Before I moved...

Before I moved, I was in a small town with nothing to do. My confidence was low; my anxiety was high (more about that later). I filled my days with activities to keep me occupied, and animals...lots of animals.

Before I moved, I was able to have chickens in my backyard. They were awesome. We got them as little babies, and they grew up so fast.

We got them a coop and put it under our huge oak tree

As they grew, they looked like tiny dinosaurs

But they grew into beautiful girls who roamed the yard, played with my kids, and loved treats. We couldn't wait for fresh eggs

I toyed with the idea of bringing them with us when we moved, but I knew they would be stuck in their coop all the time. These were babies who had grown up free ranging around the yard every day. I knew it wouldn't be fair to them, and I also didn't want to get complaints from our new neighbors (since where we were moving wasn't exactly backyard chicken friendly). So, I sadly gave them to a friend who owns a few acres where they can actually be chickens. I get updates on them all the time...they're laying eggs now, which is so cool. But we all miss them.




Before we moved, we had a HUGE gardenia bush. Every year it bloomed twice. We would pick them flowers and put them all around the house, and the entire house was filled with this amazing fragrance. The gardenia comes with a hell of a story. It was planted 20 years ago by the first owners of the home, who ended up being my daughter's 5th grade teacher. I toyed with the idea of digging it up and bringing it with us, but when I say this thing was huge, I mean it was probably 7 feet tall, and about the same diameter. And I didn't know if it would even survive over on the beach with the salt air, and sandier soil.

Before I moved, I had a garden. Each spring we would plant all different sorts of veggies. We would have tomatoes, cucumbers, string beans, yellow squash, zucchini, and more herbs than we knew what to do with. I shared with my neighbors. I shared with anyone that would take some. We ate our weight in fresh tomatoes right off the vine.

Before we moved, we watched shuttle and rocket launches from our front yard. It never got old seeing and hearing and feeling them go up.

Before we moved, we had a firepit, and my kids had a swingset. We had a huge backyard, and even with all these things in it, there was lots of room to spare. I had big plans for the backyard, all ideas I will have to take with me when I finally get to buy my own house.

Before we moved, we cared for a baby screech owl who lost his entire family when the tree that his nest was in fell over. We named him Little Beep, and got to spend two days caring for him before a wildlife sanctuary came to pick him up.

Before we moved, I delivered my third child by myself in my bedroom. He was eager to be born and didn't wait for anyone. That has to be my favorite memory of my old house..and something I will never forget.

I guess I'm feeling nostalgic. There were many firsts in that house; first birthdays, first Christmases, first steps, and even first breaths. Our time spent there was a hugely valuable and growing time for me. Now we have this new opportunity, and it is wonderful. I live in paradise, there is always something to do, and my anxiety is lower (again, more about that later). I love where I live now 99% of the time, but it doesn't feel like it's MY home (probably because it isn't). I am very much looking forward to buying my first house and really being able to make it my own. Until then, I will continue to enjoy the beach, drink my coffee by the pool, and watch the dolphins play in the canal....

My first vlog is up!

https://www.youtube.com/user/katieblackwater

Go check it out and get to know me a little better!

So....I did a thing...

I haven't been camming much....actually, I haven't cammed at all in I don't know how long. Things are weird and I just haven't been able to get back into the swing of things. So, I did a thing...a thing that will help motivate me to get back to it.

Firstly, an update...
I have moved. Moving sucks. A lot. 12 years in a house that you think you're going to be able to buy...then NOPE! Time to move. Now, I'm back living at my mom's house (ugh)...but she's not here a lot, so it's kiiiiinda like my own house....until she's here. But this house and its location is paradise. I have a pool...I can walk to the beach. It's basically heaven.

So, the move took a lot of time, and I still don't feel totally adjusted. Maybe I'm a little depressed, or still in that transition phase, but I just haven't managed to get myself back in front of the camera. Which is weird because now school is back in, and ALL of my kids are in school now, and I have all day that I could cam...and I just...haven't.

So I needed motivation. And how better to motivate myself, and dip my toes back in the water of being in front of the camera than to start a YouTube channel. No videos yet...I just made the spontaneous decision to set it up, but content coming very shortly. Will update more soon!