Boo!! Did I scare you?? Sneaking up with a blog post after all these months of silence?? Crazy, huh?? Like some kind of belated April Fool’s prank. But I am really here. And feel like I should begin by introducing myself. HA!! Except if you are reading this you have to be a tried and true friend who has stuck with me through blogging and blog silences. And for that I thank you.
I have excused myself from hosting even my favorite link-ups, Ageless Style on the 3rd Thursday and Tell Us About on the same day. Enjoyed being a part of both groups so much and hope I can participate in their link-ups kind of remotely. All of the gals have been so gracious to allow me to drift out of blogging only to return for a month before disappearing again. The blogging community with which I have connected has been very uplifting and supportive and I am blessed by those friendships I’ve made.
Today…for today…I am joining my Where Bloggers Live palsy-walsies to talk about My Favorite Season. You remember these gals, right?
Bettye at Fashion Schlub
Daenel at Living Outside the Stacks
Em at Dust and Doghair
Iris at Iris’ Original Ramblings
Jodie at Jodie’s Touch of Style
Sally at Within a World of My Own
Leslie at Once Upon a Time & Happily Ever After
Hope you will join me stopping by to read about their favorite season, too.
Where Bloggers Live
The ideas for this colorful series originated with our adventurous leader, Bettye, at Fashion Schlub. She describes this series as being kind of like HGTV’s “Celebrities at Home,” but…with bloggers! Every month, Bettye provides the six WBL bloggers with a prompt that invites us to share our work and living spaces, homes, hometowns, thoughts, and memories. Our industrious Bettye has put together the list of prompts for WBL that would see us through 2025!! Hoping LIFE will allow me to join up again more regularly.
This series, and group of great gals, is one of the reasons I keep hanging on with blogging. Where Bloggers Live posts really are enjoyable for me to contemplate and write.
Just a reminder: Once Upon a Time & Happily Ever After occasionally uses affiliate links which are usually italicized. If you click or make a purchase from an italicized link provided I may receive a very small commission at no cost to you. Thank you for your support.
Please find the places and posts where I link-up on this page.
Where Bloggers Live 04.2024: My Favorite Season
I’ve been thinking about this for a few days. My favorite season. Hmmm. Then coincidentally (or not), I participated in an online prompt writing workshop yesterday. We were given 2 different prompts to choose from on which to write. I chose to respond to the following:
What world can you not go back to? What part of your life would you be unable to return to for very long? What was that time, before? Who were you then and who are you now?
Which inspired me to spend some time reflecting back over the seasons of my life. Was there a season I would not want to return to? Was there a season that was harder than the rest? Similarly, was there a season that was my very favorite? I chose to write about a period of time right after my graduation from college when I felt particularly lost and uncertain. Gone was the familiarity and security of my little life at university, the routine I had known for 16 semesters and several summers of summer school. Now I was supposed to be ready to launch and take on the world. It was a scary time for me. But I survived!! And if things hadn’t happened the way they did back then, I wouldn’t be where I am today, right?
Reviewing the Seasons of My Life
Going to do a quick bit of reflection on each of the decades of my years, which very handily also reflect different seasons of my life. Seems like my seasons last about 10 years.
Birth, 1958-1968:
- happy, innocent time living in Buffalo and Boston. Started kinder when I was 4 years old. Was a shy little girl but enjoyed playing with classmates and neighbor kids. Made pretty good grades. My sister Valerie and brother Kevin were born and would be lifelong friends, companions, through the good and the bad. We moved to Memphis and into our dream childhood home where we each had our own bedrooms and a big yard.
1968-1978:
- during this decade I enjoyed many milestones. Middle school – just surviving it was major. Being selected for cheerleader in 7th and 8th grade. High school – finding my niche with art and writing, having a posse of good friends, one of whom I am still very close to today, talking ’bout you, Sharonia. A kind, loving first boyfriend. Graduation from high school, 5th in my senior class of 450+. Starting college – first at a small private liberal arts college in town where I became a Tri Delt and my pledge class’s best pledge. Transferring to a large university 500 miles from home. Sampling several majors before settling on art education and library science.
1978-1988:
- lots of milestones again – first apartment, second serious relationship that ended when my eyes were opened to its problems. Graduation from college and a bit of floundering for the first 18 months following. Getting married just because I had no idea what else to do with my life, moving to Panama for 3 years with my Army soldier-husband, moving back to the U.S. to have Brennyn; moving to Texas for 9 months, moving back to Panama for 3 more years, having Lauren, moving back to the U.S., to El Paso. Finally getting my first real job (with my college degree) as a high school librarian in El Paso.
1988-1998:
- divorcing the girls’ father; being a single mom and trying to figure out finances and parenthood and fulltime+ employment with 2+ jobs. Moved 4 times from apartment to apartment, on post to off post. Buying my first house then getting married to the person I thought would be my forever partner. However, struggling with behaviorial and mental health issues of his young daughter and watching that tear our family apart. Switching to a position as an elementary school librarian, starting a TV show, Teacher of the Year for my school district. My girls in elementary and middle school. Oh, those 7th grade woes. Trying to be the best mom I could be running on practically empty myself. Suffering with Lyme disease that altered my life drastically for a length of time.
1998-2008
- two daughters in high school, then college. Very sad divorce in 2001. My daughters lost their ‘daily dad’ in the breakup of our marriage. Single mom again, back to working multiple jobs after a brief hiatus. Had to file Chapter 13 bankruptcy because I was left with all the debt from the marriage. Paid it all back. Brennyn and Lauren both had fairly significant health issues. Lost my 3-year-old nephew to cancer. Parents sold my Tennessee childhood home and moved to Kentucky. Switched from elementary librarian to high school librarian for more money, began and completed my Master’s degree in Library and Information Science. Then switched back to elementary school and opened a brand new library in a brand new school. Met PC on Match.com in 2003. I was head over heels immediately but we dated for 5 years as we were both terrified to remarry. Behavior issues with his daughter impacted our relationship. PC retired from military. Brennyn graduated with a degree in nursing. Mass in my left breast led to biopsy that identified it as benign. Gracias a Dios. Hysterectomy. My bankruptcy was paid off in 2008.
2008-2018
- PC and I married summer 2008, we both sold our houses and bought a house together. Brennyn married fall 2008, moved to Ft. Worth. Lauren graduated from college with a degree in biology and moved to Houston with her boyfriend. Paul began working for the Department of Defense. I became a grandmother twice over to Cadence in 2010 and Lucia in 2016. Paul had 4 surgeries, I had 2. Reluctantly retired from the career I loved in 12.2013 in order to have second surgery on my neck. Right before my parents moved to an assisted living community, my mom attempted suicide. Then again 4 years later. And had suicidal ideations 2 years after that. My father died suddenly in 2012. Lauren married Francisco. Lost 3 pet pups and a number of sweet kitties and rabbits. Brennyn divorced and became a single mom. Various health problems for both daughters and second granddaughter. Worked several part-time jobs after retirement including long-term sub jobs, data entry job, art teaching job.
2018-present
- Moved my mom 3 times. Brennyn married Mustafa. PC’s mom had terrible car wreck where she was responsible for the deaths of 2 people. PC’s father died. Paul had to change jobs about 3 times. Global pandemic – terribly hard on Mom and the rest of the world. Lauren and family moved to El Paso. In 2020 my third granddaughter Camila and in 2022 my only grandson made me a Gabba/Mimi again. Celebrated my mom’s 95th birthday. Almost lost Brennyn after she gave birth to Declan. Lauren had several medical procedures and hospital stays. Lost my mom unexpectedly in 2022. My step-son had a mental breakdown that resulted in legal issues, probation. Paul was diagnosed with prostate cancer 12.2022, had prostate removed in 2023 but we’re still battling this health problem. He has put in paperwork to retire this summer.
And here we are, present day.
My Favorite Season?
Looking back over this partial synopsis of my life, I am reminded that there have been highs and lows in every season. I last felt innocent and carefree back in the ’70s. Maybe for about 15 minutes in the early mid-’80s. And one evening several years ago before a 5K run with PC. However the rest of the time, I have had my share of crazy. But with all the crazy, there have been so many wonderful blessings.
Wouldn’t trade my mommying for all the money in the world. I loved being a mommy and being a single mom for awhile – twice – helped show my girls that we are strong, resilient, resourceful women.
The loves and marriages I’ve had lead me to my Prince Charming. They taught me how to be a little better wife to Paul, although there is still room for improvement. I worked in a profession I adored for 25 years fulltime and about 3 years part-time after I retired. So many precious children and wonderful books crossed my path during that time.
And grandmothering is a dream job. Absolutely adore being a Mimi/Gabba. Love the mothers my daughters have become, their husbands and the sweet families they have created.
Now
Everything considered, this season is my favorite. Right this minute. I am married to a man who balances me and complements me. He is going to retire and we are going to get him over this health scare then we are going to enjoy our days together. My daughters are happy. With the addition of Declan our family is complete. We needed that little boy to balance our 3 granddaughters Cadence, Lucia and Camila. PC and I have a comfortable home and more of everything than we need. And I have so many interests and hobbies, hikes to take, books to read, pages to scrapbook, crafts to complete…more than the hours in the day to enjoy them.
So, today is my favorite season and I feel very optimistic that 2024 is going to be a favorite year in this decade of life.
Ooops!!
Wait a sec. As I am about to wind up this post, it has suddenly occurred to me that by ‘favorite season’ Bettye meant spring, summer, fall or winter. Yikes!!
The answer is fall. And spring. Winter and summer. I like them all. And have loved the many and varied seasons of mi vida loca.
Your Turn
Wow, writing this post has been a challenge. Had forgotten all things HTML and WordPress. I have tried to go back an edit but no doubt missed a number of things…misspellings, formatting issues. That’s what I get for staying away for so long. Feels good to be back, even if just for today.
My sweet friends, thank you for spending a few minutes of your day here with me. Hope you will visit the blogs of my Where Bloggers Live, Ageless Style and Tell Us About buddies. I will be catching up with them this weekend. And speaking of weekend, make it a fun one!!
Hugs and kisses,
WOW, you sure have had some different “seasons”. Thanks for sharing them with us. Glad you’re in a “good” season now.
Iris
Thank you, Iris. So glad to be back with my buddies. So glad to have you back blogging with us, too. Life has been anything but dull for us, that is for sure!!
Leslie!!! It’s so good to see your post! Thanks for sharing your story with us. What a story God is weaving! How exciting that your sweet prince is retiring! I pray God will give you both many happy, healthy, FUN years together! (I’m pretty sure you should visit Savannah!) (I’ve been missing my own blog! You’re inspiring me!)
How wonderful to see your comment. I sure appreciate your prayers for us and your friendship. Would LOVE to visit Savannah!! PC wants to take some road trips, I will run that by him. Come do a blog post. Share your books, your baking. Miss catching up with you.
I’ll really make an effort to do that! I have SO MANY posts in my head. So much travel that I never shared because life got crazy. I owe folks my shortbread recipe too. Maybe I’ll start with that.
Yes!! Would love the shortbread recipe. Just baby steps. Life or LIFE does get crazy and I can’t keep up lots of days but going to try to write a post now and then!! XO
I love how we both thought the same for our favorite season. Our attitude makes our days so much better and it was so fun to go down memory lane this way,
XOXO
Jodie
I appreciate how we both took this prompt in a similar direction. Great minds!! You mentioned that you have a Pollyanna outlook, irrepressible optimism. I love that about you!! Which I could be more that way. I don’t think I am completely a Debbie downer but definitely a realist and always on my guard for the next shoe to drop.
Wow, a full, interesting and loving life! Thanks for sharing this and the photos. Glad to see you blogging again.
Thank you so much for visiting me again!! I am hoping to catch up with everyone this week. Hope spring has sprung in your recently revamped back yard and that you are enjoying lots of time with your littles.
Hi, Leslie! Enjoyed reading your post! It made me think about Beth Moore’s Bible study “Believing God”. Part of the study was making a timeline of your life. It was a rewarding and interesting exercise. I’m with you…the best season of our life is right now! And as far as the seasons of the year, I totally get that you like all of them. I kind of do, too. But my very favorite is Spring!
Thank you, dear friend, for stopping by. I am glad you are also enjoying your favorite life season and annual season at the same time right now. Your part of Texas is beautiful in spring. I know everything is greening up and blooming. El Paso is, too, but it is also super duper WINDY. With 70+ mph gusts today. I am going to look for Beth Moore’s book. Working through a Lysa TerKeurst book and workbook now. But will get “Believing God” ordered and ready to go for when I finish this. Hope you are planning a trip to see your beautiful grandchildren in the near future.
Crazy is an understatement! Praying this season of life gets less crazy and more adventurous for you. Love you!
Awwww, thank you for reading!! You lived so very much of this crazy. Even things you can’t possibly remember clearly. Hope that if all of this has taught us anything at all, it is that we keep getting back up. We are survivors and tough cookies. I am so thankful that you chose me for your mommy. I love you.
Leslie, this is such a lovely, bittersweet, happy, sad, joyful, sorrowful post. You have lived a life, my friend! I would have to say you have been a wonderful mother, friend, wife, librarian, Gabba/Mimi, and everything in between. And, I agree, this is the best season of all!
https://marshainthemiddle.com/
What a precious, precious message. Tucking it into my heart. I have lived a crazy life but when knocked down, I’ve managed to bob back up. Thankful for the beautiful friends I have made through blogging. YOU are at the top of that list!!
How lovely to see a new blog post from you! It really seems like each decade has a good sprinkling of good and bad times and I am so pleased that you feel like ‘now’ is the best season so far x
Thank you, sweet friend. Glad to be a good season, too. Just hoping we can get this hiccup in PC’s health behind us and enjoy his retirement as soon as it begins.
What a wonderful calendar of life you’ve lived, Leslie! And your post/theme was just exactly right. Those were all your seasons…for better or worse – all the seasons have both.
I’m so glad to see you back and hope things continue well for you and your family.
xoxo Bettye
Thank you, Bettye, for allowing me to join this group several years ago when I so boldly asked it I could!! And thank you for your enduring patience with me. It was wonderful to write again. To reflect again. And to be among my dear Where Bloggers Live friends again. Thank you for your good thoughts for my family.
Love seeing you back at it Leslie! I would imagine you are in your best season now. You have beautiful grandbabies that I know absolutely love you and a man who adores you! Praying that God heals Paul! In Jesus’ name! Amen–AMEN!
Thank you for this precious message. Tucking it into my heart. We are praying for Paul’s complete healting. Thank you for your prayers and support. Big love to you and all those fellas up there.
Wow. Your summary of your life in 1000 words wore me out. It was a lot to relive. You have been strong through much adversity and I think you and Paul are going to love the relaxation of retirement and the joy of hopping in the car and coming to Tennessee. I am not going to give up until you guys have a little bungalow within 100 miles of us. It would be the closest we have lived since college. This season of life where you are always a phone call or text message away would only be greater if our visits were more frequent. We are doing ok though with Skryping. Love you little big sister.
Thank you, big little sister, for coming by and reading this life in review post!! It wore me out thinking about it all but helped me to remember the obstacles and problems I have overcome. Would love to be closer to you so we could visit in person – scrap, walk, hike, drink wine – more often. I love you!!
Wow, you have lived a life (and with more adventures to come)! This post really touched me. What an amazing reminder that every season of life has its challenges and its wonders, and that every step of the journey was necessary to get us where we are now.
Well hello friend! How exciting to find a post from you. I have missed you and had almost believed you had permanently thrown in the blogging towel. So glad I was wrong. I love (LOVE) that you made the post about seasons of life and so very much enjoyed the look back at all of life’s seasons. I especially love that you are happiest right now and lovin life!! Lots of joys in the other seasons but what a blessing to realize life is “at its best” today!!:) Blessings and hugs to you my friend!
Thank you so much for this warm welcome back and the kindest comments. I am trying to ease into blogging again and blog reading. Just aren’t enough hours in the day!! So nice to hear from you. Hope this spring finds you feeling healthy and happy. Big hugs to you, sweet, sweet friend.
I missed you and was glad to see this post pop up! I loved taking a trip down memory lane with you! I think all seasons have their highs and lows, but I can see that you are in your best season now!
Jill – Doused in Pink
Glad to see you back. Great post!!
So nice to see you return to blogging! And what a lovely way to interpret this theme and get to share a little more about you and your life 🙂
Thank you, my sweet friend. Nice to be back to blogging if only partially so. Have missed following the lives of my buddies. Will pop by to check in on your cute self. Thank you for the kind comment.
Wow. It sounds like you’ve had a really hard, challenging life. I am amazed at the happy, loving, strong woman you are today. I think it’s awesome that you consider now your best season of life.
Love you!! Thank you for this sweet comment. The school counselor where I was a librarian once gave me a tremendous compliment when she said I was a survivor. And that a song by Destiny’s Child (a group popular then) reminded her of me. She quoted these lyrics.
I’m a survivor (what), I’m not gon’ give up (what)
I’m not gon’ stop (what), I’m gon’ work harder (what)
I’m a survivor (what), I’m gonna make it (what)
I will survive (what), keep on survivin’ (what)
I have been so blessed to have family and friends and my fairly new relationship with God to hold me up through tough times. And so thankful that my tough times have been nothing compared to those of so many.
Thankful you are my friend.
I love this series as it really helps us learn more about every one! I do hope one day I get to meet you: if you are ever in the Atlanta area, we will have to meet up! You are a strong women and your family is blessed to have you!
http://www.chezmireillefashiontravelmom.com
Hey doll!! Thank you for always being in my corner with kind comments and uplifting messages. You are a doll!! And an inspiration. Hope I can venture through or to Atlanta and hug your neck in the near future.
I would say having the ‘present’ season being your favorite is a GOOD thing. I hope that PC is doing ok still and I’m sure his retirement will be a big change in both of your lives. Wow, you have had a full life!! Your daughters and grand babies are def. your blessings and PC as well. I remember all your struggles with your sweet momma and I’m sure you miss her dearly. My dad I feel is just hanging on my a thread these days. It is tough. Lots of hugs and so happy to see you posting!
Carrie
curlycraftymom.com
My precious friend, I am so sorry to hear your dad is just barely hanging on. I felt like Mom was in that place for much of her last two years. And then, on her 95th birthday, just 4 months before she died, we were gifted a glimpse of our mom, our real mom. I am so thankful for those few wonderful days when she seemed well and happy.
I am so proud of the accomplishments of your little family. Cannot believe Nathan is graduating. And Autumn is doing so well with her cheer/dancing. They are fabulous kids, mommy!! Sending you a big hug.
Wow…that was quite a share. To me, this so beautifully illustrates that circle of trust we make with people we’ve never met in person, but whose contributions as authors and commenters build what I think of as genuine friendships.
You have been through quite a few seasons, my friend, with grace and perseverance that really seems to have prepared you for where you are, and have made you such a role model of self-reliance and strength for your family.
(Not ignoring the joyous times you wrote about, but) I can’t not see how you faced every one of those setbacks head on and turned them all into opportunities to grow. No wonder your daughters are so proud of you.
Also…you STILL look exactly like your prom picture!!! And your eyes have always been beautiful!!!
What a precious comment. Thank you so much. I hope that when all is said and done, my daughters will know that I tried hard to be strong and resilient and have, at least through today(!!), gotten back up after being knocked down. I like that verse in the Bible…being knocked down seven times, I think, and getting up eight? You are so sweet to say I still look like the girl in my prom picture. Oh, how very innocent that girl was. Sending you big love, my friend. Hope your parents are well in this season of life.
I think your interpretation of seasons was such a fun one though and it got me thinking back over my life and the different seasons as well! I like the season I am in right now as well but I’ve been pretty lucky that they’ve all had good memories in them too.
Yes, there is always good and bad in every season but in the season I am in now, there feels like more good!! Love being a grandmother. Love having time to be home and do ME things. Thank you for visiting!!
Wow.. you have lived through so much.. many ups and downs. It must have been interesting putting this post together.. going through all the different seasons of your life.
Hi, new friend!! Thank you for coming by and leaving me a comment so I could find you and your blog. I love to write the sentence a day posts because they just take a few minutes each day to put together. It was bittersweet thinking about the highs and lows of my life so far. This is definitely my favorite season.