Big News, Casual Delivery

November 25, 2025 It’s been a wild couple of days away from home—an immediate plunge back into full-on Mom Mode.

Sibling spats. Emotional meltdowns. Big conversations.

Thanksgiving shopping. Togetherness in all its messy, beautiful forms.

I’ll be honest… it took me a minute to find my rhythm again. It’s funny how quickly we adapt to whatever season we’re in, and then suddenly have to readjust to what used to be “normal.”

And in between all of that?

Answering emails. Writing public statements. Important phone calls. Navigating challenges on a dozen fronts.

You know. Just another day in my life right now.

But something happened last night that completely caught me off guard.

I was driving back to our rental when Jack, in the most casual voice imaginable, says,“Hey Mom… by the way, I got accepted to UCCS.”

UCCS—the school he really wanted. The one we’d been waiting on. He only applied to two colleges, and this was the one that mattered.

So of course I responded with way too much enthusiasm. And of course he immediately got irritated at my motherly excitement.

“Mom,” he said, sighing, “it’s not that big of a deal.”

Not a big deal??

“WHAT do you mean it’s not a big deal? This is a BIG deal! How long have you known??”

His answer:

“A week.”

A week.

This kid! He had absolutely no idea how much this moment meant to me. (Naturally.)

And then I cried. Honestly, I’m still not totally sure why.

It all just spilled out—relief, pride, gratitude… a bright, shiny spot in a year that has held a lot of shadow.

Naturally, he was irritated by my tears too.

Thankfully, Desiree was right there to balance us out with empathy and understanding. (Every family needs a Desiree.)

But here’s the truth:

I am so proud of my kids.

I am so grateful I get to live this messy, beautiful, emotional, hilarious life with them—the happy news, the eye rolls, the irritation, the milestones, all of it.

This is family. And I am thankful for it.