If home is where your heart is, my home (and heart) are split: 1/2 in Florida with our kiddos and fam and 1/2 in New Hampshire with the Hubs.

For the past few days I’ve been in Florida with the kids getting an in-person overview of the house post-hurricane demolition and to coordinate repairs and order supplies for said repairs.

Pictures, videos and media coverage only partially prepared me. The devastation is far and wide and up close and personal and the return to normal will be a lengthy process. I was brought to tears more than once.

When you fly, one of the safety demonstrations is how to put your oxygen mask on BEFORE helping anyone else. These past few days, I was able to do that to some extent, metaphorically speaking of course! I was able to hug my babies (3 out of 4), spend time with my mom and grandmother, visit a sweet friend for a quick 30 minutes or so and help another friend and his family—small in comparison to their needs but I know from past experience little things mean a lot and can carry you through rough days.

Spending solid quality time with our kiddos was huge for all of us. They’ve been amazing rockstars these past few weeks but the daily chaos is wearing on them a bit, so hugs, talks, tears and grub warmed us all and I hope gave them a little extra strength to weather the weeks ahead—or at least until our next visit (2 weeks!).

I miss my mom and was happy to have some time with her and her hubby, they’ve been hugely helpful to us and our kiddos; it was a balm to my soul to be together. My grandmother (maternal) is in the end stages of Alzheimer’s and although painful to see her in this state, I was happy to be there to comfort my mom and be present with them, grateful for both of these beautiful women, their love, support, guidance and prayers throughout my life and the life of my children. I am truly blessed.

The hubs and I will both fly home in two weeks for an early Thanksgiving to spend time with fam and friends and I know we are all looking forward to that!! Short and sweet but I plan to soak up every moment.

That’s all for now. (This 12-hour shift brought to you by 4 hours of sleep and copious amounts of caffeine!)

Peace.

P.S. I’ve added a few basic travel pics just because I took them!