Oxygen: Live Out Loud

I know Dean could have driven in the rain, but I just didn’t want to put more stress on him than he was already dealing with! There was a lot more road to cover, and I didn’t want him to be all sleepy when we got there! When we finally arrived at Patsy's, it was like a race with the clock! We went non-stop from the next morning all the way until we finished, then we surprised Patsy. That experience was so amazing for me. Just to see her face when we were all wearing our Team Patsy shirts was priceless. She was so thrilled to see us all, and she had no idea what had been going on the whole day! Amanda, Patsy’s daughter, did such a good job keeping it a secret!

The real surprise was still coming though. When Patsy walked in, the first thing she saw was the “memory wall” we made for her with pictures of all her children on it. She immediately started crying and thanking us. I couldn’t stop crying either. I was just so happy to be able to give back something to a woman who has been such an inspiration to me. She looked so great after the surgery too! There was something about her that seemed immediately happier and more enthusiastic! Life without Patsy around has been very different, so being there with her, cooking in her house, and meeting her family was an experience that I needed to have, despite the fact we only had a few short days to do so.

The kids were well behaved most of the time, which is more than I could ask for since I was stressing out so much! They amaze me how easy-going they are. How many kids under 3 can say they’ve been on a road trip across the country already! They missed Patsy so much too, and it killed me to watch her say goodbye to them. But Patsy promised to fly out for Liam’s birthday! Can’t wait to see her again.
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Also, check out Dean's thoughts on their experience at Patsy's