Back to School...

Classes start Monday for me and who doesn’t enjoy a fresh bouquet of back-to-school notebooks? I originally thought I’d get my feet wet by taking two classes but I came home from Indy feeling like my brain needed a challenge so I changed my mind and four it is. And now I have a shiny new notebook for each, which totally feeds my OCD.

The Birthday Boy...

20 years ago this amazing creature blew into my life and nothing has been the same since that rainy Thursday all those years ago. He was three weeks early and I always joke it was because he had an agenda. After all, this is the kiddo who looked at me when he was 18 months old, promptly pulled his pacifier from his mouth and said “Mommy, I have a situation I would like to discuss.” I kid you not. This kid makes the world a better place just by being in the room. He’s always known exactly what he wanted, and what he didn’t, and he’s working hard to get there. Watching him grow is the joy of my life. Happy birthday, babe! 

Brett...

 

Brett Alan Patterson of Lebanon, Indiana

July 11, 1966 - April 4, 2021

Brett Alan Patterson, 54, of Indianapolis, IN, died at his home in Lebanon on April 4th, 2021.

Always one to lend a helping hand, Brett loved to volunteer in his community, cook for his neighbors, and worry about others. While he enjoyed country music and March Madness, baseball was his first love. 

Brett is survived by his daughter, Skaiste Patterson (Miami, FL), his parents Bobby Patterson and Barbara Hatfield Newsom, his step parents Jackie Patterson and Dale Newsom, and his sister BethAnn Patterson Buehler, her husband Bradley, and nephew Braden. 

Family will receive friends from 2:00pm - 4:00pm Friday, April 9 at Forest Lawn Funeral Home, 1977 S. State Road 135, Greenwood, IN  46143, with service to follow at 4:00pm.

In lieu of flowers, Brett’s parents would kindly ask that you make a donation in Brett’s name to the Humane Society for Boone County: https://www.hsforbc.org/about-us.html

Big Brother...

We are chin deep in grief and swimming as fast as our broken hearts will allow as we make plans to lay my first friend, my big brother, to rest. Losing Brett was unexpected and we are devasted. Please be patient with us as we process these next few days and please pray for us. I promise I will update when I’m able.

Zero Things...

 Zero things.

Not the packing…

Not the last minute checklists…

Not the watching weather in four cities…

 

It’s “headed back to college” eve and I’ve been a teary mess all afternoon.  We’ve had such a wonderful break and it’s been a blessing to have extended time due to classes being online.  I know I have to let him go and I know he’s ready.  Now if I could just get the message through to my heart…

A New Word of the Year...

Our word of the year for 2020 was Adventure. What a terrible choice, right? We had too much adventure last year, most all of it the wrong kind, and while we know better than to wish time away, our family has enjoyed a much needed fresh start this month.

Yet now we find ourselves here, planning the kiddo’s return to school in a few short days and my heart is aching. I’ve been blessed to have him home since December 21st and I’ll admit it, I’m spoiled.

Our word for 2021 is Impact and that’s what I feel I’ve been able to have with the kiddo home-an impact in his daily life. 2020 left him isolated, off balance, and blown a bit off course as a result. He’s been able to rest here, to ‘close both eyes’ I always joke. He’s been able to reset here. And given the state of the world, I feel like he’s been safe here.

Soon it will be too quiet here. And it will be too quiet back at school in a totally different way. This isn’t how we thrive so it all feels wrong; itchy and uncomfortable and unwanted. But we remain determined to lean into our word. The one we chose together from a long list we created, debated, and discussed at length over several days before we rang in 2021. Which means I’ve got three days to continue making memories and having a meaningful impact before I have to say ‘see you later’ and pray it’s enough to carry us all through til spring. #BuehlerLife

I'm No Good at Goodbye...

I met my husband on an airplane in December of 1992. You heard that right. We were seat mates on a flight from Philly to Indy for Christmas break, both of us traveling home to see family. But the story doesn’t end there. We talked the whole way and I asked the cute guy next to me if he wanted to meet for drinks at some point during the week but he didn’t take me up on the offer. To this day he reminds me that he’s shy (and I’m not) and he didn’t want to get stood up. We didn't exchange numbers (I'm not sure why but I didn't own a cell phone back then. Remember the bag brick? He got me one that January!) I chalked our meeting up to happenstance and remember telling my folks about the guy I met on the plane. But the story doesn’t end there.

A week later I stepped on a plane at the Indianapolis International airport and was looking for my seat when I saw someone waving me down. You know that ‘both arms in the air, I’m here, I’m here’ wave that’s hard to miss? It was that cute boy. Yep. We were on the same flight back to Philly. I know what you’re thinking. What are the odds? I actually looked it up once and at the time, the odds were less than .0001% that you’d meet your spouse on an airplane. You think I would’ve been smart enough to know that given I met my husband on an airplane twice, airplanes would become part of our story, right? Nope. Not this girl.

I never thought about airplanes much beyond our story but now people coming and going has become the backdrop of my life and I feel a little guilty saying that I hate airports but I do. I guess what I really mean is that I hate return trips.

I want everyone to come and stay because I’m sick of telling all the people I love goodbye in a cold, sterile environment with strangers staring at me while I cry and drag out my ‘until next time’ speech. #StupidAirports #MissMyPeeps