“Hope is not the conviction that something will turn out well but the certainty that something makes sense, regardless of how it turns out.” – Vaclav Havel

Happy New Year! I hope you rang in the New Year with family and friends and celebrated with fireworks and fun. I woke up for a few minutes because of the fireworks happening outside but other than that, I was asleep by 9 pm. I think. On New Year’s Eve, I decided to write about 21 Unexpected things that happened in 2021. Seeing as it is now 2022, I’ve decided to look toward the future with a full heart and optimism at its center. I say that but I know I will spend the next 6 weeks getting aggravated really quick by my forgetfulness that it’s 2022 instead of 2021. Back to the optimism. Here are 22 Things I hope for in 2022:

1. Mark’s surgery goes very smooth and we don’t have any major ortho surgeries.
2. Finish this year with a 4.0 GPA.
3. Go on another family vacation back to the Lake House.
4. Learn a new skill.
5. Establish Make Your Mark as a 501c3 organization
6. Create a new program to give back to the rehabilitation team.
7. Camping. Camping. Camping.
8. Continue to work on myself mentally, physically, and emotionally- I have a lot of room to grow.
9. Finally get my office decorated and organized to make my OCD calm down and productivity increase.
10. The Pandemic finally starts to settle down in some way or fashion. Mostly that we just get a better handle on this and its new variants.
11. GET INTO A HEALTHIER SLEEP ROUTINE.
12. Be more resilient toward obstacles and care less about negative opinions and focus on my mission at heart. Even if that means burning bridges previously crossed by family and very close friends.
13. Continue to contribute to Jacksonville Mom and help bring a different perspective to the community.
14. Continue to share our journey on this blog and hope that it continues to grow and reach new local families.
15. Maybe look into sharing a video of the SDR journey. Perhaps a recap.
16. Share a transparent view of our insurance battle. I think that situation deserves an outsiders eye, maybe someone can help me get a better understanding of the complication.
17. Explore more of our local areas and become more of an advocate for accessibility for families with children of special needs to have a chance to explore as well.
18. Spend more time igniting the sparks of Mark’s curiousity.
19. Gain more community partnerships.
20. Continue to support Travis is in his endeavors and support Mark in his rehab journey.
21. Finish Mark’s Superhero cape.
22. FINALLY REALIZE ITS 2022 AND NOT 2021.

Of course, these are things that are just on the surface. I truly wish for so much more than just these 22 things. But I do have some news to share and this is it: I have planned to take a two-week break from this website to focus on the new events and changes that will be taking place over the next week or so. Mark will be having another major surgery and his recovery will require my full attention and time. Additionally, my spring semester is supposed to start the same day he is discharged from the hospital.

This shift in focus will be another adjustment as when Mark should be going back to school, he will be going into the Operating Room. When I should be going back to school, I will be in the hospital with him. So for that reason, I hope to share our journey, but it may require some time to adjust accordingly. I am grateful for your patience as I navigate this.

Once more, I am grateful that you are here to read these blogs. I am not sure if they make a difference to you or to anyone, but to me… well this is a huge stress reliever. It’s a blank canvas, a bare page and I can make it my own. I can be transparent here, honest here, and free with my thoughts, feelings, and share the events that happen in our lives. As honest as this to say, I don’t mind if no one reads this or if someone doesn’t care what I have to say right here… because it feels good to be to finally be able to share our story. I am just grateful for those who continue to show up and read these blog posts. I appreciate it more than you know.