As We Head Into the Weekend

I woke up this morning still feeling pretty under the weather. I haven’t mentioned on here yet, but ever since school started, there’s at least one of us consistently sick in the house.

Mine has lasted almost a week now. I remember the exact same thing happened last year when the boys started school, though last year it was covid which was much, much worse. Luckily, our tests came back negative when we took them a few days ago.

Nothing like a little back to school sickness to get the ball rolling on a new season!

In the last few days, we’ve gotten the itch to switch things up in our home a little. We’ve been here for five years, and while we change rooms around and do things here and there all the time, we’ve never changed the art above our fireplace. We’ve always loved it, but when we spotted this piece of art at Habitat for Humanity for a great price, we knew we had to have it (just didn’t know where it would live yet).

Turns out it fits perfectly above the fireplace! We decorated for fall this month, because it’s never too early (don’t say a word) in our house, and we feel like the new piece just feels more fall-ish and cozy right now. No word if it’ll stay year-round or just be seasonal, but so far we’re loving it.

Also, I brought an old dresser that used to live in our room up to the kids’ bathroom yesterday and quickly hung a gallery wall over it. We really need a large, tall hutch in there to fill that enormous wall, but for now I like the feel of the art and dresser and lamp together. And of course, it’s really just for me anyway, as the kids could care less about what any room in the house looks like.

Meanwhile, Matt and Beau are heading back to New Orleans this weekend and we’re both feeling really sad about it. Yesterday at their house, PJ started to make plans with them to hang out this weekend and then suddenly realized they won’t be here for said plans. The reality of them not being in Tennessee is sinking in and to be honest, it’s a sinking feeling.

We’ve lived here our entire lives with no real sense of community, no sense of exact sameness with anyone because there aren’t many gay people in our town, and especially none that we connect with as well as Matt and Beau (same profession, same interests, etc.).

They’re our best friends and watching our friendship start little by little and then grow over the last five years has been such a fun, wonderful, interesting adventure. We’ve all come a long way, both professionally and personally, and I feel like we’ve finally found our little friend group to do life and experience milestones and new, fun, exciting things with.

And of course, the not so exciting and fun things, too, because isn’t that what friends are all about? Being there with you through the good and the bad, the ugly and the polished? The times you never want to forget and the times you wish you could?

And of course there will be bumps along the way in any type of relationship; things you wish you could take back or hurtful words you wish you never said. But I believe true friendship can withstand anything and forgiveness (and the willingness to forgive) goes a long way when it comes to the longevity of a relationship.

We’re so grateful for their friendship and the community they give us and, hopefully, the sense of community we give them. We’re getting together tonight for one last dinner before they pack up and head back home for a few weeks. By the time they get back, hopefully the air will be cooler and fall will start to tiptoe into Tennessee to welcome them back to the mountains.

Have a lovely weekend, friends!