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About fran pitre

Welcome everyone! My name is Fran Pitre ... I'm the wife of a great guy, mom to 6 amazing kids who all happened to come in sets of two, I'm a graphic designer, published author of “TWINS x 3” (2019 Edition now available!), singer/songwriter, and clinical massage therapist. If you've come to this site looking for support, info and inspiration as a parent of twins, you've come to the right place!

The start of 2022!

Not long after the start of the brand new year, my band had a great gig at a local venue where we normally play outside on a covered patio with a boat marina back drop, however, on January 14th, with temps in the upper 30s, we opted to set up our band equipment inside. We had a great evening with lots of friends who came out to join and support us.

I started to feel sick about 5 days later. I took a home cov test which came back positive so I stayed in my room to hole up as I had done last summer when I had symptoms, but go out to get tested. This time, I felt like I had the flu. Fever, headache, body aches, nausea, diarrhea, congested upper respiratory cough and nasal congestion and fatigue. The flu (aka cov19) lasted about two weeks and the fatigue lasted another two. By late Feb, I was fine again, and so was Bruce. His symptoms were body aches and fatigue (and a minor dry cough). I was glad he hadn’t felt as bad as I did to begin with.

When my stomach symptoms eased up, I was able to start taking some medication that I was confident would help me recover quickly. It was the same medication I was able to secure for Erin when she was sick last summer, but which were DENIED when my son was very ill the year before. I contacted America’s Frontline Doctorsonline who offered telephone appointments and called in prescriptions for HcQ (the forbidden yet tried-and-true successful therapeutic) plus a course of antibiotics to prevent any infections, all for a reasonable fee, and worth every cent. I am a life-long asthmatic, but I never became very sick. I’m so thankful for AFD! 

By March 5th, I was performing on all cylinders with my band again, and we all crushed a four-hour gig!

Fran Pitre & Class Act, MaviJax, Jacksonville Beach 3/5/22 …. kickin it into gear!

I realize that Bruce and I were blessed not to have terrible cases of cov19. I do know that it’s real, have always taken it seriously, and I’ve lost more than one friend to the illness and also to the injection. I don’t have the answers, but my number one priority is the care and safety of my family. I will protect my children at all costs.

Most importantly, I continue to pray and look up to our Lord knowing that HE has the answers, and that He “is the WAY, the TRUTH and the LIFE” John 14:6.

A new kind of ministry

After we were home from our trip to Tuscon for our daughter’s wedding for a couple of weeks, I realized that I needed to take another trip. We’d checked almost daily on Sylvia and with the rest of the Louisiana family to see how things were going with her. She was home, sleeping in a recliner, but wouldn’t be released for any physical therapy until she was 6 weeks post op.

I began to think. Unlike my in-laws in Louisiana who work full time and having been taking turns staying overnight with Sylvia to assist her as needed, I don’t presently work outside of my home. I work many different jobs, but all are flexible and essentially from my laptop and I have children who don’t need me as much as they used to. I’m also trained in manual therapy and I know how to care for post operative shoulder patients. So, after talking with Bruce, we decided that I would go and live with Sylvia for about a month. I could take care of her, oversee her exercises, cook, grocery shop, do laundry and house work. I could also fill her freezer with meals that could last an additional month or more after I leave.

When I arrived to a very appreciative Sylvia, I noticed that the navel orange tree branches on the side yard were reaching the ground heavy with incredible oranges … I absolutely love oranges.

God knows how very much I absolutely love these … the most flavorful, fresh, juicy, sweet oranges I’ve ever had.

Sylvia slowly healed and we prepared for her to eventually be under the care of physical therapists. In the meantime, I helped her dress, wash and dry her hair, and encouraged her to slowly regain confidence in her left arm and get quite acquainted with her brand new shoulder joint. I took care of my mother-in-law, and it was about time the tables were turned. She had moved in with us after the births of all of our twins so she could help us with all of the needs of our house and help take care of our older children needs so I could focus on myself and my newborns. I knew I could be of much-needed assistance and more support. Feeling needed is a gift in and of itself.

During my weeks in Houma, Louisiana, Sylvia and I talked about everything, laughed about a lot, watched countless movies, enjoyed Thanksgiving at my niece’s home (so strange not being with my own family, but I was with family just the same), and ate way too much ice cream. Slowly, Sylvia began to regain her strength, her stamina and her desire to get back into life. She accepted an invitation to be picked up by a friend so she could go to a sorority meeting that she’s been a member of for decades, and I went along. I was honored to spend time with ladies that she’s spent time with over the years.

We enjoyed dozens of oranges and when the time came for me to return home, I took a few with me. But before I left, she had her first two appointments with her physical therapist. I asked lots of questions and was assured that she was in excellent hands.

I got home and was happy to reunite with my family, just in time to start planning Christmas. Christmas this year would be a quiet one after all of the traveling and excitement of the past fall.

A song that I’d written and recorded between our return from AZ and my trip to LA was finalized, mixed and mastered in our recording studio in Jacksonville while I was out of town. On December 15th, I released “My Cool Drink of Water” a melodic and lyrical expression of my appreciation of God during these challenging and confusing times. It was the official start of the 3rd album Kenny and I will be working on in 2022.

We did indeed have a very blessed Christmas, and prayed very hard for a new year free of the challenges we’d had during the last two.

Road Trip, Wedding, Road Trip

With our daughter Kathryn’s wedding coming up on Friday evening, October 22nd, we packed up and left for a 3 and 1/2 day road trip from Jacksonville, FL to Tuscon, AZ. We didn’t, however, all ride out together. Based upon Erin’s and Brandon’s work and school schedules, they both flew out and back at various times. So Bruce, Lauren, Sean, Benjamin and I hit the road early on Saturday Oct. 16th.

We had a great time traveling out westward, stopping to explore San Antonio, Carlsbad Caverns, and a glimpse of Mexico over the Rio Grande.

Remember the Alamo! (San Antonio TX) l to r: Benjamin, Sean, Lauren and Bruce
The incredible Carlsbad Caverns.
You can see Mexico from here!

When we arrived in Tuscon on Tuesday afternoon and finished hugs all around, Kathryn and all of her bridesmaids hit the road to Scottsdale for a two day bachelorette party … to replace the planned girls’ trip to New Orleans back in late August that was cancelled due to hurricane Ida. The groom took all his groomsmen up Mt Lemmon just an hour away for a little guy time. We went to our rental property to settle in …it was absolutely perfect and wonderfully spacious! Bruce’s brother and his wife plus my mother-in-law Sylvia arrived to stay with us, as did my brother Scott, our family Catholic priest who would be celebrating our bride and groom’s nuptial mass. Thursday evening was slated for the rehearsal and rehearsal dinner, which all went very smoothly until …

… until we arrived back at our rental home and my 82 yr old mother-in-law, while approaching the back door that entered the house from the garage, fell after failing to see the small step a few feet before the door and practically cartwheeled to the floor. I saw this happen from the passenger seat of our car because I’d not gotten out yet having just pulled in. Sylvia is always the first to get out and bolt quickly to whatever destination at which we’ve arrived! I was the first to arrive to her, and I could immediately see and very superficially feel that her left shoulder was completely dislocated. I not only knew from my medical training, but having had three dislocations myself. She expressed severe pain and I could see it clearly in her face. Well, long-story short: after she was transported via ambulance to a nearby hospital, she was not released, but told she would need surgery … full shoulder replacement surgery because she had not only dislocated the humerus from the socket, but had broken her humerus in 4 places and it was beyond repair. Fortunately, she was in the perfect medical center because it sat adjacent to the best orthopedic hospital in southern AZ.

The very next day was our daughter’s wedding, so Bruce’s brother Bert and his wife Vickie were designated Sylvia companions. One of the visiting cousins live streamed the wedding for Sylvia to view from her hospital bed.

The wedding was beautiful, emotional, and at times, hard to believe that it was happening after so planning, cancellations, then finally here. We are so proud of Kathryn and of Jonathan. Jon and Kathryn met in 2014, and have gone through so much together, and now made the commitment and vowed to love each other by celebrating the sacrament of Holy Matrimony.

Jon and Kathryn’s wedding with my brother Scott Circe officiating.
The wedding party including Lauren (maid of honor next to Kathryn) and our other daughter Erin, next to Lauren, and our son Brandon, to the left in the photo of the man in shades (Jon’s brother Stephen).
Bruce and I (father and mother of the bride
The six Pitre kids
Daddy and daughter
Mom and her girls! l to r: Erin, Fran, Kathryn and Lauren

I wished my own mom and stepdad could have been with us, but the distance was too much with my stepdad’s failing health. But aside from Sylvia’s accident, everything went smoothly and safely.

The evening after the wedding, we had a barbeque at our rental house for all, then it was time to start heading home for a northern route road trip this time. We rode up to Flagstaff and then on to the Grand Canyon, then into Colorado. We dropped Brandon off at the Flagstaff airport, and Erin off at the Denver airport, then the remaining five of us headed through Kansas, Missouri, Tennessee, Alabama, Georgia and finally back home to Northeast Florida. All in all a very beautiful, memorable trip.

Seven Pitres at the Grand Canyon (I took the pic) l to r: Lauren, Brandon, Sean, Benjamin, Bruce and Erin
Gorgeous Colorado country
The St. Louis arch! St. Louis, MO

I will admit that arriving back home was FANTASTIC! Our pup Simon really missed us although he was in good hands with Brandon’s girlfriend Kat and Erin’s boyfriend Josh. Poor Simon turns 15 in November this year, and although we know he has slowly failing kidneys, he’s still loving his walks, eating like a horse and loves his family despite his failing eye site and hearing.

Thank you for reading this blog post … it’s a typical proud momma story. We now have one child of our six officially married! We thank God all went fairly flawless and that everyone made it home safely. Sylvia had her surgery and flew home under the care of Bert and Vickie. She’s doing well and healing slowly but surely, thank the Lord.

Summertime Bridal Shower

We got through the school year and we’re enjoying the last of summer break trying to take it easy. No big summer plans since we’re saving our pennies for our big trip in October to Tuscon for Kathryn and Jonathan’s wedding. As it stands now, we’re probably going to drive and enjoy the road trip there and back, and rent a house for the several days that we’re there.

I’ve been working freelance graphic design work, writing music, having gigs and taking the boys up to our neighborhood pool as often as I can pull their gaming devices out of their hands.

Bruce is still working from home having completely taken over the room that used to be my office. Luckily I still have a corner to keep my music equipment. I work on my laptop in various places in the house and on the patio.

Our daughter Lauren (twin sister of the bride-to-be) lives not far away sharing a rental home with two friends. She currently works for an insurance company from home and schedules patients for radiology procedures. She is still writing and enjoys creating music and drawing. I believe she has her sights on joining the computer story gaming industry on a creative capacity. She sells some of her artwork on Etsy!

Our son Brandon is not only full recovered from his long-haul covid experience, but is very focused on wellness and fitness. He started a job with Audi Corporation as a brand specialist last Feb, and is learning the ropes quite well. He currently has three semesters remaining to earn his bachelors degree in business/economics. He is still dating the girl he took to prom his senior year in high school, named Kat. She’s a doll.

Brandon’s twin sister Erin will also begin her last year of college in the fall in the field of criminal justice. She’s interested in the Parks and Forestry field and is hoping for a local internship next year. She currently works as a shift manager at a local escape room.

Sean and Benjamin aren’t in a hurry to begin the next year of middle school. Sean will start seventh and Benjamin, eighth. Each are practically joined to their Switch consoles, but also enjoy hiking, biking, bowling and eating! Benjamin has stuck with Boy Scouts and his goal is to become Eagle one day. His plans since younger childhood to become a chef still hold true. He helps me in the kitchen and often has ideas for meals that we try! Sean, not sure yet, but he loves all things robotics-related and has joined the robotics club at school which he’s looking forward to returning at school.

As for Kathryn: we had a beautiful bridal shower for her! She flew into town and we showered her at an historic resort at the beach. So many wonderful family members and friends attended, including my mom and sister-in-law from Orlando, and my mother-in-law, sister-in-law and nieces from Louisiana, her mother-in-law-to-be from Ft. Lauderdale, and lots of local friends.

Bride-to-be Kathryn
Bridesmaids, l to r: Erin (my daughter), Riley (cousin), Jenna (cousin), Kathryn (bride), Alana (friend), Lauren (Kathryn’s twin and maid-of-honor) and Tiffany (friend)
Kathryn’s grandmother (my mom), Kathryn and me
My mom Virginia Circe Owens, Kathryn and Bruce’s mom Sylvia
Elegant celebration and delicious food!

Post-shower note

Hurricane Ida was on its way to Louisiana while our Louisiana family was here in Jacksonville for the bridal shower. They left Jacksonville and drove back home in order to help secure their homes and be with the rest of their families. They did not evacuate. The damage was horrible … no electricity, no water. No injuries, thankfully

The following week, Bruce and I met Bruce’s brother Brian half way between Houma, LA and Jacksonville so we could pick up my mother-in-law. We took Sylvia back home to Jacksonville so she could live a couple of weeks with us until the power and water was restored in Louisiana. At 82 years, no A/C and no running water was just too hard on her.

As a mom, my 2¢ on the COVID injection and all things COVID19

If you read my lengthy blog articles when my son Brandon became so sick with Cov19 last summer (June 2020), you may recall my thought process when it came to the treatments we sought and were denied. I am not a medical doctor, but I have enough medical training in anatomy, physiology and pathology to hold a medical practitioner license in the state of Florida as a clinical manual/medical massage therapist in the field of physical therapy. On top of that, I believe my 26 years as a mother provides me with even more experience and credentials as far as a caregiver ensuring the well-being of my family.

Just like the rest of the world in early 2020, this pandemic took me by surprise and threw everything off kilter for our family. News coverage and the government spokespeople voices had us shaken, concerned and aware that this was serious. I didn’t believe the rumors it was all a hoax of some sort, because I knew people were getting sick. I saw that when doctors all over the world came forward explaining the success of protocols they were following, my ears perked up, and I sighed with relief because although we couldn’t possibly see a vaccine for years (because it does take YEARS for development, trials and approvals), we would have safe, proven, successful therapeutic medications to help us through this crisis.

But.

But then those tried-and-true medications were suddenly discredited despite dozens of doctors assuring their safety and success. When my son was so ill and I was laser focused on his recovery, the medications that I’d heard were safe, used for decades and inexpensive were suddenly ABSOLUTELY unavailable. I begged our family doctor to please let us try, and the doctors office we’d trusted for over two decades, flatly refused.

Hmmm.

And then I realized … the innoculation is the goal.

I researched. I learned. I researched and cross-referenced. I read and read. My eyes were opened. I put puzzle pieces together. I didn’t go to one resource, I went to hundreds. I asked questions. And then I watched as people that I agreed with become censored and become cancelled. Punished, discredited … all by the familiar mainstream media and by social media.

Oh my God. This was really happening. Division, hate, threats, fear-mongering.

When the time came for my age group to have the “blessed opportunity” of the miracle vac_cine, a FASTER THAN EVER in WORLD HISTORY immune drug I said ….

No.

I could go on and on, but I will not. I choose to respect others for their thoughts, their decisions and their actions. I only ask the same in return. Again, if you read my earlier posts, you would know that I passionately believe that making us wear masks over our noses and mouths not only did NOT protect us from others and vice versa, but actually would cause us harm by reducing our oxygen intake, increasing our carbon dioxide and increasing our likelihood of contracting a bacterial pulmonary infection such as pleurisy and pneumonia.

But back to the syringes … I’ve never been an anti va_ccin_er. All of my children have received their full schedule of shots over the years, but this was different. When those opposing it for various reasons (health, religion, distrust) became shamed, I saw that coming. When they became vilified, I saw that coming, too. When people started to lose their JOBS, I was floored. And at the same time, I was further awakened. This whole thing was always about a shot. Always about weakening, dividing and controlling us.

I could talk about the reported cases of injuries and death from this injection, but you can do your own research. It’s hundreds of thousands worldwide. People that I know and love have gotten the shots and have gotten ill from it. I will not have my children injected. I have left our pediatric office of 23 years due to its persistent insistence on having my children injected. I could talk about the evil forces that are behind all of this, but I won’t. Just believe when I say that this isn’t about keeping anyone healthy. It’s quite the opposite, sadly.

I’ve learned of doctors and nurses having their medical licenses threatened for not promoting and performing these injections. I learned that their jobs were also threatened had they promoted or prescribed the forbidden therapeutic medication. When I learned that the same source from which the virus itself originated was the same source who created the syringe contents, it all made sense. When I learned that the syringe contents were created and patented before the virus was created (and it was not naturally created), it made even more sense.

As time has gone by, I’ve become more and more firm in my beliefs and relieved that we did not receive this injection. Sadly, one adult child has, and her health has suffered for it. My goal with her is to cleanse her body of the toxins and other harmful components of the two injections.

I respect those who have followed their hearts and their need to protect their families by getting the injection. If you want to wear masks, go ahead and do so. But no one should force anyone to do so.

At this point, all of us in my family have gotten the virus over the past year. We’ve all been sick, we’ve all recovered and we’ve all built a robust immunity. We don’t want the shot, and we all should have the right to make the decision as to getting it or not. At this point, now that we’re being coerced and FORCED under threat of job termination, my husband is wondering if he will possibly lose his job as a healthcare facilities architect. Only time and events to come will tell.

So, as with everything that comes along in my life, I turn to God for strength, for wisdom, for discernment of the truth, and for guidance in making decisions. I know we will all get through this somehow. I keep my eyes up, my heart open and my faith rooted firmly in my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. I will not put my trust in any human leader, only my God.


BUSY, FABULOUS WEEKEND!

Just had to share that this past weekend, May 27 and 28 was INCREDIBLE!

I had been asked by the executive director of the crisis pregnancy organization where I volunteer if I would sing “GOD BLESS AMERICA” at their annual fundraising gala. Well, this is not little gala … it’s a 500+ person, elegant event held at the Renaissance Hotel ball room at the World Golf Village, with guest speakers, cocktail hour, TV cameras, hobnobbing and networking. It’s the single biggest source of funding that our center receives for all of their locations around town.

Well, I couldn’t do this without first consulting my #1 music collaborator, my songwriting composer right hand, Kenny. He composed an original backing track with piano for me to sing with and, although I was probably as nervous as I’ve ever been in my entire life, I pulled it off! As I was about to be introduced by the event’s MC, (a former “voice of the Jaguars” sports announcer) I believe than anyone in a 10 foot radius of me could hear my heart pounding. Bruce and I attended the gala together, which was very special because it fell on his birthday.

Quite an honor to be asked to perform “God Bless America” at yearly fundraiser gala!

ANNNND, the very next night our band had another gig, but no ordinary show … My kids and I planned a surprise for Bruce at the gig! I invited a bunch of his friends and co-workers, ordered a spread of food from the gig venue, and our daughter Lauren helped bring the cake I ordered! It was a huge success … he had no clue! He was quite happy!! Successful night #2!

Happy Birthday, Babe!

Performing again!

Sooooo excited to report that my band, Fran Pitre and Class Act is back to performing live after a 7 month break! I won’t be blogging about all of our upcoming performances on this site, but for this first one we performed at a local venue that warmly welcomed us, and so did the house! I cannot begin to express how happy I am to get the band back on stage!

For anyone interested in following my musical journey and upcoming events, please visit: franpitresings.com and follow my band page on facebook at https://www.facebook.com/FRANPITREandCLASSACT

Thank you for understanding how incredibly JOYFUL this opportunity is for this mom! Please remember to follow your dreams when the time is right. Remember that our dreams weren’t given to us by mistake.


Our daughter’s wedding is back on!

Just a quick post to announce that, despite all of the craziness this past year has brought us, Kathryn and Jonathan feel confident that proceeding on with the new wedding date of October 22nd will work!

So, I’ll be hosting her bridal shower this summer (probably August) along with her twin sister Lauren and younger sister Erin and other bridesmaids including cousins in Louisiana. With Kathryn already in Tuscon, and me here in Jacksonville, it will be long distance planning and assisting in any way that I can. Since I must be honest, I admit that I wish soooo much that she wanted to have her wedding in her home town and home state where most of her family live, especially those who don’t feel comfortable traveling these days with flight restrictions, etc, plus the fear of getting sick. But, it’s not my wedding, it’s theirs. So, I’ll do everything I can to help, all the while wishing I could do more hands on.

Because it’s in October, we’ll have to take the boys out of school for a week or so. I don’t know if we’ll be driving or flying, but we’re looking into both options. Ultimately, we are so looking forward to celebrating our first born (older than her twin by 1 and 1/2 minutes) and her husband to be!

Volunteering again!

Once the kids began school, I jumped into the volunteer helper role pretty quickly because I wanted to stay active and close to them. I was a homeroom mom several years for several grades helping their teachers with activities such as projects and field trips. I volunteered in the cafeteria, helped with fundraisers large and small, and from pre-K through high school, I was happy to use my creativity to help both our schools and our church as the yearbook committee chairperson and as a member of our church choir.

With the passage of time and the growing up of my kids, plus the added aspect of this crazy world where everything feels off, imbalanced and full of so much confusion, I felt a pull to reenter a ministry that I hadn’t been actively involved in for years: that being the PRO-LIFE movement.

For years prior to our having a family, Bruce and I were actively involved as trained counselors at a crisis pregnancy center in Northern Virginia. Over the years as our family grew, I would step in to help with office and newsletter work at our local center here in Jacksonville, but I hadn’t stayed consistently involved having been so busy with our young children. But the time felt right to put myself back in the role of pro-life counselor. I contacted our local center, met with the director and some of the other staff members, became familiar with recent industry practices and protocols, and read up on everything. I went through training and shadowing of other counselors and then began to help women in crisis

What an honor and humbling experience this decision has been. Many people that come to our center are simply in need of a proof of pregnancy form signed by a healthcare professional so that she can apply for Medicaid. But, as expected, many come in out of fear that they are facing an overwhelming situation that was not expected.

As counselors, we are faces and voices of nonjudgmental people who understand, who listen, the repeat back what our clients are telling us so they know that they are being heard and understood. We assure each person who has come to us for help that she is safe, she is validated, supported and she is not alone. We offer a vast amount of information and resources for her to make an INFORMED DECISION if she is experiencing an unplanned pregnancy. Each person is completely individual in social and health situation, history, family dynamic and either family support or lack thereof. Ultimately, we provide food for thought and enough support that decisions can be made. Faith is a component of our counseling session if the client has expressed religious beliefs while we talk about her options.

This role is difficult and wonderful at the same time. It’s frightening. Before entering the counseling room each time, I pray that the Holy Spirit will guide my words. I pray for each client and for the baby she is carrying. I am in awe and very humbled that God can use me as his instrument to help another woman in need. For now, I will volunteer a full day, once per week, and we’ll see where this may lead.

What a DIFFERENCE a year makes.

Well, it’s been a year, folks! And here we are, one year since the start of spring break 2020 when so many questions were flying around about what was going on … what were we all going to do? Would we keep the kids home from school for a while? What about our jobs? How long was all of this going to last? Sigh. You know what I mean.

Just like everyone else, we just didn’t know what was out in front of us. There were so many questions, and there was so much to worry about.

If you keep up with my blog or if you scroll down and catch up, you’ll learn that we experienced COVID-19 in this family in a very serious way … just as so many families did. And in the beginning, we all felt stopped in our tracks, stunted, somewhat paralyzed and all harboring a constant level of fear and worry.

But as time went by, the Pitre family started to breathe and decided to stretch our legs, open our windows, and get back into life.

Never intending to debate political items on this blog (or anywhere, really … it’s not my thing), my take on wearing masks have never been one of “YES”, and the reason for that stems from my life as an asthmatic and from my knowledge and education in an aspect of medical field with focus on health and wellness. Our bodies were created to breathe, and not to live behind pieces of cloth that prevent sufficient and healthy oxygen intake and which cause us to breathe in our own bacteria, causing respiratory and pulmonary disease. However, my family and I complied with the safety mandates issued for protection out of respect for other people, businesses we entered, and so on. I absolutely was not (and am still not) a fan of long-term wear for health reason of the wearer, which was one reason I kept my youngest boys (our 3rd twin set) home from school all last fall.

But, time proved that our boys needed to return to school for both academic (Benjamin) and social (Sean) reasons. I know our college kids Erin and Brandon have had a touch time maneuvering college classes completely online, sometimes not moderated by any teacher or professor at all.

So our youngest boys returned to school after Christmas break, and have been doing very well. I try to put the image of them in masks all day out of my mind. I wash their reusable supply of masks each night in hospital strength antiseptic, and then let a hot dryer kill any remaining bacteria. So far, so good!

So, as we rounded the turn of 2020 to 2021, we exhaled and knew that somehow we’d all get through these very challenging and unique times in our lives. I do look back on 2020 and, although I really didn’t know what was all going to come of this global situation, I’m proud of how most people, once the shock had worn off, went on with life. And so did we.We adjusted … my husband Bruce is still very busily working from home as an architect and project manager of many local hospital projects and attending several meetings per week; the kids are all thriving through the school year; boy scout meetings, projects and camping trips have continued; our middle twin set, Erin and Brandon have each started new jobs; I’ve picked up some consistent contract-based graphic design work for extra income, I’ve studio recorded my updated book TWINS x 3 to be produced as an audiobook hopefully in about a year, and I survived 2 spontaneous shoulder dislocations and a third surgery and extensive rehab on that shoulder. Oh, and my music collaborator Kenny and I completed and released a second album of original music in Nov 2020.

Life continues to go on, and when the bouts of confusion, frustration and disappointment with interruptions occur, I just take a breath, pray for continued discernment, wisdom and the TRUTH, and most of all rely on my firm belief that God has all of this.

We all feel very secure and blessed. Yes, very blessed.

Yes, very blessed.

Life is meant to be lived, come what may. Get out into it. Breathe.

We are sooooo fortunate to live so close to the coast … only 7 miles from the beaches, and oh yes, we enjoy them all year round.

I was so excited when my kids agreed to work on one of the songs on the music album that was released just a few months ago. During 2020, the music always continued. The music performing was very stop and go, hit or miss, but my co-writer and I worked hard and put out a second album in November 2020. I’ve also been working on my updated book’s audio book recording. Completing that project will be jumping to the top of my project priority list soon!

In 2019, I wrote a song called “JUST LIKE THAT” … that life can change in the blink of an eye, but together, we can face anything. How appropriate for 2020. Here are 3 of the six recording harmonies and backup vocals on “JUST LIKE THAT” in the recording studio, Sept 2020.

As a family we hold tight, we pray a lot, we attend Mass online each week, and we get outside as much as possible. Bruce and I need to continue to reassure our kids that things were going to be okay, that no matter what, we stick together, even if things feel unsure and scary. So we keep our projects going, our lives as familiar as possible, and keep the course moving ahead, steady and strong.

Our eldest (1st born/1st set) daughter Kathryn and her fiance Jonathan decided to have a small, private marriage ceremony in Tucson last October (without family because we couldn’t travel), but we will all be going out there this coming autumn for an official marriage blessing and Mass celebrated by Kathryn’s uncle, our family priest (my brother), Scott.

Lauren (2nd born/1st set) lives away from us now in a house here in Jacksonville with two other girls, works full-time from her home office, but spends many weekends here at our home. For a while, when everyone was completely locked down and quarantined, it was torture not being able to be with her. Thankfully, that didn’t last too long. I plan to FINALLY visit my Mom and step-Dad soon, and hopefully we’ll be able to visit Bruce’s family in Louisiana soon, as well. Gosh it’s been 14 months since I’ve hugged my mom.

On a very personal note, this year has been a year of extremely powerful and exponential spiritual growth for me. Never in my life have I prayed, read my Bible (I read the One Year Bible each day) and dug down deeply to gather strength, conviction and determination to live. This past year has magnified and reinforced my dependence on God, and the ever-growing realization that I simply cannot survive and thrive without God’s guidance, comfort and support, but I also know that I can get through anything, that ALL of us can get through anything that this life throws at us, through Christ who’s strength empowers me.

Let’s choose to live with renewed purpose, love and a whole new level of appreciation for each and every person, and every single day.

I’d love to hear how your year went.

CLICK HERE If you’d like to check out our song “JUST LIKE THAT” and all of the new music!