The incredibly true adventures of me

On Friday, my baby boy starts kindergarten. It seems like just yesterday that we found out we were pregnant. That only a second ago he was born. It has all happened so fast and now here we are at this milestone. Leo is ready...I am not. We have lived in a bit of a protective bubble for the last few years. We spent three years in preschool surrounded by people who loved and adored Leo. They knew his all his idiosyncrasies. Since Leo’s diagnosis we have heard many horror stories about bad teachers and terrible classmates. We have been blessed his preschool teacher, his paraeducators, and his speech-language pathologist have all been amazing. They handpicked his kindergarten teacher based on how well they know Leo and how much they want him to succeed. I trust them all with my life but I’m still terrified. I don’t know these new people and they don’t know us...they don’t know Leo. They don’t know that when he gets hurt he just needs you to kiss his bumped knee or finger and then he will b...

When I was first getting sober, my sponsor and sister said to me, "God either is or He isn't. You need to decide that God is and Teri isn't and get the hell out of your own way."In case some of you weren't aware, I'm a control freak. My anxiety tells me that if I can control everything and everyone then nothing bad will happen. Here's the super secret: that's all bullshit. All of my life, I have been in my own way. I am my own worst enemy and I am the thing that causes me the most grief. I am a work in progress. So, imagine giving up alcohol and drugs which helped keep those feelings and anxiety down in my gut and then giving up control without drugs and alcohol to cushion the fall. I pray. I pray a lot. Prayer without action is just lip service so while I know that God is and Teri isn't, Teri still has to go out and do the work. You want to lose weight...eat less and exercise more. You want to stop drinking...ask for help. You want the world to ch...

As y’all know, I recently celebrated a year of sobriety. I was surrounded by many of my beloveds and received calls, texts, flowers, gifts, and love from many others. My son spent the evening with a few our favorite people and was loved beyond belief. I didn’t grow up like this. This abundance of blessings and love is not something I am used to. I was the kid that other people’s mothers didn’t want them to play with. I was the bad influence. In my 40’s, I’ve become this other person and I don’t know how to play it. I read a meme the other day that said, “I’m afraid if I heal from my trauma, I won’t be funny anymore.” While it made me laugh, it also struck a cord. I have been this hot mess for years and I got pretty comfortable in the muck. Now, with a giant shove from my therapist, I am cleaning off the muck and finding this person underneath it. I’m glad you have all stuck around because I have some of the best friends and family in the world. Before I go to sleep at night, I count al...