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Through Heather's Looking Glass

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Goodbye For Now

November 21, 2016 | Uncategorized

I have never been good with goodbyes. I prefer to live in denial up until the last possible moment, and then hurry though and pretend it never happened. Unfortunately for me, there have been a lot of goodbyes going around the past couple of weeks.

Today I leave my house. My city. My church. My gym. My friends. My people. Typing that out is even hard for me. I have always been sentimental, but this time it’s worse. Why? Because I have been hiding something from yall since June. JUNE yall. I didn’t say anything for safety purposes, but now that it’s over I feel comfortable being honest, because I feel that it will help you to understand some of the feelings I have now, and will help explain some of my actions as of late.

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Yes Bobby got a new job and yes we are moving to Tampa at the end of the week. But what you didn’t know, is that Bobby moved away to start said job back in June. Yes, Emma Kate and I have been living on our own since this summer.

That’s why I haven’t been around online as much

That’s why EK was in full time daycare since June instead of her usual 3 days a week

That’s why my parents have been in town a lot and I have gone to see them more

That’s why I have been super stressed

That’s why I have been more quiet about personal things

That’s why it’s so much harder for me to leave.

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You guys, the past five months have been hard. REALLY hard. I have shed a lot of tears, felt really lonely, been scared, angry, frustrated, you name it. The week Bobby left everything that could go wrong went wrong (our house got struck by lightning which fried all our internet and TV boxes and broke one of our TV’s… we got rear ended, had to have two repair guys at the house, one of the machines at the shop broke, Bobby’s grandmother passed away, the internet went out at the shop so we couldn’t process payments, and the biggest spider I have ever seen was on my screened in porch and I had to have a neighbor come and kill it for me <—-yes even he said it was the biggest spider he had ever seen!) I had NO idea how I was going to make it until I could move with Bobby. Thankfully, not all the weeks were quite so eventful, but that first week had me questioning everything.

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Out of all of this there has come some good, which is why it’s so hard for me to say goodbye. After that first awful week, I learned something about myself. I learned that I am capable of handling way more than I ever thought I could. Instead of relying on Bobby to take care of the “yucky stuff”, I had to handle everything on the home front and storefront plus my two jobs I already had. It sucked a lot of days, but I proved to myself just how strong I am. My independence has grown by leaps and bounds, and I just feel better about myself and my abilities as a whole. If you would have asked me back in June if I could face all the challenges that were to come, I would have said no. But that’s the funny thing about it. You always think you can’t handle something until you are thrust into it with no other choice…and then you realize that you CAN do those hard things. I had to keep going for the sake of my family and my child, and I am so proud of all I was able to accomplish and handle. (Also I have a huge newfound respect for single parents and military families!)

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I also had to rely on my friends a lot during this time. I got really close to friends from church and my gym, and that’s why it is so much harder to say goodbye to them. They were my rock, my sounding board, and a lot of times the only adult interaction I had in a day. They took care of me and made sure I was doing ok, and became my family. I know we will still talk and text and hopefully occasionally see each other, but it’s just not the same.

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As I packed up Emma Kate’s room a few days ago, it hit me that it would be the last night she would spend in her room, in the house we brought her home to from the hospital. I just stayed in her room and cried y’all. Don’t get me wrong, this move is GOOD, and I know it’s what God has for us, but that doesn’t make change and goodbye any easier. I know that a house is just a house, and it’s the people that make it home. The memories inside the walls will always stay with me, but it’s still hard to let go.

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I am however excited for new memories, new adventures, and new friends. They will never replace the old ones, but I can make room for the new, too.

So even though you didn’t know it, thank you for hanging with me while I did life alone for a little while. Thanks for not leaving my little blog, and for being understanding of what I was going through (even though you didn’t know it haha). It’s funny, I tried SO hard to not make it obvious Bobby wasn’t here, and not many people caught on thankfully (or at least they didn’t tell me they knew). He came back into town twice, and when he was here I was sure to post a lot of pictures so people would think he was still at home! If you go back to my Instagram feed, you will notice he is nowhere to be found except for during two weekends. I may have had to do some tricky things to keep my secret, like setting up a barstool outside and a self timer on my phone for my Sunday church photos, but hopefully you all will forgive me. Smile 

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The store and the house have sold, so I am now excited for us to be back together as a family in our new home in our new city and state. A fresh start is always good, and may be just what we need. So for now, to my friends in Madison, I prefer to not say goodbye but just “see you later” and I love you all. Thanks for being you, you all know who you are.

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QOTD: How are you at goodbyes? Have you ever had a keep a secret from people online/social media?

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Comments

  1. Meranda@Fairytalesandfitness says

    November 22, 2016 at 5:30 am

    I wish you and your family the best of luck in your new place. I know this is bitter sweet for you.

  2. Lesley says

    November 22, 2016 at 7:18 am

    Good luck in Florida! I know how you feel with leaving. I told my boss about my move so we have more than 2 weeks to transition my stuff, and it felt so final. Even committing to a moving company and setting the date didn’t make it feel final.

  3. Anna says

    November 22, 2016 at 7:26 am

    I totally related to this post so much. My hubby and I have lived apart from each other a few times because of his job as well and I always try to do the same with staying quiet about being alone for my safety. But I agree with learning so much about yourself, your independence and your friends that are the best support system for you. I wish you have a smooth and safe move to Florida!

  4. GiGi says

    November 22, 2016 at 7:48 am

    You’re going to be A-OK. Life will ALWAYS throw struggles your direction to test your strength and these past few months have definitely shown your courage, even if you shed tears and felt at times you could not handle it! Looking forward to seeing your Tampa Adventures soon!

  5. Becky says

    November 22, 2016 at 7:58 am

    It’ll be a good thing. Trust that it will.

    A couple years ago, I had to move out of the house I grew up in, as my parents were selling it. I had wicked insomnia and heartburn all week. The night before we were scheduled to move out, I prayed about it, and had the best night’s sleep. The next day my heartburn was gone. God answers prayer and offers peace. It’s just time to find a new adventure.

    Good luck with your move and your new Tampa life!

    • Heather says

      November 27, 2016 at 7:40 pm

      Thank you! goodbyes are so hard.

  6. Kathryn @ Dancing to Running says

    November 22, 2016 at 9:00 am

    Best wishes, Heather. While moving is bittersweet, just think about all of the great things that lie ahead, especially being reunited with Bobby!

    • Heather says

      November 27, 2016 at 7:40 pm

      yes!

  7. Karen :0) says

    November 22, 2016 at 9:47 am

    Goodbyes are SO hard! I hope the move and transition goes well. Praying for you guys!! <3

    • Heather says

      November 27, 2016 at 7:38 pm

      Thanks friend!

  8. Rick Stiles says

    November 22, 2016 at 4:59 pm

    Wow – you really did have a tough time of it! But you made it!
    Living in Florida will be different, but it’ll eventually feel like home. And you’ll be glad you did it. I hope you won’t have to move again anytime soon.
    Now you’ll have to get an annual pass for Disney World. If you buy be the end of the year you’ll get 13 months instead of 12.
    Have fun exploring your new neighborhood! Maybe you can challenge a bridge or 2 on your runs!

    • Heather says

      November 22, 2016 at 5:44 pm

      I have had an AP for awhile 🙂 I can’t go without that one!

  9. agb says

    November 23, 2016 at 6:14 am

    Good luck with your move – Can’t wait to follow your adventures in Central Florida!

    • Heather says

      November 27, 2016 at 7:38 pm

      Thank you!

  10. Mindy Artze says

    November 23, 2016 at 12:41 pm

    I’m so excited for your next step! Glad to have become your friend through all of this!

    • Heather says

      November 27, 2016 at 7:38 pm

      Excited to be done with this part haha

  11. Kelly in Texas says

    November 29, 2016 at 8:32 am

    I’m with you! My husband got a new job across the country last year (he moved this week last year, actually) and I didn’t find a new job until June. So we were apart about 6 months as well – and like you, we saw each other just twice during that time. I don’t have any kiddos, so I imagine that would make it 1000x harder, but I can relate to everything else – taking care of my car, our dogs, the house all by myself. Trying to find a new job from across the country. Being so reliant on (incredibly kind!!!) friends. I did learn to enjoy the time to myself and my independence. But we are now in SUCH a great place – closer to family, fabulous jobs we both love, and a beautiful new home. We are so happy we went through that time and ended up on the other side.

    • Heather says

      December 6, 2016 at 5:42 am

      Glad you are in a good place!

  12. Natashia says

    November 30, 2016 at 11:09 am

    Heather,
    What a heartfelt and genuine blog. I loved it and like you already! We’re real women with real life issues and it’s ok. I almost broke down crying reading this post because I know how you feel to leave everything you know. We plan to buy a new house in 2017 and we’ve been in the house we’re in for 10 yeas, my kids have grown up here and I know it will be emotional for us as well. Anyhow, You have a new friend and fellow blogger (and southern gal) here in Tampa waiting for you when you arrive. I will answer any questions you have, if I can. My family left everything we knew up in VA in 2006 for a new job in Tampa and Tampa has been very good to us. I wish you all the best and a smooth transition!

    • Heather says

      November 30, 2016 at 2:45 pm

      Thank you for your sweet comment! Hope to get to meet you!

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I am Heather Montgomery, a 30 something southern girl living in Knoxville, Tennessee with my husband Bobby, 10-year-old daughter Emma Kate, and our goldendoodles Dolly and Luna. I’m just a regular girl who likes to workout, travel, hang with my family, text, and eat chips and queso. Be sure to check out my “about me” page for more info!
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