On logging miles.

Last Wednesday, I left for New Jersey early in the morning with Dad. We started out making great time until I-95 got shut down randomly in Virginia–for “security reasons”–and we got re-routed. Traffic was absolutely terrible, so we stopped and treated ourselves to a delicious dinner at Cracker Barrel. I had fried chicken, mashed potatoes, and dumplins with ice cold beer. But the best part might have been that it was within walking distance of the swanky hotel we called home for the night.

We finally made it to New Jersey late Thursday afternoon. We stopped at Andy’s garage and then spent the night at my aunt and uncle’s house. They ordered dinner and it was pretty nice time.

I was supposed to look at a winter rental in Seaside on Friday afternoon, but my realtor was unavoidably detained. Dad and I drove by and it’s in a great location. I really love living by the water. Even in Ireland, I was living by the Shannon. I don’t think that will ever change for me; I think I’ll always be drawn to a shore. I was able to talk with the landlord today, and she’s simply delightful. Looks like I’ll be living in Seaside from September to May.

Instead of touring the rental, Dad and I were back on the road Friday afternoon. We loaded up his trailer, said goodbye to our gracious hosts, and hit the road. But the traffic was atrocious again. We made abysmal time and stopped at a disgusting hotel: there were holes in my bedspread from cigarette burns.

We left the hotel before dawn on Saturday but didn’t make it back to Florida for another 14 hours. It was a miserable last day of traveling–it seemed like the trip would never end.

So I thought I’d sleep in on Sunday, but I didn’t. I spent the night at Missy’s house with the nephews and took Jonathan to school Monday morning. I spent the rest of the day running errands.

I guess I’m telling you all this because I haven’t had much time to read or write. This was a problem before Ireland, before Maddie’s accident even, because I don’t know how to say no. And I always feel guilty when I do because I feel like I’m letting people down. It’s hard to navigate. The deadlines while I was taking the course helped, as did the distance. But I can’t live like that.

So I’m working on that: trying to effectively combine my personal life and writing life. Right now, I’m working on carving out time to review the corrected galley pages my publisher sent me. This will likely be the final review before publication, so I’m excited! Once I get an official publication date, I’ll make some real plans for a launch party.

And I need to work on my dissertation. Coming back home is a bigger adjustment than I realized. I feel like I’m always underestimating life.

Miracle Maddie

Maddie Girl’s trying to adjust to her schedule, too. She’s working on getting back into the swing of her HBOT therapy and incorporating more her MNRI therapy into her daily routine. She traveled back to Melbourne with Missy and Mom for some PT and OT. It was her first time back since the MNRI conference, and her therapists commented on her improved tone and alertness! They also noticed decreased tone and more facial expression. She had her second rounds of PT and OT today and she did great! Tomorrow, she has her MNRI appointment—she’s working so hard. I think sometimes we get frustrated because we’re impatient. We want Maddie to make the big, impressive gains. I’m working hard to be happy with the little improvements because they’re more than we were ever supposed to get.

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