Where Have I been?????

For as much as I enjoy riding this particular vehicle of writing (i.e. my blog), I have been avoiding her like the plague lately. A few of my "fans" have noticed..asking me where I have been....and honestly I don't have a very good answer for them. There are just too many to adequately list. But here is a sampling of reasons in which I have been "incognito" as of late:

1) A friend of mine at school was recently diagnosed with breast cancer, and without much time to think or process what that all meant for her, she underwent a double mastectomy. There were some troubling scans in the mix, which sent us all into a whirlwind of prayer before our Father. She is so well loved by both students and staff. While God has answered our heartfelt cries about the scans, she still has a road ahead that will surely allow God to show Himself mightily to her. (Amen to that!) But on a personal note, I am learning this about myself: If someone I know and love is going through something of great magnitude, I have a tendency to go through it with them. (There is no boasting in this comment whatsoever!) What I am trying to say is this.....I have a hard time not thinking about the situation, dwelling on it, praying about it, etc. It is a form of "bearing one another's burdens" (Galatians 6:2), but I am not sure that was what God had in mind. So, I have been a little distracted.

2) My girls just got out of school!!!! YIPPEE!! That means no more studying, no more homework, no more projects, no more talks about priorities, no more discussions about the Honor Roll, no more Friday Folders to sign, no more lunches to make.....at least for 3 months, that is. But the last few weeks of school have been pretty intense, with last minute tests and projects due. How has this kept me from blogging? I was so busy with this stuff, I felt like I was the student again. And probably in many ways, I was.

3) I had attempted to do a BLOG FACELIFT that went awry. I wanted to change the look and feel of my blog page. I was getting bored with it, and wanted to jazz it up a bit.....much like when I get bored with a room in my house, and want to add a new accessory to it. In the process of trying to make some changes, I left my blog page a mess, and had to walk away from it for a while. With the help of my own personal geek squad, I was able to put most of it back together again. But putting her back together again became a literal chore for me, which I procrastinated and avoided.

4) We had this little Hesterfamily tradition of a Memorial Day Party, that brings about 60 people to our house. We absolutely love it......but it requires just a teeny bit of planning and work. No time to even think about blogging then. Too much fun!!!

5) I have been worried about having a potential brain tumor. After the TODAY SHOW listed Ted Kennedy's warning signs the other day, (I may be a republican....but I can't help but bear Ted Kennedy's burden :) ) I nodded my head of course, and mentally checked off a few of my own symptoms. I have been experiencing these white flashes in the periphery of my left eye....as if something is moving around me...and I was a little nervous about it. With a trip to the opthamologist, I learned that I am experiencing "floaters." What a "semi" relief!!!!


6) One more "self-revelation" of sorts that I have been reminded of lately. I am realizing that if I am stressed about something, I begin to subconsciously shut myself down....that is, I tend to keep myself at a distance...not allowing a lot of people in to my life. This is sooooooooo anti-me!!!!!! I typically thrive on interaction....love to be around people....treasure the relationships around me. So, yet another reason I have been "hard to find." Side Note: Does anybody out there feel like they are still learning about their own idiosyncrazies?? (I purposely spelled it wrong because I think that it what they really are "idio-syn-crazies"...emphasis on the crazy).


Well, hopefully this might answer some of your questions. Maybe you didn't have a single "Where have you been" thought in your head.....and that's ok. Just keep this list handy the next time I go for a long spell without writing. Chances are pretty good it might have something to do with one of the above.

Hesterwoman....out!!

"Blogging is still dangerous, uncharted water. There's a part of opening the window to your life that will draw people closer; there's a part that will drive people away. In knowing what to mask and what to unveil -- there lies the wisdom of the ages." -Another blogger in FL. (Although I wish I had said this myself)