Unfolding Dreams

Photo by Jeremy Bishop on Unsplash  Click on the links below: Dating While Separated (1) Dating While Separated (2) Last Edited: June 10, 2022

 Disclaimer:  I do not own the rights to any music featured.  All official artist videos are licensed.  The information can be found on  Youtube.   1. Mitchell Tenpenny - Truth About You Last Edited: May 16, 2022

  Dating while Separated?        My journey has been an interesting one, to say the least. I have been legally married for 13 years, 4 months, and 10 days. I have had two physical separations. One separation for 6 months followed by a one-year reconciliation. Now the second separation for 2 years. By physically separated, I mean not living in the same residence together. I also want to include that with the second separation, there is no possibility of reconciliation.  Separation 2, Year 1    I longed to close this chapter of my life. But I knew that a quick ending wouldn't be possible for at least 6 months, since I needed residency in my new state before I could file for divorce.  I managed to survive the first year of my second separation by staying busy with my children and career. A small amount of the time, I allowed myself to browse dating apps to satisfy my curiousity about who is out there. I even tested the waters by going on a couple of hang outs.   Hang Out #

 1. K Michelle - Can't Raise A Man 2. Lauren Spencer Smith - Flowers Last Edited: April 15, 2022

Photo by Luis Galvez on Unsplash   Dear Separated Mama,   I wholeheartedly relate to the sadness and despair you may feel. Similar to you, I chose to have children with a partner. I signed up for a forever marriage and family. I never dreamed in my wildest dreams this would be my life. Now I have been separated for almost 2 years. My reality is I am a separated mom raising 3 children, including one who is an exceptional learner - alone.   Everything is a painful reminder that I am without a partner, and I still need help. It literally feels like I have the weight of the world on my shoulders with an immense number of responsibilities crushing me. But what I feel the most are the quiet nights, the empty bed, the silence. The loneliness.   To survive, I remind myself often that I am okay. I must not let the fear of the unknown make me believe that the life I was living before was better. Better is not looking behind me at what was, but what is in front of me that I am working

Photo by Alexandra Fuller on Unsplash D uring my separation, I have found a renewed love for reading. It had been so long since I had read a book for pleasure. In my days of being a wife, stay-at-home mom, and college student, I can recall reading some. The books that come to mind are the Hunger Games Trilogy by Suzanne Collins (3 books), Divergent Trilogy by Veronica Roth (3 books), Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling (7 books), Twilight Saga by Stephanie Meyer (4 books), The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner by Stephanie Meyer, and The Host by Stephanie Meyer. There may be a few others that I am missing. But I can count in the years before my second separation (11.5 years of marriage, 12 years together) that I only read 19 or so books in 12 years! For an avid reader, those numbers are low. Now that I am a separated mom, I find I need to keep myself busy as I am waiting on the Lord. I can’t say being a single parent primarily taking care of my children and working full time with no

Photo by  Mustafa Omar  on  Unsplash   Old Wives Tales for Pregnancy: “Morning sickness means you’re having a girl .” Pregnancy Number Pregnancy Type Morning Sickness Baby’s Sex 1 Singleton Nausea + Vomiting Girl 2 Singleton Nausea Boy 3 Singleton Nausea Boy                                                   I had morning sickness in all my pregnancies in the form of nausea and queasiness during the first trimester. However, my “girl” pregnancy is the only pregnancy where I had nausea and vomiting. It also lasted about 15-16 weeks of pregnancy. I began to feel some normalcy and could eat again without fear of getting sick around 18-20 weeks pregnant. Although I felt sick with my “boy” pregnancies, I never had vomiting. That was a major difference. Last Edited: March 15, 2022