.

That's it for now, everyone! Have a great rest of your week/weekend!

#AfricanAmerican #Trauma #Slavery #CivilRights #Womanism #Feminism #Equal #Equity #AgeOfQueens #Tudors #Stuarts #Religion #Secular

What is Hate?

The definition of HATE, from the Merriam-Webster dictionary:

Used as a noun: a. intense hostility and aversion usually deriving from fear, anger, or sense of injury; b. extreme dislike or disgust : antipathy, loathing; c. a systematic and especially politically exploited expression of hatred

Used as a verb: a. to feel extreme enmity toward, or to regard with active hostility; b. to have a strong aversion to, or find very distasteful; c. to express or feel extreme enmity or active hostility

Hate is not born into us. It is bred into us. It is a learned behavior. When it is becoming more and more commonplace, we need to recognize it and stand up to it, now more than ever.

I can tell you what happened in my lifetime.

By 1990, a year after I was born, the federal government stated that hate crimes were on the rise. President Bush (Senior) signed into law The Hate Crime Statistics Act. It was meant to collect information on victims of crimes - age, sex, ethnicity, race, etc. - and the data was used to determine and combat these crimes. In 2009, it was renamed the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act.

Before that, civil rights were addressed little by little. It was not only blacks who demanded it. Indigenous peoples. Hispanics. Muslims. And so many more! All of them were a piece of the fabric that created the liberties that some enjoy today.

My generation was born in the last years of the Cold War. We were mostly raised by immigrant grandparents and parents who whispered of propaganda and nonsense superstitions. By the end of the first decade of the new millennium, we had elected our first black president and many of our elders were talking about their guns being taken away and being stuck in FEMA concentration camps. Of course, that did not happen. But while people were making up lies about your destiny under a black president, something else did.

Millions of lives. Lost. Brutally mutilated, crying for mercy and to be found. How many were hurt or killed because they were a different race? Ability? Sexual orientation? Gender? Can you name any of those people?

They were somebody's friend. Parent. Sibling. Cousin. Aunt. Uncle. Neighbor. Niece. Nephew. Tribe. Clan. Classmate. Teacher. Somebody's anything.

What would you do if it happened to you?

The Jesus of the Bible said to love one another. Have mercy. Feed the hungry. Comfort the downtrodden. Don't judge one another, for we are all sinners in God's eyes.

That standard does not seem to be very Christian these days, and more's the shame.

Peace be upon you. I see the light in you, and I hope it is a kind one. Namaste!

#FindOutFriday Answers 28

OMG, it's February already? The year is flying by after over five hundred days in January. This is the first edition of #FindOutFriday this month. How many did you get right? Let me know in the comments!

Jennette McCurdy - Everybody knows her as the character of Sam Puckett in the show ICarly. What many also know is that she is an author of a book, I'm Glad My Mom Died, detailing the abuse she suffered under her mother. This inspiration, along with my own experiences, painted a lot of Victoria's life. She relates this to her father, who cannot believe his wife could be so cruel. Narcissistic abuse is real!

Victoria and Albert - The Queen of England (r. 1837-1901) and her Prince Consort were one of the models for my characters of Nora and Char. While they met under different circumstances, the pair were connected not only through love, but their passion to make their kingdom a better place. While Victoria was more stubborn and remained stuck in her ways, Albert placed more than a stamp on policies allowed to be influenced by the monarch.

Mary and Anne Stuart - The sisters, who ended up being one of the last monarchs of Stuart England (Mary r. 1689-1694, Anne r. 1702-1714), also fought bitterly amongst each other. While they were initially allies in the fight against their Catholic father and stepmother, their relationship later deteriorated. Their love-hate relationship mirrored the sisters of Jayne and Nora Brutrose. While each took a turn on the throne like their real counterparts, they argued just as much and were influenced by their own allies too.

Namaste, everyone! Have a great weekend!

#History #Entertainment #Nick #KidShows #AbuseIsReal #EnglishMonarchs #BitterRivals #BFFs #Revolutions

Chronically Writing: Community

I take the bus. A lot.

Public transportation was something CT invested in. We have several bus routes around the state. New Britain isn't different. I have a bus route near my house, with several stops on my road. I can easily get downtown and to other places through CT Fastrak or other local buses.

Brian and I have one vehicle. He works in another town and it's a forty minute drive. For obvious reasons, we cannot afford another loan for a second vehicle. Having a day pass for the local buses gets me everywhere. I have appointments on the bus routes. I do my shopping and drop in on the food pantry. I visit people using the bus, or I sometimes run to Hartford and find a quiet place to meditate and be alone.

But using the bus also brought me in contact with my community.

Growing up in New Britain, my father never allowed us to go anywhere far from home, not even going down to the gas station down the hill for a soda. My mother was equally strict. Claiming that the world was a dangerous place, they kept us cloistered, lacking the knowledge to cope and deal with society (lack of explanations did not help either). It was classist and racist.

It did not mean we stuck to the rules. We left the limits of our prison and took advantage of any lenient babysitters (my grandfather comes to mind) and the neighbors. Me and my siblings did a lot of adult activities, such as driving a car (in the parking lot) when we were eleven, twelve years old. My material grandfather was in the passenger seat, it was his car, and he did not care.

My parents also did not help matters by telling us to stay away from The Projects, the bus stops and other places associated with drugs, gangs, low income, etc. They insisted that it was for the poor people to take the bus and that it was beneath us. As a child, especially autistic, it instilled me an image of fright that stayed with me until my high school years, when I was finally out from under that thumb.

Growing up and meeting the people I did changed that attitude.

When Brian and I started taking the bus regularly, it was autumn 2021. We had no vehicle and so many obligations that we had to fulfill. I was working from home for the bank and was beginning to get really sick. Brian checked it out first before telling me how clean and comfortable it was.

That was when I began my research.

Having the courage to do something different was always something I struggled with. I like being in comfortable situations, even though they are bad. I first tried taking the bus when Calvin and I wanted to go to the downtown Halloween event. We got picked up right when the schedule online said. I watched the stops and how people asked for the bus to stop. We arrived there unscathed.

We were new, and that was obvious. People had never seen us before because we cloistered ourselves in our home and kept our heads down. I never walked the streets like my husband did either. Talking isn't second nature to me, so I was pretty damned shy talking and admitting that I knew nothing.

The experience wasn't as bad as I thought. So, I did it again, and again and again. Calvin loves it too, and every chance we can, we'll take the bus downtown and go someplace like the library or the store. But there are always people who need help - the addicts, the homeless and the dealers. I learned from Brian and my grandparents (my father's father and stepmother) to never hand out money and to give what they need.

But I gave something to my community that I did not expect: kindness.

My fear has been long gone. I have seen the worst this town has and it does not scare me. I don't know if it's because of what I experienced, or if it's the neurodivergency, something else or all of it. But I don't see it as dangerous, even though it is. I see it as society's failings, and kindness never hurt anyone.

I used to hand out sandwiches and water (not recently because I've been horribly fatigued). When I can, I donate to the Friendship Center. Sometimes, I would ask what people want, or if it's ok if I said something. Some people want an ear so they can vent. Others want a hug. Or, seeing someone smiling brightens their day.

Little by little, I built my community.

I am well protected and know my way around town on foot, thank you very much. I am not crazy or delusional. I am able to determine which person I can go to, why someone is on the bus, who to watch out for or who's on the street. I have places I can go to in case of an emergency. Even when I get tired, I can sit with somebody at a convenience store, or have a chat with my homeless friend, J.

Being chronically ill does not prevent you from being kind. Acceptance of it makes you kinder to others. I have all of this love inside of me, enough for myself and others. I was abused growing up, so I know what it's like to be kicked, especially when you're down. New Britain residents are no different. They're struggling. Nearly all of them suffered trauma like I did.

It makes me feel like I am not alone.

Within your limits, you can help others. Sometimes, a simple word can make a person's day. It might be all they hold onto it for a while. You don't need to give them any money. Yes, it's irritating, but what would you do in their position? You are closer to being on the streets than in a mansion by the reservoir.

Namaste, everyone. Have a wonderful weekend!

#Community #YouAndMe #OnTheBus #IAmNotAlone #Neighbors #MrRogersDidNotPrepMe #ItsSafe #Kindness #WereAllHumans

#BehindTheScenes 50 - Neurodivergent Parent

Who said being a parent had to be boring? And what does neurodivergency have to do with it? Welcome back, everyone, to the next episode of #BehindTheScenes where you are going to learn another part of our lives. This segment will talk about another tale to my parenting.

This past year, I had been diagnosed as neurodivergent. It would have been a full autism diagnosis had I found someone who could truthfully answer questions about me prior to age fourteen, to confirm my information. Honestly, I could not. My husband had known me since the years I went to school with his brothers. That might be more than half my life ago.

I am getting off track, hold on...

Growing up, I was told to do things a certain things. The abuse made it engrained in me. There were also certain things that drove me nuts. Some things, like being forced to listen to adult conversations or school lessons, were so boring that I'd daydream the time away, even at school. I was considered intelligent for my age, so when I was stuck on something, people would call me dumb and prompt me with "You are smarter than this!"

When you have heavy expectations placed on you, you begin to question your own state of mind.

And then, you know the pathway before you, fair and square, no bargaining.

When I became a parent, I was a baby. I am not going to sugarcoat it. I was twenty-two years old. I was living with my parents, desperately trying to find housing for myself, my then-boyfriend (now husband) and our child and unsure of where to find help anymore. That whole year, I was finding dead ends and was so scared. All I wanted was a happy family.

Shortly afterward, we moved to Maine and lived there for a few years. It was the very first time that I was completely on my own. I knew nobody expect for two people and their kids (and then, our eventual landlord). Later, we got jobs, met new people, got our son into some kind of daycare, and began the process of getting him evaluated for autism. There were limited services where we were, though, and it was difficult.

To me, Calvin was normal. Hands stimming, saying a few words, organizing things. He could already count and put colors together. I have to admit too...I knew he was going to be the only one. I coddled him a lot. I also bore the scorn from the family for the lack of development, i.e. I have not done enough for my child and was not a good enough mother.

Now, I thought: if your thinking was the same as your child's, what do you call normal? If I was supposed to show him the ropes, where did I go wrong? Why couldn't I get him to function like we do?

Well, I later learned from my husband that normal was a setting on the washing machine.

All jokes aside, I know what I did was wrong. It was a secret family shame, a masking of autism. We quickly remedied it once we were able to get better services (after we moved back to Connecticut, which was not even a month after we met with someone about evaluating Calvin). It took a few years to get a full diagnosis because of other problems, but that's another story.

This is parenting always on edge, like I was the child on edge. I was not a saint. Nobody is as a parent. We all make slips somewhere. We get back up and try again.

Except I felt like I was always failing my child because I stumbled a lot.

He was always telling me to take it easy.

There are days when I know my child is smarter than I am, and I am in awe of this. I am glad we gave him the love and support and protection we never received as children. Parenting him is the best choice we both made.

There are no buts!

One of the pieces I found was verifying that I was autistic too. After I felt like I was validated, it was breaking down my behavior and identifying what it is. It's telling myself time and again what is a sensory overload, or why my tongue gets so tied when I am around other people. Random burst-outs that are outrageous, blunt and rude. Piecing together random things and making the conversation awkward.

It's also understanding human behavior. In order to do that, I have to do a LOT of self-reflection and ask myself how to blend in. I have to sit down and think about what I am feeling, why, and how I can process those feelings. With patience, I can hang onto a single thread of sanity.

It reminds me of something that recently happened. My husband and I were cleaning our room, and I found a small box. My father had given it to me after my grandfather died. It has stayed on my nightstand ever since. And yes, I was aware that it was dusty.

Well, something was rattling in there. Curious (because I forgot what I put in there), I opened it...and found one of Calvin's marbles. I showed this to Brian. We were laughing. The jokes about finding marbles ensured.

And I'd like to think of my parenting as that: holding onto that last marble.

Namaste, everyone! Have a great day!

#Mistakes #Parenting #TeenMom #Neurodivergent #Marbles #Sanity #LetsWindowShop

#FindOutFriday Answers 27

Brr, it's a cold day up here in CT. But I've got your #TriviaTuesday answers here! How many did you get? Let me know in the comments!

Narcissus - In Greek mythology, he was the son of the river god Cephissus and the nymph Liriope. His mother was informed early on in his life that, if he did not see his reflection, he would live a long life. Of course, Greek mythology is never happy, and Narcissus managed to see his reflection in a pool of water after being separated from his hunting party. He fell in love with himself and, knowing that the love could not be returned, turned into a white flower. The idea of narcissism comes from this myth. Between the next novels, from Revolution onward, the idea of narcissism is explored as a subplot for the characters, and the reflection in the pool of water does not bring love, but hatred.

Anne Boleyn - The second wife of Henry VIII of England (r. 1509-1547) inspired in me more than the idea that queens can help shift history. The narrator of Casting Shadows and The Circle is Broken, Nora Brutrose, refers to her mother, Queen Vera Lynn Howe, often. This wife of her father, King Gerald II, shared some characteristics of the Tudor queen. While explained vaguely in those novels, it does not gloss over the same shared fate: beheading.

King John of England - If you thought I took Henry VIII and put him into the character of King Gerald II, you would be right. However, the autocratic behavior also belonged to an older time in English history. In the early 13th century, John (last surviving son of Eleanor of Aquitaine and King Henry II of England) sought to curtail the power of his barons and retain complete power over England, to the point where he was excommunicated by the pope. The result of the former battle were the several versions of the Magna Carter, which ended up being the basis of many government documents we use today. While King Gerald had a strange relationship with Mother Church, he still ruled with absolute power and paranoia. His successors tried in vain to reverse the worst of his policies.

Namaste! Have a great week, everyone!

#History #Mythology #InRealLife #Narcissism #Healing #SixWives #RobinHood #Medieval

In Case You Did Not Know...

Look at these pictures carefully.

What do you see?

Did you know that they were taken less than a hundred years ago? That they took place in a place called Germany, in the 1930s? That these people were led by a group called the Nazis?

And you are probably asking me: why are you bringing this up?

I answer: because Nazism is in America and we need to something about it.

Oh, so you say that Nazism isn't in America?

Think again.

According to Ken Burns/Lynn Novick's documentary The US and the Holocaust, it was alive in the 1930's, they did, and they had several meetings in NYC. They were called the German Bund, and they used our First Amendment of Freedom of Speech to continue their activities, before, during and after the war. No matter that their European counterparts were dehumanizing and killing millions of people. No matter that the practice was the opposite of our ideas of liberty for all.

Nazism is dangerous, and we must stamp it out of this country.

If you believe in these people or defend them in any way, show yourself out now.

Let's run to yesterday's event, the swearing-in of the new president, Donald Trump. During one point, Musk was giving a speech. Fine, nothing I am arguing here. At the end, though, he puts his hand to his heart and raises it. He turned around and did it again to the American flag behind him.

Musk is claiming that people are overreacting. It was not a Nazi salute, he is protesting. Well, I wanted to make an educated decision. I did not base it on the picture I posted on this blog. I watched several videos, from the BBC to DW, CBS, etc. And let me tell you something: it is a Nazi salute.

Watch historical videos and then watch Musk.

Same moves, same gestures, same everything.

Then, look at X. As soon as Musk could, he unblocked several people who were known racists and bigots. To hate groups. To Donald Trump. Then, he claimed it was in the name of free speech. If it was for free speech, why was he silencing transgender, BIPOC, etc.?

Be careful who you idolize. Think how and why an opinion is being expressed and see who said it and what motives they have. And in case you did not know...we are living in an oligarchy. Decisions are being made by the few select, AKA billionaires and wanna-bes. This is not what our country's ideas are based upon (despite being created by slaveowners, which we can denounce another time). We can do better!

Many thanks to the US Holocaust Museum and the BBC for the pictures. For more information, please check out these sources:

When the Nazis took Manhattan

Events at Madison Square Garden 1925-1968

American Nazi Rally in NYC 1939

German American Bund

Nazi Town, USA

Library of Congress - Bund Parade NYC 1937

Be careful out there, everyone. Love your neighbor, protect yourself, and stay safe.

Namaste!

#NazisAreHere #USAndTheHolocaust #Fight #FreedomOfSpeechDoesNotMeanHate #StopChildrenWhatsThatSound #LoveYourNeighbor #NoMore

#BehindTheScenes 49 - Married Life

Well, isn't this an eye-catching topic? Talking about the life I have with my husband, a man I have been with since 2008? Everybody with a partner has their pathway. They walk it differently than most.

This is what I have learned as a wife.

You are living with your best friend, however that arrangement is. You gotta check on each other, almost like a buddy system. Every couple has diverse needs, and we are no different. We are part of the rare breed of parents without hands-on help and absolute dismissal of our needs. That's tough.

The biggest lesson we are learning is communication and the ability to not just hear, but listen.

Without it, there is no trust and respect. When you have experienced trauma and had no model of affective communication and listening, the suspicions run deeper than people believe. You are fearful and resentful. Sometimes, you don't even know why you are mad, and you are just arguing for the sake of arguing. That's an addiction.

Not to mention, you are used to being a burden and dismissed. You are not used to speaking up and advocating for yourself. And when you do, it sounds rude and pushy. It makes you go back to the beginning, to your family of origin, when you felt so small telling your parents that you needed something, but were afraid to because you knew it would cause trouble.

That is wrong on all levels.

Being neurodivergent, I am blunt. I often say things out loud that are sometimes inappropriate (nothing racist or anything, just mic drop statements or disproving positive toxicity). Like a lot of people, I dump things at the wrong time and pick the wrong hill to die on. My mind jumps from one random topic to the next, and nobody knows the connections except for me, and I have to explain it. I call it my "Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon", after a game I played in high school. It makes me sit down and work out my thought process.

I swear, if I did not explain it all to my husband, he would have left me a long time ago. He also claims that I am part of the reason why he is losing his hair. But he was losing his hair long before we started dating, but I am not reminding him of that...

Like most couples, we argue over the silliest things. Make meals for each other (because we know that as a language of love). Sometimes, focus on Calvin so that the other could sleep, work, etc. Making plans for the day-to-day that make the days feel long, but the years are short.

When you love each other, you have to look out for yourself and your partner. Sometimes, though, circumstances change, and the plans you had when you were twenty-five are not the same as when you are forty-five. You do not need to stay where you are not heard, appreciated and held in the highest regard. And for a lot of us, that is the hardest thing we are going to do in our lives.

I hope this helps and validates some of your feelings.

Namaste, everyone! Have a wonderful day, and stay warm!

#BehindTheScenes #MeAndMyBestFriend #WeddingBells #LongTermRelationships #MarriedWithChildren