Home Is Where The Heart Is

This quote really resonated with me when I posted it the other day, while I was back in NJ visiting my Mom and brother for a quick getaway. Thank you SHANNON for making that happen! You are so selfless and giving when it comes to family and this meant so much to me...More than you know and I love you for it!!!

Despite the gloomy weather, the cool temperatures, and how different NJ is now with the #202shitshow I still enjoyed it ALL!!!

HOME served its purpose and I am recharged and rejuvenated and it is a beautiful feeling!

Being able to spend this quality time with my Mom was exactly what I needed for my soul. I slept A LOT, I nourished my body, I ran for miles and miles with no knee pain. It was time well spent in the house that I grew up in and I know that my Dad was looking over us the whole time and I believe that is why this trip was exactly right and needed in so many ways!

I am a homebody and going home means a lot to me. I have grown up in the same house my entire life, so it is very comforting and nostalgic to be back and really just do the same things, that I have been doing for years and years. It is amazing to me how I am able to spend so much time just doing NOTHING, but doing that is just what I needed. There were a lot of restrictions there, so I really had to stay put, but it was OKAY. I just embraced it and did what I could do and made the most of it. 

What I did do that was AMAZING...

I slept until 8:00 AM or later for the first three days, which is unheard of...because I was waking up at 5:00 AM in Charleston the past few weeks. Guess I needed to sleep...and guess what kind of energy I had…

I was able to run run run and run some more! On Saturday, I was going to tackle 4 miles in the neighborhood. My knee pain has been acting up again, so I didn’t want to push it. But once, I hit the pavement and started, I almost felt invincible. I said screw it and just went out on the main roads. The weather was perfect. I felt strong. I had no knee pain. My energy was incredible and it almost felt like someone was pushing me the entire time...DAD?!?! It was magical and it filled my soul. 

The rest of the time I walked on the trails in the woods and since I couldn’t go to the gyms here, I just ran on the treadmill and used some dumbbells to do some fun basement workouts. (You can find them in my Instagram story icons under “workouts”). Again, my energy was through the roof, so I just did it and embraced it and hope it continues when I am back in Charleston. 

I also fed my belly with different eats. Just like other things in my life, I get stuck doing the same thing over and over again, so feeding my body with Mom’s home-cooked meals is always good for the soul. She is an amazing cook and having home-cooked comforting meals tasted so good and probably helped me sleep better too. Pasta, pizza, eggplant parmigiana, all the good stuff.

My gut was honestly acting up a lot though this trip and I am sure it was a combo of stress and just different eats, so I tried to give myself grace and just feed myself and enjoy it. Again, we didn’t venture out much due to restrictions, so home cooked meals it was and when your Mom is Italian, you eat it all up! But it really wasn’t about the food, even though it tasted so good. This trip was so much more than that. 

 The best part about this trip was just to spend time with my Mom. What is happening in NJ is so different than my life in Charleston and it made me realize how grateful I am to live down South. It was hard to see what was happening up there to people and businesses and it broke my heart. So I just did what I could with my Mom and that was enough. It was slow-paced...It was relaxing...It involved time talking, watching Jeopardy every night, and just being present. 

I am so glad that I came back and I hope that I am able to make it back during the holidays. It went by fast, despite all the downtime, but this trip served its purpose and that is all I could ask for.

xoxo