I Like Parties.

There's an ongoing joke with my immediate and extended family that "Life is NOT just one big party." This is something that my mom said to me more regularly than most anything else throughout all my childhood years. Yes, yes, I did all in my power to create personal circumstances that WERE INDEED just like 'one big party.' So, in the spirit of confessions, I have something I need to say.

Hi, my name's Lindsey, and I'm a fun addict.

Cheesy? Perhaps. True? Absolutely.

I'm not kidding.

So.... I'm not a new blogger, I've actually been doing this since 2006, but this is a new blog. After having privatized my family blog some time back (drama, drama) I began feeling like I was missing out on some fun around here. That, my friends, just ain't gonna happen.

So, here I am.

My friend Kari, over at Newlyweds on a Budget told me about the Ultimate Blog Party, and I thought it may be a good chance to get out there.

As far as introductions go... I'm Lindsey.

I'm sort of a spaz. I didn't regularly comb my hair until I was about 22 and I still would rather be dirty (as a result of some cool hands-on project) than clean and primped. I have a seriously diverse background that ranges from rock band management, to corporate Social Media strategy and management (via @JetBlue), to wedding cake making and cake decorating instruction. My educational background was actually in the fine arts (bronze casting) and after pursuing a fine arts career for a few years, I realized that it wasn't something suitable to family life.

I'm sort of (really really) a busy body and I don't sit still well. I have a thrill-seeking, motorcycle driving husband, and 4 lovely kids.

I'm always looking for a new adventure.

Thanks for stopping in. Cheers!

A Long Time Coming

I find that I am unnaturally drawn to http://awkwardfamilyphotos.com/ I don't know if it rests in the fact that I find solace in the uncomfortable and confusing poses, but a few minutes perusing this site can brighten up any of my darkest days.

Family photos are a sensitive thing for me and unfortunately it's not because I fell victim to too many of these awkward ones.

When my husband and I married TEN YEARS ago, I inherited two lovely sons. Blended families are never easy, but our circumstances seemed quite ideal, and stayed that way for a long time.

---queue haunted castle music---

Unfortunately, life is unpredictable and our family dynamic changed dramatically after we'd been married about 6 years. I'll be honest, I almost never ever ever talk about it. It's incredibly emotional for me - and I can feel a burning pit grow in my stomach at the very first glimmer of even mentioning it BUT I figure that's part of my goal with this blog.

Basically, I'm not going to mince words. Some time ago - actually, not too long after my last family picture was taken, my husband's ex remarried for the 3rd time. Unfortunately, after years of amiable relations, things went sour. Way sour.

I'm going to spare you the nitty gritty but I will tell you that my life was turned completely upside down for a couple of years following. We're talking court, big attorney expenses, the whole nine yards. Yadda yadda yadda.

Unfortunately, I lost my oldest son during this time. He was strongly influenced and no longer wishes to have contact with us. We had an incredibly close relationship prior to this (from ages 4 to almost 10) and it has been heart-wrenching. That's all I'm going to say about that.

The reason I bring this all up is that I've hurdled a personal obstacle this week. While I'm feeling triumphant in some regards, I'm shaken in others.

Prior to now, I've been unable to move on from the family photo I have framed at prominently hung in my family room. The photo was taken in easier times when I had both of my boys and our first daughter was just a baby.

This same daughter turns 6 next week.

Needless to say, it was time to update. I've been struggling with facing a family photo with one child missing. It's still very difficult for me to face and it's not something I anticipate will ever get easier.

On our tenth anniversary this past Wednesday, we took our new family photos. My second oldest son is now 12, and my daughters are 6 and almost 3. Everyone was so cooperative (as well as you can expect, I suppose) and I'm incredibly hopeful that we have a few magical shots that will be perfect. We'll see tomorrow.... fingers crossed.

The moral of this story? Some things will never make sense - keep on, keepin' on.