Tip to a Happier You in 2012~I’ve been kidnapped!


Well, here it is Saturday evening, and I haven’t posted my {tip to a happier you} for today yet. But I have a good excuse:


I’ve been kidnapped and taken to Tree Hill, North Carolina! 

I’ve been shot in the chest, almost drowned, gotten arrested for beating up an abusive father, given birth early to twins that I wasn’t supposed to be able to get pregnant with only to have my husband forget and leave one of them in the car, been admitted to a mental health facility for blackout episodes because I forgot I had a son six years ago, and almost had a breakdown when my husband disappeared for a week and we didn’t know if he was dead or alive. Luckily, everything ended happily.
Miranda, my 18-year-old, had her wisdom teeth taken out this week. So I have played the roll of caregiver—which for Miranda means making her jello and spaghetti, escorting her plethora of friends in and out to see her, and sitting beside her to keep her company while watching the show of her choice—One Tree Hill.  

Miranda is one of those girls that loves for her friends to spend the night. I have always loved it that she wants them to come here, so we frequently allow them to.

This week, however, held one obstacle: our air conditioner upstairs is broken and must be replaced, so everyone is sleeping downstairs. Did this deter her friends from wanting to spend the night? Nope. So downstairs this week, I’ve had all three sofas made into beds, an extra twin mattress beside one of them, and a double air mattress beside another. Between kids coming and going, fixing meals for Miranda, for my family, and for any extras that may be here, and being kidnapped into the world of One Tree Hill I’m exhausted! I don’t think I’ve loaded and emptied the dishwasher this many times in years—all in the midst of giving birth early to the twins and escaping from the drug dealer kidnapper of course.


When I was depressed, I often found myself watching television and getting wrapped up in others lives so I didn’t have to think about my own. But I would DVR them and only get to watch them when they aired on television. Now we have Netflix. You can sit and literally watch 84 episodes back to back—pausing for potty breaks of course. I suppose it’s a good thing we didn’t have Netflix when I was going through depression. Sitting absorbed in someone else’s life for hours at a time would have been just fine with me, but I think my family would have thrown me to the curb. 


After the hours of One Tree Hill this week, I prefer my life any day of the week, thank you very much. But only because God has blessed me with the ability to be happy again, and in the process, has taught me much about what’s important in life. 

So where’s the tip this week? I’ll let you figure it out. This week has left me with a disaster of a house, too much washing to be done, and sleep deprived from the One Tree Hill marathon. I sat down to write a few times only to hear, “MOM! Can you__________?” But I got to spend the week beside my soon-to-be-grown-up-and-gone Miranda. We made a memory.

Sometimes you just gotta do what you gotta do.

Even if it is watch a One Tree Hill marathon 😉
From my heart, 
Celeste