Merry Christmas!

Despite my high hopes, Christmas 2023 will come and go with no Trumbo family Christmas card. This holiday season brought some wonderful highs and some disappointing lows.  Compound that with 6 days spent on a cruise ship during prime Christmas prep time (not that I'm complaining) and a card just was not meant to happen!

To make up for my failure, I'll attempt to create a 2023 recap for friends near and far.

Ryan is entering his last full year on active duty.   It's hard to believe that it's been 23 years since he enlisted in the National Guard to help pay his way through graduate school.  I never could have envisioned what his career would bring but I am so proud of the way he has navigated his time in the military and the lasting difference he has made.  He will begin terminal leave in the spring of 2025 and officially retire in August.  And then ... we will figure it out.  I am considering hiring him as my full time personal chef.  He will need to work hard these next 20 months to prove that he is worthy.

Jake graduated from Pinecrest High School and we are so proud of his hard work and determination.  He still works at Dairy Queen but does his best to stay away from the order window because there are far to many cranky people in Moore County.  Especially when it comes to their ice cream.  He just completed his first full semester at Sandhills Community College and is looking forward to adding drawing classes to his course load for next semester.  He is considering a career in veterinary medicine, but his real dream would be animation.  Who knows!  Jake always amazes us.  We spent Christmas Day putting together his new desk and bookshelves in a mother/son bonding experience.  We both survived.

Ainsley has had a very busy year.  This summer she spent 4 weeks at Governor's School and it was a great experience -she made some amazing friends and learned a lot about what it will be like to navigate life in college.  Speaking of which, she was thrilled to be accepted to Appalachian State University - her first choice!  Ryan is definitely not ready to talk about her leaving for school ...  Her Christmas gifts represented her favorite things: a heated blanket (sleep and heat), a Taylor Swift piano book (purely selfish on her dad's part - anything to give her more reason to play and sing for us) and a warm coat and boots (hiking/the mountains).  She and her sweet boyfriend, Aurelius, spend lots of time hanging out here with our family and I love the craziness of 5 teenagers in the house!

Reid is a sophomore and will turn 16 in a month.  He surprised us by deciding to go back to wrestling after taking his freshman year off - we couldn't be more proud of his hard work and dedication.  Does his decision have anything to do with the fact that his adorable girlfriend, Piper, also wrestles? Maybe.  And we are totally ok with that!  He is officially the tallest member of our family (not that it's a huge accomplishment, as he is quick to point out) and unanimously agreed to be the funniest Trumbo (which is a rather big accomplishment).   For Christmas he got some clothes and shoes and then some cash because, as always,  he is our only true middle child and we forgot to get him as much as we got his other siblings.

Jane Dare is 14 and in her final year of middle school.  She loves soccer and had a blast this year with her travel team from AC Sandhills - it's a truly great group of kids and parents.  Her team won their division and will move up a level next year.  She's excited for her school season (and a little nervous as the only returning starter from last season).  She absolutely keeps us on our toes in all the ways.  Ryan has turned her into his sports fanatic clone and she can recite MLB, EPL and Serie A stats with the best of them.  Her two favorite Christmas gifts were a Lars Nootbar jersey and Ugg slippers which represents how she walks the line between tomboy and bougie white girl quite well.  She is currently single.  

As for me, 2023 has been a LOT.  Days when I have felt like the worst mom in the world followed by days when I think I might be doing something right.  I switched jobs in February, but will end 2023 unemployed.  That is a blog post for another time, and it IS coming, but for now I'm planning projects for 2024 and content to heal a little bit before I throw myself into the job search again.  Back when I was considering the job change, Ryan sweetly tried to warn me that people are HARD.  And my new job was people.  He was right.  

That's about it for the Trumbo crew.  If you've read this far, know that I appreciate that you care.  Sending you all the love this holiday season and into 2024. 

Guess who?

 Last month I had the opportunity to reconnect with a very special friend.   She was one of those friends that you take for granted in the whirlwind of life as a young mom when most of your relationships seem to revolve around your kids' activities.  I definitely took her quiet wisdom, graceful presence and calm demeanor for granted as we crossed paths at school drop offs and pick ups, birthday parties and military functions.  

The neat thing about a relationship like that, is when you haven't seen one another in so long, the catch up can serve as an opportunity to reflect on all the sneaky changes that you may not have even processed in your own life.  As we were talking she asked me why I stopped writing, mentioning that she missed hearing what I had to say.  It may be a simple question but the answer is far from simple.  It genuinely caused me to pause and reflect on why I had stopped doing something that was a beautiful outlet for me to share and process.  

While there are many reasons (too busy, lack of inspiration, other priorities, etc) I honestly think the big WHY to my absence is because I was scared.  Up until 2020, my little corner of the world felt like a very safe place. I was comfortable with my beliefs and viewpoints and felt confident that most of the people in my circle saw things in a similar way.  Covid changed all of that.  My church no longer felt like home when those who profess to follow the Bible became more concerned with their "rights" than loving their neighbor.  Additionally, every time I turned around it seemed like someone that I trusted was saying something selfish or hateful on social media.  I spent so much time fuming and plotting at the injustice and self-righteousness of others,  to the point that I also became very self-righteous in MY viewpoints.  All of the blog posts that I started to write went unpublished because I was scared to lose more friends or feel like more of an outsider than I already did.  

So, what changed?  I don't know.  Maybe the reminder from my friend that I didn't just write for me, I wrote so others would know they weren't alone.  Or, the fact that I turn 45 in a few days and I really need to get over what some people might think of me.  Regardless, I am excited to start writing again.  I assure you, it will be sporadic, it will be random and it will piss some people off.  I'll do my best to be ok with that.