Happy New Year! It’s been quite awhile since I have been on to write anything and I have missed being here so much. I honestly think it is one of my longest breaks to date. I want to blame the hustle and bustle of life but the truth is, I have had writers block.

For most of 2023, I did my best to keep an upbeat attitude, trying to see the good in every situation, and appreciating all that we have. It was a year that we had so much to be grateful for. We received THE diagnosis for Ella we had been waiting over eight years for, we managed to make it a year with no hospital admissions, and we started an amazing foundation to help other families in our community.

Our village showed up in a huge way last year, supporting us and continuing to send prayers and words of encouragement our way. People always comment on the number of people I know, connect with, and have standing beside us. I like to think it’s because I have few expectations. If you treat people the way you want to be treated, the rest falls into place. I also have experienced that if you take the time to show up for people, they will often return the favor.

As wonderful as the amazing things from last year were, I was also faced with personal challenges. I took myself off the anxiety meds I desperately needed after we almost lost Ella because I no longer liked who I was while taking them. I had to find new coping strategies and found myself leaning on a good friend’s help. I worked through a lot of trauma and credit her for my progress. It wasn’t easy, but I put in the work and did it.

I re-evaluated my personal relationships and mended some broken fences. I was carrying around a lot of anger and realized I couldn’t be my best self holding onto unnecessary grudges. Healing happens from the inside and last year I tried to focus on that. There will always be room for improvement and I am confident I will continue to make the strides I need with the new tools I have acquired.

That being said, with 2024 just beginning I have decided to come out of my comfort zone and take more risks, doing the things that are not “comfortable” and taking leaps that I can only hope will yield big rewards. The joy of having three hundred and sixty-five days to hit your goal is that it gives you time to work things out.

That being said, I have decided to add another writing platform to my resume. It will be more raw and random and part of it will be subscription-based. There will be personal stories, videos, and a never-before-seen look into the chaos that is our daily life. It will allow me to share our stories while being able to provide some extra income to our family. I will still be writing here as well, as my content will be different. If you are at all interested in checking it out I will add the link below. There will also be free content available.

I couldn’t be me without many of you so as always, thank you for showing up when I need you the most. ❤️

https://open.substack.com/pub/courtneyzurlnick?r=9arqv&utm_medium=ios