DETERMINED to have a great year

It's the start of the new year and like we always say, "how did the year go by so fast?" 2024 is going to be a big year for us. Wyatt will turn 18 this year and I will be married to my best friend for 20 years. WOW those are 2 huge milestones.

How is my baby boy going to be considered an adult this year? Just thinking about it brings me joy and anxiety. Figuring out all the tasks we will need to do make sure Wyatt continues to live his best life and gets the support he needs even though he is no longer considered a "child" in the eyes of the law. I feel my stress rising but also I feel pride when I look at Wyatt and see how well he has adjusted to life with DMD. I don't know how I would do it if I was him but he is doing it pretty awesomely for a teenager.

After 20 years of marriage it's pretty wonderful to say that we are still as in love as we were in the beginning. It's not always easy, and in all honesty it's down right hard to make sure we keep putting each other first. It's very easy to let the challenges of DMD overshadow everything moment so instead we try to enjoy every moment and enjoy loving one another and our kids everyday.

As we look ahead to the rest of the year, we have marked down the upcoming adventures in our family calendar. I am excited to say our adventures include a trip to Nashville to see Wyatt's favorite singer, Upchurch in March and Wynston going on his annual snowboarding trip with Carter and Hayes next week and to summer camp in Arkansas. So much to look forward to in the months ahead I had to pause a second and make sure I was able to focus on something to guide me for the year.

This year I decided to choose a word to keep me on track. I chose the word DETERMINED after Wynston shot a doe while on a trip at our best friend's camp. We tracked and tracked the deer for hours on end but we were never able to find her. As we tracked the blood in the forest we were getting more and more frustrated, and we began calling her DETERMINED. She was DETERMINED to get away and unfortunately she did, but the hours I spent with Wynston overshadowed the disappointment of losing her.

When we got home on Sunday I took some time to focus on my word and jot down the thoughts that popped in my head. By putting it on paper (well in my blog) I am able to refer back and remind myself of what I am focusing on this year. So here it goes.

I am determined to :

Participated in finding a cure or at least a treatment for my boy.

Find happiness and joy in the small things.

Find a way to show true unconditional love to my family and not sweat the small things.

Grow my friendship with friends who don't judge me for who they think I should be and enjoy the ones that have stuck by my side through the hard times.

Find meaning in the stressors that we are faced with due to DMD.

Find time to pause to focus on myself and my wellbeing.

Find myself and who I am meant to be.

Find a way to make this all happen and grant myself grace if it takes me longer than 1 year to do it all

And lastly I am determined to write more and continue to tell our story to raise awareness.

I will conclude this blog with a thank you for following our story. I have been writing for 3 years now and though the posts have been less frequent it's only because it takes a little longer for me to process all of the changes that are happening around me.

Also please set a special intention as we are all traveling in the next few weeks: next week Wynston going to Colorado, in the beginning of February I am going to Boston to share my story, and then Mardi Gras week then boys and I will be in St. Louis. Pray for safe flights and that we take the time to enjoy the moments.