A decade later….

 Hi! So much has changed in our lives over the past 10 plus years. 

Mike and I divorced amicably after 20 years of marriage in October of 2014. We went through ups and downs for sure but for the most part fumbled our way through it as gracefully as we could. It is a messy process no matter how hard you try to do the right thing. I lost friends along the way who chose sides. I felt like I had failed. I tried on new hats as I tried to figure out who I was and what I believed. I left the Mormon church and found my own path. I made new friends, found new love and lost it. 

Then my best friend Dana introduced me to one of her friends from high school. We met, fell in love and got engaged. I moved to Utah and then Covid hit. Not an ideal time to blend a family when you have different ideas of how that should look. I went through a hard moment when I saw the full effect my childhood trauma was playing out and how it hurt the man I was engaged to. I started trauma therapy, realized how deeply ingrained some of my behaviors were and what the corresponding coping mechanisms looked like. Oof. Life served me up some intense breaking down and the slow process of healing. That relationship ended (though I didn’t want it to) in August of 2021 and I have been single ever since. That break up broke me in ways in didn’t know my heart could hurt. The pain of it was unlike anything I had ever experienced. 

The kids are grown now (for the most part). Michael turns 28 this month and is a software developer who gets paid to do what he would do anyhow as a hobby. He’s brilliant and funny and has 2 cats named Suki and Hina. He lives in Utah not too far from me. Anneliese is 26 and lives in Huntington Beach with her boyfriend of 5 years, Andrew. They have 3 cats (Bean, Cheese and Chicken) and one dog named Mojo who isn’t so sure about the cats. Liam is married (MARRIED 😳) and is 24 now. As he left for college the only advice I gave him was “don’t marry the first girl you kiss!” Mostly because he had never even held hands with a girl. Well, he married the first girl he kissed and she is amazing. If I could hand pick the perfect woman for Liam, it would have been Kali. She is incredibly smart, funny, thoughtful and strong. I adore her and I love who they are together. They have a German Shepherd named Mocha and they live in Austin, Texas. Olivia is 20 and lives with me here in Utah. She graduated from the Salt Lake School for the Performing Arts and is making plans to open a cat cafe here in Utah County. She has her cat Marco and my cat, Delilah, has chosen Olivia over me. C’est le vie! 

Finally last but never least we have Luke. The whole reason I started this blog. He is 14 and a freshman in high school. He is still the Ray of Sunshine that he has always been. He’s loving, smart, FUNNY and determined. 

I embarked on a new career path and became a flight attendant! Pretty amusing considering that up until a few years ago I hated to fly. I work for Breeze Airways and I love it. I have respect for the company and what they are building. I love traveling and being a part of an industry that is so new to me. I am growing and learning. 

So, the Edlinger Mob has changed and grown up and begun their own journeys. I’ll post photos soon though you can go peek at my instagram @kinnseye and see some in the meantime. 

I can thank my friend Alan for prompting this reignited desire to write. Perhaps this is the outlet I need and can provide some catharsis for my life. 

New journey

It has been a very long time since I last wrote and I have been itching to got back at it. It is incredible what can happen over the course of a year.

Since I last wrote Luke has turned 2 (0n December 22) and has grown and changed so much. So have I. After I made my last entry my sweet sister, Lisa passed away having endured life with ovarian cancer and Luke went through surgery #2. Last year was a rough one. As usual, I couldn't stay sad for long. I live with a kid filled with perpetual energy and sunshine. I also have a large family that needs a mom who's available to them. I have an amazing sense of peace knowing that my sister is free of a body that stopped working well for her long ago. She was incredible and her spirit lives on in the wisdoms she passed along to me.

So, the post is new journey. I feel a little nervous to put this out there so I suppose I'll be a little vague until things are in full swing. I have two loves and interests right now. The first, childbirth education, has been a love of mine for a while. Helping a couple prepare to be a family is an incredible thing. My second love is fairly new. A little over 2 years actually and happened when a little blond haired, blue eyed boy was born and changed my life forever and opened my eyes to the world of advocacy for those children with special needs and the families who get to love them. I'm excited to marry the two together and provide childbirth education for families who are expecting a child with Down syndrome.

Currently 9 of 10 women pregnant with a baby who has Down syndrome will chose to terminate. 9 of 10. Let that sink in. Now, go look at a picture of Luke. I'll wait while you smile at how cute he is....see? Isn't he beautiful? I'm not going to lie to you. Mike and I were lost when we first got the diagnosis. LOST. This was not the baby we were expecting. So for the families that know ahead of time and choose not to terminate but forge on ahead into what can seem like a scary place, I am hoping to provide a supportive and educational environment for them to prepare for this new little person. I want them to know that they aren't alone. To know that they are on a journey like any other and that there are lights along the way to help them navigate. Mostly, to help them embrace this little new bundle with love, affection and nurturing just like they would any other baby. Because, honestly, they are just like any and every other little baby. Pink, soft, sweet and in need of love.