Let the twist in the story take me down? Or decide to dig even deeper?

Verse One — Monday: Just Be bounces + Week 4 recap livestream

"Wrapping week 4
while living week 5."

Monday started with studio work — bounces for "Just Be" (finally DONE), then a Canva banner created and posted announcing the summer pause for Coffee and a Song, right into a rehearsal. The Week 4 recap livestream at noon was honest, raw and the truth — I had not honored my "balance" commitment the weekend after Week 3, and it bit me in the butt. Got it posted to Patreon, ate lunch, journaled, did something I NEVER do: I took a nap for 20 minutes in preparation for later. Upon waking, entered more songs into the portal. Late night airport pickup to collect Gian's family visiting!

Verse Two — Tuesday: Concert day, Verizon drama, family settled in

"The show went on.
And so did Verizon."

Tuesday was the full concert day routine — but with a late-night airport pickup the night before, I opted to start the day at 7:15am instead of the usual 6:30am. Two hours on the phone with Verizon (unresolved, naturally). A promo reel created despite a massive headache. Rehearsal that went fine. And then the show — which went really well with NO tech issues...Hallelujah! Replay post created, sent to Patreon members, and out the door for dinner with Gianni's family.

Verse Three — Wednesday: Coaching call + portal marathon

"The day I finally
finished the catalog."

Wednesday started with a walk in the rain and a shorter coaching call — both adjusted to meet the energy of the day. I did not have a lot to talk about and my coach acknowledged and was supportive. He reminded me that part of the process is the ebb and flow...and finding where to put our attention. That set me on the right course... After the call: YouTube edit, setlist admin, and then a four-hour portal session that ran from 9am to 1pm, a lunch break, and then back at it from 2:30 to 5pm. By the end of the day, the song entries were complete — excluding co-writes. That is a major milestone. As of the writing of this recap, my songs have attained 111 placements across 77 libraries!!!! 🥳

Verse Four — Thursday/Friday: Focus, heart and energy diverted

And then...everything changed...

The morning started off with a plan and schedule in place to shoot some video for my Friday Vibes post and then...I got the call. One of my husband's elder family members took a serious fall. Ambulances. Hospitals. I stayed back with the younger members of the family and decided that shooting the video would be a good distraction, and of course the elder would be fine...right? 12 hours later. No good news. Realizing that in this moment, nothing else mattered. I had food prepared and ready to serve whenever Gian and sister came home. At 9pm they returned, exhausted, depleted and unsure of what to expect.

We continue to make hospital visits. I have put most things on hold at the moment. This is where the rubber really meets the road for me. I struggle with "Am I allowing life moments to derail me? Is this just an excuse?" And landed on "No. This IS life. My job right now is to be life-support for my husband and his family. Truly. Reminding them to breathe. Making sure they are eating. Helping discern medical information being thrown at them constantly. Speaking with love and confidence to the hospitalized member. Using my own knowledge from having been a caregiver for my Dad to help console, reassure and be authentic."

Verse Five — Saturday: Mother Nature reminded us who's boss

The inner storms churned outside...

As if we were not already weathering enough (HA!), after spending the morning at the hospital, since it was the 4th, we decided to escape briefly and found a restaurant on the water to enjoy some views, apps and a cocktail. Yep. Me, the "one glass of wine and I am the life of the party," had a strawberry/watermelon Margarita...and it most definitely took the edge off the situation. 🍹

I already had dinner planned out and set up at home so we headed back and had a lovely dinner outside on our deck...and then...the sky shifted and the clouds rolled in at a pace I have never seen before. I checked my phone and commanded everyone up to cover the furniture and head indoors because the rain was coming.

The timing was amazing. We got inside just as all of our phones started receiving CRITICAL weather alerts to take shelter. Of course, Gian and I ran out to put down all the umbrellas which could easily become projectiles. I felt like a leaf being tossed in the wind. The sky was roaring loudly, and we were certain it was a tornado. We finished quickly and got back inside before it really got dangerous. We turned on the weather to see that this was a severe micro-storm that hit a tiny area that included us!