Hello again, hello.

Hi. It's me, Jamie. Do you remember me? It's been so long since I last blogged. I've missed it like a second child. I think about blogging all the time and compose cute little posts in the shower or while I'm cleaning up a poopy diaper. Unfortunately, these clever treatise never actually get written down or even remembered moments later. I miss taking pictures and sharing my life with family, friends, and random strangers on the internet. Hello to you all and welcome back!

This post will serve as a life update and planning space for new posts to come. My goal is to blog regularly again even if it's just little snippets here and there. I'd like to just blog about life, those little moments that make our days hilarious, heartbreaking, and worthwhile. Noah and I are living separately from Gman as he is on an unaccompanied tour (more on that later). I'll be blogging about the separation in hopes to help others get through similar situations. I will also blog about traveling with a tiny toddler as we are still pretty mobile.

Noah, my son, turns two in just a few weeks and it has got me thinking about the last couple of years. What sucked my creative juices? Surely there are many bloggers out there who start families and continue blogging straight through. Why not me? Here's my theory in a nutshell: BURN OUT.

My brain has been completely fried. We moved to Kuwait from DC when I was just a few weeks pregnant and I went into a depression. Then I moved back and forth to Florida and over the course of two years we split our time on three continents. While I will never trade what I saw and experiences for anything, in hindsight I realize there are some times when it's OK to stay put and enjoy a cup of coffee on the porch. In two years we were in Kuwait, Israel, Scotland, London (twice), DC, Tampa, Fort Myers, Palm Beach, and Orlando. We took some trips back to back and others lasted several weeks. We moved back to Florida last May. I thought I would start feeling stable again, but had a complete undoing when I underestimated the repatriation experience and how lonely it was coming back to the US after living overseas.

I'd like to say everything has been ok but really the last eight months have been a healing process. Slowly but surely I've been getting healthier (mentally and physically) and getting my life balance back. I feel very good now and like a better version my old self. I've got a handle on parenting, with a spouse and without. We bought a house, a car, and settled into a good old-fashioned routine. I'd like to thank my family for their patience and support, my therapist for her time, and a renewed faith in God that has brought me out of some dark places.

Now, Noah and I live in Dunedin, Florida in a tiny 1950s bungalow 15 minutes from three of the most beautiful beaches in the world. We ride our bike to adorable shops, great local dining, several craft breweries, ice cream, coffee shops, and playgrounds. It's pretty romantic to say the least.

As I mentioned, Gman doesn't live here. This has been the hardest part. He is a diplomat with the US Department of State and is living for one year overseas on an unaccompanied assignment eating his weight in curry. We see him for a few weeks every few months. The hardship has been no joke.

Despite it all, life is better than ever and so full of moments living outside my comfort zone, embracing the surprises around the corner. So, what do you say. Are you ready for a new adventure with the High Heeled Traveler?