Finding Just the Right Fireplace

Day 47 (March 22, 2019)

Hey Lord!

            We did it! We blew my mama’s socks off, and I must give the credit to my little sister because she is the one who brilliantly came up with the idea of the whole family going in on a very special joint gift for my mama’s 60^th birthday! She absolutely loved that we all chipped in on a gift certificate for a family photo shoot in June. Ha, she was so stinkin’ cute on video chat because she kept giddily saying, over and over again, that she had been thinking recently that we should get a photo taken of all of us that could be hung up, above the fireplace mantel, in the new Carolina home we eventually find.

            Man, oh man, we had all worked for months scheming and plotting behind the scenes, anytime she was at work, in order to figure out who we wanted to shoot the session. Us Nowaks can be vera, vera, sneaky when we need to be and, boy, did we need to since she made it very clear that she did not want any surprise parties! (Well, she didn’t say anything about a surprise photo shoot now did she, ha!?) We decided on a family friend my mama knows very well and it works out awesome because she is willing to help my mama find beautiful local spots to take pictures at (SUPER IMPORTANT since my mama wants us to remember the special country town, we all lived in together for so long). Our photographer friend is even willing to help us all coordinate our outfits which is probably a good thing since we have not done family photos in a very long time. (Wedding photos don’t count right now lol.)

            I wish I could have been at the house when my family gave her the gift certificate, but what makes my heart really happy is the fact that I will get to give my mama a semi-belated birthday hug tomorrow!! (T-minus less than 24 hours until I get to see my family in North Carolina!) Lord, I do not want to be a Debbie Downer (today is a very happy day), but can I be honest? I am dealing with more nerves concerning the trip tomorrow. There are many things that are weighing on my mind such as how long this crazy windstorm we are having is going to last (holy moly I do not want to get in an airplane with this type of wind!) and, of course, the fact that I do not do well using public bathrooms, especially airplane bathrooms. (Seein’ as how airplane restrooms are cramped, bumpy, and unsanitary rooms located in the turbulent air, I think it makes perfect sense why they make my nerves stand on edge!) But, most of all, I just don’t want to be away from my husband and my cat. They are my greatest comforts, and I just love them so much.

            BUT!! Lord, I love my parents and siblings soooo much too and can’t wait to see most of them! It is a whole whirlwind of competing emotions. I mean, when I am in North Carolina my heart will be yearning for my husband to be there as well, but then once I am on my way back to Dane my heart will feel like it is breaking because I do not like to be so far away from the rest of my family. Dang it, Lord, why must many of us live in a perpetual state of missing someone? How about my family members all just live on the same cul-de-sac so there is no missing anyone!? (Wait that just might start feeling like an Everybody Loves Raymond episode. How about the same city then?? Better??) Ha, is it too much to ask to have everyone I love nearby so I do not have to miss anyone while also having enough space where we avoid the want to annihilate each other!?

            Jokes and nerves aside, I am all packed up and truly looking forward to being with my family tomorrow. It is going to be such a sweet time together (full of laughs I am sure) searching for our new family home. That still feels like a foreign thing to write. A new family home not in San Diego County. So weird, honestly, but an exciting prospect as well. Who knows, maybe my family will find the “perfect” new home on this trip!? I sure am glad I get to tag along with the birthday girl and search for just the right fireplace to hang her future family portrait! (Oh and, of course, the right spot to house my sister’s gargantuan family Christmas tree! Priorities, right Lord!?)

Always,

Your Daughter Kaitlan

P.S. Lord, it is super important to me to ask that you hug the hearts of those who are missing family, right now, a little tighter. Will you please comfort the loneliness they might be feeling? And, if possible, give them the opportunity, in the near future, to be physically with their loved ones because video chatting only helps so much. Please let us not always have to miss someone, Lord. I do realize there are situations where video chatting is not an option, and we must wait till Heaven to see a beloved family member. So, Father, no matter if it is for a short time or for an unknown length of time, please comfort our hearts and love us tenderly as we go on missing someone we love. Thank you, Lord. It means so much to our hearts.

Thank you for reading! If you are new, this is a chronological blog series. It is best read in order. CLICK HERE for the intro.