This Crazy Life

As any followers of this blog may have realized by now, I'm a fairly reflective person. Lately I find myself reflecting on what can change in a year. 1 year ago today I was 6 months pregnant and Jeff and I were 3 days from opening our new restaurant. So much has happened in this year and now I find myself very grateful that the 1st year of business is behind us. It certainly wasn't easy and at times it was downright scary. As always, Jeff never let me give up and continuously assured me that everything at Side Street Cafe would be ok. And as always, he was right, and I am beginning to feel our growing pains slow down. It is still a struggle and I've surrendered to the fact that it will be a struggle for years to come. The good news is that I'm so proud of what we have created. There aren't many restaurants in this small town where you can walk in to see such a diverse group in one room: 20 somethings taking shots at the bar, an old couple out on a date enjoying live music in the dining room, college students working on a school project, business meetings, parents with their kids, and a group of guys from the high school football team devouring burgers and fries. I wanted to create a place where everyone felt welcome and could find something to suit them and it appears that we are on the right track.

My Mom and My John (also known as a "step-dad"... although he is more than that) just left from a 5 day visit with us. It was so nice to have them here. They are the kind of parents that I don't need to try to impress, so their visits are never stressful. I didn't spend days cleaning the house and preparing meals before their arrival - my life allows no time for that. Instead they showed up and HELPED me clean the house, take care of Kiera, and run the restaurant. I used their help so much and I asked them multiple times, "Can you even imagine that I live this life and function withOUT all of your help?" My mom admitted that she did wonder how it was possible. Somehow we make it work though. On the days that have a little too much going on, Kiera goes to play and have a blast with Jillian and her 2 kids (thank God for her!) And on the days that aren't so packed, we go and play in the park, take walks, and make the most of the day.

I find myself often wondering if my life is REALLY this hectic or if it just feels this way. I had a pretty packed life and schedule before the budding business, new baby, teenage step-children and new marriage, NOW is a whole different story. I absolutely love it though. I love all of it. It took some getting used to, but everything that is packing my life up to the brim is positive. How could I possibly complain when I have a beautiful baby, a business that my supportive husband helped me build from the ground up, family members that I can laugh with, in-laws that live next door and who are always willing to lend a hand, and a "step-daughter" (again the "step" term doesn't do her justice) who I consider one of the best people in my life. At the end of her trip here, I asked my mom, "Is my life really this crazy? Or am I just a wuss? Do you think that it's really not that hectic but I'm just dramatic?" She responded with a pause and then, "No, your life really is pretty crazy, but you have a secret weapon and that's a supportive husband." Boy is she right. Without him I would be in the loony bin.

Anyway, I have 2 favorite stories about Lexi for this blog....

One is that she turned 13. We threw a party for her in her front yard with a big fire, decorations, pizza, s'mores a homemade ice cream cake (thanks Emily) and an introduction to the Mountain Dew version of Dizzy Bat (Thanks again Emily.) Lexi and her friends partied outside and us adults hung out inside until we decided to "crash" the party later. Jeff noted that this is probably one of the last traditional birthday parties that Lexi will have at the house (you know, because she will get older and too cool for us;)) so we tried to enjoy it as much as possible.

Party Crashers

Father/Daughter Love

My second story is about yesterday. I will admit that I was kinda at my wits end. My mom and John were leaving town, Lexi had 2 appointments in very opposite places and needed to be driven all over creation all day. I basically had to walk away from everything that I had to do in my life to drive to NE Harbor to Bangor and back to NE Harbor. Needless to say, I expected the day to suck and be more than frustrating. I dropped Kiera off with Jillian so that she could have fun while we...didn't. Well, to my surprise, Lexi saved my sanity. We drove to Bangor and just started chatting and laughing about everything. On the day where I thought I wouldn't be able to take anymore, I found that all I needed was a little girl time with my favorite girl. By the time her orthodontist appointment ended, it was too late to go back to school so we got our nails done and went out to lunch. We marveled at how much fun we were having and how we need to do things like that more often. It just taught me that when it seems the most impossible to slow down is when I need to do it the most.

Some good friends of ours recently lost their 19-year old daughter Ashleigh. Our hearts broke for them when we heard the news, attended the funeral, and even today while they continue to face everything. Ashleigh's mom, Wendy, told us that she had NO regrets about everyday that she spent with her daughter. She told Ashleigh everyday how much she loved her and supported her in everything she did. That hit me like a ton of brinks because I can be pretty cranky and I can sometimes end a day on a sour note because I'm tired or stressed. Life is too short for that crap. Days like yesterday with Lexi are what it's all about :)

Even more father/daughter love